In many European countries where English is not the primary language, it isn't hard to find an abundance of alternative rockers who choose to write and record in English exclusively. That is especially true in the Germanic countries; Germany, Holland, Sweden, Norway, Austria, and Denmark are full of alternative rock bands that have never considered writing or performing in any language other than English. But there are also European alternative rockers who enjoy a language other than English so much that they prefer to use that language for artistic expression. The Czech scene, for example, has had many alternative rock bands whose members have opted to write and perform in Czech, and
Prouza is one of them. On
V Tichosti,
Prouza performs Czech-language material exclusively -- and even if one doesn't understand a word of Czech, there is no doubt that lead vocalist Karel Marik sings with conviction and feeling. It should be noted that this 2007 recording is Marik's first album with
Prouza, which has had some lineup changes along the way; on
V Tichosti, the lineup also includes guitarist Vladimir Franek, bassist Pavel Sabela, and drummer Richard Zajac.
V Tichosti is their first album since 1992's Ve Dne v Noci --
Prouza broke up in 1994 and reunited in the 2000s -- and despite all the lineup changes, the
Prouza of the late 2000s sounds very much like the
Prouza of the early '90s. They still have an attractive sound that is moody, dusky, and atmospheric yet gritty and tough, and that sound serves them consistently well on this solid comeback disc. ~ Alex Henderson