METANOIA

Argentina's top-tier prog-rockers put their cops on display with powerful singer, Mariela Gonzalez at the forefront. Though it took me a little time to get used to the tone, timbre, and style of Ms. Gonzalez's voice, it took only seconds to know that keyboard player Lalo Huber is a genius. I'm always surprised to read slams on his organ-dominated keyboard stylings cuz I have not heard a better keyboard-organist in the 21st Century. I am by no means an expert, but I know the organ as I grew up at the foot of my grandfather who had cathedral-type pipe organs in the homes in which he lived. I've heard "great" organ players in European cathedrals and American concert halls as well is in recorded music. The opening two songs on this album of almost 73 minutes of music are brief instrumentals which set up the first real song, "Metambo" (5:43) a hard-driving rocker that introduces Mariela's powerful voice. (9/10) This is followed by an instrumental very much in the more bombastic Genesis style "Planeta Herido" (3:02) (9/10). Then we have the first of the album's three suites, the fast-paced three-parted "Despertar Dentro De Un Sueño (Metanoia Nivel 1)" (9:23) (9/10) which is then followed by the awesome NIL/King Crimson-like, "Hacia del luz" (5:04) (10/10). The next two songs come in at over seven minutes each, the first, the hard-rocking instrumental "Metanoia (Metanoia Nivel 2)" (7:47) rocks big time, featuring more of the instrumental and compositional prowess of all the band members (though Lalo's keyboard wizardry certainly shines bright) (9/10). The second, "La Tentación Del Mundo" (7:27) (9/10) is a more slowly paced ballad that features a very emotional vocal from Mariela and some great guitar and organ playing. But these two strong pieces are overshadowed by the album's crown jewel: its second suite, "En las manos de Dios" (15:45) a sixteen minute epic that comes at you in five parts (10/10). This one is set up so majesterially, so maturely and methodically that one cannot help but recognize its masterpiece status--an achievement of the highest ranks of progressive rock. Not overly bombastic, paced so delicately as to fully display the wonderful subtleties and shifts, emotional nuances and instrumental flourishes. At least until the very ELP-influenced second section. This starts out very bombastically (you know how Keith was) but then reins itself into some disciplined structuring to support the solid soling of talented (but oft over-shadowed) guitarist Carlos Lucena. As a matter of fact, you might say that this is a song/suite that helps the listener to better appreciate each of the band members' individual instrumental talents--especially the multi-dimensional Lucena and Gonzalez. I love the lead guitar melody that is repeated over the church organ in the fourth section. The final section is as beautiful (in a Genesis kind of way) as it is its title seems to imply it should be ("Las manos de Dios"). The next full song is okay but a bit of a letdown after the great suite before it. (8/10) And the album's final suite, "Tan Cerca Del Fuego (Metanoia Nivel 3)" (7:17) continues the display of dynamic symphonic style with nice vocals from Mariela (9/10), while the last song on the album, "Eterna Recurrencia Cero" (3:07), is more of a gentle, almost out-of-place dream-scape. (8/10) All in all this is a magnum opus, a very polished, very demanding collection of songs (both performance-wise and for the listener) that puts on full display the sublime talents of one of the if not the best prog bands in the Southern Hemisphere.