CORVUS STONE II

This globalization brings two problems to the scene. On one hand, the enormous amount of possibilities to show a product and the streaming platform proliferation which, in most cases, is causing a decline in musical quality. But on the other hand, what worries me most is that many of these music compositions will go unnoticed and many masterpieces will have to sleep the sleep of the just. This is where the factor of promotion, which is not being supported by a large corporation though it comes in with great enthusiasm, does not reach beyond the borders of this world in which as soon as something emerges, it falls out of date immediately. But the hard work of communicators and journalists, that remain as independent ones for the most part, have to fight against all odds in order to publicize the product, which has an expiration date that does not extend beyond a couple of months in the best case. This is something totally unfair. After this long introduction, let's get to what is the case of this multinational group based in Sweden. Corvus Stone is the clearest example of what some musicians of amazing talent, but with little promotion, except for the related and specialized media, can happen to them: fall into oblivion. And that's not fair because this second effort of this exceptional band presents a true Masterpiece, with capital letters, yes, of progressive rock in its most classical sense, filled with influences of master genres (blues, rock, space...) that surround the progressive music. Corvus Stone II is an elaborate recording where you can hear a wide range of influences coming from Jethro Tull, Pink Floyd, Yes, Santana, Mike Oldfield, even Andalusian rock, Deep Purple and a lot of endless musical essences that the band doesn't disdain for the sake of a final result of real quality. Topics in this recording are not only musically built from complexity, without being pretentious, but wonderfully constructed from a deep feeling, not without technique, that automatically converts them into wonderful. If this album would have been presented to me with no name or age, I immediately would have thought it was a dark progressive group from the first half of the seventies that for some arcane and strange reason had remained hidden. Its totally retro sound that guitarist Colin Tench assures me that is not premeditated (it comes to light in a natural way), makes me think about the golden decade of the prog genre and it makes my mouth water. Fortunately, it's a contemporary group I can, we can, enjoy in its full glory without having to pay a great amount of money to acquire and posses such that incredible jewel. A jewel set in subtleties of rock, folk and, again, progressive retro music which rises to heights unimagined nowadays. Complex arrangements, exquisite vocal filled with harmonies, quasi-hippies, great guitars -soaring, emotive and delicately smooth and soulful-, intelligent keyboards with solos showing no unnecessary exuberance, but full of beauty, and a complex and professional rhythm section beating Corvus Stone music as it was their heart. All dressed neatly with exorbitant emotion, a great sense of humour (those voices in Spanish are priceless) and, above all, honesty, honesty that is sorely lacking in the genre today ... Anyway, pure excitement and overwhelming quality in this work that will undoubtedly become not only one of the must of this year, this century or the past, but the entire history of Progressive Rock. I would not think twice. In-dis-pen-sa-ble.