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Gouveia Art Rock is a fairly new, yearly progressive rock festival
in Portugal. The first edition was held in 2003 and the bands
performing were La Maschera Di Cera (Italy), Nil
(France) and Saturnia (Portugal). Selections of the shows of
the former two are included on this dvd.
Nil
is a French band that plays very complex music; pretty
atmospheric most of the time, with odd rhythms and very little
melody. The eastern flavours are appreciated, but it still needs to
be listened to a couple of times to appreciate it. I’m not too
impressed with Roselyn Berthet’s voice, I’m afraid. She does look
good (always a bonus), and she sings very well at times (especially
the ‘eastern’ parts), but her singing is a bit monotonous. Yes, it
does fit the music, but I’m still missing something.
La Mashera Di Cera
is more my cup of tea. Music that is still complex, but much more
accessible. It is clearly influenced by Genesis, Jethro
Tull, Marillion, King Crimson and classic Italian
prog, with some jazz/fusion bits. No guitars (except for a guest
performance by Tantra’s Manuel Cardoso), but a very prominent
use of the flute, great keyboards, heavy bass lines, interesting
drumming and expressive singing.
Although Nil and La Maschera Di Cero only get about 30
minutes each, this dvd is a nice introduction to these two
little-known bands. Extra features include interviews and backstage
footage from the festival.
The festival seems to be growing, and that can only be a good thing.
It’s now a two-day event and the line-up for the 2005 edition
includes bands like Univers Zero, The Watch and
Arena. Our Portuguese friends have something to look out for. |
