ODISEA

ENTRANCE are a band from Chile who play a blend of Symphonic and heavy progressive music. This is a live release recorded in 2003 at the Baja Prog Festival in Mexico. In the liner notes they thank William Kopecky, PAR LINDH and ARS NOVA. The guitar and keyboard work is outstanding, while the Spanish vocals(although strong) really don't do a lot for me.

"Alas Fugaces" opens with a prolonged(almost 2 minutes) organ solo before drums and guitar take over. Chunky bass lines and guitar melodies stand out. It sure sounds like mellotron that comes and goes. Vocals 3 minutes in.I'm not a fan of the calm that arrives 5 1/2 minutes in with reserved vocals. Changes back 7 minutes in with a blistering guitar solo a minute later. "Odisea" opens with some nice organ before pounding drums and a heavy sound comes in. Vocals 3 minutes in with some great guitar after 5 minutes. "Despertar" is restrained for a minute before it kicks into gear. Nice guitar 2 1/2 minutes in as drums pound. Synth solo a minute later. "Dos Almas" features fragile vocals and piano throughout. "Mil Almas" is my favourite. I like the drumming on this one. Actually all the instruments shine bright early before vocals come in after 1 1/2 minutes. Sounds like mellotron again before 5 minutes. They are definitely warmed up now. Haha.This rocks out pretty good.

"Sitios Perdidos" opens with a nice crunchy sound. This is uptempo with more excellent instrumental work. Some scorching guitar 4 minutes in. Check out the drumming 5 1/2 minutes in that lasts for 2 minutes to the end of the song. This is my second favourite. "Vertigo 2002" is a really good song and rounds out my top 3 favourite tracks. A galloping rhythm to open as strong vocals come in. I like when it calms down 3 1/2 minutes in. When it picks back up after 5 minutes the vocalist laughs insanely. Ripping guitar 6 minutes in and 2 minutes after that. "Extranos Entre Dos Mundos" is fairly light until about 3 minutes in when it gets fuller. Some fat bass lines after 4 minutes as tempo picks up with lots of synths. Some great sounding guitar solos both at 5 and 7 minutes. "Mirada De Luz" is a pretty good tune.It opens strongly before settling down with reserved vocals after 2 minutes. The guitar is so tasteful when the vocals stop. The bass is prominant as well during this section. Lots of synths to follow.

Sure this has it's moments but it really didn't push the right buttons for me enough to give it 4 stars. Good but non-essential.

If you don't live in Chile or never went to the famous and fabulous Baja festival, you've never heard of Entrance. And it's a pity because this is an interesting prog band from South America. I must admit I'm not keen on live records much, except exceptional ones such as "Absolutely Live" by the Doors for instance. But I was seduced by their previous album (their second one in fact), "En la Tierra" (2002). Entrance is an interesting blend of neo prog (the keyboards especially are close to Marillion's) with traditional prog and pop (the singer often sounds like Miguel Rios, the famous Spanish rocker). Yes, those who know the band, they lost their metal side for a more symphonic one, and this is for me good news. Recorded during Entrance's gig through Latin America including the Baja prog festival precisely, this album is a testimony of Jaime Scalpello's powerful voice and the band's virtuosity. I was glad finding many songs from "En la Tierra" such as a fabulous version of 'Vertigo 2002'. Excellente!