CRUCIS

I feel different emotions to remember about this album. A very dark and sad time in my country had begun. Music has no relation to what. Actually the only song with linguistic content is No Me Separen de Mí (No separate me from me).

The whole work is imaginative and with local touches, especially Pollo Frito (Fried chicken).

The production is very clear. It was mixed and mastered by Jack Adams in Miami. Each member plays an important and significant role.

The two lengthy instrumentals are the best musical group contribution in his short career. I find most original and moving the title track to the album, Los Delirios del Mariscal (Delusions of Marshal), with his pace and mesmerizing beauty.

4,5 rating

An outrageously good slice of Argentine prog-rock, this second release from Crucis finds the group on seriously breathtaking form, channelling elements of symphonic rock, jazz, funk and folk into a blistering whole that truly defies expectation. Featuring Gustavo Montesano(bass, vocals), Anibal Kerpel(keyboards), Pino Marrone(guitar) and Gonzalo Farruiga(drums), this four-piece existed for a brief while during the mid-seventies, a time which saw a clutch of talented groups emerge from the countries folk-inflected past. Crucis, alongside the likes of Invisible, La Maquina De Hacer Parajos, Alas, Aquelarre and Espiritu, formed the core of a remarkable scene that failed to find an international foothold at the time yet has since become more and more popular with fans of more obscure progressive music. Made up of just four extended and mainly instrumental tracks, 'Los Delirios Del Mariscal' is the pick of the bunch, an album filled with virtuoso musicianship, razor-sharp guitars, shimmering synthesizers and some beautifully serene momente sof blissed-out latin prog. Highlights include the superb ten-minute title-track and it's gorgeous acoustic embellishments and the intensely epic closer' Abismo Terrenal', a piece which features a strong dose of jazz-fusion layered over the carefully-crafted progressive melodies. Simply put: A genuine masterpiece of the highest order. STEFAN TURNER, STOKE NEWINGTON, 2012

3.5 again

Their follow up from one yar later from 1976 named Los delirios del mariscal transled approximate The Marshal's delusions is a more intristing and much better in manner of composing. Clocking around 35 min with only 4 pieces, totday it would be like for an EP, Crucis developed their sound into much more polished one and with more elaborated sections. The combination of instrumental passages with emphasis on long instrumental parts specially the keyboards and guitar have an important role here that goes somewhere between symph prog and heavy prog are succesful here, the musicianship is top notch, but again I don't know why I can't give more then3-3.5 stars. Is to much improvised passages and aswell this album is less dynamic then their forst one. I prefere No Me Separen de Mi , I think is the best track of the album , the guitar and specialy the drummer is excellent. So, another fairly good album, not a weak moment here, but nothing excelent aswell, at least for me, even they iprove their sound with more elaborated passages , the album is date it in places. 3-3.5 stars, both albums are more then ok.

3.5 this time

Crucis from Argentina, was one of the most promissing progressive rock groups frm mid '70's from South America. Having a short career of almost 4 years and 2 albums for Crucis was hard to make it big in those times, but with all that they succesfully made two great albums. Conducted and formed by excellent Gustavo Montesano, helped by Psiglo drummer Gonzalo Farrugia, Anibel Kerpel on keyboards and Pino Marrone on guitar, Crucis mange to come with a good first album. To me, the selftitled album from 1975 is a cross between symphonic prog and heavy brog . The album is up tempo, dynamic with lots of tempo changes, with good solos and some great keys parts, but overall nothing is really impressive. Crucis was quite diffrent then most of their country fellows and from South America in general the latest being much more influenced by italian synphonic prog, Crucis was more towards heavy prog typical for british music in that early to mid '70's. So, not a particular piece is in front, all are good and all are not excellent, a fair album with plenty of great moments.3-3.5 stars

I actually don't like the mostly-instrumental Los Delirios del Mariscal quite as much as I do the band's debut - it's an engaging enough and competently performed prog album in a similarly keyboard-led mode, but none of the tracks particularly stand out and the band's performance isn't quite as energetic and vibrant as it was first time around. Still, the reduced prominence of the vocals will come as a pleasant bonus to many listeners, and if you were particularly taken with their debut album Los Delirios is hardly an embarrassment. It's another significant album from the Argentine prog scene (such as it was), but it's not the groundbreaking effort its predecessor was.

A diverting and original album on the very cusp of symphonic prog and heavy prog, the debut Crucis album shows the influence of the likes of Emerson, Lake and Palmer and King Crimson - imagine if ELP had a couple of dynamite lead guitarists along for the ride and you're almost there, though Aníbal Kerpel as a keyboard player is less prone to showboating and random covers of classical music than Keith Emerson was. With a punchy, accessible sound, Crucis go a long way towards putting Argentina on the prog map with this technically capable, masterfully performed, well-composed and endlessly listenable album.

This is the debut album from this Argentine band who only released two albums. Sadly only two albums, that is.

Crucis is playing a blend of heavy prog and symphonic prog. I find it hard to compare this music to the two standards; Genesis and Yes. Perhaps some ounces of Yes, but no traces of Genesis can be detected here. The tempo is up tempo pretty much throughout. There are a lot of references to RPI throughout this album, though. Biglietto Per Inferno is one of the bands I would mention as a reference. Crucis vocals though is not that good. But the mix of guitars and organs is good. The same goes for the drums and bass.

