2112

Maravilloso indeed

The new album named El Maravilloso Circo De Los Hermanos Lombardi of this argentinian heavy prog band - 2112 released in may 2012 is a worthy affair from all sides. They didn't release anything since 2000 and is their forth album, but instead they have a very prolific live activity performing at big prog festivals in that period after their third album was released. I'll say with my hand on heart this new album is one of the best heavy prog albums I've heared in years, a welcome back of this excellent band. With two new members the bass player Gabriel Costa and by far the best vocalist they ever head Germán Ivaldi, the band sounds better then before in any aspect. The sound , the arrangements, all is tight , mature and profesional at best, this new album is better then all 3 previous releases together, no doubt about it. What strokes me about this release, besides the impressive cover art and art work of the album, the great story behind the album about Lombardi brothers and their famous across Europe Circus Lombardi, is the guitar work , man this is solid playing. From the first track Los Hermanos Lombardi who is absolutly killer piece, the guitar is mindblowing and show that Tambussi after so many years, almost 25 years of career witht the band never sounding better. This track sets the mood for entire album, each piece is great, no weak moments, captivating passages alternating pieces with voice with instrumental ones. I simply love what I've heared here, these guys needs a far more recognition, and this album proves that they are among the best in their field for sure. This release has it all, tight guitar playing with excellent riffs and solos, great drum chops, brilliant bass lines and a very good voice who goes hand in hand with the music, this Ivaldi has a very pleasent tone for such music and is clear that here is in his own. Besides opening track, pieces like Marea sepia, instrumentals Capitan Beatty or Ingeniero Marconi are simply heavy prog of the highest calibre , as must sound this style, inventive passages and all members are in good mood. All in all a very worthy album and a welcome back of this unnoticed band after more then a decade pause in making studio albums. 4-4.5 stars easy and recommended for sure, I love it big time. One of my fav album from this year and in general. With El Maravilloso Circo De Los Hermanos Lombardi 2112 shows that they are still in bussines sounding better then many bands well known in this filed.

Their third album named Glory lies ahead is by far their best work from all 3, here they changes a little bit the style combining in a good measure hard rock with progressive leanings, here they succeded to come with a pleasent album all the way. Mixing, this time, some intristing arrangements from progressive rock with more rockier ones, solid bass lines, good vocal arrangements, 2112 tries and give to the listner a good album. Much more in vein of an heavy prog album, the keyboards are more elaborated, not only as background, this time it has , some spacy moments, some solos aswell, good job. The guitar aswell is more polishe, good riffs, intristing and above all the vocal parts are far better then before. I don't knoew who plays the keyboards here, becus ethe previous musician Katz left the band soon after the release of Intro, this time all musicians works as an unit, an compact one and with good musicianship. IN some parts, specially on guita lines, the Rush influences are obvious, but to me they sound like a good combination rougher progressive music. The instrumental passages are more elaborated, are better and noting boring at all here, lots of minutes are only dedicated to instrumental arrangements, the vocal parts are left aside, good thing because here they relly shine on every piece. All tracks stands as good, again, nothing really something groundbreaking, but pleasent most of the time, definetly 3 stars. A band that for some resons falls into oblivion, IMO.

2112 is an argentinian band formed in late '80's. They release so far 3 albums and then disbanded in 2002, by my knowledge. Thaken their name and also some of their influences from famouses Rush and specially from thier 1976 - 2112 album, this argentinian band, at least on this album are far away from the masters. To me this album sounds like a heavy metal album, with some keyboards on couple of pieces in background. Nothing really progressive to my ears, and I can't understand how is possible to give 4 stars to such an album, I have nothing against this band, but an essential listning and excellent addition is hard to follow. Anyway, the music is not necesarly bad, but lacks in solid ideas, solid arrangements, elaborated structures and inventive passages. Only raw guira riffs over some mediocre vocal arrangements. If this album was in my collection when it appered first time in 1994, maybe I would not be so drastic, I was in my teen a heavy metal fan, still I am, but less enthusiastic with fiew exceptions. Because I know this band only for a year, and listning to a lots of prog music in last 10-12 years, my knowledge , my taste changes , I like more elaborated music, more complicated, not some riffs over simple drum chops. Anyway I will give to this album 2 stars, not a totaly disater , but nothing special and in places a damn unimaginative noise. Their next one from 2000 is 100% better in any way. Collectors only.

01. Centrales De Poder Heavy riffs and keyboards, the vocals enter and we realised which has the style, a lot of Rush influence but with heavier guitars (Alex Lifeson is more melodic). The voice of Lucho probably will be criticized by many, as is well 'shrill', but you know what? I love those vocals! It has a very catchy chorus, and sing in Spanish a lot of attention. The solo enter into a more 'up beat' and before the chorus again and we have a broken part. The final part is cadence, and ends in fade (common practice).

