EN LA TIERRA

This is the second CD from the Chilean five piece band Entrance. The name of the keyboard player sounds familiar to me, it's Jaime Rosas who is now playing with his own band The Jaime Rosas Cuartetto (I have reviewed his albums with the Cuartetto and Trio). His sounds reminds me of Japanese keyboard wizard Toshio Egawa (Novela, Gerard, Sheherazade): obvious classically trained, fluent and often bombastic.

On this CD Jaime got room to showcases his impressive abilities, already in the opener "Lobo Estepario" (four parts) delivering a sumptuous church organ sound, flashy synthesizer flights and spectacular interplay with the fiery electric guitar in "Odisea" (part 1), lush keyboards, sensational synthesizer work and Rick Wakeman- like play in "Despertar" (part 2), wonderful classical orchestrations, piano and strings in the dreamy "Dos almas" (part 3) and spectacular keyboard work featuring organ and synthesizers in the bombastic "Mil almas" (part 4). The vocals are strong, often warm and a typical South-American overtone. The guitarplay (from twanging to fiery and heavy) and the rhythm-section are also worth mentioning. The other four compositions (between 4 and 12 minutes) are "Alas fugaces" (alternating with passionate vocals), "Bi-axis" (a Dream Theater inspired climate with propulsive guitar riffs, biting electric guitar and amazing duels between guitar and keyboards), "Tabatha" (sensitive electric guitar solo, beautiful piano work and emotional vocals) and "Vertigo 2002" (dynamic progrock like Rush and Gerard with a propulsive rhythm-section, great interplay, fiery electric guitar and swirling organ and slashy synthesizer runs).

It's not music that will gain an award for elaborate compositional skills but it's very entertaining, often bombastic progrock from very good musicians. And it contains more emotion than bands like Dream Theater, Rush and Gerard because of the inspired Spanish vocals.