INSANO

In 2006, Chilean prog rock band Platurno received a bit of attention for their debut album, Núcleos. Five years later and the group have released their sophomore effort, Insano. This is a fairly eclectic instrumental progressive rock album that should satisfy jazz fusion fans, open-minded metalheads, and (of course) fans of prog rock. If excellent musicianship and captivating instrumental performances are what you're looking for, Insano isn't one to miss!

Platurno plays a style of instrumental progressive rock with frequent touches of progressive metal and jazz fusion. There are some vocals in "Control" (what a beautiful track!), but the rest of the album is instrumental. I especially enjoy the heavy-edged title track; the keyboard playing from Sebastian Aguayo is simply irresistible. Not all tracks are equally memorable, but no material here is weak to any extent. From a purely technical perspective, Insano is a top notch album - the musicianship is excellent and the production is powerful and clear.

Insano isn't an album that completely blew me away, but to call it anything less than highly impressive is cutting Platurno short. This trio has created a killer bit of instrumental progressive rock that just about every fan of the genre should check out. Insano may take a few spins to get into, but once you "get it", there's enough instrumental prowess and memorability to satisfy just about any prog fan. 3.5 stars are well-deserved for this talented Chilean trio.