Pre-release listen: we were granted access to the full new album by Lunatic Soul, Mariusz Duda’s solo project. Titled The World…, it arrives on October 31, 2025 via Mystic Production. Spanning nearly ninety minutes (1:29:40) across 14 tracks, the record extends Duda’s trademark blend of progressive narrative, folk hues, ambient spaces, and organic electronics.
The World… continues the Lunatic Soul journey while opening a wider, more cinematic portal: epic yet intimate, panoramic yet inward. The opener “The World Under Unsun” guides us into a half-lit realm where shade becomes the canvas for hope. Acoustic textures and electronic pulses are given time to breathe; nothing is rushed, everything moves at the tempo of inner pilgrimage.
“Loop of Fate” contemplates destiny without cliché—less a loop than a labyrinth with potential exits. “Good Memories Don’t Want to Die” sets a hymn to memory’s tenderness, steering away from nostalgia towards a living pulse. “Monsters” names the creatures within, not to glorify them but to confront and befriend them.
Mid-album, dramaturgy blooms. “The Prophecy” feels like a voice from outside—perhaps our conscience reflected back. The centerpiece “Mind Obscured, Heart Eclipsed” (11:42) is a ritual of sound and silence, a journey from sparse minimalism to sweeping crescendos—loss edged by a shy light. It doesn’t merely “tell”; it establishes a contemplative field.
“Torn in Two” and “Hands Made of Lead” anchor the narrative in physical imagery—division, weight, gravity refusing abstraction. In “Ardour”, the heat is contained: passion without bombast, tension without spectacle. “Game Called Life” (9:41) stands as a progressive suite and existential tract: life as a game, but not a cynical one—the rules measured by conscience, the outcome weighted by love.
The closing sequence—“Confession”, “Parallels”, “Self in Distorted Glass”—reads like steps of honesty, mirroring, and self-recognition. “The New End” signs off with a purposeful ellipsis: an ending that contains a beginning. No fireworks; an after-ring that lingers within.
Spiritual & Existential Undercurrents
Lunatic Soul is not an explicitly Christian project; stating this clearly matters. Yet The World… resonates with spiritual vocabulary: prophecy and confession, the “game called life,” monsters of conscience, hope in penumbra. For Eternal Flames readers, the record can be “read” through Biblical imagery: darkness as a space of waiting, absence as a turning point of faith, memory as antidote to nihilism. Duda avoids sermonizing; he offers a landscape in which each listener charts a personal route. That humility is the album’s strength.
Sound & Production
The production emphasizes organic closeness—acoustic guitars, a tactile bass, pulsing synths, restrained percussion. The mix prefers air over density, allowing silence to function as harmony. Emotional impact is drawn as a long arc; it invites full-length immersion—ideally on headphones, unhurried.
Place in the Catalogue & Who It’s For
The World… converses with prior Lunatic Soul sensitivity while pushing toward epic form. Riverside followers will recognize Duda’s compositional instinct; ambient/folk listeners will find a master-class in space and timbre. If you need a record to navigate darkness with candour and poise, this is among the year’s most cohesive offerings.
Tracklist
- The World Under Unsun – 6:58
- Loop of Fate – 6:19
- Good Memories Don’t Want to Die – 4:45
- Monsters – 4:27
- The Prophecy – 6:42
- Mind Obscured, Heart Eclipsed – 11:42
- Torn in Two – 3:55
- Hands Made of Lead – 8:04
- Ardour – 4:26
- Game Called Life – 9:41
- Confession – 4:26
- Parallels – 3:17
- Self in Distorted Glass – 10:25
- The New End – 4:29
FAQ
Is Lunatic Soul a Christian project?
No, not explicitly. However, the album explores spiritual and existential themes that many faith-minded listeners will recognize.
When is the release date of The World…?
October 31, 2025 (Mystic Production).
How long is the album?
14 tracks; total running time: 1 hour 29 minutes 40 seconds.
Which styles does it draw from?
Progressive/art rock, ambient, folk, and Lunatic Soul’s signature organic electronics.