02. Souvenir Sensational start with the Juan Tambussi's guitar he's a great guitar player, the bass of Lucho is also great, great lines, this song is more quiet and contemplative well. A strong party of the band are the chorus, no doubt well written. After a short solo keyboard based on the sound of 70's, the band returns to verse, the guitars in MUTING and full of harmonics. Beautiful passages and... Rush (laughs). When the chorus comes back a keyboard makes a hilarious appearance. And the band ends with the church organ.

03. 451 Intrumental This is totally based on the themes of the Rush instrumental (like YYZ for example), guitar and bass riff, the drums of Sergio Moscatelli emulates Neal Peart with talent, and bass Lucho also does a great job. At the end of the song? Susprise! Strangely instrumental with a bagpipe (I think this is simulated keyboard), it was very good.

04. Desde El Trapecio I think it's the best of the disc, Desde Trapecio has a apured instrumental work in his introduction full of breaks, some keyboards of 'cabarett' (laughter), and a hilarious dog in the middle of the track! Sensational! When the voice enters, he is singing on top of an instrumental all broken and full of stops, here is Lucho in high pitch, some may find annoying, I find amazing. A very well developed and complex part after the chorus. Then again a melodic verse, to the tune then broken again so superb. The voice simulating a 'fall' of the trapezoid is also great. Solo flute imitating by the keyboard. And of course the guitars are highlighted by the disc, the band is really good. The solo was excellent, double guitars in the last part, the melody chosen one by one. Lucho and his high vocal, guitar, bass marked with drums, riff and end. Very good.

05. Dalo Vuelta It's kind like 'The Big Money' from Rush, you know that song with striking melody, but with instrumental break! Some keyboards and guitars in 'Baião' style. And the more sensational chorus I ever heard. It is pop, but it is not! You know me? This sensational blend. After the repeat 'Baião' stuff the chorus back to the bass only with drums, which adds value even more, and a riff that I LEMR the Red Baraão the good times. What we have then? A beautiful instrumental solo and chorus of Tambussi again, a song almost perfect.

06. Analogías Almost a ballad, with the background percussion and the vocal in front. I think it's like a 80's ballad including the keyboard sound, but without any points against. The solo is not to be more melodic, very beautiful, while the band plays the back track very well. Then it comes back only with percussion and keyboard to the bass and more vocal. Amid surprise! A very prog keyboard, which takes little pity, because it gives a very special touch, but for a good cause, so the guitars strongly influenced by Brian May (Queen), one of the few with such influence, the song ends beautifully.

07. Payasos Asesinos Del Espacio Exterior Begins with a synthesizer programming, and foul us (laughs), really is pure Heavy Metal, passing like progressive rock and heavy but full of melody. Verses full of power and melodic voice more 'serious'. After a series of angry guitars heard the sound of rain and time, the guitar back to a more quiet, fingering, to give body to the ground, full of percussions of all kinds in the background.

08. Libre Del Bien Y El Mal A whole angelic start with the keyboard, some strong passages, those famous stops, the drums full of those tiny tones. After a series of voice, the phone rings! A heavy part and enter into action, full of riffs. Then the synth come loose, which is great! I love instrumental such shares. Although I find that the bass was a bit mixed so bass, he always has excellent passages. The end zone is an instrumental without the least artistic care (laughs), everybody solando own account without any concern, which I found very interesting, very few people do that. Give until you hear some talking in the background.

After the disbanding of metal band ''Fahrenheit'' guitarist Juan Tambussi and drummer Sergio Moscatelli recruited bassist Lucho Passeri to form 2112,where all members shared their love for progressive rock and especially RUSH's style.They released ''Alterando las divisiones'' in 1990,which is not a ground-breaking album for sure,but it's a work full of powerful,energetic and complicated rock with some fusion elements.Basically,this is a typical bass/guitar/drums trio,whom music is led by groovy bass work,energetic and sometimes complicated guitar work with nice riffs and powerful drumming,not unlike late-70's RUSH.Keys are used from time to time and then is when the band's sound comes up with some symph/fusion taste.Not even approaching RUSH's majesty,however ''Alterando las divisiones'' is a highly enjoyable release,ready to please both fans of progressive as well as dynamic straightforward rock.

This trio from Argentina has modeled themselves on Rush, but totally misses this boat. Where Rush has got some very clever and original music, 2112 is going down the well trodden heavy/progressive metal path. More metal than progressive metal, in fact. I do not understand why they are calling themselves 2112. The vocals are pretty annoying and sounds like a peacock in despair. The drums also make me pretty grumpy. I am sure this band is big in South America, but this album is nothing more than a heavy metal album. It is also a pretty generic album with it's roots in the worst excesses of the '80s. There are some few rays of hope here, but not enough to recommend this turkey-platter to anyone. And why in the holy name of Baldrick The Eagle do they use bagpipes on this album ? It is my understanding that this band has released some better albums than this one. I hope so.

