Apocalypse - The Bridge of Light (2008)

Ahora un disco en vivo, donde los brasileros despliegan toda su vitalidad sinfónica. Otra resubida de Sandy para disfrute del público cabezón.

Artista: Apocalypse
Álbum: The Bridge of Light
Año: 2008
Género: Rock sinfónico
Duración: 71:25
Nacionalidad: Brasil

Lista de Temas:
Act I
1. Next Revelation (4:41)
2. Dreamer (5:22)
3. Ocean Soul (7:15)
4. Last Paradise (7:26)
Part I - The World Behind
Part II - The Mourning
5. The Dance Of Down (7:19)
6. Meet Me (4:53)
Act II - The Bridge Of Light
7. Wake Up Call (3:43)
8. . To Madeleine (5:14)
9. Escape (5:38)
10. Welcome Outside! (5:01)
11. Meeting Mr. EarthCrubbs (4:21)
12. Follow The Bridge (6:45)
13. Not Like You (3:47)

Alineación:
- Gustavo Demarchi / vocals and flute
- Eloy Fritsch / keyboards
- Ruy Fritsch / electric and acoustic guitars
- Magoo Wise / bass
- Chico Fasoli / drums

Empezamos la semana con otro disco de los brazucas sinfónicos que cantan en inglés, ahora en un disco en vivo donde despliegan toda su destreza y el poderío de su sonido. Es que esta banda brasilera es puro sinfonismo y tienen un alto vuelo instrumental, un estilo inconfundíble de duelos de voces, guitarras y teclados, con una gran preponderancia de los teclados, interesantes estructuras musicales, muchos pasajes sinfónicos y pomposos teclados, siendo a su vez canciones de fácil escucha, pasando desde canciones duras hasta delicadas piezas de guitarra, el álbum tiene de todo y para todos los gustos, que ciertamente agradará a cualquier admirador de la buena música, pero sobretodo a los fans del neo-prog sinfónico al estilo Marillion o IQ y quienes amen la potencia del buen hard rock a lo Deep Purple, Rainbow pero sobretodo me recuerdan mucho a los Uriah Heep. Apocalipsis es sin duda uno de los mayores representante del rock progresivo salido de tierras brasileñas, y uno de los pocos que ha logrado el reconocimiento de todo el mundo.
Bueno, creo que nada más podría agregar, sólo decirles que no se lo pierdan, no se van a arrepentir y es necesario que se conozcan este tipo de grupos con tanta historia musical y tanto derroche de talento. Otro disco recomendado, y si no me ceren lean algunos de los comentarios que traigo a colación.

Luego de años de silencio, la banda progresiva brasileña Apocalyse, de 27 años de trayectoria, vuelve al ruedo con un nuevo disco, registrado en vivo en el Teatro Caixias do Sul en noviembre de 2006 pero con nuevo material de sonido progresivo sinfónico clásico cercano a Yes y Marillion etapa Fish, con un potente cantante, letras en inglés, cuidados arreglos y logrados pasajes instrumentales.
Ese nuevo material es agrupado en el CD en dos partes, el Acto 1 que incluye los cinco primeros tracks, empieza con el potente y sinfónico “Next Revelation”, hasta la suite “The Dance of Down” de sonido sinfónico clásico, plagada de cortes y cambios de ritmos.
La segunda parte del disco llamada Acto 2 es una obra de concepto que titula al trabajo, “The Bridge of Light” cuyo argumento es un cuento breve que comienza un 25 de diciembre luego de una tormenta, cuando dejan en la casa de Madelaine un niño llamado Jimmy, a partir de lo cual se desarrolla la historia, donde se destacan el climático y extático “Wake Up Call” alla Pendragon de “Breaking To Spell” luego de un vibrante arranque de violín eléctrico solo; el sinfónico alla Yes “Follow The Bridge” con referencias melódicas a "21th Century of Schizoid Man" o el climático y melódico cierre “Not Like You”.
Integran la banda Gustavo Demarchi en voz líder y flauta, Eloy Fritsch en teclados y coros, Ruy Fritsch en guitarras y coros, Chico Fasoli en batería y percusión, Magoo Wise en bajo y coros; además de contar como invitado con Hique Gomez en violín eléctrico y coros.
Muy cuidado arte de tapa, interno, librito con letras, la historia e información adicional.
Un disco que disfrutarán los amantes del sonido progresivo sinfónico clásico.

