Wydawnictwo 21 reissues have a red banner slapped atop the rear of the jewel case–this one reads Hard Rock Trip Into The Progressive 70's. They certainly have the Rock part correct. Not so much progressive, if nostalgic. Colt's singer sounds like Jack Bruce, and the music sounds like Deep Purple. So we have a modern-day Purple Cream, from Poland, with Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page both standing in for Ritchie Blackmore. From The Fridge was recorded between the 19th and 24th of February 2001, but there's no way one could guess that. The common listener should be fooled very easily, so make some wagers—this CD could make you some money back, after you buy it! Alright, so it's not that unique; other modern albums boast cool "retro" production, too. These guys really have that raw mid-to-late 60s/early 70s tone down. The bass is nice 'n' chunky and the drums are up-front, typical of how John Bonham sounded, or Jerry Shirley, on the very first Fastway record. Guitarist-vocalist Radoslaw Kopeç sings in both English (mostly) and Polish, and sprinkles in some organ & piano; guest Joanna Jaworz-Dutka adds some nice, complementary flute lines.
Energetic rockers like "Chosen One" and "Time To Fly" will sound great on your refurbished Trans Am's stereo as you cruise down Sunset Boulevard, wearing your Burt Reynolds-as-Hooper jersey! "Boozies" evokes instrumental Hendrix; it will satiate your hunger for wah-wah guitar like a timed-release vitamin—and more flute by Joanna (imagine that on a billboard). "Doesn't Matter" has a halfway competent organ lead with another long, wah-wah drenched solo dubbed over it; the song is the most reminiscent of Cream of the bunch, with echoes of "Sunshine Of Your Love." Next up, shades of The Guess Who drip down on "I Want Your Love So Bad (S.L.Y.)," a by-now-typical sounding love-rock anthem.
The mold is finally broken with "Drop," a one minute, fifty second-long, well-executed acoustic guitar instrumental. This is intended to preface the thirteen-minute title track, which is broken down into "In The Fridge/The Escape/The Battle/Out Of The Future." Kopeç intros with a steamy percussive organ line: is he trying to "out-dirty" Jon Lord? Artur Malinowski's pulsing bass & Adam Romaniszyn's drums enter without a bang (for once) and the trio actually effect some buildups and Zeppelin-like structure to control the chaos. Kopeç's solo halfway through shows some restraint (for once) and it ends up being one of his best moments, making use of stereo panning for some faux trade-offs. Colt grunges it up through the final minutes and moments; your speakers may shake violently, but your muse may not, as this retrogressive album squarely fits onto the shelf with other one-word-name garage-sound acts. There's a place for everything, though, and these chaps do what they do because they like what they've heard, and now they're playing it.
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