NEXUS

Nexus, on the other hand, seem to take a little pride in the work they submit to such collections: hence Magna Fabulis, a collection of four tracks which are each gathered from a different Musea/Colossus themed concept album. Mashing up the Odyssey, Treasure Island, and Dante's Purgatorio and Paradiso may at first seem to be an odd mix, but actually I found the album hangs together reasonably well thematically - it helps that there's a "voyager on a journey" quality to all those stories, of course. That said, the actual compositions here aren't much special, being keyboard-dominated affairs in a Rick Wakeman/Keith Emerson vein obviously composed more with an eye to indulging nostalgia than coming up with anything particularly innovative in its own right and lacking in emotion and really compelling passages. Still, Nexus fans who aren't keen on shelling out for the original compilations may find it worth their while.

Recorded between their first album "Detras del Umbral" (1999) and their second album "Metanoia" (2001), this concert shows for the larger parts renditions of compositions of their first album, but it also gives a short look in the kitchen of the band, since they also play work from their second album.

The first part of the concert is entirely filled with material from "Detras del Umbral" and concludes with one of Nexus most beautiful songs "Endless Dream" (Sueño Infinito) well sung by Mariela and supplied with a beautiful guitar solo by Carlos Lucena, who proves to be a great guitarist on stage as well.

The two parts of the concerts are separated by a keyboard intervention by Nexus' main man Lalo Huber. It is a bit Emerson-like although not of the same technical virtuosity and a nice moment for the listener to lay back for a while. I enjoyed listening to it a lot.

In the second part of the concert the listener gets acquainted for the first time with music from the new Metanoia album. Title track "Metanoia" is already very close to what you will get on the studio version and this shows the great perfectionism of the band. Then it's back again to the music of "Detras del Umbral" with a great rendition of the over 13 minutes lasting "Symbols in the Sky" showing once more the improvisational talents of guitarist Carlos Lucena. The keyboardsounds are all of the same fullness and warmth as they are on the studio versions.

This live album is a great opportunity to check out the music of Nexus, that is caracterised by warm harmonies and beautiful melodies, embedded in more than excellent arrangements. I think that this live albume, like its two studio companions, should be in every true proglovers collection. The sound quality is good and the playing is excellent and so the five stars are all well-deserved !!

Erik de Beer

Nexus from Argentina is one hell of a great progressive rock band, they really knew how to make a sensational record to capture the auditorium. Metanoia is their second album issued in 2001 at Record Runner label and to me is a really great album from start to finish. This kind of prog rock I like to hear every day, from blistring guitar chops very good combined with the spacey iventive keybords made by Lalo Huber and above all a very powerfull and full of emotional female voice of Mariela Gonzalez , all what is happening on this second venture is top notch, one of the most pleaset albums coming from a latin country. Some fantastic pieces grace the album like Metambo, the lenghty Despertar Dentro De Un Sueño or the instrumetal Metanoia these tracks are absolutly killer, guitar and keyboards are excellent melted one to another not to mention the great voice. Very pleasent to listen album, I can't get enough even I know it by heart, own it for now more then 5-6 years, this Metanoia album really cooks all the time. Great complicated arrangements, where the instrumental sections are really intristing and has all the ingredients a band must have in this style of prog. From more symphonic moments to almost neo in some parts Nexus done it big time, music full of energy and outstanding passages. So, a very worthy album, 4 stars easy, very enjoyble and complex in same time, lots of moves and twisted parts that will make envy any serious band from prog rock zone. Excellent and recommended for sure, more then one hour of sensational music.

"El Despertar" has a dark atmosphere that invades the scene just before a minute. Some loud synths too. A good start. That dark mood continues on "Condenados" although it does kick in after a minute and vocals follow. "Mas Alca Del Lemite" has a good heavy beat with synths playing over top. Organ replaces the synths then guitar comes to the fore followed by synths again. A good instrumental track. "Tiempo Sin Razon" has these spacey synths to open followed by keys then vocals. "Utopia" opens with the sound of rain then tasteful guitar and atmosphere rolls in. I like this one. "La Espiral" features lots of keyboards and drums.