Gustavo Bolasini

01. Next Revelation: O primeiro ato do disco se inicia. A sonoridade da banda é muito interessante, normalmente os timbres utilizados, mesmo aqueles que são originários dos anos 70, são um tanto quanto falsos, aqui temos uma ótima sonoridade, destaque para os timbres de teclado de Eloy Fritsch e o vocal marcante e forte de Gustavo Demarchi.
02. Dreamer: É interessante ouvir a guitarra dentro do Rock Progressivo, normalmente ela tem um papel harmônico diferente do outros estilos de Rock. Ruy Fritsch mostra uma maneira diferente de conduzir as 6 cordas por entre os teclados, inclusive com ótimos 'duelos' entre os dois.
03. Ocean Soul: Desde o começo do disco ele têm uma atmosfera diferente, não sei dizer se foi por ter sido gravado ao vivo, a apresentação foi no Teatro UCS em Caxias Do Sul (RS).
Nessa terceira faixa a flauta de Gustavo permeia por entre as melodias dos sintetizadores de Eloy, das guitarras de Ruy e do baixo de Magoo Wise, todos em uma espécie de 'briga' musical.
04. Last Paradise: Last Paradise é dividida em duas partes. A primeira é 'The World Behind' e conta com a participação do grande violinista gaúcho Hique Gomez, o nome talvez seja conhecido daqueles que conhecem ou já assistiram o espetáculo 'Tangos E Tragédias' do qual Hique faz parte. Uma dica aos desavisados , Hique tem um disco que foi lançado em 1994 chamado O Teatro Do Disco Solar que é simplesmente fantástico!
Na minha opinião o violino dentro do Rock Progressivo é sempre ótimo, ainda mais quando colocado dentro de um contexto 'Rock And Roll', já que normalmente ele é inserido dentro de uma canção ou passagem mais 'clássica'. Achei que a participação foi um pouco 'tímida', o destaque em cima dele poderia ter sido maior.
Dois pontos fortes dessa primeira parte: as guitarras de Ruy e a ótima bateria de Chico Fasoli.
A segunda parte é 'The Mourning' e é uma balada. Engraçado, o timbre 'coral' dos teclados normalmente me irritaria bastante, mas aqui ele foi usado com sabedoria por Eloy, dessa vez o violino de Hique tem um destaque maior com uma bela melodia e um belo timbre.
05. The Dance Of Dawn: Aqui o espírito dos anos 70 é sentido com força, tanto na melodia, no ritmo quebrado, quanto nos timbres. O uso do piano também é bem bacana, normalmente ele é esquecido nas 'bases' musicais ficando apenas para passagens calmas e baladas.
Mas tem uma coisa que me incomodou, já havia aparecido em faixas anteriores, mas nessa ficou mais evidente. Depois de determinada passagem surgem aplausos 'do nada', eles passam uma impressão falsa, ainda mais porque depois temos uma bonita passagem com a participação da platéia.
06. Meet Me: Essa faixa tem um som diferente do restante do disco, me deu a impressão de que foi gravada em um show diferente.
O destaque é o baixo de Magoo.
07. The Bridge Of Light – Prelude Wake Up Call: Aqui começa o Atoo II do disco com a ousada idéia de uma única longa faixa, infelizmente as faixas foram divididas em partes como composições distintas no CD.
08. The Bridge Of Light - ... To Madeleine: Uma canção mais enérgica e com um bom riff de guitarra, a letra é um pouco 'corrida'.
09. The Bridge Of Light – Escape: A história segue em frente cmo o que parece ser a fuga de Jimmy (personagem central da história).
10. The Bridge Of Light – Welcome Outside!: Introdução com a bateria de Chico e um insistente riff, e a história de Jimmy continua sendo contada, agora ele acorda no Centro da cidade.
Interessante a passagem sincopada antes do solo de Eloy. Uma vez mais a impressão de uma gravação diferente me foi passada.
11. The Bridge Of Light – Meeting Mr. Earthcrubbs: Riff de baixo no começo da música, flautas numa grande influência de Jethro Tull. Mr Ian Anderson ficaria contente.
12. The Bridge Of Light – Follow The Bridge: Jimmy finalmente encontra a 'Ponte De Luz'.
Interessante faixa com bom vocais de apoio e ótima parte rápida no tema central, que logo é acompanhada de um 'jazz de cabaré'.
13. The bridge Of Light – Not Like You: A parte final de 'The Bridge Of Light' foi escolhida como single do álbum (o vídeo pode ser visto AQUI – http://progshine.com/?p=4766).
Ao violão Ruy dá o ritmo à canção e Magoo acompanha com uma melodia vocal. Hique uma vez mais entra em cena para mostrar seu violino e encerrando assim a epopéia.
O Apocalypse nos mostra um trabalho audacioso, que em termos de Brasil é quase inédito, o chamado 'disco conceitual'.
Na minha opinião o estúdio é o melhor lugar para tal desafio, mas a banda se saiu muito bem no final das contas.

