VIRGO

While he was still a member of Entrance, Chilean keyboardist Jaime Rosas recorded his debut solo album as a medium for the release of his own symphonic prog musical ideology, the same that could only be partially delivered in Entrance, which usually follows a near-prog metal trend. Rosas is very much inspired by the legacies of Wakeman, Jobson and Emerson, embracing the former's pompous classicism, the second's penchant for eerie textures and the latter's incendiary bombast in equal proportions; perhaps you may also note some Vangelis connection, since a few ethereal passages remind of the Greek genius' soundtracks for films and documentaries. The Emerson factor makes Rosas' performing style sound more robust than many contemporaries, such as the keyboardsmen of Blezqi Zatsaz, Glass Hammer or Cast, to put a few examples. Now that he is no longer an Entrance member and has embarked on a groups project led by himself (first as a trio, currently as a quartet), we can see "Virgo" as a sort of musical trial that he needed to go through in order to put himself in perspective as a musician and composer. Since this is strictly a solo output, the main focus is almost exclusively centered on the keyboards: all melodies, harmonies, textures and orchestrations are played on keys, while the rhythm patterns are computerized via the use of sequencers. Anyway, don't worry about technology for this one; the usual rhythmic complexity is there, albeit electronically programmed. 'Plegaria' kicks off the album as a tribute to early Baroque sacrum music, displaying the high level of solemnity that you can come to expect from something like this. This splendorous piece serves as an anticipation of the electrifying pomp and circumstance that will take place in the four-part 'Sinfonía'. This number is the nucleus of the album, showcasing Rosas' abilities as a composer and as a performer: shades of Baroque, Romanticism, Impressionism and Mannerism, all of them exorcised in an inventive prog rock context. The first part - 'Uno' - is the longest, and also, the most impressive, since it comprises lots of varied of moods and tempos, all of them integrated in a solidly rich amalgam. 'Dos' stands on the contemplative side of things, bringing a compromise between slow symphonic and new age. 'Tres' recaptures some of the previous pomposity, while 'Cuatro' completes the general idea by reprising some of the motifs contained in 'Uno' and introducing a series of Baroque-meets-blues rock themes linked towards the ultimate climax. 'Lluvia' is a beautiful piano-based ballad, in which guest singer Jaime Scalpelli (from Entrance) gently describes the futility of rain as a metaphor for the futility of life. The orchestrations are extremely refined, providing a tasteful complementation of controlled bombast: in a way, they help to enhance the moving nature of the track's melodic development. Finally, the five 'Breves Piezas Rockeras' (Spanish for 'Brief Rockers') complete the spectrum by providing some room to the prototypical power trio sound. This input is really heavy rocking [including the slower 'Breve Pieza Rockera Cuatro'], although the synthetic nature of the rhythm section feels quite obvious; anyway, these pieces can be received as a hint of what the future of art had in store for Rosas once he would decide to leave the ranks of Entrance in order to pursue his own musical road without any kind of compromise. "Virgo" is, to put it simply, one of the best keyboard-centered prog albums for the new millennium - it's a fact that South American countries provide some of the most amazing prog around nowadays.