MAR DE CRISTAL

It would pass about a decade before Spectro's Amir Cantusio Jr. would appear again, this time as the brain of Alpha III, a project more or less driven on his own forces.Recorded at Studio Dimas in November 84', ''Mar de cristal'' marked the new chapter in Cantusio's career, released privately the same year.The man performs his ideas on quite a few synthesizers with electric piano, bass pedals and Farfisa organ thrown in for a more varied sound, while Mauricio Lambiasi plays drums and bells.

Cantusio was always a fan of sharp, virtuosic, keyboard-based Prog Rock and ''Mar de cristal'' is yet another album following these fundamentals, heavily influenced by the music of E.L.P., RICK WAKEMAN and even TANGERINE DREAM.Despite the absence of a backing band, Cantusio manages to produce bombastic, dramatic Progressive Rock with fast paces, furious organ runs and grandiose synthesizers in a classic Symphonic Rock style with evident Classical influences.All vocals are sung in Portuguese and add a pretty dramatic touch in the album.The original LP is split in nine short pieces, which reveal impressive keyboard dynamics, pounding drumming and angular synth exercises with technical efficiency but also some decent composing quality, trying to keep a balance between pompous passages and more melodic or romantic themes.The production is a bit cloudy with certain flaws, presenting a raw and immature sound at moments, however Cantusio's music always remains in a good level with many interesting textures.The same album was reissued by Mellow Records after 30 years with three bonus tracks, all performed by Cantusio himself, with a questionable quality, sounding like a combination of Synth Pop and Electronic Music.

Many people have turned their backs on Alpha III's albums or even do not even know about this project.''Mar de cristal'' is a great starting point for anyone starving for keyboard-based Electronic/Symphonic Rock, containing lots of fiery themes and impressive atmospheres.Recommended.