FLECHA

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By forgetting the first mainstream side of this album, with a lot of insipid pop hits, the second side, the symphonic one, is a splendid "Toccata and Fugue" in the vein of such stunning Baroque pieces of Classical music, with a final touch of great Latin Romanticism, which alone is worth checking out. Marcus Viana is involved here with the keyboards and the violin as usual, in a magical excursion.

Well this issue is not essential, but anyway it's very interesting, regarding of the second side, despite of being much inferior than for example " Farol Da Liberdade" and " Grande Espirito"...

Starting with SAGRADO's 2000 output, the fabulous "A Leste Do Sol, Oeste Da Lua", I went backwards to check their previous works from which I'd heard a bunch of tracks detachedly. Well, I still didn't get their debut and namesake album but I got their second, "Flecha", a 1987 release.

Hearing this work in its entirety brought me some surprises: good production and musicianship, fine songs, pleasant tunes, nice vocals, etc, however the item progressiveness is far from being achieved. What is presented here is basically a series of catchy pop songs, Brazilian styled, with pigments of neo- prog and some touches of 70s symphonic. Getting SAGRADO's entire collection, from the scratch till the present, is an interesting observation of how a band evolves, in progressive terms, of course. One word, otherwise, shall be added: amid the low-level movement called rock-B that plagued Brazil in the second half of the 80s, SAGRADO CORAÇÃO DA TERRA was a beacon, twinkling in the darkness, as a refuge for those seeking for good music.

'Flecha', the opening track, starts symphonic but a kind of neo-prog trend takes place along the song. Nice lyrics and nice accentless vocals by the band leader, Marcus Viana, which is rare. The track itself is catchy, bordering cheesiness but anyway hearable.

'Manhã dos 33', has interesting lyrics celebrating author's 33rd anniversary. Additional female vocals intend to provide some childhood remembrances but the result is a bit fake. The song in its turn is purely romantic, very Brazilian, echoing some tunes from the Club da Esquina musical movement of the 70s, which was commanded by the exceptional Milton Nascimento, still today a kind of band mentor and inspiration.

'Paz' is real symphonic but pitifully short and serves mainly to pave the way for 'Seres humanos', a song where the care for the lyrics is noticeably greater than the care for the music, which isn't bad but brings nothing new except for the fine arrangement. 'Carinhos quentes' is another romantic track, pleasant but not defying at all. 'Toccatas' is a piece of classic music, displayed probably to show band abilities.

'Cosmo x Caos' the longest track here, is lovable and although being much more romantic than epic, it shows the prog face of SAGRADO. The result perceived as long as we are listening to the song is a grower. While singing parts are still in the vein of the abovementioned Club da Esquina movement, the playing parts will certainly stick on the skin of the prog-heads. 'O futuro da Terra', the closing track, is a beautiful instrumental song, cool and warm, with tunes reminding ambient music, the atmosphere is relaxing and uplifting. As always SAGRADO end their albums with a kind of message of hope, a very positive approach.

This album, considering only the progressive elements, should be for 'collector/fans only' nevertheless if we consider SAGRADO's career and the importance they have in the Brazilian progressive scenario, the rating shall rise one step. Final rating: 3.

This is the most orchestrated of the Sagrado albums I have heard, which include all but their eponymous debut. It comes across more as a pleasant romantic soft rock album than a progressive rock album. The naturally romantic sound of the Portuguese language is well suited to this style, particularly on songs like "Seres Humanos" and "Carinhos Quentes". The longest track, "Cosmos X Caos", combines sugary sweet vocal sections with intense orchestrations featuring Viana's many flourishes on violin. The closer is basically a classical piece.

While this early Sagrado album largely lacks the requisite edge for most fans on this site, it demonstrates a great deal of compositional and arranging skills, and provides some hints as to the launching of the arrow and the marvelous trajectory it would ultimately take. 2.5 stars rounded up.