ARS LONGA VITA BREVIS

Very interesting prog band from Brazil that makes a mix of various influences like symphonic rock, blues, jazz, pop and more. The result is a captivating array of songs that defy easy classification: not very complex, but tasteful, well crafted, well arranged and melodic. Most of the tracks are short, very keyboards driven. Lyrics are in portuguese and english, but unfortunatly the vocals are a problem: while Leandro´Haddad´s voice is not really bad, it is clear the band would benefit a lot if they had a ´proper´singer instead of a guy who just can sing in tune and nothing more. On the plus side the music is basicly instrumental and in this field they are skilled and very talented.

The production is quite good. There are no fillers and the songwriting in general is very fine. Ok, nothing is really new or groundbreaking but those are quite versatile and the album is quite varied, showing the band members can handle different styles without problem. I guess they could be a little more bold in the arrangements since they are so good, but it seems they are still inthe process of building their own sound and I found Ars Longa Vita Brevis a very enjoyable album. If you like eclectic, melodic prog, go for it. 3,5 stars.