BIENVENIDA AL INTERIOR

A BIG HAND FOR THE NEW LATIN-AMERICAN PROG, PART ONE!!

This is the debut CD by Chilean four piece band, I hope they will release many more, what a beautiful, often compelling music! I would like to analyse this album song-by-song.

Bienvenida Al Interior : A melodic and alternating sound featuring pleasant and modern keyboards, propulsive guitar riffs, howling guitar, warm Spanish vocals and lost of shifting moods. A great start, gentlemen!

Nocturno Urbano : After a spacey intro the atmosphere changes into a kind of 'symphonic blues' with moving guitarwork (like Nick Barrett from Pendragon), this in combination with 'choir-Mellotron-like keyboards' carries me away to Progheaven.

Novento Y Nueve : This long track (12 minutes) contains lots of variety, strong play on guitar and keyboards and inspired vocals, the music often reminds me of early Marillion, this is neo-prog at its best!

Doble Arcoiris : After a spacey synthesizer intro and fragile guitar with soaring keyboards, a slow rhythm with piano and synthesizer solo follows but this song is build upon the wonderful, often moving guitar play, goose bumps.

Bajo El Domo De Cristal : Another composition with lots of shifting moods, I am delighted about the beautiful, very moving guitar solo and a captivating break with an impressive church-organ sound.

Kinnara : This final track (10 minutes) contains in the first part a blend of dreamy parts with soaring keyboards and sumptuous pieces with sparkling piano and sensitive guitar. Then we can enjoy a Brian May inspired guitar interlude with echo and fiery runs, culminating in a final part featuring an up-tempo with flashy keyboards and propulsive guitar.

This CD is highy recommended to all early Marillion and Pendragon freaks, what a wonderful and moving neo-prog album!

This debut album though is rather encouraging. The melodic music played by this South American band is quite personal even if during some passionate guitar breaks, the influence of Nick Barrett is definite. Still, the band is original enough and doesn't abuse from any too obvious filiation (''Bienvenida Al Interior'').

Of course, some might say (accordingly) that the intro for ''Nocturno Urbano'' has some Floydian relations, but it doesn't last for long actually. As soon as the vocals start, some sort of gloomy feeling surrounds you. It is mostly due to the scary mood that Patricio Vera Pinto is putting into his vocals (which aren't too many here). This is a very oppressive track (and the few lyrics are also going into this direction). A highlight IMO.

''Noventa y Nueve'' is again a long song which mixes several musical influences: neo-prog, symphonic music and a harder edge. Still, the band uses the latter scarcely. It features great synthesizers and a powerful riff to start, and then all of the sudden, it turns into a wonderful and symphonic part. Vocals are again excellent and what to say about the guitar work?

Their leader (vocals and guitar) Patricio seems to be well known on the Chilean rock scene for quite a while (the late seventies according their site); so there is no wonder that he feels at ease here. ''Astralis'' also started to play as soon as 1999 which corresponds to the title of this wonderful song (''Noventa Y Nueve''). But I don't know if there are any relation. It is another highlight.

There are few to none weak pieces on this album. The ballad ''Doble Arcoiris'' is maybe a bit behind but a rather peaceful and enjoyable track as well. ''Bajo El Domo De Cristal'' is probably the track with the best vocals. I really like like the style: a perfect elocution but at the same time he doesn't seem to exagerate his work (as some Spanish singers tend to do: Ñu'', ''Triana''). The middle instrumental part is ''Yes'' oriented (''Awaken'') and introduces the closing section in the best manner. Do I need to add that the guitar solo is splendid? Probably not: it goes without saying by now.

The most symphonic and beautiful track from this album is the long closing number ''Kinnara''. It is so melodic, so brilliantly interpreted: both vocally and musically. It is a sumptuous song which should please most prog lovers (symphonic, neo-prog and Italian ones). Again, the work from Patricio is outstanding even if his improvisation was probably not necessary.

This band is quite a surprise, believe me. It definitely deserves your attention and I hope that they will release a follow-up to this very good debut album. Four solid stars without hesitation. Thank you Erik for the addition.

To start off - Bienvenida Al Interior - the beginning melody reminds me of Chicago's - Saturday in the Park. Just the part of the lyrics - Saturday .. in the Park, I think it was the fourth of July. Then comes a heavier guitar part that recalls Joe Satriani's album Surfing with the Alien Surfer, and a return to the early melody, although it doesn't bring the song to a right finish.

As we move on, the Satriani thing sticks in my mind. As if Satch has set up a Neo band and recycled some of his musical ideas from the Surfing & Flying in a Blue Dream albums. The difference being that he'd reined in the shred guitar.

As we come to Doble Arcoiris, I thought for sure I'd heard the melody in a pop song ( a good one, btw). It eventually come to me - it's similar to the chorus parts on Klaatu's Little Neutrino. But I'm still wondering why I think where I heard a pop song that sounds like this. I thought of some mellow Beatles Lennon tracks, but nothing clicks so far.

Bajo El Domo De Cristal is an encapsulation of the album. The Neo sounds, with its' AOR and modern pop sensibilities, the melodic Satriani guitar fills & solos, and the synths washes & backing all come together as a summary of the sounds found herein.

Kinnara ends the album and could well have a fit on any number or latter day Marillion albums.

All in all, a decent album. Not one that will grace my CD player too often, but not one that made me grab the remote to skip sections or songs when I replayed it.

Nice, but not necessary. If you liked Fragil's Avenida Larco, but would prefer a more Neo, or SYmphonic sound along with the pop sensibilities, though, this could be a worthy investment.

postcript - towards the end of Kinnara, I swear I thought they were about to play the opening riff from the Scorpions "Animal Magnetism".