Mägo De Oz
La Ciudad De Los Arboles

With "Finisterra" from 2000, the Spanish band Mago De Oz bewitched me. Their blend of metal infused with epic, power, and folk elements captivated me from the first listen, thanks to engaging, driving tracks, and dreamy, atmospheric ballads, enriched by singing in their native language that I didn't expect to be so melodic and appealing. Naturally, I expected great things from this "La Ciudad De Los Arboles", and alas, my expectations have, for the most part, dissolved as the listens have gone by.

The ingredients, after all, are there, the band is there and is unmistakable, with their heavy classical school guitar riffs with an epic flair, the "folk" instruments still present (flute and violin dominating), the perfect and sometimes frenzied rhythm section adding speed to the pieces, Jose's voice, as clear as ever and sometimes really sharp, yet something is missing, there's a lack of fundamental originality. It seems that our guys have almost put together a collection of "B-Sides" from "Finisterra" rather than having composed a new album: such is indeed the sensation from listening to the tracks, waiting for that extra spark, that unexpected twist that was so important and present in the aforementioned double album. Our guys, except for some moments, settle a bit, recycling themselves (with class, it must be said), revisiting melodies already heard and falling into old-school heavy metal clichés that I think they could have done without. This is the feeling I had listening, for instance, to "Mi Nombre Es Rock & Roll", a typically 1980s piece both in rhythms and lyrics. Now it must be said that our guys play a lot with their "goofy" attitude, and maybe in this key, the song has its why... Nevertheless, I continue to skip it every time it's its turn on the album.

It's worth mentioning that it starts quite well: the title track convinces from the first listen, thanks to its grand chorus and a very varied and engaging structure.

"El Rincón De Los Sentidos" can be appreciated at least until the chorus (which overall suffers from the same problem already seen with "Mi Nombre Es Rock & Roll"), while "La Canción De Los Deseos" and especially "Y Ahora Voy A Salir" temporarily lift everything, a very fun track that highlights the joy and the popular side (almost like a hilltop party with wine flowing copiously) of Mago.

After "Runa Llena" (an intense instrumental that showcases the band's full technique) and the more than appreciable "Resacosix En La Barra" (adaptation of "39" by Queen), we arrive at the only ballad of the album, "Sin Tí, Sería Silenzio": overall good, even though, again, it feels a bit déjà vu.

Finally, I mention "Si Molesto Me Quedo", a beautiful piece certainly slower than others heard so far (for example in the track list), but to be counted as one of the best of the entire album, for a certain strength and passion that ooze, here finally, from the melodies played by the Spaniards.

Thirteen total tracks, only six good (just a couple above average), still a bit lacking for a band that managed to deliver even a double album that didn't falter even once. Mago De Oz undoubtedly remain an extremely interesting entity in the Spanish metal panorama (and more broadly and in their genre, a truly valid group in Europe), but this time they slightly miss (not by much anyway) the mark. The album can be listened to calmly, you might hum it sometimes, but if you want something that will stay with you, something that, I'm sure, you'll revisit even after countless listens, go for "Finisterra" with your eyes closed, which although seven years older than this one, sounds far fresher and more captivating.