MATRAZ

With the entry of a powerful female vocalist and the enhancement of the instrumental input, Matraz was ready to move forward with their sophomore release "Gritaré". Considering that the band's sound has now begun to flirt with prog-metal and has leaned toward a more bombastic framework, similarities could be found with Entrance and Toccata. Still, there is also some preservation of the jazz-inspired colors that had made the best of the previous abum's fusion-oriented passages. All in all, the band's nuclear sound has been enriched and empowered. The opener and 'Redención' both create a proper mood to set an adequate ambience for the whole listening experience: 'Gritaré' most certainly rocks convincingly throught each and every pore of its architectonic complexity; 'Redencion' build on that track's force and gives it a moderate jazzy spin to the basic cadence. 'REM' is the first instrumental, set on a piano-led scheme that ultimately indulges in a dynamic mixture of jazz-rock and heavy chops, with all these elements fused in a solid progressive framework. The other instrumental is 'Cóndor', which is overall more relaxed, set on a dreamy melodic sense where the jazz-rock element is dominant, ultimately leading to a fusion-infused coda that brings colorful atmospheres to the fold. Between these two pieces are 'Sangre Derramada' and 'Trazma'. The former is an absollute highlight, a solid, delightful 11 ¾ minute excursion that starts as a vocal-piano duet, then graudaly building up to a central jam where the bass and piano flourishes install a safe environment for the outstanding spectral display of vocal deliveries and guitar phrases, all of it wisely sustained by the drummer. Near the end, we come to enjoy what is arguably the best guitar lead in the abum, and then, the song is wrapped up by a brief reprise of the first section. Brilliant! 'Trazma', on the other hand, brings back the moods already stated by the first 2 pieces, with an emphasis on the rock factor - good but not that great, which can be felt especially after being treated with 'Sangre Derramada'. 'Sobreviviente' occupies the album's last 18 ½ minutes, and by doing it so robustly, it brings a perfect climax. The meditative mood of the first section (with lyrics narrating the mysteries of the human soul) may remind us a bit of 'Sangre Derramada', but after the 4-minute mark, things shift to a more intesn motif, built on a confluence of standardized prog metal and Yes-like old school symphnic prog. The subsequent melodic and rhythmic variations are cleverly linked, going all the way to the ceremonious coda that reprises a portion of the opening section. This is how the album ends, and let me tell you that this is the album that defines the type of progressive trend that Matraz was aiming at. Very good album, recommended to all symphonic prog lovers everywhere.

I started to explore the little less known bands in PA when I came across with a band from CHILE(!) called MATRAZ. I didn't know any bands from Chile before so I wasn't too excited. As usual I started out by playing the sample provided in PA Matraz - Gritaré the title track. I didn't need to listen to it more than a minute when I decided to buy the album. I was so impressed and liked their sound. You can get it at Mylodon records btw.

The album starts out sounding almost like DREAM THEATER. Influences of DT you can hear throughout the album. But Matraz has so much more to it. They bring a jazzy sound to its music by talented keyboardist DIEGO ABURTO. The album has influences not only from Progressive metal but also from Jazz fusion and symphonic prog.

The vocals are by LORETO CHAPARRO and she sings in Spanish. By listening to Nemo - Barbares and Il Bacio Della Medusa - discesa agl'inferi d'un giovane amante which both are brilliant albums, I wasn't too sceptic about the language. Foreign languages bring their own facination and originality to music. Chaparro is a great singer no doubt about it. But I don't have a clue what is she singing about. Doesn't bother me.

Back to the songs. There are seven songs in all. Starting with the strong title track and ending with 18 and half minute epic. There are also two instrumentals. Album includes heavier parts and much softer parts dominated by keyboard and guitar solos.

Overall what you get is an amazing album of beatiful music well composed and presented. I suggest everyone to at least listen to the free title track provided by PA. I enjoyed every bit.

I give this album 5 stars.

