MARCO
Symphonic Prog • Mexico
From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website
MARCO (Gmez) is a Mexican multi-instrumentalist who creates beautiful symphonic landscapes with classical structures using keyboards and flamenco-style guitar. His influences range from VANGELIS and Jean-Michel JARRE to Mike OLDFIELD and KING CRIMSON, but you'll also find him giving a nod or two to Rick WAKEMAN on keyboards as well as to SOLARIS on synths.
His first album, the all-instrumental "Marconceptos", blends complex rhythms and changing time signatures with rather dark melodies, not totally unlike ANGLAGARD or CRIMSON; he also flirts with psychedelia with Bach-like organ swirls and fuzzy guitar licks (some passages have an almost FRIPPian quality). Guitar playing being his forte, he may push the envelope a little at times, trying to outdo himself and pack everything into his first album. But even his use of digital drums is easily forgiven considering the overall quality of the work, which is nothing short of impressive. His second release, "Marcolapsos", is in the same vein but more mature; it also features guest members from the band CODICE. Two excellent albums of fine Mexican symphonic prog.
If you like Fabio Ribeiro's guitar play with BLEZQI ZATSAZ, you will certainly enjoy MARCO's albums. Also recommended for fans of WAKEMAN, CRIMSON, SOLARIS and especially CODICE.
: : : Lise (HIBOU), CANADA : : :
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MARCO discography
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MARCO top albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)
1.95 | 2 ratings
Marconceptos1994 |
3.75 | 4 ratings
Marcolapsos2002 |
MARCO Live Albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)
MARCO Videos (DVD, Blu-ray, VHS etc)
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MARCO Official Singles, EPs, Fan Club & Promo (CD, EP/LP, MC, Digital Media Download)
MARCO Reviews
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Marco Symphonic Prog
Review by
apps79
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator
Marco Gomez, simply named Marco for his albums, is a Mexican guitarist/keyboardist, who
became an enthusiast of guitars since his youth and his love for prorgessive music grew after
listenings to acts such as Quatermass, E.L.P., Genesis and other 70's legends.He performed
in various concerts, competitions and TV broadcasts during the 80's, before focusing on writing
his own music.In 1993 he established the indepedent Marcocosmos label, on which he
released his first solo album ''Marconceptos'' a year later.Gomez used his guitars, synths and a computer to complete the album, which is an amalgam of his progressive influences, exploring the Classical, Fusion and even Flamenco territories in a work of flexibility and balance.His work on synths and guitars of course prevails.From melodic symphonic soundscapes to orchestral arrangements, from Classical-inspired interludes to raw guitar workouts and from Latin-flavored acoustic passages to New Age moods, Marco Gomez desperately attempts to put up an all instrumental effort of different cultures.Most of his ideas are pretty good, he combines melody with complexity in a decent degree and his arrangements are above average.But ''Marcolapsos'' suffers from the diseases of the one-man solo projects.Thin synthesizer sounds, sterile production and mechanical drumming are the most obvious flaws in here, eventually dipping Gomez'es ideas into mediocrity with the majority of the compositions losing much of their potential grandiosity.
Sad to see an interesting release go down like this.Still the album has good chances to find a place among the collection of Symphonic Rock and Instrumental Prog fanatics.Approach with caution...2.5 stars.
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Posted Friday, September 7, 2012 | Review this album | Report (Review #816087)
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