RC2

This sophomore effort from Venezuelan act RC2 was a nice surprise.

Symphonic rock is something of a foundation on this creation, with acoustic and clean guitars skillfully mixed with keyboards as main melody providers, a Hammond fleshing out the composition way back in the mix for most songs and quite often a driving bass line making the odd appearance when the rest of the instruments mellow down.

The vocals are clear, melodic and of high quality; while swirling keyboard soloing, a few instances of the Hammond taking the lead and atmospheric guitar soloing are the features of the non-vocal segments. Most times the band stay in the more mellow part of progressive rock; but in a few instances leanings towards classic hard rock like Deep Purple or more modern prog metal a la Dream Theater is offered up as well - alongside more atmospheric explorations quite similar to acts like Sylvan.

Vintage symphonic rock is a distinct influence on this band; but they do mix in more modern sounding details too. Fans of acts like Sylvan and Flower Kings might find this one just as interesting as fans of Kansas and Genesis - in fact there's somewhat of a transitional quality to this release overall; residing somewhere in between vintage and modern progressive rock. Well worth checking out.

2.5 stars really...

Raised out of the ashes of a band called Radio Clip,RC2 came to birth at late 90's in the capital of Venezuela,Caracas.After some changes in the line-up and the release of several demos,the band entered the studio at the end of year 2001.About six months of rehearsals were enough for the band to finish their debut album,which carried as a title the name of the group,and contained 10 compositions,some of them were totally new tracks,while some of them were re-worked tracks from the older demos.The year 2003 was the one for RC2,as this work finally came to public...

The band notifies CAMEL,RUSH,MARILLION,YES and GENESIS as their biggest influences.After several careful listenings I would say that this band sounds very much like ENCHANT or a lighter version of the mexican band AGORA.Though it is evident that the tracks are very carefully arranged,this album didn't grow on me.The vocals leave me totally cold,too mellow at most of the moments,with just a few elements of real expression,except maybe from the track ''Soledad'',which is a dramatic one.Then comes the song structure,which have a typical rock song format with over-repetitive choruses,a factor almost opposite to what I call ''progressive rock''.Yes,however there are two 14-min. epics.But ''Fria'',after a decent 6-min. instrumental section,contains an over-repetitive chorus,while ''Se pierde de sol'' has a more epic-structure format with changing moods,but at the end I find it rather boring and I prefer ''Fria'' from the two of them.

RC2's is an album for those who like a non-adventurous type of hard prog rock with a few up and downs and mostly song-structured tracks with some nice keyboard flights.Personally I prefer a bit of adventure in my music so this work comes a lit flat to me...

3.5 stars.Very enjoyable borderline prog-metal.Spanish vocals that i especially like that remind me of Gil Moore from TRIUMPH.When he tries to hit those high notes though it just doesn't work.Lots of synths in this one as well. "Obertura" is a short orchestral-like intro with piano. "Joroprog" is one of my favourites.It opens with synths and drums leading the way.It settles with piano a minute in with vocals not far behind.When he sings passionately he really reminds me of Gil.Piano and percussion 2 minutes in and then the guitar starts to shred.Riffs 4 1/2 minutes in and a great sounding section 5 minutes in. "Nada" is laid back to begin with as drums,percussion and vocals lead the way.It kicks into a higher gear 3 minutes in with some tasteful guitar. "Sombras" has a nice aggressive start with lots of synths.Vocals before a minute as it calms down. The tempo continues to shift.Guitar soars after 2 1/2 minutes.Themes are repeated. "RM" features intricate acoustic guitar throughout. "Fria" is my favourite and not because it's the longest track either.Some excellent organ to start with as other instruments join in.Great sound.The first 3 minutes are an uptempo instrumental that just kills. Then it settles down until guitar starts to lay down some blistering melodies a minute later.Nice.Back to the uptempo melody.The song stops 6 minutes in and restarts with piano,then fragile vocals join in.This is such a good section that lasts almost 8 minutes. "Gira La Tierra" has a heavy sound with riffs and synths leading the way.Fragile vocals come in.It's ok. "Soledad" opens with percussion,piano and vocals.It gets fuller 1 1/2 minutes in as this contrast continues. "Voz De Tempestad" sounds so good with the tasteful guitar melodies. "Se Pierde El Sol" opens with some excellent sounding drumming as the guitar comes in sounding even better.I love the tone of it.Vocals 1 1/2 minutes in as it calms down.The song will continue to contrast the calm passages with the more aggressive sections.Very good closing track. I just don't like it enough to give it 4 stars even though it has some great passages throughout.A lot of sections i want to skip though that just aren't my style.