progshine

This live album almost starts as an Uriah Heep one !
The opening track seems to have come out from the early repertoire from this good band. One is plunged into their universe from the early seventies: pumping Hammond organ, good backing vocals, leading voice à la Byron etc. You name it all! You get it! Quite a ride and a surprise from this band who was more a neo-symph act so far.
"Dreamer" is totally "Marillion" oriented (Fish era); it is even borderline pastiche. The song is powerful and organ is very solid again. As the model, vocals are quite good. Still, it almost sounds as a cover song.
If you fancy some Tull atmosphere, the intro of "Ocean Soul" should delight your ears. The neo mood takes the lead after that. Good synths like Tony, some fluting?huummmmm. Get some "Genesis" feel now. I guess that you see what this album is all about! Some fine trip in the spirit of the giants I have always praised?The same Tull feel is reached during the heavy "Meeting Mr. Earthcrubbs".
The major mood is still the "Marillion" Fish era and you shouldn't look for great originality in this live set. It is just a decent moment of prog music. I still want to mention the good and emotional guitar part during "Wake Up Call". Some songs are also on the edge of the metal genre (which is not my cup of tea as you might know) like "Escape" and are not pushing this work to the four stars rating IMO.
I am afraid that symphonic freaks won't be too much enthusiast about this live release. At least, it is how I feel while I was listening to this "Bridge Of Light". There is nothing wrong with this album, except that the music featured doesn't offer an inch of personality or originality.
It is some sort of a chameleon album which should please any neo-prog fan although a song like "To Madeleine" sounds really too much cliché. To summarize my view: this is not worth than three stars. Sub-par "Fish-Marillion" music.

ZowieZiggy

I usually gravitate to the somewhat understated side of prog's most traditionally melodic sub genres, and shun anything approaching "arena rock", which might be more culpable than punk in delivering the fatal blow to progressive rock in the late 70s. Yet every so often I have the pleasure of an audience with a band that synthesizes those cliches in such an enthusiastic and uninhibited manner that I simply cannot lift them from the virtual platter in time to give others a chance. Exhibit A is the latest release from APOCALYPSE, which is all the more remarkable for being a live disk of all new compositions.
The sound of APOCALYPSE is rather busier than I like it. Gustavo Demarchi's voice is altogether overly powerful for the style, and at times unpleasantly shrill, in a manner of a Steve Perry, who epitomized the cringe worthy crooning of AOR for a long decade. At times the band members get in each others' way with their themes, failing to provide the necessary space to shine. But yet once experienced 6 or 8 times, "The Bridge of Light" becomes whole, and even lesser tracks like "Ocean Soul" ,"The Dance of the Dawn", and "Meeting Mr_ Earthcrubbs" becoming just less significant pieces of a majestic whole, even if the audience participation moments in "Dance..." are altogether too much. Although not credited above, the flutes appear frequently and add a welcome timbre to complement Eloy Fritsch's considerable keyboard passages, themselves hearkening back to a much earlier era of masters like WAKEMAN, even if he doesn't solo on for days.
The highlights, and where the album really heats up, are on the first 4 songs of the second part. "Wake Up Call" is one of a few tracks that seems to have violin, and its bouncy folk meets classical intro gives way unexpectedly but skillfully to one of the few truly mellow tracks and some of Ruy Fritsch's best guitar licks to be heard. This can be compared with a very ambient work like CAMEL's "Dust and Dreams", right down to the Latimer-esque phrasings. "To Madeleine" is more typically upbeat, with a hard rock riff that works in the manner of early SAGA. "Escape" is really the peak of the whole disk, probably the most powerful melodically, vocally and instrumentally, everyone cooking at double strength. It makes me want to give RUSH a chance, but then Demarchi is no Geddy Lee thank heavens. Finally "Welcome Outside" continues raucously, shifting near the end to a brief but noteworthy acoustic segment. I sense that this might be the key moment thematically. The closing track, the ballad "Not Like You" is another brilliant stroke.
Unfortunately, about half of what's presented is just ok; while it doesn't need to be skipped over, the effect is better if gentle editing is applied. Still, this is a surprising and somewhat guilty pleasure for me and I am torn between 3 and 4 stars, ultimately rounding down for now , but don't burn this bridge without crossing it first. Recommended to fans of bombastic symphonic and neo prog.