"Signos An El Cielo" is led by the guitar and background synths before a minute.It settles 3 1/2 minutes in and vocals come in a minute later.The guitar soars 7 1/2 minutes in followed by synths then organ as they trade off. "Sueno Infinito" opens with rain and thunder as gentle guitar takes over.Vocals and piano before a minute. "Detras Del Umbral" opens with swirling synths before drums and a full sound kick in. Synths pulse before 1 1/2 minutes then the vocals arrive. Organ before 4 1/2 minutes when the vocals stop.They're back after 8 minutes. "La Procesion Interior" builds with lots of synths helping out. "Eterno Y Fugaz" opens with organ as the drums join in along with a full sound. A calm before 1 1/2 minutes with reserved vocals.Vocals stop and the tempo picks up after 6 minutes to the end. "La Batalla" is a pretty good instrumental. "El Ultimio Ritual" is slower paced with vocals. Background synths after a minute when the vocals stop then it kicks in. Atmosphere and church bells end it.

Most rate their first three albums fairly evenly so i'd definitely check this out if you like female vocals and keyboard driven Symphonic Prog.

An excellent addition to any prog lovers' music collection.

Nevermind at the end, if a fun of the band can appreciate a number of classics regarding them, but in my opinion They are too much 70's oriented also in the sound, even though it could be a minor defect for the "die-hard" fans of this Argentinian ensemble...ok I prefer another South American band (especially live), called "Sagrado Coracao da Terra", which is perfect during their gigs (this time a Brazilian group), but I quite appreciate Nexus as well!!

Non-essential, but good product that should be re-mastered once again, in my opinion!!

"Plaga" is a fantasic way to start. Heavy drums with organ to begin then the guitar takes the lead. This sounds great.It settles as synths wash in before 1 1/2 minutes. The guitar is back with some chunky bass as the synths continue. Nice. It starts to build after 6 minutes. So good. It's heavier before 9 minutes as drums pound. It settles again 13 1/2 minutes in. I like it ! "El Reves Del Espejos" opens with synths and spoken words in Spanish. It kicks in KING CRIMSON-like with some steller guitar and fat bass with crisp drumming. Synths help out too. I really like this tune. "Servicio De Lounge" opens with synths as guitar and organ join in. Drums and bass support. It's pretty laid back as synths come and go. The tempo picks up after 5 minutes. A Jazzy vibe here. A change before 11 minutes as the guitar starts to lead and the tempo slows up.

"No Pizza" is fairly bombastic as one might imagine when there's no pizza. Piano, drums and bass lead early. Organ before 2 1/2 minutes and it leads until the drum show 6 minutes in. It turns heavy before 8 1/2 minutes. I like the drums before 12 minutes. "Dame Un "La"" is a one minute excerpt of drums, synths, guitar, violin and voices. "Danza Mental" is the over 18 minute closer. Synths and violin early. A beat before 3 1/2 minutes as the synths and violin stop. Vocals join in and organ too. Violin is back before 4 1/2 minutes, synths too. Heavy guitar before 6 1/2 minutes. Vocals are back 8 minutes in. Violin before 12 minutes. It then settles. Ripping organ 16 minutes in when it picks back up.

A solid 4 stars for me. It's just refreshing to hear NEXUS in this situation, especially since they were so successful at it. As Luis mentions in the liner notes, this is a more raw and direct NEXUS.

I must also add that this CD is mostly oriented on the music, as very few lyrics are performed. For example, singing begins at the 7th minute on track-1, and at the 10th minute mark on track-2. It is designed around music alone and that's what I love about this Nexus album. No distraction, no fooling around. Rhythmic parts are also very complex and diverse, exactly as we like it in prog music. You have more than 70 minutes of greatness. You have a lot for your prog-money ! An area where this CD is distinguished from the other Nexus' albums for me, is that I can listen to it time after time, I discover new interesting moments. Those marks are characteristics of an essential prog-album. Also, every track is excellent; there is no weak part. Sometimes in other CD's, we encounter 2-3 tracks that have nothing interesting, as opposed to very solid epics, and the overall note goes to around 4/5. Not here !

If you like an intricate relationship between guitar & keyboard, where the players are exceptional musicians, this CD is for you. It is very keyboard-oriented, and everything around gives a super-general impression, with a powerful sound because of the bass and the rhythms.

I would say something at about 4,7 or 4,8. Rounded gives a perfect 5 !

Metanoia starts with Eterna Recurrencia Uno, which is a short intro very similar to the begining of Echoes by Pink Floyd.

Grito Primal follows, and here is when we start getting the picture of what we are about to experience, as Lalo Huber's synths make their magnificent entrance.

