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: : Terra : :
“Terra” is a slick production (and apparently an independent one), from Portuguese
progressive rock band Tantra, and it shows a lot of promise. More importantly, it
shows a refreshingly complex approach to songwriting that reflects classical
influence as much as any progressive band.
You would expect this to sound like a Yes album if you just went by the packaging,
with a whole booklet of Roger Dean-looking sci-fi art and English translations of
such lyrics as “You rider of timeless spirals/Running madly in the edge of fear” and
“And you and I surfing over this void/Cybernetic toys created for suffering… We will
survive/ Let us drop delusion and start to live…reason.” And while I’m still a
little reminded of that band when I hear the music, I’m more inclined to suspect the
influence of Steve Hackett’s first couple of solo albums, with a bit of Radiohead
and King Crimson sprinkled around here and there. But Tantra actually seems to take
themselves even more seriously than Yes, if you can believe that, sparing us a glut
of vain solos in favor of what feels like a very collaborative effort.
That said, there are guitar solos, though they’re more melodic than show-offy. And
there is a lead vocalist who pops up here and there, and his voice is actually a
little obnoxious. His delivery is kind of melodramatic, adding to the serious tone
of the album. There isn’t enough of it to really be bothersome, though, and the
inclusion of other vocalists and a choir provide some welcome variety.
As is characteristic of classical music, the songs on Terra all have a
multitude of different parts, put together in an order that forms a complex musical
arc. Nowhere on this album is any semblance of a traditional radio-friendly
verse-chorus structure. Most of the songs have intense, ambient low moments which
build into a crescendo of rock guitars and drums. “Edge of Oblivion” and the title
track, which combined account for twenty two minutes, are the albums centerpieces,
each feeling like a movement in a symphony. Most listeners will find it rewarding
to visit these pieces a number of times, but it’s the harder rocking songs on the
disc, and the harder rocking moments in the longer songs, that I’m most fond of.
But as Jason Lee says in Vanilla Sky, “The sweet is not as sweet without the
bitter”. In other words, the lengthy quiet bits make it all the more satisfying
when they really get to rocking.
That’s why my favorite track is the instrumental “The Return”. Also structured as a
varying sequence of themes, it stays upbeat the whole time and is just plain
catchy. I love catchy instrumentals! “Solitude” is another really nice
instrumental, actually; ballad-y and melodic. I think I like the instrumental parts
of the album best because that guy’s voice is so cloying; the melodies he’s singing
are themselves as nicely composed as anything on the album. Apart from the big
chorus that turns up at the end of “Kali”, there aren’t many vocal harmonies going
on.
This is an ambitious album which deserves to find a lot of fans in progressive
rock. Some may find it pompous and overblown, and some may not cotton to the
expressive musical phrasing. But for fans of more classically influenced
progressive rock, the hour-plus experience of this album will prove satisfying.
Rating: 8/10 Stars
Bob Amaden
: : Visit the Artist’s Website : :
: : Discography : :
Misterios E Maravilhas - 1977
Holocausto - 1979
Humanoid Flesh - 1981
Holocausto (1979) Reissued 2002
Terra - 2003
Live Ritual - 2003 |
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