Detailed Reviews [Neverness - 2007 - "Caution de Otros Mundos Posibles"]

Prolusion. NEVERNESS is a Spanish quartet who will celebrate their tenth anniversary next year. "Caution de Otros Mundos Posibles" is a follow-up to their debut CD "Horizonte de Sucesos" from 2002.

Analysis. Here is another creation with a 'vintage' atmosphere being evenly spread nearly everywhere, like a morning mist over the glassy surface of a lake, instantly calling the listener back to the '70s. The only time I am reminded strongly of a more modern sound is in the beginning of the album or, to be more precise, during the second movement of the album's opener, the instrumental Pachamama, where the swirling, yet cycled synthesizer solo, in combination with the repetitive guitar riff, suggests a semi-electronic approach, not unlike late Hawkwind or even Ozric Tentacles. Otherwise the music very rarely leaves the domain of classic Space Rock, which is rooted in early Pink Floyd, with no lack of psych elements or quasi-improvisational jams either; it is definitely heavier, delivered with some straightforwardness, due to which the features that are essential to the style at times seem to be totally obscured by those belonging to Hard Rock, particularly upon the first listening. Neverness widely deploy analog keyboards, of which organ and acoustic piano both are usually employed with the symphonic component of the sound, whilst synthesizers and electric piano with its space-fusion ingredient, another (and the last) vocal-free piece, Sin Horizonte, being as much representative in this respect as all four of the songs, Muro de Cristal, Mi Mundo al Reves, Desde el Silencio and Mundo de Locos, though the last two of these are largely instrumental and are the band's highest achievements to date, in terms of both composition and performance. Things get better with each of the following tracks, but nevertheless the first three, Pachamama, Muro de Cristal and Mi Mundo al Reves, are all in many respects inferior to any of their successors. Here the musicians are often overly absorbed with a particular theme, playing it for much longer than it's needful, so it is only bearing in mind that repetition does not conflict with Space Rock's nature that the first three pieces can be regarded as a success. Although clearly realizing that Pink Floyd remains the most obvious influence here too, I automatically begin to see these as the heavier versions of Nektar or something mediocre from Hawkwind's repertoire. The last three compositions, Sin Horizonte, Desde el Silencio and Mundo de Locos, all depict the quartet in a much more favorable light. There are plenty of diverse interactions between guitar, bass, drums and all the keyboards available, some of the jams being reminiscent of the "You"-era Gong and Steve Hillage's "Fish Rising". The music not only begins coalescing into a more cohesive whole, but also takes a much more sophisticated shape, reflecting the group's common intellectual refinement. Even the most fastidious listeners will be rewarded if they arm themselves with patience and reach the second half of the recording. As the curtain falls, I'd like to mention that I like Victor Perez's keyboard work better than the other musicians.

Conclusion. On their website Neverness assert their music is influenced by the likes of Genesis, Yes and King Crimson, which in my honest opinion does not correspond to the reality. As said, they play Space Rock, and they do that with variable success, since some of the tracks are obviously much more convincing than the others. Anyway this is overall a fairly good album, at least as long as it's viewed within the framework of the genre.

VM: November 8, 2007