REVIURE

Gotic, Iceberg and Fusioon have given splendor to the area of prog rock in Spain from the aforesaid country's Catalonian region. But they haven't been the only ones. Atila is a name to be added in this selected group, and this album "Reviure" (their second official album, their third real release) is the main reason why. Having given proof of their sonic strength and genuine enthusiasm in their previous effort "Intención", this album was the band's undisputed zenith. The band's natural, relentless energy was properly focused within the stylish trend of symphonic prog, with the addition of space-rock's atmospheres and jazz-oriented dynamics in lots of places. Yet, the whole sound is not what you would call eclectic or hybrid, but essentially symphonic. There is not a wasted second in any of the four tracks comprised in this repertoire. The namesake opener starts with psychedelic guitar harmonies, spacey synths and percussive adornments, with the bass guitar freely displaying a solo in between. This is the gradual elaboration of a prelude to the powerful main section that combines ballsy guitar and elegantly measured keyboard orchestrations. The sort of mood created here reminds us of a "Moon Madness"- era Camel leftover picked up and revamped by a combo of musicians from Iceberg, Metamorfosi and Asfalto. The brief sung section is very ceremonious, allowing the track's scheme to include a moment of pompous seriousness among the overall explosive ambience. 'Somni' is less extroverted, working on the combination of the lyrical and the spacey on a jazz-friendly rhythmic basis. The long synthesizer solo that makes much of the track is a genuine expression of keyboardsman Noguer's ambitions for the band's musical trend. The sung portion is joyful, mischievous in a way. Being as it is the song's rockier section, the somewhat predominant stance of the guitar solo makes perfect sense: it is even prolonged into the first third of the track's coda before the synthesizer resumes its initial starring role. 'Atila' is the definitive monster track in the album: not only that, it is the definitive Atila factor in the development of Spain's progressive rock. In many ways this piece is heavily connected to the jamming strategy that had made such a strong mark on the debut album's spirit, but there is something new about the sophistication used in its delivery. Everything falls right in place here; the grooves are so powerfully sustained that they make sundry sonic elements work perfectly as a succession of sorts: heavy guitar riffs and leads, cosmic synth layers, stylish organ solos, drum rolls intertwined with krautrock-like electronic pulsations, a drum solo, a delicious Bardens-meets-Wakeman Moog solo, etc. The humoresque vocalizations at the end bring a proper dose of folly to this exhibition of artistically shaped rock. The album's final 7 minutes are occupied by 'Al Mati'. This piece is mostly symphonic, bearing a weird family resemblance to Apoteosi and "Contrappunti"-era Le Orme. The instrumental interlude provides some jazzy variations (I wish it had been longer) before the tracks returns to the symphonic realms. The guitar solo that starts at the 4'40" is the best by Niebla. As always, the synth ends up assuming the leading role, even making a weird cybernetic twist in the end while the guitar concludes the final melodic flavors. This is 4.75-star material, a masterpiece indeed. This Atila album deserves every letter in every word of praise published in the Internet.