ANGELS AND DEMONS

I only discovered this band last year, through this website, and, having downloaded the free mp3 track from this album, I was impressed enough to try the album. You wouldn't expect this type of music to come from Mexico really, but this album is a nice surprise. Firstly, the weak point is probably the vocals. They sing in English, but their English isn't as good as Swedish or Dutch bands, and they can sound quite weak at times. However, I am not one to moan about this, as my knowledge of other languages is non-existent, and I admire any band that can translate their own words into another tongue. Having said that, the vocals are not really bad either, and have a certain charm of their own. Musically, this band is very powerful. I had heard that they were Genesis clones, but, although their influence is clear, this band have their own style as well. Their guitar is reminiscent of Mr Hackett, and the occasional keyboard flourish has a Banksian feel to it, but the similarities end there. Vidales, the keyboard player, is something else, and has an exceptional talent. I suspect he leads the band really. The opener, 'Initiation', shows his skills off wonderfully. It is an instrumental, and demonstrates the band's ability immediately. Bass and drums are busy and very profficient and the band shows it is a tight knit unit. The album has a story running through it, the age old tousle between, well, Angels And Demons! Old fare, but well presented here. Second track, 'We Don't Belong To Heaven' is quieter, almost dreamlike, but very melodic. 'Reality Or Misanthropy' ups the tempo again, and to great effect. 'What We See' continues in this vein, and is followed by another nice instrumental, 'Angels And Demons'. 'Revealing Signs Of Love' is the longest track on the album, and the listener's interest is not allowed to flag. 'Fallen Angel' is yet another instrumental, but is probably my least favourite. Not that it is bad in any way, and it fits in nicely with the rest of the tracks. 'Loneliness' has some nice tempo changes, and, again, wonderful keyboard work. 'Fire In The Sky, Fire On Earth' is, (have you guessed it?) another instrumental!!! Finally, 'White Lies/Brief Story Of Freewill' ends the record in a superb way, with more tempo changes, and excellent guitar work. Throughout the album, the guitar takes second place to the keyboards, but Reyes himself is no slouch on the six strings, and plays in a controlled, atmospheric way. I would heartily recommend this album to anyone who likes good keyboard work, in the style of Tony Banks, circa 75-76. A surprising success this, but an album I have played a lot.