[Review 1]

DON'T LET THE PROG METAL TAG SCARE YOU AWAY!!!

I feel the genre tag for RC2 is inaccurate. They do have some metaly moments, but for the most part I would place them in heavy prog. There are some heavy riffs (in the beginning of the album), but there are no double kick drums and no screaming vocals. Not that these things are bad, but they are what I think is associated with the genre a lot of the time and turns many away. I would even consider RC2 softer than the heavy prog of Uriah Heep and Rush (at their heaviest).

What I like the most about the album is how it's neither dominated by keyboards nor dominated by guitars. They both receive equal time, one always backing up the other, coming in and out of the foreground and background. The keyboards are also constantly changing sounds throughout the entire album, going from a modern sound to a piano to a Mellotron-ish sound regularly (particularly in both parts of Voice of the Storm). The guitar is also varied up quite a bit. In the first two songs the guitar is definitely that of a metal band with its riffing, but in the latter part of the album, it becomes much more melodic or atmospheric (depending on the song).

The drumming on the album is very well done. One of things that can turn me away from a band very quickly is if I find the drums uninteresting or basic. RC2 does not make this mistake! Although the drums are somewhat basic in the softer parts, the drums are constanly changing and doing different things for most of the album. (Forgive the lack of technical terms; I know almost nothing about the technical features of music, unfortunately.)

I think some people might have trouble with the singer's voice, but I find it quite beautiful (reminds me of Banco's vocalist). Even though the lyrics are no longer in Spanish, the vocals still have a Spanish feel to them. This Spanish feel (in the music and the vocals) is perhaps what makes RC2 distinct from the traditional heavy prog (or prog metal, whatever). A soft Spanish guitar makes a few reappearances throughout the album (El Diablo Suelto, Voice of the Storm - Part 1), adding to the atmoshere and backing up the lead guitar.

I don't think this is as strong as their debut, but it is still an excellent album and their technical skills have definitely improved. It doesn't offer much of anything new to the prog scene, but it doesn't try to recreate the sounds of its predecessors. RC2 is definitely their own band and they have their own sound.

I very much look forward to their next album and I'll continue to keep my eye on them. The album isn't a masterpiece, but I think it would be an excellent addition to any prog collection, especially if you're looking for some modern stuff that isn't retro. If you're not willing to shell out the money for this album based on my review, check out their samples on MySpace and hopefully that will convince you!

~Kestrel~

Highlights: Time Pieces, Future Awaits, El Diablo Suelto, Voice of the Storm - Part 1

First, I must say that I discover this band by chance, I received a message from the band themselves through My Space recommending their work because they thought I might be interested given my musical taste, well they were right. Thank you RC2! Your work is outstanding, your music beautiful and with lots of feeling on it. Production on this CD is top of the tops. It sounds better than for example, new Marillion album. The songs are very well crafted and I think the band put a lot of effort and care on composition and of course execution. They sound original with a touch of everything we like (sometimes IQ, sometimes Yes and a little bit Marillion). Prog-metal, I don't think so, progressive of course! Recommendation, my dear friends, buy it without hesitation and please be open minded on Spanish singing, their next album will be in English.