This is another excellent example of the ever-growing prog/fusion metal secene in Chile with bands like MATRAZ or OCTOPUS delivering some great musicianship full of great personal ideas.And this is also a very good proof that a prog metal band can also be influenced by ethnic music and early progressive rock and not only by prog metal giants like DREAM THEATER or FATES WARNING or I don't know which band.MATRAZ is band consisting of four great musicians and their debut ''Tiempo'' lasts just over 40 minutes with three over 10 min. tracks and one shorter...

The beginning of the album belongs to ''Amanecer''.Amazing electronic keyboard intro does the start followed by some vocals and music built up on piano and then the music takes off with prog metal musicianship very close to DREAM THEATER's ''Train of thought'' but more balanced between the instruments.Nice start...Almost the same concept is what we meet on ''Manana''.Amazing start with marimba/piano interplay,a sound that reminds me of the cleverness in GENTLE GIANT's works,followed by somevocals again and the the track begins to get heavier.This time the sound is closer to SYMPHONY X's works or DREAM THEATER's awake,a more proressive/epic sound and a nice atmospheric closing with piano and vocals...''Atardecer'' is the shortest track of all,a very atmospheric track dominated by smooth spacey guitar play and background vocalization,creating an almost avant-garde atmosphere.The track seems to function as an intro to the heavier ''Noche''...Fricking complex bass lines and heavy guitar work is the starting point here followed by almost folkish/ethnic vocals and an avant-garde atmosphere in CABEZAS DE CERA style.Before the middle of the track the familiar ultra heavy fusion style of the band returns followed again by a sort of break with church bells and vocalization.The track closes exactly how the whole story begun,with spacey electronic keyboards...

I think this work by MATRAZ will leave everyone satisfied,from the 70's early progressive rock fan to the demanding tech/extreme metal lover due to the great mixing of music styles ans sounds...MATRAZ are a band to watch and deserve your attention undoubtfully...4 solid marimbas!

I have had the pleasure of late in talking with Alfredo (the vocalist on ANGULART's first album) about the amazing music that has come out of his country of Chile.He has mentioned more than once that i need to hear this record from MATRAZ.I had already reviewed MATRAZ previous album called "Tiempo" and really liked it,but he said this one is better. And he is right! The biggest change between the two albums is the former bass player and vocalist leaving and being replaced by two people.A new bass player (Jorje), as well as a female singer named Loreto Chaparro.She apparently was(is?) a vocal instructor, and it's easy to tell she would be perfect for that job.We are blessed to be able to hear her sing on this record.There is something about this music that makes me feel good.And i know what it is,it's Loreto's vocals whenever she is singing normally that makes me feel like i'm home.That is the best way i can describe it,and it's a huge compliment to her.She can also really let it rip vocally,but it's her calm, natural voice that is so satisfying.All the vocals and liner notes are in Spanish so i can't give much more information than i have. "Gritare" opens with riffs and prominant synth runs.The drumming is outstanding as the sound is quite heavy.When Loreto sings the song slows down as if to listen.Piano arrives 4 minutes in,and this album has a boat load of wonderful piano melodies.She gets aggressive vocally with a heavy soundscape before 5 minutes.This contrast of mellow and heavy continues.Some great guitar 7 minutes in. "Redencion" opens with a pleasant melody as Loeto vocals go from edgy to beautiful.The guitar is on fire and a synth solo follows.The climate and tempo continues to change.Some killer guitar 5 minutes in with her angry vocals.The contrast between her vocal styles is cool.It just makes her natural voice seem even warmer and more beautiful after i have heard her sing with an edge. "REM" is an instrumental of mostly piano as heaviness and guitar come and go. "Sangre Derramada" opens with a mellow soundscape of piano,drums and vocals.A change arrives 3 1/2 minutes in as the drums sort of rumble in.A nice vocal melody a minute later with piano and drums.Guitar 7 1/2 minutes in as drums and piano carry on.The guitar gets quite aggressive followed by vocals.The last minute of the song is mellow like the beginning of the track with piano and vocals. "Trazma" is apparently an anagram of the band's name.It opens heavily with some great sounding synths.The sound softens as vocals and piano come in.Passionate vocals take over as heaviness comes and goes.She's great! Nice synth and drum work as well. "Condor" opens with a pastoral mood that continues for 3 minutes.Then a jazzy atmosphere comes in with some gorgeous piano and light drums.Guitar takes the lead 5 minutes in.Nice.Emotional too. "Sobreviviente" is an 18 minute epic to close out the album.This song has so many twists and turns.Heavy and mellow.Vocals,guitar,piano and drums all get a chance to shine.Outstanding track! It ends with marching style drums and vocals. 4.5 stars.Apparently the title of this album means "I will shout".Appropriate as far as i'm concerned,because i want to shout for all to hear "Get this album!" And not only this album but the many great bands of Chile.SARAX,EXSIMIO,LA DESOOORDEN,ANGULART,FLOTANTE and TRYO and that's just off the top of my head.There is more!