Ken Levine

OK, that's new. Catchy, progressive and overwhelming at once from the first second first track "Next Generation" started. One can't help thinking about cliches, but that's probably just my paranoid mind. As a intro which sets style to all album it's very suited.
"Dreamer" continues in this path. And here I see big problem of this album, it sounds little bit noisy and not so clear (because it's live studio album - new material, but played on stage, what a sad thing). And these songs sounds very similar one to another. This is problem of "Not of This World" also, but there I'm willingly to give 5 stars (from reasons written in my review for it - even this review is only upcoming by time of writing this). Here I'm hesitating. Quite a lot.
But "Ocean Soul" changes everything. Whisle with hard rock sounding guitar, that's something I last saw on "The Chronicles of Mars" by Solaris (perfect Hungarian band). And then suddenly change, completely different theme. I remember, this song is the one which decided if give 4, or 5 stars. I wasn't decided, I knew it's very good, but perfect ? This song proved it.
Then "Last Paradise" seems like country music. OK, everything which has this type of fiddles seems on a first sight like country to me (on a first sight only, don't forget), but other instruments proved me wrong almost instantly. This is something which can proudly bear name prog rock.
"The Dance of Down" is something I though that is error by typing. These few words does not make much sense to me. Maybe it's one of the mysteries of English language, maybe it was meant to be nonsense. Song goes on beaten path, but with as much innovation, that I'm again confused if to give 4, or 5. The best thing will probably be wait for more tracks to come. I have to say that this is not my first listening, but for the first time I'm writing review and listening closely.
"Meet Me" is still loud, but somewhat calmer. Strange combination, but it works here. Maybe it's because everything here sounds loud, so under this loudness there are normal calmer and more furious tracks. This one is first calm and serves as ending to Act 1. How ironical, I hate religion, but amongst my most favourite albums are those with (mostly) Christian lyrics and which draws power from religious belief.
Second side is also good. Surprised by unbalanced side reviews? (by sides I mean Act 1 and 2). No need to have both, you can enjoy second for yourself. Nevertheless, I can say that basics are similar. Conclusion - interesting album which deserves attention. True masterpiece.

Marty McFly

Quite impressive this new album by brazilian prog veterans of Apocalypse. It was recorded live in concert, but it contains only original material (a concept album that more or less tell the tale of Jesus, if I´m not mistaken). And I must say it quite took me by surprise since Apocalypse´s earlier works were always promising and good, but somehow missing some boldness and creativeness on the writing and arrangement department. Well, now the promised is fulfilled.
The band finally came up with an album that really shows all their prowness and capacity worked to its full potential. Eloy Fritsch delivers some of the most delightful keyboards attacks in a long, long time. His playing is rich of timbres and colours, mostly evoking 70´s influences, like analog synths and Hammond organs. His brother Ruy also does a great job on the guitar with some short, emotional and strong solos and riffings. The rhythm section is a show apart with Magoo Wise doing some fine bass runs and the creative drummer Chico Fasoli is on his top form here. Singer Gustavo Demarchi proves once again the band had found a truly original and impressive vocalist. His flute playing is also of note, with some ressemblence of Jethro Tull´s Ian Anderson and This Van Leer (Focus).
The arrangements are maybe the most surprising part of the whole album: the band really cooked and they put their full array of influences to their favor. There are echoes of Yes, early Marillion, Genesis, Pink Floyd, Uriah heep, some Beatles, blues rock, jazz and brazilian popular music all around. The CD is quite varied (even thought the strong Marillion hints on the first three tracks are a bit misleading) and it´s hard to believe it was recorded live. Even the backing vocals are very well done and add an extra charm to some tracks. There are no fillers anywhere and the production is simply brilliant. The guest violin player gives some extra prog touches here and there. I hope they use this instrument more often in the future.
Conclusion: the best Apocalypse album so far and a strong candidate of best prog album of 2009. The band surpassed my highest expectations. Highly recommended to any prog fan. Time will tell if The Bridge Of Light is going to be essential or a masterpiece, but it surely deserves a 4,5 star rating at least. Well done, guys! I knew you could make it!

