NUMEN

Another Spanish prog rock band discovered no longe ago. It's surprising in my opinion that a current band practices a kind of a style, perhaps, more appropriate in other times. Undoubtedly they have a good taste and really good references, because you can notice them in every bend of their last opus. The album entitled Cyclothymia traps my soul and provokes emotional responses that I had forgotten a long time ago. The whole album is skilled and well composed. The force of its message is intense and moving. The suite Cyclothymia is a sample of it that overwhelms me during almost 15 minutes. All the musical elements live together and create a colorful fabric. This band usually offer quite a honest songs and that's how I feel whenever I can listen to then. 4.5 stars

It's been a long time since I've heard this Spanish band from Alicante, a city next to the Mediterranean Sea. At that time they called my attention due to the treatment of their musical ideas. After several years, I've come across them again. After listening to their first two albums, I must say that Numen, in my opinion, was a very promising band in a mainly marillionesque style. But why this? Mainly because they focus on melodic and thematic ideas above other considerations. It seems obvious that each song of theirs is an picture painted with delicate brush strokes. The set of each drawing creates a whole in a holistic way that is itself unique and personal. They do not need more or less. In other words, the music of Numen seems to be thought from head to toe. Focusing on this latest work called Cyclothymia (wow, the title is an invitation to get involved in an emotional journey), the details are there, some in sight and others waiting to be discovered. Cyclothymia is an album that will require several listenings and, surely, will never cease to surprise us with some hidden details. Without going any further, the drums accomplish its function in the service of the songs; at no time it is imposed to show unnecessary filigrees. However, their arrangements are refined and colorful, just like Ian Mosley does in Marillion (nobody at this point will doubt the quality of this drummer). The bass performs a work that fits into each of the needs of the tracks and the most appropriate groove. Its color is thick and beautiful; it is in its place supporting all the superior musical framework. Many of its lines create a well thought counterpoint with the melodies created by the voices. The guitar and keyboards display a palette of colors that remind me of other bands like Camel, Pink Floyd or Arena. The range of frequencies they occupy, along with the voices, is very delicate and can easily become saturated; in general, this does not happen, what makes the different parts of the songs has enough room for the silence. Finally, the voice culminates the proposal that we find in this album: six very lyrical tracks of an obvious emotional charge. Making melodic music seems like an easy task, but it is not at all. There is nothing more difficult than doing something simple and honest that reaches the heart for its beauty, and Numen achieves it. Simply for this, you can forgive any fault (all of them are small, by the way) that may be in the production of the album, but, particularly for me, they do not displease me.

Progressive rock brings together in a single label a huge collection of styles and groups very difficult to reference without falling into the subjectivity of the preferences' reviewer. That is why if we want to be something fair, we have to know the precedents, influences and objectives that each group shows when expressing themselves artistically. After investigating about Numen, it seems clear that this Spanish band understand the musical expression as a means to narrate stories that, in some way, are related to members' lives. Cyclothymia, in spite of not being a conceptual disc, has in its chief goal the moods of the human being, especially those that refer to moments of emotional crisis. From this perspective, each of the musical elements that appear in this work is better understood. None is superfluous; none obeys a need to show off as a performer. No one can object to his honesty and therefore we just have to let ourselves be carried away by the musical discourse and the narrative that they tell us. Some faith, A cosmic Prayer, Cyclothymia and Footprints tell us of longings and desires for personal fulfillment, happiness and inner peace. Lady of the winds, an affectionate look at childhood, perhaps at offspring, and The man with the X-ray eyes, a parodic criticism, as they say, towards a sense of misunderstood justice, complete this opus. On the other hand, its artwork is the cherry on this cake of emotions. As a negative point, the production can be improved (as the singer's diction or other minor details), but it is true that making music from the humility of self-production is something really of merit. Whoever wants to get to the crux of the message will have to forget the conventions of those who, unfortunately, are abused in these times by some mainstream bands. 4.5

Spanish prog band Numen was born as a four piece formation in 1992, in 1998 Numen released their debut CD entitled Samsara, a concept album about all the things that surround the man as an integrating part of Cosmos. This first album got very good reviews all over the world, but two years later Numen was dissolved as a band. Its members were engaged from that time to their personal projects. After a long period of inactivity, the Numen members reunited, on one hand to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the release of Samsara in 2013. And on the other hand to publish a new album, this was released in 2014, named Numenclature. At the end of 2014 guitar player Antonio Valiente left the group and was replaced by Marcos Bevia. Meanwhile Numen started a new musical project, resulting in the release of their third studio-album entitled Cyclothymia, at the Chilean prog label Mylodon, on CD (6 tracks), and vinyl (5 tracks).