The quality is good throughout. My main gripe is the lack of any really great tracks. But the music on this album tends to slowly creep up on the listener. I have had ten listening sessions and that is my cut off point on most albums before I write a review.......... what is my point again ?............. Yes, I have yet to find any really great song here even after ten listening sessions. But I reserve my rights to come back and update this review on a later date, after ten more listening sessions and perhaps in ten years time. But this is still a good album, bordering to great. I really like the sound which sometimes reminds me about Carlos Santana too. So if you like prog from South America with this vibe, this album will do it for you.

3.5 stars

There isn't too much albums that are optimistic all the time at all costs. Because that would be something I would like a lot. Let me correct myself, that's something I like a lot here, because this album is prime example (and Moon Safari's two albums I've heard so far too).

Using various types of Symphonic goodies, this album can stand in front of all these bands from South America and shout: "Choose me, I'm the best one here". Maybe not the best, but for sure good, this album is short, but providing enough joy to fill the hearts of of demanding listeners. Even it leaves you wanting for more. There's rule that first half of this album is better than second (better structures/melodies, it gives me better impression at all).

Not perfect, but good enough. Even somehow "typical". I have, however, no problem with that.

4(+) I suppose, there's not much to be said about negatives, except that second side is slowly getting worse. Not much though.

As far as I recall, Crucis has been the most recalled band frome the Argentinian progressive movement. There are two main things that probably got me to listen this band with particular attention.

The first is the relationship between Gustavo Montesano and Charly García (Sui Generis, La Máquina de Hacer Pájaros, Serú Girán). It is ussually said that García invested in the recording of Crucis's first album. Indeed, I knew Pino Marrone a few years ago and he affirmed this rumour, and he said how haigly-viewed the band was among certain musicians Argentina had back then.

Later on, I´ve also heard that this first album was recorded alive in Rosario, Argentina. Unfortunately, I couldn´t find out if that´s a fact. Listening to it, that doesn´t make much sense. However, I would appreciate to get any information about it.

I am pretty sure this album, and of course, Los Delirios del Mariscal also, are, if not the best, one of the most accurate examples of progressive rock in Argentina; not only regarding the exquisite expression of all the musicians, bat also because the quality of that record, practically unheard in that days in Argentina.

I find all the songs very intresting in general and, not surprisingly, with a very high political commitment. For example, I recommend you to check la triste visión del entierro propio, where Montesano make a certain parody of the militar goverment ruling on those days.

I hope Crucis gets a well-deserved place between the hall of fame of south american prog bands.

For my money Crucis, along with Ave Rock and MIA, represent the gold standard as far as progressive music coming out of Argentina. Each of the three bands was loaded with talented musicians and songwriters, yet each produced only a handful of albums before sadly fading away as the musically prolific seventies wound to an end. Too bad in each case, as I think all of these guys could have produced many more albums of quality progressive music has they been able to survive the eighties.

I would say Crucis is distinguished from the other two bands mentioned here (as well as from most of their Argentinean brethren) thanks to the level of complexity present in their music and the attention to detail applied to every note. It surprised me how rich the songs on this album end up sounding considering there are only four guys playing here, and half of them make up the bass/drum rhythm section. So what does that leave? Well, guitar and keyboards of course, and both are leveraged to the hilt. Keyboardist Anibal Kerpel both alternates and layers Moog, Hammond and a newly-added Fender Rhodes throughout, which combined with Pino Marrone’s guitar accompaniment ends up at times sounding vaguely like mid-seventies Santana music, but without the heavy emphasis on Afro-Caribbean rhythm and percussion. At other times there’s more of a symphonic sound ala Salem Hill or MIA. Throughout the album the arrangements the music takes on a mild fusion edge, but especially on the title track and toward the end of “Pollo Frito”.

The band’s one weakness is there vocals as they have no dedicated or accomplished singer at their disposal. That was a mild annoyance on the debut album but is largely eliminated as a problem here since three of the four tracks are instrumentals, and what singing there is on “No me Separen de Mi” is deemphasized and wisely brief.

The heavy-hitter here is the more than twelve-minute “Abismo Terrenal”, a lengthy yet high-energy that is basically an extended yet carefully arranged ‘jam’ session that really only has one tempo shift to drum/bass around the ten minute mark before returning to the main guitar riff and a regrettably cheesy blues rock-like finish. I would have liked to have heard something more representative of the band’s considerable compositional talent reflected in the weak ending, but this is a great example of the potential of these four musicians.

There are a few things that work against this being worth considering as any kind of masterpiece. First, although there is limited singing on the album, what is there is somewhat flat and unexceptional. The lack of continuity in the music’s complexity on “Abismo Terrenal” and the title track is a very minor issue but bears noting. And finally the very short length of the album (thirty-four minutes) is a disappointment. I’m not sure if they couldn’t afford more studio time or simply didn’t have enough ideas to fill am entire record, but the four tracks here just don’t feel like a whole album. They had the same problem on their first album.

I love Crucis’ music and would certainly recommend you buy this one if you ever stumble across it, but I think the nineties compilation CD ‘Kronologia’ (which features both of their studio albums in their entirety) is a much better bargain than the two separate studio releases. In any case a rating system fails us again as this is a very clear 3.5 star recording; but considering the cumulative weight of the aforementioned detractors for the album I’m going to round down and say this is a very strong three star release.

peace