Tarcisio Moura

Formed in 1983 by keyboardist Eloy Fritsch when he was still at school, APOCALYPSE are veterans of the Brazilian progressive rock scene. “The Bridge of Light”, recorded live in November 2006 with brand-new material, is the first of their releases to have English lyrics. The album is also the first outing of the latest version of the band, with new members Gustavo Demarchi and Magoo Wise. Apocalypse have also released three live albums, the first of which, 2000’s “Live in USA”, was recorded during their appearance at the 1999 edition of the ProgDay festival in North Carolina.
“The Bridge of Light” is a very unusual album in at least two respects. Not only does it feature completely new material recorded in a live situation, but it is also a half-concept album, in the way of Rush’s celebrated “2112”. The concept part itself relates Apocalypse’s personal take on the story of Jesus, though avoiding the annoyingly preachy overtones typical of so much ‘Christian’ rock. It also shows the band at its best, something that cannot always be said of the first six tracks. Though Apocalypse undoubtedly belong to the vast number of so-called ‘retro-prog’ bands, they manage to avoid sounding overtly derivative, and their various sources of inspiration are used with commendable discretion. Moreover, the live setting chosen by the band for the recording of this album enhances the material and lends it a welcome freshness and vibrancy. The fact that they are also very skilled musicians and performers does not hurt either. Because of the live situation, the sound quality is not as good as it would have been had the album been recorded in a studio. However, the enthusiastic reaction of the audience and the impassioned performance of the band itself more than make up for any shortcomings in this sense. While “The Bridge of Light” may not present an incredibly original brand of progressive rock, it is a more than pleasant listen, with some really excellent moments. Like many bands of the same kind, Apocalypse’s sound has a strong, though not overwhelming keyboard bias, and guitarist Ruy Fritsch gets to enjoy his share of the limelight. The rhythm section is solid throughout, though the bass lines are often scarcely audible (a common problem these days). Interestingly, this is very much a song-oriented album, not one focused on lengthy epics: most of the tracks average between 3 and 5 minutes in length, with the longest barely over 7 minutes. Singer Gustavo Demarchi’s vocal skills are duly emphasised by the often catchy, yet grandiose nature of the songs. His powerful tenor soars above the instrumental flights of his band mates, though there are times in which it sounds somewhat strained, and a bit too close for comfort to the excesses of the ever-controversial James LaBrie (his performance on Dreamer being a particularly sore point, not helped by the annoying synth whistles). “The Bridge of Light” opens with Next Revelation, a slice of vintage heavy prog in the Uriah Heep/Deep Purple mould, down to the exhilarating duels between guitar and Hammond organ, and the echoes of David Byron or Ian Gillan in Demarchi’s vocal delivery. While Ocean Soul offers some nice guitar/flute interaction, reminiscent not only of the ubiquitous Jethro Tull or Focus, but also of some Italian prog bands such as Osanna, The Dance of Down (sic), probably the most epic track of the first half, shows a very strong Kansas influence, both in Demarchi’s vocal performance, the lush keyboard textures, and the overall uplifting mood of the piece. More echoes of Kansas, especially in the violin parts, are to be found in the AOR-flavoured, somewhat lacklustre Last Paradise. The second half of the album opens with the lively violin jig of Wake-Up Call, which then turns into a decidedly Pink Floyd-ian guitar-over-spacey-keyboards section, complete with ticking alarm-clock noises at the end. Demarchi’s vocals sound commanding, occasionally gritty, but never cheesy – at times he reminded me of the various Deep Purple vocalists from Rod Evans to David Coverdale, especially on the dramatic Meeting Mr Earthcrubbs. Follow the Bridge, a rather unique-sounding effort with some unexpected jazzy moments, noteworthy bass and piano playing, and more soaring, impassioned vocals, also deserves a special mention. To be perfectly honest, though, I would have done without some of the synth passages that feel somewhat out of place – the shrill, whistling sounds on the Dream Theater-influenced Welcome Outside being the worst offenders. In spite of any shortcomings, “The Bridge of Light” is a well-rounded production from an experienced band. However, I have to point out that, if non-English-speaking acts wish to start using English in order to make their music more accessible on the international market, they should make sure they use the language correctly – otherwise, better stick to their native idiom. Bloopers like “The Dance of Down”, or the grammar mistakes liberally sprinkled through the liner notes, can damage the band’s attempts at international credibility.
Conclusion. “The Bridge of Light” will definitely appeal to fans of symphonic and neo prog, as well as to those with a penchant for a somewhat harder-edged approach. The vocals, however, can be a bit over the top at times – even if the band’s vocalist is undeniably gifted – and the sound of the synths can prove equally irritating. On the whole, though, a solid effort, blending classic symphonic prog stylings with a more modern sound.

Raffaella Berry

Una opción muy recomendable de rock sinfonico brasileño.

www.apocalypseband.com
www.reverbnation.com/apocalypse