IN VITRO

Mozzarella came in life in Quito, Ecuador around late-70's with an aim to break the narrow borders of rock music in the country.Formed by Oswaldo Valencia (drums), Andres Jarrin (guitar), Antonio Alarcon (guitar) and Wellington Flores (bass), they were originally named Hechizo Fuxia, before renaming themeselves after a song of their own with the arrival of Sebastian Maldonado on keyboards.The limited chances they've got in their early career led to the departure of Jarrin and Alarcon and the arrival of American-Ecuadorian Garry Huff on guitars.Several succesful concerts and a very good single later, they decided to record their debut ''In vitro'', eventually self-released in 1982.

The arrival of Huff gave the opportunity to the group to sing also in English (besides the Spanish lyrics), as Huff had a non-accented and quite rockin' voice, serving the needs of Mozzarella for strong tunes with accesible choruses.And basically ''In vitro'' moves around an in-your-face Hard Rock style with evident influences from the UK and American scene of the 70's, based on scratching guitars, rhythmic lines, bluesy solos and a solid rhythm section.Their approach seems forgotten sometime around early- to mid-70's with also light psychedelic influences popping out here and there among the dynamic riffs.However the presence of Maldonado and the courage of the group to write down a pair of longer tracks adds a progressive flavor to the album.Lots of synth parts and some organ runs show some links with Italian Prog scene, especially in the more atmospheric and laid-back moments, close to bands like ERRATA CORRIGE, MO.DO. or GUERCIA.These pieces could have been really good, had the group maintained a more consistent songwriting, but the amalgam with a dated Hard Rock sound hurts them to a significant deegree.The long ''Promise'' contains also obvious FLOYD-ian touches with a smooth and relaxed guitar playing and more sensitive vocal parts, but it is also the greatest proof of Mozzarella's incosistent songwriting, mixing Hard Rock, Psychedelic and Classic Prog influences in a track that should be more refined.

The album had a great success in Ecuador back at the time and it is really a very decent work for a country with limited musical background in terms of Rock music.But it sounds a bit dated, sterile and incohesive in a world with so many different soundscapes.Recommended for fans of obscure Hard/Prog Rock...2.5 stars.