SAECULA SAECULORUM

Oh,those were the days! In the mid seventies seeing a good prog act was something like a distant dream. Brazil was still an exotic, farway country for most international bands and national groups only rarely did shows in my hometown. But we did have our own heroes in Saecula Saeculorum. They played some highly acclaimed shows and, needless to say, were followed everywhere by progheads (me included). We were very proud of them. They did recorded some songs but broke up before it was released (maybe that explains its short running time. Some sources claim the original LP was never completed as intended, lacking some tracks they did not have time to include). In fact, it took decades to be put out, as far as I know - the releasing date must be wrong. And although we were saddned by their demise, their young violinist Marcus Viana carried on with his own group, the now famous Sagrado Coração da Terra.

Hearing this CD nowadays brings me back in time and although the group did not succeed much in translating their electrifying live performances into the studio, it is still excellent music. Their mix of symphonic rock (a la italian bands like PFM and Banco) with West Coast acid rock (including the lyrics, all sung in portuguese) was quite interesting and unique. Some of the stuff even reminds me of another seminal brazilian band, Os Mutantes, although much less anarchic and without their humor. There are lots of classical piano parts and great violin riffs that recall Darryl Way´s (Curved Air) style. Vocals were performed by guitarrist Jose Aluisio with help from keyboards player Giacomo Lombardi and the aforementioned Marcus Viana

With a good production for the time, this CD is recommended to anyone who likes 70´s classical symphonic rock music. Fans of Sagrado Coração Da Terra and Marcus Viana will be delighted to discover that band´s roots.