1. The Man with the X-Ray Eyes (6:48) : First dreamy with voice and soaring keyboards, then a bombastic eruption with a tight beat, it sound like pleasant Neo-Prog featuring nice work on guitar and keyboards and decent English vocals. Gradually the music turns into more mellow with a strings sound and twanging guitar, culminating in an emotional vocal outburst with howling guitar and very moving electric guitar (evoking Rothery but the fiery wah wah gives an own touch) and bombastic keyboards, a strong end.

2. Some Faith (a CD bonustrack) (5:09) : The second song starts with dreamy piano, passionate vocals, the work on the distinctive volume pedal guitar colours the emotional atmosphere wonderfully. Halfway more strong electric guitar (from sensitive to fiery) and soaring keyboards, finally tender piano runs and soaring strings in dreamy climate, like in the first part.

3. A Cosmic Prayer (7:05) : First a slow rhythm in a sumptuous climate, then Neo-Prog rules, with obvious Marillion hints: an accellaration with a tight beat, melodic guitar work and pleasant vocals. We can enjoy wonderful electric guitar runs and spacey synthesizer flights, then again a tight beat and finally a dreamy ending.

4. Cyclothymia (14:53) : This epic titletrack begins with tender piano and dreamy vocals, embellished with synthesizer flights and a mellow organ sound. Then a spacey climate with guitar and keyboards, gradually the music becomes more lush. Next a shifting mood with fat synthesizer sound, sound effects, a bit ominous climate, but very compelling. Halfway suddenly a dreamy atmosphere with piano, followed by a bombastic outburst with powerful Hammond and a propulsive rhythm-section, a captivating sound. Then a tight beat with flashy synthesizer flights and guitar riffs, the voice of girl, now the music turns into a slow rhythm with sensitive electric guitar leads and lingering vocals, very emotional. Finally first howling guitar runs and then dreamy piano, this is a wonderful epic, Numen in its full splendor!

5. Lady of the Winds (5:38) : The intro features the voice of child and sound effects, then a dreamy climate with soaring keyboards, soft synthesizer flights and warm English vocal. Halfway again that voice of a child (lalala) in a cheerful mood, followed by a wonderful colouring with keyboards, a delicate synthesizer solo and classical guitar runs. Simply beautiful, to me it sound like the Spanish answer to Dutch pride Kayak, very melodic, harmonic and tasteful.

6. Footprints (9:30) : The final song delivers an obvious Marillion atmosphere (Misplaced childhood era) with fragile electric guitar and tender piano work, and soft bass runs. Then a slow rhythm with dreamy vocals, a bit melancholical. Halfway the music turns into more bombastic and compelling featuring a howling guitar solo and emotional vocals, then propulsive guitar riffs and drums beats, very pleasant Neo-Prog. In the final part lots of moving guitar soli, along orchestral keyboards and emotional vocals, culminating in a bombastic eruption, to end this strongly build-up composition in style.

To be honest, during my first listening session I was a bit confused about Numen its new album, because of the huge contrast between the guitar sound (Rothery and Hackett inspired) and the vocals, more Spandau Ballet rooted than Fish or Gabriel inspired. I had to get used to his voice, you can hear English is not his native language, but he puts a fair amount of strong emotion in the music. Gradually I was more and more pleased with Numen its Neo-Prog sound featuring tasteful and varied arrangements, a pleasant colouring by guitar and keyboards and some nice own musical ideas. This promising Spanish formation showscases its potential on this new effort, I am looking forward to their next effort.

My rating: 3,5 stars.

Numen is a Neo-prog band founded in 1992 from Spain. The band went on hiatus from 2000 to 2013. During their time together, they have released 3 albums including the album "Cyclothamia" which was released in March of 2013. Their line up has remained the same from their first album, except for current guitarist Marcos Bevia. The other band members are Cesar Alcaraz doing vocals, Manuel Mas on keyboards, Victor Arques on bass, and Gaspar Martinez on drums. This album is available on CD, vinyl and download. The album is made up of 6 tracks with a total run time of 49 minutes.

