Caravela Escarlate – III (2023)
Artist: Caravela Escarlate
Album: III
Genre: Symphonic Prog
Label: Karisma Records
Year Of Release: 2023
Quality: FLAC (tracks)
Tracklist:
1. Bússola do Tempo (5:12)
2. Castelos do Céu (7:15)
3. Sonhos Medievais (7:57)
4. Mandala (4:47)
5. Cruz da Ordem (10:16)
6. Ciclos (3:34)
7. Filtro dos Sonhos (7:11)
Personnel:
– Ronaldo Rodrigues / keyboards
– David Paiva / bass, guitars, vocals
– Elcio Cáfaro / drums
Caravela Escarlate is a Brazilian band that offers Progressive Rock sounds strongly influenced by early 70s bands. The keyboard-driven sound also incorporates elements of Brazilian music, giving to the band’s style an original twist. The new album titled “III” was released on January 27, 2023 via Karisma Records and contains seven tracks of long duration, confirming the good things heard in their two previous works. The cover artwork is a painting of the British artist J.M.W.Turner portraying the eruption of Vesuvius that destroyed Pompeii in AD 79. The opening track “Bússola do Tempo” immediately immerses us in the band’s vintage sounds, characterised by a solid and elaborate rhythm section. The various keyboards are definitely at the centre of the project, offering melodies and solo inserts using a wide range of sounds. The vocals are melodic and trace the classic style of Brazilian prog bands, fitting well into the musical context. The tempo changes are an added value, as are the instrumental parts, always very elaborate and full of ideas. Continuing to explore the vintage sounds of prog, “Castelos do Céu” presents an alternation of symphonic openings and more energetic, rhythmic ones. The interweaving of the different keyboards is valuable, the tempo changes always well constructed, allowing the central theme of the song to develop, enhancing the technique of the band’s musicians. The vocals are warm and expressive, the rhythm section is solid and elaborate, for a song full of ideas, softer than the previous one but very interesting. “Sonhos Medievais” opens with energetic, rhythmic drumming and interweaving keyboards that, with the entry of vocals, create an enveloping symphonic atmosphere. With melancholic overtones, the song is enriched with tempo changes and keyboard solo passages that allow the band to showcase all their technical prowess. A mixture of different styles, whose matrix is 70s Prog, brought into a modern context thanks to the band’s personal character. Entirely instrumental and centred on numerous keyboard sounds, “Mandala” incorporates different elements, from more symphonic prog to pompous passages and more energetic, rhythmic ones. A fine concentration of ideas and forays into vintage sounds with keyboards as protagonists, skilful in ranging from melodies enriched by the Mellotron to solo inserts using organ and synth. The longest track on the album, “Cruz da Ordem,” which is over 10 minutes long, opens with a pompous Mellotron orchestral carpet. After an initial introductory part, an intricate theme is developed with solid and technical drumming, the bass lines are load-bearing and give body to the track. The keyboards once again offer refined melodies and solos, bringing to mind the masters of the Prog genre of the past. The central part concentrates on the sung verses, dynamic and with a characteristic melodic imprinting, while most of the track is instrumental, highlighting both the compositional and performing technique of the three artists. “Ciclos,” on the other hand, is the shortest track in duration, just over 3 minutes with dark atmospheres in the opening then evolving with the entry of the singing that gives a melancholic feel. A mostly sung track, on a solid but more linear Prog structure, offering a more delicate and soft passage between the longer and more elaborate passages of the previous tracks. The album concludes with “Filtro dos Sonhos,” which returns to the energetic and elaborate sounds that have characterized the entire tracklist. A solid and elaborate rhythm section, with drumming and bass lines that are enriched by continuous tempo changes on which the keyboards offer virtuosity and very technical solos. In a constant musical crescendo with the intensity increasing as the minutes tick by, the band showcases their ideas and high-level technique. An excellent conclusion to this album. A work that confirms how this band manages to bring the sounds of 70s Prog into a modern and paersonal context. Focused on keyboards, with elaborate drumming that together with full-bodied bass lines, result in engaging rhythm sections full of tempo changes. A recommended listen for all lovers of vintage Prog sounds, with extensive use of keyboards, bringing to mind the masters of the genre. The vocal parts are melodic and in line with the style of Brazilian and South American bands. The band proves to be one of the most interesting on the current scene, just as Karisma Records proves to be attentive in highlighting some of the best artists in Prog not only in Europe.
~ Jacopo Vigezzi, progrockjournal