I agree with Hibou that this band is far more than just a metal band.In fact the bass and drums often lead the way,and there is probably more piano and synth work than lead guitar.There are good,male Spanish vocals,but they are few and far between. "Amanecer" opens with waves of synths rolling in before the vocals arrive a minute in followed by some wonderful piano melodies.3 minutes in the song changes as drums and guitar come in,with riffs and synths to follow.We're really cooking 5 1/2 minutes in as we are hit hard,fast and heavily.The song does lighten as piano comes back with light drums.Vocals return before the song ends.That was 8 minutes of instrumental work between vocals. "Manana" opens with an airy soundscape of vibes,piano and percussion.It changes 3 minutes in with some good bass and drums with vocals and piano joining in a minute later.This has a heavy pounding beat before the song calms down 8 minutes in as vocals come back.A fantastic sound 9 minutes in as drums are pounded with fury. "Atardecer" is the shortest tune with gentle guitar to open.The tempo speeds up and the vocals sound great. "Noche" opens with bass and drums that turn nice and heavy as the tempo shifts.Vocals 2 minutes in as bass,drums and synths fill out the sound 3 1/2 minutes in.It calms right down a minute later before it blasts off again with a great heavy sound.It settles back down before it ends. Another excellent record from Chile with lots of tempo changes and heaviness.My kind of music.

This is an excellent album, the seven tracks are great. And as you can read from kidofthecentury's review (maybe), this record has everything that the other record doesn't have. I'm not a big fan of Loreto Chaparro's voice, but her performance is very good anyway. The performances of the rest of the memebers are just perfect.

I think this album deserves a 4.5... A Masterpiece!

Gritaré made me realize there is good Chilean music. I'm from Chile and I've always looked for foreign bands to fulfill my musical hunger, but this time the answer was nearer than what I imagined: Matraz.

Gritaré is awesome, it has everything Tiempo missed: a professional singer, recording quality, performing cohesion and all the experience of having done a previous album.

This might be tagged as progressive metal, but it's not that simple. There are jazzy parts led by keyboardist Diego Aburto, some neo-prog reminiscences and Marcelo Stuardo, the drumer, even leads to cueca (Chilean national dance) in 'Sangre Derramada' and 'Cóndor'. If you're Chilean, you could even cry. Besides the flawlessness of the musicians, the Spanish lyrics are also magnificent.

They're not the usual cheesy stories of long past love or tales of knights and dragons, they come from the inside of Matraz, explore feelings, emotions, tell about painful passages of Chile's history ('Sangre Derramada') and aren't easy to comprehend. Smart words for smarter music.

This album is an excellent addition to any prog music collection, but if you are a Spanish talking person, it is essential: a masterpiece of progressive music. Love it.