"The Man with the X-ray Eyes" start off the album with a song in 2 parts. There is long instrumental introduction with a good mix of keys and guitar, each contributing a lot to the song. After 2 minutes, the vocals start. The vocals are decent enough, but they have a bright feel to them as does the music, which has a definite neo-prog sound with a touch of a symphonic feel provided by the synths. Where the first part is upbeat, the second part is slower with a more romantic style. The vocalist and the guitars add a nice bit of emotion. The lyrics have a dark undertone to them, but seem to be tied to religion or spirituality.

The next track is not available on the vinyl version. It is a slow ballad style track called "Some Faith". With this ballad, the vocalist's accent is quite strong, but the delivery is still quite appropriate for the neo-prog style. The variation in melody keeps things from being standard, but other than that, it is quite a straightforward song. "A Cosmic Prayer" shows that the lyrics aren't necessarily religious as they are spiritual as connected to the universe and the Earth. The melody and the music don't seem to be as interesting this time around as they don't seem to connect very well, almost like they are stumbling over each other. The guitar and synth solos that come along later are okay, but the high pitched synths are a bit annoying and sound dated. The meter is also a standard 4/4 meter, but broken up in a way that give it a more complex feeling.

The title track "Cyclothymia" comes next, and appears to be the centerpiece of the album at over 14 minutes long. It begins with a synthesized piano and vocals to a slow and pensive style. The melody is nice enough, but soon that high pitched synth comes in for a short time that pierces the ears and soul, not in a good way. Between the stanzas of this first vocal melody, there is an atmospheric break led by the guitar and some spacey effects. There is a combination of later "Marillion" and "Pink Floyd" influences, but overall, the band is not quite convincing enough to pull the sound off that well. At least they do show some promise with their ideas, the execution just isn't quite there yet, especially for a track of this size. Around the minute mark, the attitude of the music darkens somewhat as electronics surround the sound effects of sirens and heart monitors. Halfway through the track, the music suddenly gets more upbeat and dramatic as the extended instrumental section continues. At 10 minutes, things move to a slower rhythm and there is a nice guitar solo before the vocals come in with a different melody. Symphonic effects from the synths and the vocals are much more emotional in this part of the track. It all ends with a nice piano solo.

"Lady of the Winds" begins with a haunting sound of a child singing "Rain, Rain Go Away" before a lush instrumental intro brings in the vocals. The lyrics seem to be a dedication to someone's daughter. The return of child vocals singing "La la la"s also support this. The song is mostly straightforward, driven mostly by keyboards and synths with an acoustic guitar solo stuck in there. The last track is "Footprints" and is another long track just over 9 minutes. It is introduced by a flowing combination of piano and guitar, the rhythm is a standard beat and the vocals are soft and emotional. The melody and feel of the song is quite simple. Things later become more atmospheric, but there is what sounds like a march cadence with electronic percussion that sounds out of place. Things intensify a little as the guitar builds things up. The music doesn't really accomplish a climax like it wants until a guitar solo comes in after another vocal section. The track doesn't quite move one as much as they were trying to do. Again, the and shows a bit of a weakness pulling off the authenticity of a longer track, almost like they are in a hurry to get it over with, thus losing the believability they need to generate the emotions that they are striving for.

So, overall, the album has it's high points and low points. There are places that the music soars, and other places where it doesn't quite reach the pinnacle the band wanted to achieve. They do have their hearts in the right place, and there is some promise, but, at times, the music is a bit clumsy and not quite believable. It's also not heavily progressive, but there are elements in there that definitely make it a neo-prog style that approaches a symphonic prog feel at times. Anyway, it is decent, but far from perfect. There is definitely a lot of promise here though for future endeavors.

