Released: June 26, 2026 (26.06.2026)

Mariusz Duda: all vocals, instruments, and effects

Tracklist:

1. Realm of the Weeping Willows Parts I – IV
2. Hylophobia
3. Vyraj
4. Transition II (condensed version)

• • I – when i met the ferryman
  • II – remember, forget
  • III – fireflies
  • IV – all those nice memories
  • V – miss you
  • VI – back to the forest
  • VII – awakening

I

It might seem redundant to write a review for something that mostly isn’t new and that I have already talked about, but Transition II is worth discussing for a couple of reasons. First, this album contains a new song, “Realm of the Weeping Willows” that has never been heard before, and any new Lunatic Soul track is always welcome. Secondly, and more importantly, is what Transition II represents in the wider context of Mariusz Duda’s career.

As a reminder: when Through Shaded Woods came out in 2020 it was the only Lunatic Soul release to be accompanied by bonus material. This consisted of two short instrumental pieces (“Vyraj” and “Hylophobia”), and one magnificently epic suite called “Transition II”, which at nearly 28 minutes is the longest single piece of music Mariusz has ever released. However, at the time there was no vinyl version, and over the years a large number of fans have made it quite clear that this hole in their Lunatic Soul collection needed filling. And Mariusz agreed, but how to do it? “Transition II” was too long to fit comfortably on one side of a record, and the two other pieces were too short to constitute a flip side. The idea of breaking “Transition II” in the middle to flip over the disc was a non-starter. The other problem was simply the time to do it: for a few years after TSW came out, time was in very short supply.

Eventually, though, he was able to get back to it. He delved into the TSW sessions and pulled out a piece that he could expand on and refine, and he reduced “Transition II” to an even 23 minutes. And here we are: with the release of Transition II on vinyl and CD, Lunatic Soul Mark I is now complete.

Before I get to the new piece, a couple of quick observations: the older songs have been remastered, and “Hylophobia” precedes “Vyraj” (that is, their order is reversed from the initial bonus release) which may throw you off if you play the original disc a lot. “Transition II” of course is “condensed”: Mariusz excised nearly 5 minutes out of the original, and I expect many of you will try to figure out where that happened. I will just say that for the most part, the cuts are pretty seamless (only one place jumped out because he edited my favourite section, so I noticed… 🙂). No fear though – it is just as epic and glorious as the long version and retains all its integrity and power.

The new song is called “Realm of the Weeping Willows”; at close to 12 minutes long, it is a substantial piece of music, structured over four distinct sections. It is not what I expected, given its apparent origins, but I think it is representative of Mariusz’s current state of mind. He wisely did not attempt to recreate the feel of Through Shaded Woods, but wrote a piece that speaks to where he is now.

“Realm…” may have been drawn from TSW and one can hear that in the dark, folky rhythm of the first section, but to me, it references TSW the way The World Under Unsun does: it takes a more solemn emotional direction, and if there is a song that one could compare it to (at least the opening section), it is “Monsters”. Both tracks reflect and then subvert TSW, albeit in different ways.

We then move to a gentler section of acoustic guitar and vocals, and what a very odd and mannered style of singing it is. I cannot make out any words, and I suspect there are none to make out. This vocal approach is reminiscent of what we hear on tracks like “Hands Made of Lead”, “Game of Life” and even “Swaróg”  – hints, perhaps, of a new identity for Lunatic Soul.  Bass enters, and begins to dominate, driving the song forward. The vocals become clean and choral; yet there is a watery, unstable feel to the last half of the piece, as if it is somehow adrift.

“Realm of the Weeping Willows” is a strange and beautiful song, hypnotic and trancelike, acoustic in its feel with guitar and ukulele, but also plenty of electronic sonic washes. It is redolent with the dark disquiet of TWUU, as if it is moving towards the light but not quite able to get there. It is clearly coming from a different creative and emotional space than its companion tracks, and that makes for a fascinating contrast to the rest of the album.

II

Transition: a change or shift from one state to another; a period or phase in which such a shift is happening; something that links one state or phase to another… (adapted from the Merriam-Webster online dictionary). 

 …when something ends, something else begins…

Twenty-six years ago, Mariusz Duda made the first big transition of his life: he moved from Węgorzewo to Warsaw, and soon after joined Riverside. Twenty-five years after that came another profound shift in direction, and Transition II, released at just this time and with this name, stands as a signpost of the change, a metaphor for an entire career.

We have seen this play out over the past several months. The World Under Unsun arrived, closing the album cycle and ostensibly ending the first Lunatic Soul phase – but Mariusz wasn’t quite done. Lunatic Soul itself was transitioning, shifting identities. We learned this in November of last year, with the travelling summary of the Circle of Life and Death story, and for the first time LS songs were presented live, with electric guitar.

Then came the biggest change of all, the second transition: Mariusz Duda left Riverside, throwing himself into a creative liminality, in-between as it were: one musical outlet was gone, and the next in flux. As if to reinforce this shift, he released a reimagined version of “Ardour” from TWUU, cinematic and imposing, with new words telling a different story, confirming that the past was, well, in the past.

New conceptions. Re-imaginings. New approaches, new ideas, new vision.

With the release of Transition II, the final chapter of the original Lunatic Soul story is complete: there is no more to be said about the original cycle. And yet even this album illustrates creative evolution: “Realm of the Weeping Willows”, derived from Through Shaded Woods, meant to be part of that album’s bonus material, but in reality reflecting the darkness of The World Under Unsun.

Lunatic Soul will carry on. And we know, if we know anything at all about how Mariusz Duda’s career has played out, that the possibilities for it are boundless, constrained only by his own creative imagination and the decisions he makes about its direction and themes. It was always a place he could fully explore, taking musical chances that were not possible in Riverside, and there is no reason to believe that will change. I don’t know about you, but I plan to go along for that ride.