CONQUISTA Y DESTRUCCIÓN DE MÉXICO-TENOCHTITLÁN

Nice music from Mexico!

Being a Mexican, i think it is always a pleasure to review albums from my country and what a better way of start writing reviews in this 2009 than with a mexican album.

Though this time my purpose is not really to support the band, since the band does not exist anymore, my purpose is to invite people and readers of progarchives to have a look to this part of the world, where there is also nice music and some great progressive rock bands or albums.

El Puente de Alvarado was a side project of Carlos Alvarado who played with Chac Mool and Decibel, and who has a been a prolific musician in the mexican prog scene, i had the opportunity of talking to him and even he helped me with the Bio of Decibel, and Ricardo Moreno who is the guitar player of a better known mexican band Iconoclasta and another good musician from my country, they along with some other people created El Puente de Alvarado and released in 1996 their only album called Conquista y Destruccion de Mexico-Tenochtitlan, the title shows their love for mexican music and culture, after all we all have some roots and ancestors.

The album has a total time of 40 minutes and contains 10 tracks, there is only one epic which happens to be the last song, and the other ones lasts 3 to 4 minutes average.

It kicks off with Espiritu Volatil and in the very beginning it shows some guitar riffs that let us know that guitar is probably the leading instrument and most recognizable, i actually notice that Moreno's particular style, since his guitar sounds pretty alike that in his Iconoclasta's works, the keyboards also play an important role here as another main instrument and as a background, nice melody.

The next one is Relieve Muro and stars with a strange sound as a manufacturer or something, and then a heavier and rockier guitar playing along with nice drums make the song, this is a powerful song and a clear example of why the band is under the Heavy Prog sub genre.

Fundacion is a very nice song with some strange textures and always predominant guitar riffs, the bass also does it nice and the keyboard work is pretty decent, there are some little time changes during this song.

Rosa Mexicano is actually pretty alike to the previous song, with a middle tempo track that suddenly slows down, showing some nice bass lines and always a guitar riff, whooops, i didn't mention at the beginning that this is an instrumental album, so don't expect any lyrics at all. This is a very nice song.

La Noche del Jaguar has some kind of slow march drums, then guitars that keeps playing and playing until the very end of the song, at the half of it, it has a little change and you will listen to the keyboards doing their contribution, it is one of their finest songs i believe, however the style is pretty similar to the previous tracks.

Duro como el desprecio starts with a strong guitar riff accompanied by synth as a background, addicting bass lines and an always constant drumming, despite being a short song i believe it is enjoyable and worth listening, sometimes it stops and always a sample keeps listening, then guitar enters again heavier and making a very nice sound.

Prisioneros hassome nice keyboard tunes and while listening to the song it transports me to some place, i mean it is a visual song where i imagine a man running for his life, besides the all previously mentioned instruments, here we will listen a saxophone which is a great addition to the sound, a fast and short, however pretty nice song.

El Orden de la Negacion has some spacey moments due to the synth, it sounds like an improvisation and in moments sounds like a nice song to close your eyes and meditate, a little different song it is.

Barbarie Simultanea is the shortest song and this is actually an improvisation i have no doubt about it, there is nothing more to add.

The album ends with it's epic called Conquista y destruccion de Mexico-Tenochtitlan!, the title track and the best song and proggiest of them all. Throughout the song, we will listen to soft moments, sudden changes and heavy moments, a drumming that always sounds constant and nice, a synth trying to take the leadership but what always predominates are the guitar riffs. A song divided in various parts but always returning to the same style.

After all, it is a nice album, by no meas the best example of what Mexican Prog is or can offer, there are better things believe me, but this is also good, my grade is 2.75 stars rounded to 3 stars!

Enjoy it!

Like so many other countries and several occasions, Mexico had its own one-shot supergroup in the 90's named El Puente de Alvarado.The band consisted of keyboardist Carlos Alvarado, previously a member of Chac Mool, Decibel and Via Lactea, apparently the leader of this formation, guitarist Ricardo Moreno and drummer Victor Baldovinos, both members of Mexican Prog veterans Iconoclasta, and bassist Arturo Manzur.Their only album with the patriotic title ''Conquista y destrucción de Mexico Tenochtitlan'' was recorded during the summer of 95' at Studio Eclipse in Mexico City and was released in 1996 on Momia, featuring saxophonist German Bringas in one track.

From the background of the involved members you should expect something close to Prog Fusion with experimental and symphonic touches in the process.Well, throw away anything symphonic-related, do not expect anything close to Jazz apart from the band's jamming mood, and keep the word Fusion quite tight, add some evident KING CRIMSON experimentations and turn up the volume of the guitar sound.I am surprised the band was named after Carlos Alvarado, because the true hero in the album is Ricardo Moreno and his lust for edgy, technical guitar textures.Alvarado is basically limited to providing cosmic, mellow synth atmospherics or more cinematic and orchestral soundscapes, however every now and then he pops up with some more pronounced organ tricks and piano lines.Otherwise this is a guitar-dominated album with Fusion and heavier tendencies, propelled by the tireless soloing and technical moves.This surfaces as a sterile production though, especially when considering where these guys came from, not to mention that the organ sounds totally fake.I compared the band with KING CRIMSON not only because of its guitar-fronted and technical sound, but the atmosphere rarely moves away from the clinic approach of robotic executions and I consider that a minus, because El Puente de Alvarado were not King Crimson.

Anachronistic guitar-led Heavy-Fusion without the awaited flourishes of ethnic vibes, as proposed by the title.Much in the vein of KING CRIMSON, slightly jamming and extremely technical, lacking the emotion of other productions or the unique inspiration of the British masters.I would strictly stick with King Crimson fans for this one, maybe those into the music of Iconoclasta will also appreciate Moreno's guitar work...2.5 stars.