DEPOIS DO FIM

Brazilian group BACAMARTE (which is Portuguese for blunderbuss) recorded this gem in 1977 but it was only released in 1983. The musical inspiration came from guitarist and leader Mário Neto, who wrote six and a half of the nine tracks on "Depois Do Fim" (After The End). Trained in Spanish classical guitar, his playing and composition are accomplished. Although his guitar work - acoustic and electric - forms an important part of the music, so do the piano and synthesizer of Sérgio Villarim, not to mention the flute and accordion of Marcus Moura, drums of Marco Veríssimo, percussion of "Mr. Paul", electric and acoustic bass of Delto Simas, and the occasional singing (in Portuguese, thankfully) of Jane Duboc. Much of the music is instrumental, but what a gorgeous voice Duboc has when she does sing.

If you like the first three albums of PREMIATA FORNERIA MARCONI then this is an album for you. It's melodic symphonic Progressive Rock, very much in the Italian symphonic Baroque style of PFM ('Smog Alado' even has a clear homage to 'È Festa', as already pointed out by another reviewer), but also with other discernable influences: classical Spanish, Argentinean tango in one place (is Marcus Moura really playing accordion, as it sounds more like bandoneón to me?), and even some Brazilian MPB ('Música Popular Brasileira': Brazilian popular music). I also detect a hint of FOCUS in the music at times, and I'm almost sure the 'flute' is actually recorder on the track 'UFO', sounding as it does like the beautiful recorder of GRYPHON.

Standout tracks for me are the instrumental 'UFO' and 'Mirante Das Estrelas', which are jump-for-joy good in places, but frankly there is not a dud track on the album. Gorgeous stuff. I'd rate this album at 4.5 stars if such a thing were possible. As it isn't, I'll settle for 4 stars (Excellent addition to any progressive music collection). It's a great shame that this album is no longer available; one can only hope that someone in the industry decides to re-release it. Please!