MARE TENEBRIS

Parthenon is a band from Venezuela that was founded in 1979 by the two schoolfriends drummer Juan Carlos Ballesta and keyboard player Robert Santamaría. After some years the keyboardplayer Victor Fiol left the band in order to join known Venezuolan progrock band Tempano and soon Parthenon disbanded. Robert moved to Spain had success with progrock band Amarok. Early the Nineties the two schoolfriends Robert and Juan Carlos re-founded Parthenon. Along with a female singer, a bass player and guest musicians they made new versions of the early songs and re-recorded it as this new CD, added with two sessions songs from 1980-1981 and a live track from 1981.

The eight compositions sound impressive as the band does, especially the keyboard work is excellent evoking the great Hammond and Moog days of Keith Emerson (and at some moments UK) in the early Seventies along swinging piano and some majestic violin-Mellotron. We also can enjoy flowing and sensitive work on the electric guitar, often in great interplay with the keyboards. The music has obvious hints from ELP but the female Spanish vocals and parts with the Theremin (outstanding duel with synthesizers in Conversaciones) and hobo give Parthenon their progrock an extra dimension and special flavor. And the compositions deliver captivating musical breaks and musicial surprises. The two studio songs from 1980-1981 sound a bit dated and the live track is on the level of a bootleg but contains pleasant psychedelic inspired music (including a compelling organ solo).

To me this CD sounds as a great progrock album from the often overlooked Latin-American progrock scene!