GARGULA

Very classic orientated album led by the violin of Kleber Vogel. He isn't a virtuoso, but music is very nice. A mix between melodic rock a la CAMEL and majestic classical musicians. All instrumental, the homonymous track is the best, but the whole album is very good.

In the vein of Quaterna Requiem, another Prog Band from Brazil with classic approach, by using a pretty violin and some keyboards reminding of those ones in the "the Snow Goose", especially the unplugged pieces, They try to build an acoustic symphonic atmosphere... of course Kleber Vogel is not equal for instance to Marcus Viana (composer from Sagrado Coracao da Terra), this latter being much more versatile, but his job is anyway remarkable! However I think of some classic music experimentations within the albums by After Crying for example and soon I forget the present album, but it depends on my personal tastes obviously!!

Make your own choice!!

***1/2

This group is best known of the violinist Kleber Vogel who was in the 1st Quaterna Requiem album. He is probably the 2nd best-known South-American violinist in progressive music after Marcus Viana of Sagrado fame. He writes almost all music so perhaps this album can be considered his "child". However, the result is very much a team play and the instruments have a nice balance. The music is very classical in nature and floats naturally. It very much resembles the style of the already mentioned QR. According to the liner notes classical music, jazz and rock have been the inspirations for the compositions. There are not any vocals and it works perfectly with this kind of music. Even if the violin is the lead instrument of the classical instruments, the other classical instruments (flute, oboe, bassoon, cello) by guest musicians are a wonderful contribution as well. Another example from the very interesting South-American scene!

Conclusion: For lovers of classical progressive for sure!

Here is a Brasilian one shot band with their debut CD Gargula. They are assisted by the Brasilian Symphonic Orchestra (flute, oboe, fagot and cello), especially the opener Abertura features these classical musicians along bombastic keyboards. On the rest of this strong album you can enjoy a dynamic blend of classical, jazzrock and symphonic rock. The level of the musicians is high and the compositions sound alternating: sensitive electric guitar and flute in Zenith, harpsichord in the titletrack, wonderful interplay between cello and violin in Notorno, mandolin in Runas and a bass soli in Kaizen. All songs are loaded with soli on keyboards, guitar and violin (electric, acoustic and MIDI), played by ex-Quaterna Requiem member Kleber Vogel (often evoking JL Ponty). If you don't have a problem with the frequent soli, this CD is a fine discovery!

As I understand this definition, symphonic should mean symphony, something melodic, nice, pure beauty. And that's exactly what Gargula is. Despite ugly name, this is calm, almost "Tarka" like music. Of course, that's not all that can be found here. In fact, this music is changing its style almost every song, drawing inspiration from various sources, I'm almost afraid to think about from where, because it would be big list.

There's really not much to be said (as previous reviews shows, there is no 500 word review and I probably do know why), except my words and words said by others. First track reminds me Warcraft 2 music combined with "The Enid", they sometimes uses MIDI music, which feels almost like using electronic drummer, but not so bad.

5(-), but I have quite weird feeling about this. I like it, but it makes me wonder. It's not instant stunner, melodies aren't prominently catchy (even I like the melody), but there's something odd here.

EDIT: Still making good times to me while I'm listening it. Combination of old-classical-instruments with synths is of undisputed quality. Quaterna Requiem is close relative, but Gargula is little bit better. Music slowly flows forward and you are taken by beautiful dreamy landscapes (or skyscrapers, one of them), or even PlaneScapes (try to fit this music on this perfect game and you, or even I am stunned by it, how nicely it works together) presented here. It surely takes time to find this record, because it's quite rare you know. For me, it's not "JUST ANOTHER" symphonic band, for me, it's unique band with unique sound that, even sometimes similar to other artists (mentioned Camel and Quaterna), manages to be "himself". And by "he" I mean The Sound.

Very nice band from Brazil. This is their only work to date and it is totally instrumental, with very strong classical roots. Violinist Kleber Vogel leads this project with talent and I really like the inclusion of the mandolin on some tracks. While the music on the CD´s first half is not really my favorite kind of symphonic prog (too classical music and not enough rock), I have to say they are very good on what they do and I throughly enjoyed the CD. The album´s second part is where the best stutff is (it is more rocking). Runas is the song I like the most, with many variations and a fine synth solo in the middle. It reminded me of Italian symphonic prog rock of the 70´s at its best and it brings back memories of some other brazlian bands at the time like Terço. The last track, Kaisen, is also a highlight where the prog and classical elements fuse perfectly for a great moment of beauty (Vogel´s has his best solo here). All the musicians are skillful and the production is quite good.

It is only a pity that they didn´t release anything since then. They certainly have an enourmous potential to go much further and I hope they will release a second album someday. My rating: 3,5 stars.

The Brazilian band Kaizen was formed in 1992 by Kleber Vogel, the virtuoso violinist who had recently left the promising Quaterna Requiem. As far as I know, the fact that both bands were in the same musical realm was never a problem. The style of both Kaizen and Quaterna Requiem is a blend of progressive rock, classical music and jazz, naturally presented instrumentally. "Gargula", the debut album by Kaizen discussed here from 1994, showcases the band's identity in seven compositions. Remarkably, "Gargula" remained their only album for 25 years until their second release, "Aquila", came out in 2019, by which time the lineup had completely changed, with the exception of Vogel. This makes "Gargula" even more legendary than it already was. The question is whether we are dealing with a gem here.

Let's first take a look at the songs. Opener Abertura is a textbook example: an orchestral piece with a cinematic character, full of grandeur and the associated heroism and combativeness. It features a lavish mix of keyboard sounds and real classical instruments such as flute, bassoon, oboe and cello. This promises a lot for the rest of the album.

With the twelve-minute-long Zenith, the gentlemen let their prog hearts speak in a way that is inherent to the Brazilian temperament. Beautiful keyboard and guitar passages alternate in a Camel-like setting, while Vogel's violin clearly evokes the Canterbury sound of Caravan. It is a beautiful epic with enjoyable bass and drum playing. The space given to guest flutist Roberto Meier is characteristic of the controlled atmosphere of the album.

The opening bars of the title track bring the music back into classical mode, but soon the baroque attire is shed to continue in a pleasant Genesis-like fashion. In Noturno, the focus is entirely on classical music, with a composition that aligns with the works of Prokofiev, for example. The band then continues in a more prog-rock-oriented direction. A song like Runas is exceptionally appealing, starting with a fantastic mandolin part (I never thought I'd say that). In Horda, the euphoria of a Rick Wakeman composition shines through, which is delightful. Thanks to the craftsmanship of each member, this is also a good track. The closing track, Kaizen, is characterized by a substantial bass solo. Although I find it excellent, I have the most praise for the way the band continues afterward, not with much fanfare, but with a subdued violin. Such craftsmanship.

In the first paragraph of this review, I wonder if this is a gem. The answer is obvious.

Originally posted on www.progenrock.com