BITZITAKO GAUZAK

Sakre would seem to be the wildebeest of the Basque world, with bits and pieces of some of the more established groups from the area as well as international prog of the time. The variety in sounds is somewhat appealing at face value but, along with an abundance of less than engaging material, ultimately detracts from the overall enjoyment of the work.

Most of the highs are hit on the first side of the original disk, specifically the opening apparently uncredited work on some type of flute or whistle; the somewhat ITOIZ influenced "Oroitzapenak", with well exercised lead guitar solo and lots of string synths; and the lengthiest track, "Bakardadea". It's a highly symphonic suite with melodic guitars and electric piano, and is really the cornerstone of the Sakre oeuvre. The vocals are generally competent.

The remainder is a bit too cold, dense and unstructured, from the spoken intro to the jams with contrived alternate bursts of keys and guitars. The brief vocal section on "Erantzuna", and its resulting riff, offer a rare reprieve. "Izaren Hautsa" again conjures ITOIZ, but an inferior version, which still isn't bad. "Gurduaren" is the best thing going, but it's really mostly expounding upon what has already been said earlier and better.

In the realm of Basque progressive rock, Sakre was but a small player. Having only one release, they did not do what they had to in order to achieve at least a degree of posthumous recognition, even if the recording contains a fair number of small highlights and one excellent track. 2.5 stars rounded down.