Metambo comes next. And this is really when the album kicks off. Some synth, bass lines and piano and...ladies and gentleman: the powerful voice of Mariela Gonzalez. One of the best female voices in prog in my opinion. This track is very upbeat almost all the way with a solid guitar solo in the middle part. A perfect starter.

Planeta Herido is a short instrumental guitar and synth driven track that serves as an introduction to the first mini epic on the album.

In Despertar Dentro De Un Sueño things start to get real proggy. It starts with the usual keyboards and synths madness, but then the entrance of Mariela's vocals change the musical tempo to a more laid back tone. Great choruses.Awesome instrumentation afterwards. Lalo Huber really shines on this one. Killer track.

Hacia La Luz is probably the softest track on the album. Again, Mariela Gonzalez' great vocal range is shown. A real contrast with tracks like Metambo, in which she sounds real fierce. Here it is quite the opposite. Angelical, hypnotizing vocals.

The title track is another stunning instrumental, where everything is on its right place, as usual. Synths dominating, pounding drums, nice guitar work. Nothing else worth adding. Great.

La Tentacion Del Mundo is another highlight (every track itself is a highlight on this album). Here we don't find those dazzling synths solos a la ELP. What we get instead is the chance to listen to Mariela, and the instrumentation accompanying her. On most of the other tracks this is backwards. Mariela serving as a great complement for the band. It's a tune that grows slowly on intensity. Really emotional.

En Las Manos De Dios is the beast of the album. Almost 15 minutes of pure prog pleasure divided in 5 parts containing everything that Nexus is about. Just listen to it. Any adjective falls short to explain this masterpiece.

El Mensaje is a short 30 seconds transition between tracks. Nothing else worth to comment.

El Nexo Universal is probably my less favourite track on the album (I can't say that is bad, because as I've said before, nothing on this record is such a thing). It's an ok ballad , but it can get a little monotonous.

Tan Cerca Del Fuego is like the sequel of Despertar Dentro De Un Sueño. Same structure, same everything.Some people say that second parts were never good. Well, this is definetely not the case. It works perfectly to round up a flawless album. In the end we can hear those initial sounds similar to Pink Floyd's echoes once again. This time blending with the last track on the album: Eterna Recurrencia Cero. Once again, brilliant.

Conclusions: Unluckily Mariela Gonzalez would leave the band after this record, and Nexus would go on and put another great effort, which was Perpetuum Karma. Still, it lacks some of the flavour that only she could put to this awesome band.

No symphonic prog lover should miss this album. If you never heard about this please stop reading this review and try to check it out. You won't regret it at all. This and Detras Del Umbral are absolute masterpieces of South American Prog.

I'm going to use the English song titles provided. First up is "To Look Towards The Center" the longest song at 17 1/2 minutes. Nature sounds begin the journey before piano and synths join in followed by acoustic guitar. It becomes surprisingly heavy before 1 1/2 minutes including a good dose of mellotron. Powerful outbursts come and go then the guitar lights it up. Some chunky bass 3 minutes and check out the organ. It settles 7 minutes in with piano then vocals for the first time. The tempo continues to shift. I really like the atmosphere with guitar before 13 1/2 minutes. Beautiful. It kicks back in and this sounds gorgeous too. Organ is back 16 minutes in with a strong rhythm section. What a song ! "Perpetuum Karma" is spacey to open but the organ and drums soon change that. Great sound 2 1/2 minutes in. Amazing ! Mellotron before 7 minutes as the sound continues to change and evolve. Some nice relaxed guitar followed by vocals after 10 1/2 minutes. The Gilmour-like guitar is great a minute later. Some wicked organ follows.

"From The Abyss To The Sun" is orchestral sounding as picked guitar comes in. Percussion too. Vocals 3 1/2 minutes as the synths cry out. Some nice guitar work 7 minutes in. "Journey" is led by the organ and drums early. Synths join in then it settles after 1 1/2 minutes. It eventually picks back up. Check out the organ and bass around 5 minutes. "Crosses And Shadows" is just a joy to listen to. Flute to start before synths take over. Drums 1 1/2 minutes in as it builds. Then it settles in with a drum / organ melody. Nice. Vocals join in. What a fantastic sound ! "In That Wind" opens with acoustic guitar as synths and some atmosphere come in.It's fuller a minute in. Vocals follow. Beautiful, just beautiful. Lots of synths when the vocals stop then the guitar takes a turn. Mellotron before the vocals return.

I don't know how anyone could give this less than 4 stars, but then again we all don't have the same tastes. This kind of music makes it all worthwhile.