DEPOIS DO FIM

Although they only produced one album during their initial phase of activity, Brazillian outfit Bacamarte deservedly belong to the list of great non-European progressive groups thanks to 1983's far-reaching symphonic masterpiece 'Depois Do Fim', an album that continually finds itself embedded in the upper echelons of various progressive rock best album lists.

Sitting in the same grade as the likes of Harmonium's beautifully folk-inspired 'Si On Avait Besoin D'une Cinquieme Saison' and the highly-influential pair of Klaus Schulze- produced Japanese space-psych marathons 'Nipponjin' and 'Parallel Worlds' from the Far East Family Band, 'Depois Du Fim' has now reached the level of legend amongst progressive rock fans, a lofty sonic perch indeed. Curiously, however, this is an album made more than a decade after progressive rock's golden era, a fact made all the more amazing by the sound and style of an album that sounds nothing like it's 1980s origins. Such is it's sonic authenticity, 'Depois Do Fim' sounds as if it were made circa 1973, not 1983.

Featuring a seven-strong line-up but written mainly by guitarist Mario Neto, 'Depois Do Fim' features an enchanting blend of acoustic-and-electronic instruments melded into a strong symphonic style. Elements of medieval music, folk and the occasional jazz touch are added artfully to the mixture, whilst the group's latin heritage also plays a prominent role throughout.

Album highlights include the multi-part instrumental opener 'U.F.O.', a track featuring warm woozy synthesizers courtesy of keyboardist and co-writer Sergio Villarim, the intricate operatic flute-led latin-rock of 'Smog Alado', and the gorgeous nine-minute centrepiece 'Ultimo Entardecer', a captivating brew of symphonic melodies adorned by Jane Duboc's unique vocals.

Beautifully played, unnervingly complex and filled with a multi-coloured array of textures and ingredients, Bacamarte's wonderful debut truly deserves its strong reputation, multiple listens revealing the album's highly-skilled and carefully-crafted nature. The real mystery, however, is why they only made the one album(a belated and inferior follow-up with little relation to 'Depois Do Fim' would appear during the mid-nineties). That said, the mystique of stand-alone albums of great quality is also a large part of their appeal, and although one would have liked even more Bacamarte albums to mull over, asking for more seems almost greedy. 'Depois Do Fim' is a fine album - a masterpiece even - and that should be enough.

In a word then: gorgeous.

STEFAN TURNER, STOKE NEWINGTON, 2012