ABISMOS DEL TIEMPO

A particularity in the ATEMPO debut is that its female singer, Mariela González, was the vocalist in two studio albums made by another contemporary Argentinian band: NEXUS. Precisely, doing some comparison between both groups (the most renamed in Argentina), we could say that NEXUS is to ELP (keyboards orientated, more bombastic and symphonic) what ATEMPO is to CAMEL (guitar is the main instrument and music is more accesible). The common point is, obviously, the powerful voice of Mariela González, but I think that it was more "well crafted" in NEXUS.

"Abismos Del Tiempo" has 4 themes where dramatic elements are emphasized in lyrics, some dense instrumentation and -specially- in the singing style. While "Héroe de la Soledad" has a dark and even heavy atmosphere, following two cuts -"Lluvia Mística" and "Cárcel de Sueños"- are some kind of intense ballads. At this point, we would talk about a correct and simply nice album, but with "El Final" (a 47+ minutes suite) the best progressive elements appear: instrumentation becomes more complex, and variations and beautiful soundscapes invades the listener. Not completely a majestic track because melodic beauty disappears at some moments, but really enjoyable.

This is a good album, not superlative. Well worth a listen, but I would recommend -for those who want to know the contemporary Argentinian progressive panorama- to start with NEXUS' "Metanoia" or "Detrás del Umbral".