PERPETUUM KARMA

Nexus, who doesn't know them? The Argentine band became instantly world-famous among the prog community in 2001 with their beautiful second album, "Metanoia". Everything whirls around on that album: the passionate Spanish vocals of Mariela Gonzalez, the heavily Emerson Lake And Palmer-inspired keyboard playing by Lalo Huber, the melodic guitar work of Carlos Lucena and the propulsive rhythms of the bass guitar and drums. It's a rarely seen overwhelming experience. So, it comes as quite a surprise when their next studio album, "Perpetuum Karma", is released in 2006. I will try to explain through this review that we are dealing with an extremely enjoyable culture shock here.

The fact that "Perpetuum Karma" is quite different from its predecessor can be attributed to one event: the departure of vocalist Gonzalez. After she left Nexus to start her own band, Lucena and Huber decided to take over the vocals themselves. However noble their intentions, their somewhat lackluster singing doesn't compare to the passionate performances of the furious Gonzalez. Since the gentlemen never veer off track, I would assess their vocals as reasonably good and because the last track is sung by a great guest vocalist, I find peace with the vocal offering.

Due to the album's lack of song-based structure, it follows an epic arrangement, making it a haven for those who enjoy long tracks. Add to that the musical grab bag filled with delightful Hammond organ playing and monumental Mellotron chords, providing a fertile ground for the flourishing guitar. The whole thing has a bit of a jam-based feel to it, without plunging the bass guitar and drums into inhospitable territory. It's ELP-light with a touch of neo-prog and a lot of vintage retro delights. They only stumble once and that's when guitarist Lucena and bassist Daniel Lanniruberto decide to play some metal riffs through the dreamy intro of Mirar Hacia El Centro. These feel out of place, especially considering it's the opening track. These riffs precede a jagged King Crimson-like section, which is cool, just like the entire 17-and-a-half minutes. It becomes increasingly clear that the captivating keyboard playing and melodic guitar are the highlights. A track-by-track review would be repetitive. It's better to highlight a few facts about the songs. For example, the mostly instrumental title track is dominated by a cheerful organ theme in the vein of PFM's Celebration. Del Abismo Al Sol is a beautiful ballad and Travesía is a thrilling instrumental piece. Cruces Y Sombras will be remembered as a Genesis ripoff due to frequent quotations from Apocalypse in 9/8. The album concludes with the subtly played En Ese Viento. As mentioned, the song is sung excellently by a guest vocalist named Lito Marcello. He should be recruited.

For more than 72 minutes, I thoroughly enjoyed "Perpetuum Karma", about 20 times, to be precise. It's a bit strange that through writing this review, I discovered treasure chests in my own collection.

Orginally posted on www.progenrock.com