First of all, IMHO it is wrongly filed under"progressive metal" here. An occasional metal-ish guitar riff does not make a band to be prog-metal. Music of RC2 is pure symphonic progressive rock with neo-prog touches. Very close to be a masterpiece, their music is profound and beautiful, complex enough as well; arrangements are superb. The only weak point IMO are the vocals sang in spanish - otherwise wonderful piece of art. An excellent addition to any collection of prog. Recommended!

RC2 is yet another great Venezuelan band that has something interesting to say in the world of progressive rock for the new millennium. Their eponymous debut album is a well accomplished catalogue of melodic hard rock material refurbished in a modern symphonic frame: this specific frame is quite useful when it comes to enhancing and enriching the melodic potential of the compositions, not as much in terms of pyrotechnical complexity as in terms of emotional drive and intensity. Just to name a few points of reference, let me say that RC2's sound reminds me of Arena, Enchant, Pendragon, contemporary Marillion, Royal Hunt, and to a certain degree, post-Waters Pink Floyd. Mejicano's guitar soloing is impeccable and full of sensitiveness, but the main instrumentalist in the band is, no doubt, keyboardist Paz, whose work is the focus for almost every track's ambience - besides providing some excellent leads. Meanwhile, the rhythm duo of Benatar and Misle displays a solid foundation, and lead singer Duque performs his lines with enormous conviction in both the aggressive passages and the romantic ones. The intro 'Obertura' is a brief keyboard-centered piece that announces the energy of the first proper song, 'Joroprog': this one is based on a rock-bluesy motif effectively adorned with some folk-oriented nuances somewhere in the middle. A nice start, indeed. 'Nada' and 'Soledad' are the most emotionally charged songs in the album, but never getting corny or simplistically sentimental - the punchy guitar leads, the amazing keyboard orchestrations and Duque's robust singing assure that the spirit remains rooted in the grounds of good taste. The most complex and extended tracks are 'Fria' and the closure 'Se Pierde el Sol': the common major merit of both tracks is the organic feel that the band shows during the expansions of the main motifs and the occasional mood shifts. The brief guitar solos 'RM' and 'Voz de la Tempestad' bring an air of sheer serenity among the waves of emotion that go crashing on throughout the album. This is a very good album, perhaps not groundbreaking, but very interesting in itself: RC2 is clearly developing a style of their own with the material of the influences they receive from others - these guys are skillful enough to continue growing up as a band and capable enough to come up with new and better material in the future.

[I dedicate this review to my Venezuelan brother Milton]

Yes I know rating must be done carefully but definive this is a masterpiece !!! this guys made uo to arrange a set of pieces that does not have anything to envy well know and great prog rock performers. how they develop from a single melody into a complex arrangement of notes and rhythm where keyboard and guitar talk each other in complete harmony. thanks god everyday there is something new making you still believe creativity is beyond any border.

NOW..this is my first! Prog record from Venezuele that is! Musea has done it again..put out another GEM!! With the opening track: "Oberatura" (Overture) the path is laid and in a great way. The songs are sung in spanish by Dugue and im afraid i dont know a word of spanish...but its delivered nice and Dugue knows his limits (he´s not a James La Brie) but he manages to pull it off. The guys to mention here is Guitarist Demian and keyboardplayer Rafael. Their interplay and soloing are superb....specially in the instrumental songs: "RM" and " Fria"..ok..ok the drummer and bass player are quite capable too. In all these guys are great...and its nice to hear such well produced prog and from Venezuela to boot!! Dugue is best in the slower moments as his voice embraces the songs better in those. On "Fria" you can hear just what a great guitarist Demian are!! Overall this record, is a fine examble of prog coming from South America. As i said the production are top notch!! As is the music.The compositions in upper class. Comparisons are supposedly...Enchant.Arena.Marillion. I think that these guys are unique...they may sound like the afore mentioned.. but there is more..much more to them than that!! My friend Leo gave this to me..and im ever greatfull!!! Thanx mate!! The rest of you.....two words: GET IT !!! Its an absolute stunner. And yes...they do deserve the 5 star rating.