TRYO

With their namesake debut album, the talented Chilean power trio Tryo caught the attention of lots of prog fans around the world, an attention that still enduring after 8 years and 3 more albums. They are well known for balancing their rock side with a more acoustic chamber-oriented facet, though their debut album is clearly designed as a prog rock/jazzy album - mostly instrumental, only track 4 has lyrics. The major influences are Red/and/early 80s-era King Crimson (mostly), common place psychedelia, the rougher side of Mahavishnu Orchestra, plus some touches of Led Zeppelin and jazz-fusion. The whole repertoire is a progressive display of musical fire, handled with exquisite skills, fuelled by density, and arranged with astonishing dexterity. The opening number 'Tierra' is a hell of a way to leave a damn good impression on the listener, with its catchy riffs, complex rhythm patterns, clever interplays, and a sense of passion that goes beyond mere technicality. The most complex passages are contained in the longer tracks, such as 'Fuenteovejuna', 'Series', 'Sacrificio', 'Eros' (drum solo included), and 'Niebla', all of them dealing alternately with Crimsonian madness and jazzy exuberance. A special mention goes to 'Niebla', which is actually pretty challenging due to its disturbing, somber general ambience: there have been times, when I was listening to this scary piece, that I couldn't help thinking about dark forests haunted by hellish spirits and surrounded by mystic fog. The preceding track, 'Carne', fortunately lasts less than 3 minutes, because it's even creepier than 'Niebla', since it includes some guttural voices a-la death metal: go figure! On the quieter side of things, there are the introspective 'Bolero', the serene folkish 'Tonada', and the classically tinged acoustic number 'Ofrenda', which closes up the album with an air of Bartokesque dissonant distinction. While this album is an amazing expression of Tryo's electric side, it will be in later albums that their sonic spectrum will incorporate a more varied array of musical sources, hence enriching their own offering in a more consistent manner: all in all, 'Tryo' is a great album, indeed!!