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11:11Sub RosaCrossover Prog |
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![1 stars](static-images/1stars.gif)
![3 stars](static-images/3stars.gif)
After repeated listenings I found nice subtle moments that I suppose were to be expected, especially the dual male/female vocals and a few guitar solos, but the songwriting is below par when compared to their other work. I tried very hard to see their point and find why the music here is what it is and ultimately this album failed to capture my imagination. The production really sucks, I get the feeling of hearing something from the 60s, and I find it difficult to believe that this is the same band that gave us The Jigsaw. I understand that a concept album has a storyline that makes the music go to a certain direction and I suppose it makes some sense if you´re following the narrative closely, but to me it still it seems to go on and on with nothing really exciting to make it more palatable. Even long tracks like Do What You Will (over 7 minutes) and Breakthrough Listen (11) are not epics, but simply songs that overstay their welcome.
Conclusion: I really hope this band will come up with something that really does justice to their talent and skill in the future. This one, unfortunately, does not, I´m afraid. I´ll rate it 3 stars for all their work and good melodies, but it should be something between 2 and 2,5 stars.
![3 stars](static-images/3stars.gif)
11:11 is the long-awaited follow-up to 2009's The Gigsaw, which is an album I had a great deal of affection for. So when I listened to 11:11 and was rather underwhelmed, I wondered if it were just because my tastes have changed over the intervening years. It had been quite a while since I'd last listened to The Gigsaw, so I put that on to see if it was still as good as I remembered - and it was. It's not that 11:11 is a bad album. It simply doesn't measure up to the far more impressive debut. Of the founding members of Sub Rosa, only Reinaldo Jose was still a member of the band when The Gigsaw was recorded, and only he and Barbara Laranjeira remain from that album for 11:11. And perhaps this is why the album doesn't quite hit the heights of its predecessor. There's certainly nothing wrong with the rhythm section of Jose and Laranjeira, but the keys and guitar don't pull the punch they need to.
Sub Rosa has always been interested in the occult, and the references to it are all over their debut and this new album. In fact, the 22 tracks of 11:11 are matched to the 22 cards of the Major Arcana in a Tarot deck Sub Rosa have designed to accompany the album. But where The Gigsaw had a dark and edgy feel to the keys and guitar, much of 11:11 simply sounds bland and banal. Where The Gigsaw sounded ancient, 11:11 simply sounds retro. What's worst though, for me, is the production. It's just so muddy and muffled, and doesn't allow any of the music to breathe. I fear that perhaps Sub Rosa have paid too much attention to the detail and aesthetics of their Tarot deck than to their music. The Gigsaw is full of details that are only revealed after subsequent listens, so that it is indeed like a jigsaw, as each new piece is found.
The other problem I have is how the album jumps in style from track to track. Presumably this is deliberate, to portray the different aspects of the different cards of the Major Arcana, but it doesn't flow very well to my ears. The Gigsaw was also eclectic in its sounds, but sounded far how cohesive, and the movements between styles was fluid and organic. The differing sounds locked into place to elucidate the greater picture that The Gigsaw ultimately revealed. The sometimes jarring changes between songs work to their detriment. And it's a shame, because some of the songs are really good. I can't help but think that as grand as the concept is, Sub Rosa don't quite pull it off. The album suffers by becoming over-long, and having too many songs that just aren't up to the standard I expect from the band. It pains me to say it, but I probably won't be playing this often. I'll stick to The Gigsaw, which I know and love.
![3 stars](static-images/3stars.gif)
Before I do any assessment on the music here contained, I would like to honor the amount of work that Reinaldo José has put into this work, both musically and conceptually speaking, going the extra mile designing and creating an 11:11 Libreto with 22 beautiful ad custom made tarot cards, each representing one of the 22 songs of the album, a Libreto also available with the graphics, lyrics and spectacular visual content. Chapeau, definitely a work of art, I've seen it and read it, its truly pristine and overwhelming.
In regards to the musical content, there's a lot of good stuff here but a lot of filler too, to my ears. 11:11 is a monumental musical creation that clocks nearly 2hours of continuing music and I think it could have been trimmed a little to avoid the few boring moments, specially towards the end of the 1st CD and the middle section of the 2nd CD. I really like when the band approaches its spacey and cosmic Floyd/Eloy/Hawkwind influences but when they want to go the hard blues highway or the heavy prog route is when it gets somehow messy, perhaps intentional, perhaps intimately attached to the concept, but kind of disoriented to my taste. Opposite to what I experienced with their debut, The GIgsaw, the English vocals here work fine and the lyrical content is profound and well crafted, and I don't mind neither the male or female vocals when they are on their own, what gets me often distracted is when they harmonize the male and female vocals together, I tend to loose some of the cool arrangements that are being played by whom I consider the underdog in this band, Mr. Salgueiro, the keyboard player who's cosmic input elevates the musical atmosphere every time he is allowed to. I am very fund of rhythmic sections and their importance in a band's sound, and I truly think Sub Rosa could benefit with a more versatile drummer.
11:11 is a lengthy and obscure effort by Reinaldo José and the band, and it shows snippets of the underlying talent in most of its members but it was maybe too huge of a goal for a sophomore album, I hope they can pinpoint the best material here and evolve under that umbrella for their next album. BTW, the guitar work is really good throughout the whole trip, nice riffing when needed, amazing soloing and great tonality. The album art cover, another highlight here?
SUB ROSA 11:11 ratings only
chronological order | showing rating only
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sarpedon (Jran Noel)
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Yandr (Andrianov)
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Macondus77 (Macondo)
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TONIMEXICO (Jose Antonio)
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Ramied (Alex)
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KansasForEver (Philippe André)
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mbzr48 (Mayer More)
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Hugh (Ugo)
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PROGnozy (Paweł Ruszkowski)
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leifel (Leif Erik Larsen)
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jacobaeus (Alberto Nucci)
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Herbert
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Rud61 (Rodolfo Bini)
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puzart (Artur)
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JHAP
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dannyb
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reinaldojoseadv (Costa)
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MariaDDJ (Maria)
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HoraX (Renata Melo)
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RexJoker (Ronaldo Marques)
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KingKorg (Vladimir Maia)
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KriTherion (Bárbara)
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SubRosa (Sub Rosa)
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TarsoClovis (Clóvis Tarso)
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BautistaJ (John Bautista)
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Keithora (Marcus Peterson)
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Avina (Aline Campos)
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SrGrey (Salvio Greich)
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Toiya (Vitorio Manfredo)
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RochaSilva (Daniel Rocha Silva)
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OrlandoMuniz (Olando Muniz Camargos)
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CarmonaVania (Vania Carmona)
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DanCrowney (Harvey Daniels)
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Marcosa (Marcos Antônio Campelo)
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Junofax (Júnia Márcia Marise)
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Nandanan (Fernanda Maia)
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vinidrago (Vinicius Castro)
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FrancisCote (Francisco Cordeiro Teixeira)
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carolcastro (Carolina Castro)
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rafaelabasilio (Rafaela Basílio)
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brunodan (Bruno Dantas)
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fastenbelt (Luiz Fernando Matias)
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Pabloto (Pablo Conedro)
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Tares (Tares Silva)
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walcarlos (Carlos Walter Mendes)
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beachbitchy (Andrea Carolina Mendes)
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vanessastradlin (Vanessa Carla Santos)
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Meemee (Marcele Miranda)
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TracyQ (Tracy Valroy Smidt)
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TennysSea (Aline Soares França)
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ValdomirLob (Valdomiro Lobato Salgueiro)
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Arapta (Arapta Arapta)
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