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Rating: COUNTRY METAL.
This is the genre we will discuss when talking about this album. Not to be confused with Folk Metal/Medieval nonsense.
Mago de Oz, who are a Spanish band, declared their great love for Hard Rock and Heavy Metal to the world in 1989, debuting with a mediocre, poorly produced demo, performed haphazardly and sung terribly: "Y qué más da." Music that mixes a bit of everything: Rock (Eh!), Celtic (yeah, right), Metal (half-heartedly). The band was unstable and couldn’t find their footing either compositionally or in terms of lineup until 1996. The lineup they found has stuck with them practically until today. The first album marking their comeback is "Jesus de Chamberi," poorly produced, decently played, sung half-heartedly, arranged at a bingo among one card and another, while Tony Dallara sings "Tu sei romantica" in a pink tailcoat. But they are a band that has just gotten back on track after years of turmoil, let's give them time. Despite the album being a rough product of "Poveri noi," the following tour titled "Via Crucis" (And here Rocco Siffredi should reflect, with a conscience the size of 27, not having interjected and taken advantage of the situation), is a great success and gives the band confidence. Euphoric, they returned to the studio and, thanks to the first real money they scraped together over a year of hard work, managed to bring a product to life made with care. From here, the band’s success locally but broadly begins, still trying to catch the eye abroad, but not too much. Each time an album of theirs is released, it makes a brief appearance in international magazines and some websites, but nothing more. They haven't succumbed to the temptation of English to internationalize. They sing in Spanish and don’t care. In this regard, I respect them (But really).
You’ve probably gathered that this band doesn’t exactly blow me away. However... however... however..., in 2003 these quirky fellows came out with an album that left me a bit puzzled: GAIA, to be precise. For a moment, they set aside their Heavy Metal influences, which in my opinion is a good move since they’re not really inclined in that regard, and dive into Hard Rock, with a Deep Purple influence. They lavish it, as always, with ethnic kitsch, folk, dance your worries away, we are Napoli people, belonging to their style, but this time what's different is the compositional maturity. Up until this album, one felt the immature need for a definitive moment that never comes to consecrate them. Here, what is created doesn’t necessarily consecrate them, but finally gives meaning to this band. This is music to bring to small towns during wine festivals, pepper, snail, cheese, olive festivals, to dance wildly with whoever comes along, in a sort of "what the heck is happening?", filling oneself with wine and delicacies until vomiting in a back alley at the wee hours. Accordion and lively, carefree violins make you link arms with the first foolish person who comes near. Dance like pimply teenagers on the underwear-ripping ballads of the album, with your girlfriend, your wife, or the first one who passes by, it makes little difference. Elderly and children cheerfully moshing in a 4/4 Blackmore-inspired rhythm.
Tarantella Rules. Perhaps this is the best comparison. The Italian Folklore that brings us closer to the Spanish one. Perhaps we Italians, for cultural reasons, are more receptive to these silly things, and maybe we disdain them for the same reason. Who knows?
Nonetheless, this is a very entertaining album, well-played, well-produced (without going overboard), very well composed, decently sung (I find this singer hard to digest). A concept album about a Latin American woman executed who then resurrects and tells the story of a young sailor, his great love, and bla bla bla bla bla, but I care little about these things. If you’re interested, there’s a nice booklet in the CD that narrates the tale.
If there’s a festive rogue in you who loves wine, festivals, folklore, hard rock, sliced salami, tarantella, and the rural Zamarrone spirit, you will like this album. If you’re not like that, Heaven forbid, stay away immediately! Keep off!!!
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
02 Gaia (11:03)
Hay veces que no sé, si exprimir el sol
Para sentir calor
Y dudo que al nacer, llegara a creer
Que hoy fuera a morir.
Intento comprender,
El porqué de esta decisión
Si yo jamás odié
Me intento aferrar al valor,
Pero no sé fingir
Sólo quiero vivir.
¿Dónde se vende algo de compasión?
Para saciar mi soledad
¿Dónde trafican con sueños de amor?
Pues quiero esta angustia dormir.
Recuerdo el día en que mi libertad
No tenía precio ni fin
En cambio hoy daba hasta la eternidad
Por ver mañana el sol salir.
Me vengaré y todo mal que me hagas
Yo te lo devolveré
El hombre nunca fue dueño de Gaia
Es justamente al revés.
Oigo unos pasos, se quiebra mi voz
Sé que vienen a por mí
Y un sacerdote en nombre de dios
Pregunta: ¿quieres confesión?
Confieso que amé y creí en un Dios
De los pobres, justo y moral
Confieso que en la silla
Donde he de morir
Mi alma renacerá.
Me vengaré y todo mal que me hagas
Yo te lo devolveré
El hombre nunca fue dueño de Gaia
Es justamente al revés.
Toda mi vida desfila ante mí,
Tantos sueños por cumplir
No tengas miedo, no llores por mí,
Siempre estaré junto a ti.
Oigo los rezos, intento gritar,
Me cubren para no mirar
A los ojos de una cruel humanidad,
La muerte se excita, es el fin.
Me vengaré y todo mal que me hagas
Yo te lo devolveré
El hombre nunca fue dueño de Gaia
Es justamente al revés.
Me vengaré y todo mal que me hagas
Yo te lo devolveré
El hombre nunca fue dueño de Gaia
Es justamente al revés.
Es justamente al revés.
Es justamente al revés.
El señor es mi pastor, nada me falta
en verdes praderas me hace recostar
me conduce hacia fuentes tranquilas
y repara mis fuerzas.
Me guía por el sendero justo
Por el honor de su nombre
Aunque camine por cañuelas oscuras
Nada temeré, porque Tú vas conmigo
Tu vara y tu cayado es su sangre
Preparas ante mí una de mesa,
Enfrente de mis enemigos
Me unges mi cabeza con perfume. Y mi copa rebosara
Tu bondad y tu misericordia me acompañan en
Todos los días de mi vida
Y habitaré en la casa del señor
por años, y años.
El señor es mi pastor, nada me falta
En verdes praderas me hace recostar
Me conduce hacia fuentes tranquilas
Y repara mis fuerzas
Me guía por el sendero justo
Por el honor de su nombre
Aunque camine por canuelas oscuras
Nada temeré, porque Tú vas conmigo
¡Noooooooooooooooooooo...!
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