I think i'm being a little generous giving this 4 stars, but I love that heavy RUSH-like instrumental work too much. It's part of the curse of being such a huge RUSH fan I guess. Hey when they call their band 2112 you know they have to be influenced by RUSH right ? And yes they are a trio. Haha. Anyway my biggest complaint about this band from Argentina is the vocals which I really feel would be better received if sung in Spanish instead of English, especially when the lyrics aren't that great anyway. Where's Neil Peart when you need him ?

"Have You Seen My Little Dog?" is a great opener with the grinding guitar as the drums pound away. Amusing lyrics as well. Too short though. "Big Loss" has lots of RUSH moments in it. Chunky bass too. Love the heaviness. Excellent track. "To Other Lands" is more laid back with reserved vocals. Sounds like the accordion a minute in. Tasteful guitar before 3 minutes. Not a fan of this one really. "The Shape Of The Clouds" is a short instrumental of acoustic guitar melodies. Nice. "Mr.Funny Shoes" brings back that RUSH flavour. Thankyou. Heavy guitar in this instrumental that gets more intense late. Great tune ! "Deep Blue Experience" is clearly the best track on here. It's divided into 4 parts and is 15 minutes long. It opens with multi-vocal sounds as guitar comes ripping in with drums. This is the heaviest part on the whole album. A calm a minute in as waves of organ can be heard. It's aggressive again but not as heavy as earlier. Another calm before 4 minutes of keys and synths. Vocals 5 minutes in and a fantastic sound. Love this part. It changes 8 minutes in as it calms down with keys. Vocals are back too. Heavy again until we get some flute before 10 minutes. Heavy again. Atmospheric guitar melodies 12 1/2 minutes in with drums. It ends with the sounds of waves and guitar.

"Save Your Angel" contrasts the laid back sound with the heaviness. Vocals throughout. "Bitter Potatoes" is a very short instrumental of acoustic guitar. "Monkey Cargo" has some atmosphere as guitar and percussion play out to start. Kicks in 1 1/2 minutes in with some aggressive guitar. "Ten Thousand Ladybugs" is a good one. Guitar and vocals in a reserved intro that is quite beautiful. It builds with some great guitar. "Topera Gaucha" is another brief acoustic guitar tune. "Hollow" has a killer intro. Violin comes in. It has a fusion flavour to it with aggressive vocals. More powerful guitar follows. "Amazing Wheel Of Despair" opens with these intricate guitar melodies. Vocals before 1 1/2 minutes. Check out the guitar solo 2 1/2 inutes in. "Mgahinga" features these female ethnic vocal melodies that come and go throughout. I like the guitar a minute in but not a fan of the rest really.

Of the eight reviews (as I write this) four have given 1 star. So buyer beware. There's so much on here though that I absolutely love. A good album to "rock out" to.

"Glory Lies Ahead" is the album in which 2112 make their artsy mixture of hard rock and prog come to its fruition, providing a variety of ideas well integrated into their nuclear sound. This album took some time for completion until its 2000 release, which explains the fact that two men alternated the bass duties in this repertoire, but stylistically speaking, this album is pretty cohesive. The material's dynamics makes it somewhat closer to average hard rock at times, but up to this point, 2112 prove capable of managing their 90s Rush influences, sometimes leaning toward the catchier side of things, other times applying for real complexity and deep melodic sensitiveness, and other times, just doing both at once. Tracks don't tend to be too long, really, usually being framed within the 3.30-4.30 mark. The first two pieces are energetic and punchy, showing some of the most recurrent assets of the album. 'To Other Lands' is a weird mixture of romantic Black Crows and tango atmospheres (there's even a guest on bandoneon!), which works nice as an exercise on melancholy-driven art rock. Pieces 4 and 11 are instrumental acoustic guitar solos in which Juan Tambussi (the band's most prolific writer) displays his taste for melodic subtleties. On the other hand, 'Mr. Funny Shoes' finds the band elaborating a solid rocker with bigger dose of sophistication than on the first two tracks. This provides a proper anticipation of the album's most ambitious number, the multi-part suite 'Deep Blue Experience'. After a brief chorale, the initial frontal rocker establishes the suite's first section, which is followed by an atmospheric keyboard-based orchestration: then comes an alternation between sung rockers in various tempos, all of them linked by instrumental sections. All of this makes it an excellent 15-minute number. Most of the remaining tracks are usually set on the standards of catchy hard rock with incidental prog-related arrangements, but still there's room for unhidden technical brilliance. For example, there's the exciting instrumental 'Monkey Cargo' and, with a more constrained display, 'Amazing Wheel of Despair'. The closure is constructed on an ethnic basic motif, with lots of exotic percussions and occasional female chanting, while the band comes to the fore not for the sake of force but to add energetic colors. I wish this piece had been longer, since in that case, the band could have experimented further with this fusionesque trend in order to make it more magnificent. Anyway, no essential complaints from me regarding 'Mgahinga' since it stands as an excellent closure. Personally, I think this album could have benefited from the presence of less tracks and developing some of them, instead; however, "Glory Lies Ahead" is well-crafted, and as such, the album and the band that created it deserve to be labeled as excellent.