:: SOLO ALBUNS ::
: Atlantis Reviews :

Music in Belgium - 4

Après avoir chroniqué récemment « Out of Place », le dernier opus de Sonic Pulsar, « Atlantis » permet un retour en arrière intéressant dans la carrière du multi-instrumentiste et compositeur portugais Hugo Flores, l’âme de Sonic Pulsar avec Carlos Mateus. En effet, il s’agit ici de son dernier album solo avant la fondation de Sonic Pulsar la même année, en 2000. Pour ces onze titres (54’41), Hugo Flores chante et semble jouer de la totalité des instruments (guitares, piano, synthétiseurs et ?) ; de plus, il a composé la totalité des musiques et a collaboré avec Carlos Mateus pour les paroles. « Mistaken Gods » (5’19) « Peaceful Mind » (3’44) « Where the Wind Goes I » (7’05) « Fading Beauty » (8’05) « Birth of a City » (4’26) « Something Calling Me » (2’51) « Where the Wind Goes II » (3’52) « Dark System » (4’17) « Train to Infinity » (5’59) « Gazing at the Stars » (4’54) « Atlantis City » (5’09) A l’écoute, cet album paraît rapidement supérieur à « Out of Place ». Si le style reste le même avec un mélange de « Rock Progressif » moderne et plutôt « Hard », les compositions y sont meilleures, plus mélodiques et accrocheuses, mieux équilibrées et mises en place. Leur interprétation s’avère plus expressive et moins excessive, avec un chant limpide et une belle variété instrumentale. « Mistaken Gods » constitue une bonne entrée en matière et les guitares « Hard » rappellent parfois bizarrement Blackfoot, le groupe sudiste de Rickey Medlocke. Le chant et le piano repositionnent le morceau dans une veine « Progressive ». Cette tendance à synthétiser les styles, les sonorités et les atmosphères se retrouve sur « Peaceful Mind ». Le « Hard » est systématiquement amené par la guitare, le « Progressif » et même le « Classique » apparaissent généralement par le piano. « Where the Wind Goes I », bien monté, évolue dans une relative quiétude sur une succession bien agencée d’instruments différents. « Fading Blues » change nettement de genre avec de tranchantes attaques aux guitares et quelques solos bien trempés. Comme à l’habitude, l’intervention du piano calme et aère l’ensemble. Hugo Flores y fait également étalage de sa force vocale. « Dark System » et « Gazing at the Stars », bien que totalement instrumentaux, sont construits sur un schéma globalement assez semblable. Très mélodique et limpide, « Birth of a City » met surtout les synthétiseurs en valeur, avec de nombreux effets percussifs. Il introduit merveilleusement le cours mais intense « Something Calling Me », uniquement interprété au piano et au chant. « Where the Wind Goes II » est un instrumental attrayant, à la mécanique bien huilée, avec des guitares acoustique et électrique qui alternent rythmiques et solos mélodieux. Un hit potentiel ! « Train to Infinity » sonne plus clairement comme Sonic Pulsar. « Atlantis City » termine ce CD en beauté. Cette composition attrayante est soutenue par de belles interventions délicates au piano, de superbes parties de guitares tantôt légères, tantôt lourdes et agressives, un chant parfait. Un album indiscutablement réussi ! Dommage pour le chroniqueur qu'il soit appuyé par très peu d’informations palpables à son sujet et soit très peu attractif dans la forme reçue (une bien pâle copie de CD, sans pochette et donc, sans aucune référence directe). JPS1er 2005.11.02 - Complete review here!

Review by Ben Ohmart

"...The opening ‘Mistaken Gods’ is pretty incredible. The guitar work is almost perfect, even by very professional standards, and this song rightly begins a highly progressive cd that does Not falter. The tunes are crafted with an elephant load of hot energy, with plenty of show off spots along the way. The man knows how to play..."

Review by Carlos Tavares

"...Hugo is an extremely talented guitarist and he makes sure we know it. His vocal style is surprising good here by adding falsetto background vocals that gel with the lead parts. In BIRTH OF A CITY the programming is top notch as is the composed structures embedded in this charming instrumental..."

