UNOMA

Unoma is basically a name chosen by Barcelona-based guitarist Fidel Vazquez, under which he performs from early-00's.Vasquez was helped by Pi-2 members, keyboardist Pito Costa (he also took over the bass duties) and singer Alex Warner, along with drummer Lluis Ribalta.A couple of guests helped Vaszquez on a pair of guitar performances and this was the Unoma team, which released the album ''Croma'' in 2003, distributed by Musea Records.

The eponymous track is a sensitive and warm exploration of guitar melodies and delicate piano lines in a very melancholic mood, followed by another instrumental piece, the 9-min. ''Black Hole'', dominated by a strong CAMEL-esque influence and featuring good and smooth guitar solos along with sharp synthesizers in a great contrast.''The bird'' shows no signs of change.Vasquez'es playing recalls the style of ANDY LATIMER, this time supported by somec electronic loops.The most jazzy-influenced performance of Vasquez comes with ''Magic tour'', his touch has a great SANTANA influence on the opening notes with synthesizers adding an atmospheric dimension, soon to become a soundscape full of powerful groovy guitars and flashy synths.A nice combination of Latin Jazz-Rock and groovy Heavy Prog.Of course the most demanding composition is the 15-min. ''In the name of God''.A great combination of vintage Prog, Neo/Symphonic Rock and Lounge music with some energetic performances on guitars, synths and organs along with the most dynamic performance of the rhythm section, filled both with grandieur and emotion.This is also the only composition featuring some vocals.

A nice proof of Vasquez guitar talent but also another nice example of Pi-2's keyboardist Pito Costa accomplished skills.Good, mostly instrumental prog, for fans of refined melodies and atmospheric soundscapes.Recommended.

Unoma are a band from Spain who are listed on PA under Jazz-Rock/Fusion. This is the only album I have heard by them so far, but this sounds more like prog metal to me. Good prog metal too. I hear very little of a jazz influence on this album. This group is led by guitarist Fidel Vazquez, and they are very guitar oriented. The vocals are mostly in English and feature both male and female singing. The female vocals of Aurora Ferrer are really good, sometimes being overdubbed and double-tracked at times.

Parts of "Out Of Control" remind me of both Alice In Chains and Tool. Great chorused guitar and melodic bass playing at one point. Followed by a great mid-paced rock groove. "An Expensive Illusion" has some male vocals. Both male and female vocals harmonizing at times. Features a nice bluesy guitar solo. "Eight" is a nice instrumental with cool synth sounds with some electronic percussion. It's only a minute long...way too short! The best song on the album is probably "Dragon Sin Piel", which has Spanish vocals. There is a Spanish influence in the music as well. The drumming really stands out in this song, and the vocals are very good.

"Corrupt Song" has mostly male vocals and cool echoed percussion. Another song that is way too short. The album ends with a suite divided in three parts called "The Incredible Lightness Of Gravestones". Part one is titled "The End". This is really good with an easy going mellow mood. Nice mix of guitar and vocals. Part two is "The Dream". This has acoustic guitar and what sounds like piano. Part three is "The Other Side", the longest song here. More heavy than the previous two parts, but has some less heavy moments as well. A little spoken word section. I like the drums near the end.

I would say this is a good album, but it's not extremely proggy and certainly not very jazz-rock-y. The music is very accessible but not too commercial sounding. The sound and production is generally very good. The way the overdubbed vocals are mixed is well done. I'm not sure who to recommend this to. Prog Metal fans I guess. I don't think people who are really into fusion and/or Spanish-influenced prog will enjoy this very much. It's a decent album nonetheless, I'll give it 3 stars.

Naked is an acoustic album with reinterpretations of themes of the work "The Beginning of The End". The album was recorded with one guitar and one voice, making the themes of their album with his original essence.

The EP is the result of one circumstance: The change of the lead voice of Unoma project, established for the purpose of working for a live presentation of the themes of the band. The EP marks the end of a Unoma phase and the beginning of a new order in which Fidel Vazquez is preparing a new album which may see the light in 2011.

That said, I do not think it appropriate to hear this work without having previously auditioned "The Beginning of The End" because it's not sense.

Can be heard and downloaded free from the web of Unoma.

This work of Unoma has involved a significant shift in style and quality.

The album is a personal bet of Fidel Vazquez, who has given to the production a hard sound and sometimes a little dirty, typical of the U.S. west coast. Excellent production, I would almost say that the best production of the decade in any area of Spanish music. The truth is that this gem, this diamond has the great difficulty of not having the necessary promotion in Spain and, consequently, its national and international outreach is limited.

It's an album is much more direct and radical break with the style he showed in his CD "Chroma. " Closer to bands like Tool, letting go a more traditional concept of progressive rock to get into something much more modern and strong.