Before achieving recognition with their impressive sophomore album "Gritaré", Chilean band Matraz were already making good almost completely instrumental music as a quartet. Their debut album "Tiempo" had been originally released in 1999, but only a few years later would it resurface as a Mylodon item. "Tiempo" is a sort of concept album based on the periods of the day: the few lyrics ar eexcerpted from Gabriela Mistral's poems that describe the emotions inherent to the dawn ('Aamancer'), the morning ('Mañana'), the portion from afternoon to evening ('Atardecer') and the night ('Noche'). Yes and ELP are featured classic prog references, but this band also included many hints to prog metal standards as well as to jazz-fusion and gracious neo-prog nuances. The constant interaction between Diego Burto's keyboards and Claudio Cordero's guitars elegantly enhance the intense dexterity of the more bombastic passages and the eerie magic of the clamer ones. The rhythm duo is more than capable to keep up with the various tones and shifts that come all the way through. Tracks 1, 2 & 4 are all well ensembled progressive suites in which the band clearly states their multifaceted vision: in this way, 'Aamancer' opens up the album in a very characteristic manner. The versatility and pomposity demanded by the compositional ideas are handled by al lfour musicians with skill and taste, comprising the diverse musical sources in 10 to 13 minutes spans with confidence. Arguably, things are not always as cohesive as they should, and sometimes th eband seems to be happy indulging itself into roads of sonic excess, but most of the times the flow of ideas turns out to be set in a fluid amalgam. My favourite suite is the second one, 'Mañana', which kick off with a gentle duo of piano and tuned percussion until the train of progressive thought incarnated in sonic diversity is solidly delivered by the full ensemble. The harder side of Matraz is always present in places, but it is in the last suite 'Noche' that this side is more robustly exploited. The epilogue to 'Noche' is a reprise of the first tracks's initial motif: obviously, an allusion to the cyclical nature of the day. The only short track is the ballas 'Atardecer', based on dreamy chord progressions on electric-acoustic guitar, while bassits Inti Oyarzún sings his lines as exorcising the ghosts of nostalgia. This piece is an oasis of surreal beauty among cathedrals of ambitious music. Despite not being as cohesive in terms of composition and sound as the acclaimed follow-up album "Gritaré", "Tiempo" is a testimony of a band that was born wit han already mature musical vision: a vision of vintage progressive dreams within a renewed and refreshening format.

Lovely!What a fine album we have here..Gritare is a great work, a perfect example of prog metal (not so heavy)/symphonic prog combined with a lot of jazz moments. Musically this album is more mature than the previous one and the great change is the lead singer of the band. Beautiful female vocals singing in the band's native language something like spanish or portugese.This element makes the album more ethnic and exotic and more unique.Personally i see this album as a combination of six degrees of inner turbulence 2nd disc and the tracks from the "an evening with John Petrucci and Jordan Rudess". It is prog with a lot of fine piano (mainly) jazz moments and beautiful singing. Recommended for all prog fans even the non metallers.It is sure that you will have a fine listening..Actually 4,5 stars just to respect the cornerstones of progmusic..Well done amigos!!!

This is the debut CD from the Chilean five piece band Matraz, released in 2001. The title and cover picture refers to the four tracks that represent parts of the day between night and day.

1. Amanecer (10:41) : After a spacey keyboard-intro, the music continues with beautiful, often sparkling piano play and strong Spanish vocals. Then a slow rhythm and howling guitar developes into a bombastic progmetal climate featuring powerful metal- riffs, propulsive drums and blistering electric guitar soli. This progmetal inspired sound is blended with exciting piano and synthesizer runs, very exciting music!

2. Mañana (11:43) : The first part is build upon compelling interplay between marimba and piano, then a mid-tempo, heavy guitar and sparkling piano. The climates alternate from mellow with marimba and Spanish vocals to bombastic delivering exciting spectacular soli on synthesizer and guitar and splendid interplay between classical inspired piano and propulsive metal- riffs, GREAT!

3. Atardecer (4:33) : This is a dreamy piece with melancholical vocals, guitar and strings, a very pleasant atmosphere to relax after all that bombastic stuff.

4. Noche (13:11) : The final track is very alternating, from spacey with soaring keyboards and mellow with tender piano and acoustic guitar to heavy and bombastic featuring powerful and dynamic drums and again great interplay between guitar and piano.

THIS IS A VERY STRONG AND PROMISING DEBUT CD WITH LOTS OF FINE MUSICAL IDEAS!

www.progwalhalla.com