Review by Spulit for Prog-PT

"Hugo Flores is a young Portuguese musician who has come to tame land seeking for an affirmation in the national and international musical scene. With this Atlantis, this seek starts to make sense because it's clear he's not lacking in talent. Music if of exclusive responsibility of Hugo Flores, being the lyrics in charge of Hugo and Carlos Mateus. Hugo plays the guitar and the keyboards, as well as he programs the bass and the percussion on synthesizer. I'm not a programmed percussion appraiser but, the truth must be said, one can hardly notice it in this work. Here you can find tracks that go from New Age to Metal. Opening with MISTAKEN GODS, soon we are faced with a high technique, with the guitar soloing from the start, backed by some cool arpeggios. Rock is typically mainstream, although the keyboards give it a more progressive mood. The arrangements are very good, matching with a heavy melodic dose. PEACEFUL MIND enters in a Vangelis typical calm world, where the piano sails the waves of music in a cool and healthful climate. In SAILING, a slow but well marked rhythm follows the sax through urban circuits. FADING BEAUTY enters a little in a more Metal side, with strong guitar riffs molding a scary surrounding! BIRTH OF A CITY becomes involved in technology by going towards a New Age kind of composition, based on synthesizers. Here one can notice the extreme care on compositions and arrangements, all well measured up and technically in a high professional level. SOMETHING CALLING ME resembles a bit of Dream Theater's SILENT MAN, this time based on piano. THE SYSTEM, TRAIN TO INFINITY and BELIEVE are three tracks that demonstrate Hugo's interest in this work by having a good and solid structure. They are typically progressive tracks, with some rhythmic and melodic variations that appeal to each one's sensibility, revealing some maturity on composition. Concluding, it must be said that this is an excellent work, full of new and fresh ideas and revealing the great talent of this youngster. " Spulit, Prog-PT.com

Review by Nuno Lourenço from PROGNOSIS

"Hugo Flores is one of those adventurous souls that mostly populate the progressive genre. He has the right levels of courage and capacity, at the age of 23, to have released by his own, a nice collection of CD's. All self made, self-played and self produced. You just have to applaud this in a country where prog music is either unknown or widely ignored. Fortunately though, the quality of his playing and the ability to express his visions in form of enlightened music are fully accomplished in Atlantis. Here, the proof that he would deserve a bit more attention by the record labels is plain obvious…" "…it is also true that is music composition and instrumental delivery is of very high calibre.  I have to wonder what would be if he had a back unit to support him, or an able set of musicians to fully explore and put to practice his ideas...no doubt an acclaimed band indeed.  Peaceful Mind is a perfect soundtrack for a sunset watch in the arms of your beloved one. An instrumental ballad that deeply transmits a sense of emotional calmness and security.  With Sailing, the album takes another turn into more rooting progressive music. The guitar work is impressive and the keyboards are even better throughout this song. The duet vocals with an (apparentely) female guest are very well set, but the fact is that there is no female guest...the vocals are all performed by Hugo himself, in a very peculiar and effective way. A nice surprise here! Hugo sings in a passionate and emotional way here… The last section where you can hear a sax (or imitation of one?) is terrific, as it makes the music jump into another dimension.  Fading Beauty is the return of some heavier and harder approaches. The guitar is edgy and the riffs are a bit aggressive but the rhythm soon slows, just to accelerate again. It’s a sort of Hard Prog with prog-metal alike vocals. The instrumental parts are, again, very competent and well crafted.  Birth of a City presents Hugo's New-age sensibility. It’s another emotional trip into almost visible landscapes. The music, like its title, is slowly built and keeps growing till the end. There is a clever use of programmed drums and the wood-piped keyboard sound its just delicious. One of the best songs in the album may well be Something Calling Me which starts with delicate piano and then the vocals and other textures are quietly and slowly added. The resulting ballad is quite beautiful.  Where the wind goes is another instrumental piece. It is more accessible to non-proggers for its simple content. Also more straightforward than most of the album.  The System is way more interesting than the previous track. The rhythm is way more interesting. The guitar riffing crescendo till the piano enters in style, are the main highlights in this track.  Train to infinity further explores the creative capacity of the artist. It’s more multi-layered and complex. There are multiple vocals in an interesting interplay. Again, the instrumental parts are what really stand out.  Walking to the end of Atlantis visit, Believe resumes what the album represents. A fine mould of progressive rock with new-age approaches. The guitar entry preparing the keyboard solo is just perfect. The keyboard draws a butterfly flight, with its odd and free movement...great!  The title song Atlantis, that ends the album, is a more hard Prog oriented song, even if adding some calm, almost acoustic, parts. Just to make a small sum. I think this is a good album with some terrific instrumental parts. Even if you can pinpoint some flaws here and there, you surely will enjoy this if you are into Prog Rock with lots of rhythm changing and new-age ambiences. And Hugo really can play! I am looking forward to listen to his new project: Sonic Pulsar" Nuno Lourenço, Prognosis