On the first two songs, bassist-bandleader Esteban Cerioni's vocal tracks sound as though they were recorded in an ampthitheater—with 'Steban onstage and the mics up top by the rear exits. This is no live album, either; we'll have to deal with it. And as this band was formerly named after said bassist, one would expect his Fender Jazz & Precision and Rickenbacker basses to be up-mixed with the fortitude of a kaiju settling down to dine on some poor unsuspecting radio tower. That's not the case, and as if a surefire sign that De Tiempos Pasados ("Of Past Times") was recorded in the '80s was needed, nearly every instrument soaks in excess studio gloss until it's glistening. And so it was—1983, that is. (Well, there's always room for exaggeration!). While Redd Land is very much a band with several core players, as opposed to a project, no less than thirteen musicians help shape this colorful fusion-rock hybrid, two-thirds of which pays tribute to the players' art rock influences.
De Tiempos Pasados kicks off with quite the rocker in "Parto." Turn up the volume (not into the red) to get a better angle on Cerioni's bass skill, as he's way above average, no doubt influenced by the likes of Clarke, Lee and Rutherford. Daniel "Tuerto" Wirzi is the first of three drummers to sound off, all of whom are more than competent. "El Loco" isn't a chaotic exercise into Zeuhl or even Crimson territory, but an atmospheric detour off which interlaced bass & guitar textures dangle. "Serpentario" brings Ernesto Dmitruk's blistering lead guitar to the fore, and guest keyboardist Lito Vitale—yes, the same Lito Vitale of MIA fame!—slithers his way into the proceedings with some spectacular Mini-Moog impressions of the fusion kind. Lito sticks around for "Tan Lejos, Esta Tarde," but what gets the saliva flowing is, again, Dmitruk's tasteful lead guitar; notewise and tonewise, Ashra's Manuel Göttsching comes to mind. Vitale returns once more to lay down a nice staccato synth accompaniment on "Proa Al Infinito," while on this cut Cerioni shares the mic with second guest guitarist Carlos Garófalo, who takes the first verse. Concerning the second half of the album, classic prog influences [read: Yes—Genesis—Camel] are more prominent, yet there are still plenty of instrumental stretches to sink one's teeth into. It's all good: this is one of Viajero Inmovil's better reissues, production quirks notwithstanding—if Lito Vitale's on it, it must be.
Tracklist:
1. Parto (No Permitas) (Childbirth ~ Don't Let Them Choose For You) 3'23
2. El Loco (Crazy Man) 4'52
3. Serpentario (Serpentine) 3'53
4. Tan Lejos, Esta Tarde (So Far, This Afternoon…) 4:41
5.-6. Medley — Consuelo (Consolation) 3'39 ~ Cuerpo (Body) 2'03
7. Grito (Shout) 4'05'
8. Sin Pena Ni Gloria (Without Pain Nor Glory) 5'40
9. Pobre Lago (Poor Lake) 2'54
10. Proa Al Infinito (Prow Towards The Infinite) 4'48
Total time – 39:59
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