CICLOTIMIA

This album by very young Argentine band AMAGRAMA is one of the best debuts by a modern prog band I've listened to recently. Incredible how these guys are transposing elements of 70's kind of Prog in the vein of YES, GENESIS, KING CRIMSON or GENTLE GIANT into modern times without sounding ever like a rip-off of any of those bands. This is just symphonic prog how every lover of this sub-genre is looking for, fully in the spirit of the old originals, but melted well with elements of modern ProgMetal in the vein of DREAM THEATER. AMAGRAMA offers everything for lovers of both Symphonic Prog, ProgMetal and Fusion, just the right stuff for me!

The instrumental title track opens with a mixture of DT-typical keyboards and intricate symphonic prog enriched with interludes of jazz fusion. The main theme is actually rather simple but by playing it in many different variations the track is becoming a really excellent and versatile one. Fantastic opener. Thereafter they continue with another two short instrumental songs, first of them Vigilia being a very relaxed and mellow one with nice piano sound whereas second one El Vacio I is very much in a progmetal vein presenting again quite DT-alike fast and intricate keyboard and guitar play. With Tu Eternidad the mood is shifting once again to a more mellow symphonic one with Spanish vocals, reminding me a bit to THE AMBER LIGHT, when Luis Gabbiani sings in this language. In its second part it's getting more into a hardish vein. An awesome intricate and versatile song with nice piano and excellent guitar. Then there is the second part of the instrumental track "El Vacio" which is quite similar to the first one, although being DT-reminiscent even better than those. It segues immediately into Todo lo que pueda ser having vocals again as well as some really intricate guitar/keyboard interplay. Although it's clocking less than three minutes, a very interesting prog song. It's revealing once again that excellent prog doesn't need necessarily extended timing. The instrumental track Fabulas de un titere is an incredibly intricate one but they manage to keep it all the times still within a very accessible frame. This one is for sure a highlight of the album, although I've to say that the whole one is almost ONE highlight. Desierto Humedo is mostly a very quiet song, more in a acoustical vein with a short breakout towards its end. La luz y el cristal is as well an excellent highly complex more heavy rocking song, a hybrid of great symphonic prog and metal. I really miss such addictive moments in DT's music. The final instrumental track Dislalia is once again, I really hate to repeat myself, an incredibly complex one in a symphonic and progmetal-ish vein. The bonus track Recluso Artista is a cover from a song by CRUCIS, one of the bands they've been influenced by according to the liner notes. I listened to the original and I can only say, they're playing it really excellently here, maybe even better than the original.

SUMMARY

Although there are some influences by DREAM THEATER present AMAGRAMA is really creating their very own style by merging perfectly only some of their elements with some 70's influences. Thus I'd like to say that this is a highly notable debut by a promising young band and actually worth 4,5 stars!

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