TRACK LIST:

1.  Originalis 4:20 
2.  Pulsar 10:01
3.  Lagrimas de Hielo 10:00
4.  Fuego y Humo 7:55
5.  Vientos de Guerra 4:27
6.  Tierra, Honor y Libertad 4:18
7.  Furia Tracion y Gloria 7:50

LINEUP:

Alfonso Vidales – keyboards
Claudio Cordero – guitars
Antonio Bringas – drums
Flavio Miranda – bass
Pepe Torres – flute, sax, clarinet
Alejandro Tornero – vocals
Lupita Acunta – vocals
With:
Jose Monje – trumpet, horn

Analysis. Already my first acquaintance with “Originalis” has resulted in the conclusion that, after a series of more experimental efforts (beginning with “Al-Bandaluz” and finishing with “ComUnion”), Cast has returned to their roots. However, what they offer us on the first of the discs is not a rehash of their past work, far from it, and is a highly advanced take on the style they had developed in the second half of the ‘90s. Indeed, the music is basically symphonic throughout, but it avoids any neo-prog features, capturing the substance of ‘70s vintage Art-Rock instead, much of it being classically inspired. That being said, the Disc-1 journey begins with the album’s title number. While alternating vocals (most of which have a quasi-operatic quality to them) – sorry, vocals-laden and purely instrumental arrangements as both the other songs here, Lagrimas de Hielo and Fuego y Humo, do alike – this one seems to insist on being described separately from those or rather from the rest of the material in general. The point is that this is basically a piece for Classical music, which, moreover, sounds like it’s performed by a symphonic orchestra with only some assistance from a progressive rock band, but not the other way round as any of the following six tracks does. Okay, Lagrimas de Hielo and Originalis may occasionally evoke each other, since all the lead vocal parts on each are provided by Alejandro Tornero, and also because both appear as a well-balanced alloy of slower and faster passages – unlike any of the compositions that are yet to be named. Just logically, Lupita Acunta is a lead singer on Fuego y Humo. Overall however, this piece can, or rather should, be viewed along with the instrumental ones, Pulsar, Vientos de Guerra, Tierra, Honor y Libertad and Furia Tracion y Gloria. There are some gentle intermezzos to be found on each of these, but most of the time the music is fast-to-rapid and structurally dense. Kinetically, each reminds me a lot of The Gates of Delirium, but is compositionally much less queer and frenetic, i.e. more academic than the Yes piece. In short, I think I have found an apt term to define this music, namely adrenaline Symphonic Progressive with a strong sense of Classical. Of the five primary members, guitarist Claudio Cordero, bassist Flavio Miranda and drummer Antonio Bringas appear as being responsible for providing its rock component (whose harder, at times overtly heavy, features come predominantly from the axeman, for sure), while flutist/clarinetist Pepe Torres and Alfonso himself for creating its chamber part. Since the playing is for the most part highly intense, the arrangements rely not too much upon dynamic contrasts, but then the textural ones are abundant and are really effective, besides which the soloing often bears a multi-vectored character. Obviously, by saying so I mean the bass and drums are rarely in a role that the concept of a rhythm section usually suggests, i.e. in a supportive one. As hinted above, metalloids from time to time find their way into each of the basic-style pieces – along with bits from European folk music and Jazz-Fusion (when Pepe plays saxophone, which he does on each, but only occasionally, in all cases). Sounding very much like a concept creation, the first part of “Originalis” represents a wonderfully high level of composition and performance throughout and is simply brilliant music in the end, no matter that it is somewhat inferior in originality to that on most of Cast’s other 2000s releases. For instance, the connection between it and Rick Wakeman’s work in both 1974 and ’75 is evident here, though classic Yes, Genesis and Camel can serve as reference points as well. Disc-2, however, displays that not everything is as simple with “Originalis” as it may seem to be at the moment.

Disc 2 (44:52)

TRACK LIST:

1.  Renacer 9:22
2.  Llanto de Octubre 2:41
3.  Aqui y Ahora 5:00
4.  Al Final la Luz que Llama 3:07
5.  Ecos def Pasado 3:22
6.  Todo es Un Don 8:17
7.  Medley-I 12:24

LINEUP:

Alfonso Vidales – keyboards
Antonio Bringas – drums
Claudio Cordero – guitar
Flavio Miranda – bass
Pepe Torres – winds
Alejandro Tornero – vocals
Lupita Acunta – vocals
With:
Jose Monje – trumpet, horn
&:
Francisco Hernadez – vocals (8)
Dino Brassea – vocals; flutes (8)

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