Here come the flying prog amigos with their second installment, barely a year after the statuesque debut that rocked the prog world, universally lauded and for good reason! The quintet and guest performers concoct a boiling cauldron of clashing confluence, orderly rebellion and unbridled passion. When I am asked , what is so special about prog? My answer has not wavered or been alter in 54 years: It’s a soundtrack to an imaginary movie playing in your mind, which you can edit or alter every single time your return to it, an endless enigma of sizzling pleasure. As great as that debut was, this is an outright Krakatoa-level volcanic eruption, that reconstructs the very meaning of heavy. Check out some of the titles : Eyes of Crystal, Metallic Skins, Last Light or Invisible Material, and the devastating instrumental barrage behind them is tectonic insanity. Let us focus on drummer Rodrigo Gonzalez Mera, a seemingly perfect heir apparent to some of the most furious percussors in recent memory : Billy Cobham, Michael Walden, Bill Bruford, and Furio Chirico of Arti+Mestieri fame. Surrounded by new bassist Pablo Barria, and returning trio of Martin Pena on vocals, guitarist Roberto Faundez (whom I nicknamed Frippo on the previous album’s review) and saxman Matias Bahamondes, who seemingly had an overdose of Mel (Tom) Collins sonic cocktails for theses sessions. Throw in some orchestral strings for maximum effect and the birdcage door is set wide open . We all acknowledge that winemaking in Chile is world class, but these Burgundy Monarchs surely drank from the same Poseidon island court chalice and feasted on Chercan Tongues in Aspic for lunch and dinner. The target of their fury is good old-fashioned technology, the ultimate paradox of our times.
The gently stark shivers and hushed words on “Pareidola” quickly accelerate into a ghostly scream, the raging guitars sparing little mercy, the elastic bass echoing into the illusionary night. Mera judiciously chooses his percussive entrances for maximum effect, frothing electronics seeking to soothe the acerbic axe phrasings and the saxophone joining in the frolic. Its attractive chaos at work and play, balancing the fine line between pleasure and pain, just a question of perspective. The dream/nightmare outro is exquisite.
Well, the microchips start falling where they may on the impulse-driven “En Lo Incierto”, a crusty tirade on the contradiction that plagues our modern world, where everyone knows everything within nano-seconds, yet no one understands anything….no time, I am busy. Welcome to the eternal rat race but now full on bloated with all the steroids in the universe (or as I like to call them, ‘ass-steroids’). The track is only enigmatic in that its staring us right in the face yet still see nothing.
Agony becomes apparent on the terrific “Ojos de Cristal” where lead vocalist Martin Pena gets to show devastating pathos, an instrumental cranium where the ears get equal treatment. When Mera signals an otherworldly path that shimmers brightly, the impression is only of memories from the past where life was simpler and eyes were clear, open and bright and not a component on a computer, a crystal eye looking at you looking at the screen. Effortlessly, the swirl eventually gets intense and then the lids shut down, lashes at rest. Brilliant track that locks in the overdrive that will take the listener on the final journey. !
If one thought that was amazing, “Pieles de Metal” is another angst-drenched structure that collides with a supreme melody, the bass, guitar, cello and sax floating with precision. Faundez peels of a monstrous, effect-laden barrage that slithers like a well-oiled metallic reptile, gathering in concentration that verges on pandemonium. Heavyweight drumming propels this like bullets through a ballistic vest of soft armor. Time for lamentation, as “Ultima Luz” exposes a deeply felt sentiment of hopelessness, highlighted by a polyrhythmic display that unites the robust bass, unyielding guitars and tectonic drums into an inextricable web of finality. The wounded sax anguishes, the plaintive vocals on the edge of desperation, another fizzling conductor of sound.
“Sueno Diferido” launches the final triad of compositions that strive to slam dunk the quality of this release. The groove is exceptionally linear, attractively assembled, with magnificent drum patterns that keep one enthralled, an unshakeable impression of a being stuck in a misty tunnel of comfortable numbness. The nearly 7 minutes of “Materia Invisible” is the longest and most expansive track presented here, reigniting the processor engine with horror movie-like grisliness, electronics simmering just below the tragic surface, Pena spanning the extremes, from angry to sedate. Halfway through , you guessed it, the mood gets violently disturbing as if surrounded by menacing angelic specters, like the final scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark. What a surge, blowing all the fuses in the box.
Maintaining the recent tradition of ending a doom-laden album with a finale seeking hope and redemption of some kind, “La Evolucion” succeeds perfectly in finalizing the spirit of evolution. The flute plays a major soothing role, a voice gently ripping out the plugs, firmly pulling out all the useless wires, and replacing the battery with a swooning elegy that arches way above the acrid-smoked computer banks. The dual voices (Pena and Bahamondes) combine to propel this intense melody into celestial heights where machines cannot possibly ever reign supreme.
You asked for savage, you get damage. The free Andes bird has flown into the Red zone.
5 Silicon chips