LLEVA EL BRILLO DEL SOL

"Lleva el Brillo del Sol" is Supernova's impressive sophomore effort: one of the most robust Argentinean symphonic prog albums for the new millennium, IMHO. The now quartet (lead vocalist María Macaya is the new member) shows an improvement in terms of interplaying and sound production in comparison to their excellent debut album, which lacked some consistency and diversity in the repertoire's style, despite the brilliance of the musical ideas. Now, things are equally brilliant regarding composition and arrangements: María Macaya's powerful singing really helps the band's sound to gain strength, despite the fact that the instrumental portion are still predominant to a certain degree. Macaya's singing is energetic, indeed, but also full of enough nuances to allow her to fit well into the melodic sensibility of most sung parts. The powerful opener 'El Hipernauta' sets a clear, straight mood for the album's general feel: majestic and moderately complex, it should instantly catch the empathetic listener's attention. The next two numbers, 'Apocalipsis II' and 'Después de Todo', are the ones in which Supernova start to show their most urgent progressive ambitions in terms of structural complexity and melodic richness: the band's focus on recycling the symphonic heritages of Yes, Genesis and 70s Rick Wakeman comes to a robust fruition in these tracks. 'Apocalipsis II' is a new version of a track from the all-instrumental debut album, this time with lyrics. The instrumental 'Después de Todo' bears a more serene attitude, with beautiful pastoral flute lines by keyboardsman Kordon (as a flutist he leaves behind the banks-meets-Wakeman pomposity and turns to van der Lee's candor as a main reference) during the opening section, and playful basic melodies fluidly developed across a 5-plus minute span. Then comes the monster suite, the 34- minute long 'Isis'. Alternating instrumental brief interludes and more expanded sung sections, the thing portrays clear influences from Wakeman, classic Yes and The Enid, with touches of modernized Focus. The orchestral flows of 'Nacimiento' serve as the perfect entrance into the colorful bombast of 'Divinización'. 'El Esplendor' portrays minimalist synth layers with a sort of cinematographic mood, while 'Superciencia' bears an introspective aura. The suite's last section, 'El Viaje de Isis', is set on a slow tempo, which allows the band to provide a constrained climax for both the suite and the album - the choral atmosphere shows how creatively can simplicity be used for good effect. South America has been for the last years a very prolific prog soil, and "Lleva el Brillo del Sol" is one of its most prominent symphonic harvests: Supernova is an item to be considered as a priority by dedicated prog collectors and researchers.