LOS DELIRIOS DEL MARISCAL

I'll make it known once again: I love Argentinian prog. The guys were the masters of making the stuff, back in the 70's and even today. And Crucis was just one part of a greater national mosaic of fantastic music. After a very blues rock- influenced debut, "Los Delirios Del Mariscal" saw the band experimenting more with longer song structures; the album only contains 4 tracks, two of which are instrumentals spanning over 10 minutes apiece. And with more breathing room to develop their music, we arrive at a spacier, and at times more symphonic, listening experience.

I won't bother going into a "track-by-track", since I feel that the whole album really gels together as a single unit. What really defines the album's sound, though? Bluesy space rock jams, a vast cosmic vibe carved out with lush synths, blistering rhythmic firepower, there's really no other band out there that can so cleverly blend the dichotomies of spacey and contemplative, aggressive and exciting. Crucis really are masters of gradual build-ups; this can especially be heard on the title track and the closing "Abismo terrenal", where quiet synth vistas give way to breakneck guitar solos, sexy in their grooviness and fiery in their intensity. The last two minutes of the title track alone are a perfect representation of this, and make the album worth buying to hear them alone.

This album really fills a niche in Argentinian prog that not many of their contemporaries even attempted, and works splendidly from start to finish. The only minor complaint I might entertain is the fact that the longer tracks can sometimes get a little repetitive; for an album of under 35 minutes, you shouldn't have to strain yourself to "bulk up" something that's already so short. Having said that, this is still an excellent prog classic that ranks up there as one of the top prog albums of the late 70's. An excellent, excellent, excellent addition to any prog collection and an easy 5 stars!