The power of his songs is a bit muffled the sound off as extremely serious and that mitigates the dynamics of music from other times. That is, this work is ready for modern ears.

In summary, invest a little money to enjoy to this good work.

This was the first album Unoma project, led by guitarist Fidel Vázquez. I first heard this CD when Fidel was looking for musicians for his band. That search had a different result because we formed finally a new band called Negua.

In "Croma" he work very hard with the producer Pito Costa to develop a beautiful almost instrumental album. The songs are extremely fluid and friendly, with a touch of Jazz-Rock. My personal favorite is "The Bird" while the theme "Croma" is more defining of personality of work.

"In the name of the God", the last song of the album is a clear indication of where the musical ideas of Fidel Vázquez will move during the first decade of this century.

Unoma is the name of guitarist Fidel Vázquez's musical vision. This is not an exclusively solo effort, strictly speaking, since the collaboration of Pito Costa on keyboards, bass and drum programming proves vital for the building of the repertoire's various melodic schemes and moods. This is the essential resource that allowed the material comprised in "Croma" to achieve its most climatic moments. The album kicks off with the namesake track, a soft piece that goes from slow to mid tempo while the simplistic main motif is solidly preserved: Vázquez gives preference to texture and harmony, which allows the keyboard layers and ornaments to fill an important role in the track's development. 'Black Hole' states a more dominant role for the lead guitar, comprising a strange yet effective mixture of Satriani and Hackett: the hooks of the main melodic line and the emergence of an effective 7/8 interlude compose the right frame for the aforesaid Satriani-Hackett confluence. 'The Bird' is very melancholic, arguably the most reflective composition in the album: it's really beautiful, not too complex but successful in mood and ambience from a genuine prog rock point of view. This piece reminds me a bit of early Eclat or early Edhels: dynamic yet not too intrepid symphonic rock with a very modern vibe and new-age flirtations. 'Magic Tour' is arguably the best structured piece in terms of melodic development and guitar-keyboard interaction. The lead guitar phrases are catchy, while the keyboard input is flawless when it comes to coming to the frontline or staying in the background. This is perhaps what a Rothery solo album would sound like, or an old Marillion demo from the mid-80s before Fish records his written lyrics. I hope the simile was clear. 'In the Name of God' is the longest track in the album, occupying the last near-15 minutes. It is epic in intention and structure, starting with a melodic excursion that may remind us of late-70s Genesis with a touch of Camel. During some of the guitar solos, Vázquez strays to jazz-rock territories, which makes sense with the fusion-oriented percussive arrangements that emerge at some point. The sung section sounds like a mixture of slow R'n'B and "A Curious Feeling"-era Tony Banks. At the 10'30" mark, a bombastic interlude gets in a solidly epic note, but unfortunately ends too soon; on the other hand, an emotional guitar solo and a pompous synth lead follow in order to partially retake the incomplete bombast. The idea goes on to the end, marking a family air with Hackett-era Genesis plus a touch of ELP. While not excellent, "Croma" is a beautiful, emotionally intense album that will surely please all symphonic prog and neo-prog devotees - this is what Unoma was all about for the debut album.

During my weekly surfing on the Spanish progressive rock sites, I discovered this wonderful album by UNOMA. The prime mover and musical brain is guitarplayer Fidel Vazquez. He has a beautiful, very warm sound and his compositions are varied featuring lots of good musical ideas. Let's take the album song by song. 1) "Croma" 5:42 - This is a tasteful arrangement with a pleasant mellow atmosphere featuring twanging electric guitar, piano, a synthesizer solo and beautiful, very sensitive electric guitarwork in the vein of Andy LATIMER from CAMEL. 2) "Black hole 8:50 - The first and final part contain a slow rhythm delivering sensitive, howling electric guitar soli and an organ solo. Halfway there is a break with sensational synthesizer flights and a fiery, MIKE OLDFIELD inspired guitar solo. 3) "The bird" 4:32 - Great electric guitar overdubs featuring twanging guitar and slightly distorted soli. 4) "Magic tour" 6:10 - It opens with a slow rhythm delivering soaring strings and spacey synthesizer sounds. Then a lot of shifting moods and very spectacular guitarwork (jazzy, heavy riffs and howling soli) and sensational synthesizer runs. 5) "In the name of God" 14:52 - This epic composition contains English vocals (a kind of soulful version of Peter GABRIEL) and has many fluent changing of climates, from warm an slow till bombastic featuring pitchbend-driven synthesizer flights, fine piano - and organplay and sensitive electric guitar soli (with echoes from Andy LATIMER ). The final part has a fiery, very moving electric guitar solo.

This showcases the great skills from Fidel Vazquez, a very talented guitarplayer and composer. If you like CAMEL, MIKE OLDFIELD and the music of early GANDALF this CD deserves a change.

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