BRAVO

Desert. The album starts strongly with this song. Acoustic 'Spanish' guitars lead the song before being joined by rock guitar, synths and a drum machine. Jan Ohme's vocals are strong and show an impressive range. Time signatures change and then move back again. The song somehow builds it's sound towards the climax and shows that the band are willing to experiment to obtain the sound the want! A good catchy start with enough interest to make you want to listen to the rest. There's even an electronic treatment to some of the vocals. The only thing missing is a guitar solo! They sound like a mixture of Depeche Mode and Muse. This must be largely due to the vocal style and the drum machine!

Sea Of Tranquility starts very differently but again the drum machine is very evident. This song is definitely lead by the soaring vocals of Jan Ohme who has a much more pure voice than Muse's Matthew Bellamy of Marillion's Steve Hogarth The song builds gradually and you will find yourself singing along after a couple of listens.

Nemo starts very differently and quickly becomes a mid tempo song again lead by a soundscape backdrop for some beautiful vocals. The chorus becomes a more lively affair and again will have you singing along after a couple of listens. Very uplifting!

Ghost is another moody slice of music. Piano and synths form the backdrop to delicate and lush vocals before another catchy chorus has you singing along again. The drums sound much better on this track but no one is credited on the sleeve notes so this may be clever programming by the band!

California starts as a guitar lead song before organs take over. The song is very much vocal lead with Ohme's strong singing leading another catchy chorus. There is a short keyboard solo about two thirds of the way into the song which gives a repeat appearance towards the end.

The Secret has a strong beat sound with discordant piano backing to a surprisingly breathy vocal performance. This song again features a good chorus hook which will again have people singing along. Saying that, it is a song that requires repeat listening and would perhaps be a bit too challenging to the casual listener. This song perhaps best displays Gazpacho's ability to experiment with style and sound to achieve the desired effect overall. The end of the song becomes very harsh.

Sun God. The Drum machine is firmly in evidence again for this song which starts with moody vocals again. The song builds up several times before going back to the quiet verses. Overall a good song but it could have been lifted into great status by a well placed guitar solo.

Mesmer starts softly before becoming a loud aggressive piece. The vocals are distorted and remain so for the whole of the song. Despite this, there is still a catchy hook in there! The drum machine is again evident and this song could have been much better with a real drummer! Not bad but not the best thing here. Saying that, it does show that the band can turn their hand to a harsher sound if they desire.

Novgorod. After the previous track this is a welcome relief! Soft synths and Ohme's delicate vocals begin the song before the drum machine joins in and the bass runs constantly at the back to give the song some pace. Esther Valentine joins in the song vocally and gives a good counterpoint to Ohmes singing. She then takes centre stage and lifts this song to another level altogether. Lush background vocals give a great canvas for her crystal clear singing. She sounds very much like the singer from Evanescence and give this track a haunting quality. The only fault would be that perhaps it goes on about 30 second too long.

Ease Your Mind Starts with Ohme's clear vocal and an acoustic guitar. This song is a gem and would be a great crowd pleaser live! Building slowly into an almost epic sound, and again showing the bands ability to build soundscapes.

Bravo is the last track and at 6.38 it is the longest. Piano, vocals and drum machine start out giving this song another moody feel before the guitars join in. About half way through things get a little lively before moving back to a piano interlude and then the song builds again with beautiful soundscapes being constructed out of synths, sting, guitar and bass. Running through is still the drum machine! There are lots of little touches of sounds before a violin breaks out into a solo! This again proves that whilst the band will experiment to get what they want. And just when you think you've heard all the surprises, a flute joins the violin! Then the guitar comes to the fore just as the crowd gives it's appreciation - literally. And just like that it's over!

If you like Depeche Mode's gloom laden pop or Muse's overblown Neo prog, or Marillions intricate soundscapes you will find something to like on this very accomplished debut album. It is also a grower but it does have it's faults. The drum machine should be replaced by a real drummer and a guitar solo here and there would improve the overall package. Despite these faults this is a superb album and comes highly recommended.

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