Here's a Spanish 90's Neo-Prog band with a sound heavily influenced by the British Neo-Prog scene of that time with an emphasis on melodic songs structures, a more than adequate vocalist and solid instrumentation. This album is supposed to be their darkest album, but it doesn't sound that dark to me. "A Cosmic Prayer" show some beautiful keyboards and piano parts, a clear Marillion influence at the end of the song. The title track is a 14 minutes epic that starts slowly with some nice keyboards/ piano lines and a Pink Floyd guitar style passage. Then there is a break with electronic music that brings things down before getting back to a faster pace. "Lady of the Winds" is in a more lighter mood that strand out for the first time for his Spanish influence with some acoustic guitar and also for the female chant "La La La".... This is recommended to the Neo-Prog fans that enjoy solid melodies, 3.5 stars

Numen came together in Alicante, Spain around 1992 as a quartet, comprised of Víctor Arques on vocals/bass, Manuel Mas on keyboards, Antonio Valiente on guitar and Gaspar Martinez on drums.Four years later Arques gave up on the vocal parts due to the arrival of lead singer Cesar Alcaraz.From this point on the band started working on a spiritual project called ''Samsara'' and during the recordings the band was surrounded by guest musicians on flute, sax, violin, slide guitar and backing voices.The final result was launched in 1998 on the Sacramento label.

Numen was definitely an acquired taste of a Neo Prog band at the time, because they did not sound like any other act within the genre's borders.They surely had the edge, power and melody, that characterized all the groups of the style, yet they supported their more song-oriented material with calm instrumental soundscapes, heavily relying on symphonic orchestrations with piano, flute, acoustic guitars and keyboards.They sounded pretty talented though and their music was somewhere between COLLAGE and JADIS, because the keyboard parts sound very symphonic, while the guitar moves have this Gary Chandler-like melodic efficiency.They tend to get smoother or more lyrical than needed at moments and this appears to be the album's only major crutch, otherwise the compositions are very polished, lush and fairly symphonic with some CAMEL influences.Plenty of dramatic overtones, decent English vocals and some FLOYD-ian vibes are also among the album's elements with Italians EZRA WINSTON maybe being a good comparison at the more vintage moments or darker textures.The tracks are quite long with nice instrumental work and some lovely melodies and solos, this is not extremely well-crafted or even surprising material by any means, but the final result is a welcome entry in the list of more recent Neo/Symphonic Prog bands.

Melodic, smooth Symphonic Rock from the Iberian lands.Everything works nice and clean in here, but the killer moments are rather absent.Still this comes warmly recommended.

A very nice effort of neo and prog folk from a newly revitalised band. Numen dropped the great "Samsara" at the tail end of the '90's, and then vanished as far as anyone on PA was concerned. Going forward, they made their presence known again on Bandcamp and MySpace, but they only featured tracks from "Samsara", even now. But, lo and behold, a new album from these wonderful Spaniards, and it is itself wonderful. "Cold and Grey" is a spectacular piece of dour atmospheres and epic styled neo, leaving it the best track. The rest of the album is the excellent mix of neo and folk, now warm and pretty. All of the guitar work is great, and the singing from Alcaraz takes the cake and holds down the record. I wouldn't quite call this a masterpiece, but "Cold and Grey" is, and this is some fine work. Really a 4.5, recommended for the suite alone, and listeners who want warm and comparatively simple prog will find a gold mine here.

It's a good debut for a young prog band. It enchants specially its global loudness to me. The song concept is more important that each one of the instrumental parts. This way different instrumental solos are not added, but rather expressive episodes that give force to the rest of the parts. Numen is a band with a future if it follows by this line.

This is a strange animal to review, as it has a lot going for it and some evident negatives as well and one seems to cancel the other out each time your just about to make a decision. Let's get the plusses out of the way first; This opus is definitely in the Marillion-IQ- Pendragon universe with some fairly decent singing and quite good instrumental prowess. The keyboard player, Manuel Mas is a notch above the usual tinny keyboard patch mongers associated with Neo-Prog. The bassist and drummer are also a slight notch ahead of the game. The acoustic and Spanish guitar is often exquisite but Antonio Valente's electric style, tone and technique just doesn't push my rather easy buttons. It's too often sloppy and plodding to the point of distraction and way to obvious at other times. Someone like Musical Witchcraft's Zsolt Vamos would be the ideal candidate to set some blazzing fire to these pretty decent songs. The opening instrumental is a tasty entrance into their music. As the second track "Genesis" (ouch!) develops, my anti-guitar rants becomes rather self evident, simply not the right technique (Sorry, Antonio!). Just as the sour feelings start settling in , the band does good with "Lady Time" to "Psychodrama" , a 30 minute stretch that erases the previous bad taste. The best way to rate this is as follows: a decent debut effort by some talented musicians , whose second offering (if ever) should take them into the more serious level of progdom, as long as the get a more focused effort on lead guitar (which is often Neo's greatest asset). Mucha suerte, caballeros! 3 tapas