Here's a tasty debut from Brazilian instrumental ensemble Stratus Luna, who are comprised of brothers Ricardo (guitars, lap steel) & Gustavo (keyboards, flute, sitar) Santhiago, their cousin Giovanni Lenti (drums), and best friend Gabrie Golfetti (bass), all of whom range in age from 17 to 21. With a deep love of all things progressive rock, jazz, and traditional Brazilian music, their self-titled debut (released by MusicMagick in association with MoonJune Records) contains seven original compositions steeped in melody and thrilling musical exploration.
Opener "Nimue" packs a punch, with some terrific guitar work and loads of proggy keyboards, the latter of which are center stage on the '70s styled "O Centro do Labirinto", a track that hints at influences such as Camel, Yes, Genesis, and the Italian prog greats of that era, Gustavo doing a fine job of layering all those glorious keyboard & synth sounds, and his brother dropping in a nice guitar solo near the end. "Zarabatana" is the longest piece at a shade under 10-minutes, prog & fusion flavors colliding, complete with a fiery organ solo, guitar & keyboard exchanges, sitar, lap steel...basically everything but the kitchen sink! The band go for a more traditional rock flair with a touch of blues on "Pandas Voadores", save for a wild middle section that brings jazz and Gentle Giant styled interplay into the mix, before they go all Deep Purple on us with some commanding organ and guitar fire. After the brief space rock excursion that is "NREM-1", "OnÃrica" follows, with more compelling prog elements floating about, the synths, gentle guitar, and flute again reminding of vintage Camel. Closing out the album is the lovely "Efêmera", which is chock full of Ricardo's deft touch on the guitar and his brother's silky electric piano. Listen as the intensity grows on this track, as by the mid-way point it turns into a wild jazz-fusion barnstormer!
For a bunch of youngsters, this debut from Stratus Luna is a very mature and professional affair, and they should be quite proud of their accomplishments here. The future for this band looks quite bright indeed!
Track Listing
1.
Nimue 06:04
2.
O Centro do Labirinto 07:56
3.
Zarabatana 09:34
4.
Pandas Voadores 05:53
5.
NREM-1 02:15
6.
OnÃrica 07:31
7.
Efêmera 07:34
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