ADOLESCENCIA CRONICA

A very, very long time ago I bought three vinyl LP's from the excellent Swedish Record Shop Inedi Records. The albums were "Reminiscencias" (1985), "Soliloquio" (1987) and "Suite Mexicana" (1987) by the Mexican progressive rock band ICONOCLASTA. Inedi Records is nowadays gone, but these three albums have been spinning on my vinyl player now and then throughout the years. Actually they're some of my favourite albums and they were very important for my ever-growing interest in progressive rock at the end of the 80's.

ICONOCLASTA's fifth album "Adolescencia Cronicas" from 1988 have now been re-released on the French progressive label Musea, so it was with great expectations I started listen to this CD. I was more than pleased with what I heard. ICONOCLASTA are blending progressive rock with some jazz-rock. This instrumental concept album is very complex with reminiscences to ARACHNOID, EMERSON LAKE & PALMER, GENESIS, KING CRIMSON, PREMIATA FORNERIA MARCONI, TERPANDRE and YES.

I have ignored the poor sound quality on my ICONOCLASTA vinyl LP's, but the sound quality isn't that good on this CD either. I guess it has to do with the original recordings. It's hard to tell whether this album is better than their earlier albums, because they have a bigger nostalgic value to me. Musically this is however more challenging and intriguing, and I guess that I will play this CD as much as I have played my vinyl albums. RECOMMENDED!

How already said in my review about "Soliloquio" (review #496708 in August 03, 2011, 19:27 EST), I consider "Adolescência Crõnica" a highly recommendable albun, but not in the same level of "Soliloquio". In this subsequent album from 1989 the band shows less symphonic moments than in the previous album, by the contrary, in this work the band shows a more aggressive posture. In fact much more space for guitars and less for keyboards, another great difference between the two albums is the absence of female vocals which contributes in a decisive way to make of "Soliloquio" a masterpiece. Really in some moments the music in "Adolescência Crônica" seems more closely to the ecletic-prog sound from the band PRAXIS in his album from 1987 entlited "La Eternidade de lo Efemero" whose line up includes Héctor Hernández / guitar and Ricardo Moreno / keyboards, both in the line-up from "Adolescencia Cronica" .However, the album shows one symphonic moment in the track 3 "Es una historia" a sweet ballad with some GENESIS and FOCUS "hints". The detach from "Adolescência Crônica" is the fantastic cohesion from the band to execute very intricate arrangements, full of alternate beats and a variety derivative melodies based in a main theme, which can be clearly noted in tracks such as in the track 4 "Esquizoide", 5 "Más allá que la cortina moral " and 6 "El alivio del clímax". My rate is 4 stars !!!