(Melodic Symphonic Power Metal) Beto Vazquez Infinity - Beto Vazquez Infinity (Japanese Ed.) - 2001, MP3, 320 kbps

One year ago, a friend of mine sent me an instrumental song from this band, which is called "Infinity Space". After listening to it, I just couldn't believe that I had missed this great music. So, I decided to venture inside Beto's journey, and one year later, each song from this album still captivates my whole senses, because it's one of the best symphonic / atmospheric creations ever. After Nepal (Beto's first band) decided to split, he decided to walk a step forward, and to follow a different musical direction, since Nepal was more thrash / heavy metal oriented, with harsh vocals and a raw sound, which made them become the pioneers of this genre in Argentina. After this, the project "Beto Vazquez Infinity" was born.

Packed with a professional sound, very smart lyrics, and an amazing set of guest vocalists, like Tarja Turunen (Ex-Nightwish), Sabine Edelsbacher (Edenbridge), Candice Night (Blackmore's Night), and Fabio Lione (Rhapsody of Fire), along with an epic atmosphere, Beto Vazquez releases his most ambitious project so far. The production is outstanding, and it seems that he took care of every detail, of every riff, and that he had a very clear portrait of what he wanted to reflect to the world. An album that takes us to heaven and back.

The album opens with "Until Dawn", preceded by a soft intro, which is suddenly followed by none other than Nightwish's Tarja Turunen (Who does a brilliant work, with her voice at its best), as we enjoy of a a mid-paced, yet a very power-metalish track, which is one of the highlights of this album. "Wizard" is a very strong, touching, and marvelous ballad performed by Sabine Edelsbacher, whose voice fits perfect with Beto's music. One can even smell the green, peaceful atmosphere surrounding this song, and you can't help falling in love with Sabine's angelic voice, as the song reaches its climax with some of the greatest
riffs that you'll find.

"Sadness in the Night", another ballad, brings us back with Tarja, who disappoints me a little bit here, because she lowers her voice tone more than she should, and in the end, it seems that everything she sings is "forced". This wouldn't be a big problem if the song was shorter, but since it lasts seven long minutes, one can quickly feel the need of skipping it. Anyways, the instrumental and lyrical parts stand themselves quite well.

What follows is something that no one expected to find on this album. "Through Times" Part I, II, III", and "Golden Hair" (Sung by Candice Night), are three tracks with a full epic ambientation and wonderful orchestration, which reminds us of those musical themes from movies like Lord of The Rings (The best example). Candice's performance gives the album a fresh breath of air, trapping the listener with her sweet, and sexy voice, as she has ever done since her work in Blackmore's Night.

"Infinity Space" happens to be the first song that I ever heard from Beto Vazquez Infinity (as I mentioned in the first paragraph), and it's seriously one of the best instrumental creations ever, since Beto's inspiration is at its peak. Guest musician Pablo Soler -one of the most famous and talented Argentinian shredders- takes full control of the electric guitar, so he can crown this song as a motherfucking highlight. Very impressive work. This song is very difficult to let go after you listen to it.

Nevertheless, the climax is far from over, as stunning "Laws of the future" steps in and reveals another part of Sabine's talent. Damn, this girl can really sing, she steals anyone's heart and I also share the idea that she performs much better in this album than in her own band (Edenbridge). Beto Vazquez does brilliantly (Musically and lyrically speaking), as well as in "Promises under the rain", which is a mellow ballad where all three female vocalists (Tarja, Sabine, Candice) blend their talent, so they can get inside the souls of all the people who are grieving, and carrying melancholy, love and sadness in their lives.

"The battle of the past" turns to be the last song of the album, and if you thought that only women performed in Beto's project, you will be surprised to find an unexpected guest. None other than Fabio Lione (Rhapsody of Fire's eternal frontman) takes control of the microphone to deliver an energetic, but average performance in this power metal oriented song, which was originally named "The battle of Valmourt", and performed by former band member Max Ditamo (Who does much better than Fabio Lione, in my opinion). "The battle of the past" is a very powerful song, but I think that Fabio sings with little inspiration, and only to get the job done. However, I don't think that the song sounds like Rhapody of Fire in any way, since both bands are completely different, except for the lyrical themes (Something that is supposed to change in Beto's upcoming album for the 2008). Nice and catchy song. And this is how the album comes to an end.

Many people don't know how to classify this album, and it's understandable, since "Beto Vazquez Infinity" features a series of diverse sounds (especially symphonic and epic), catchy melodies, first level arrangements and four different and talented vocalists. The whole combination of all these elements, gives as a result one of the best symphonic/melodic/power metal albums ever. A solid and marvelous release with which you won't be disappointed.

Review written by maverickvkz for www.metal-archives

Beto Vázquez - Bass
Marcelo Ponce - Drums
Lilah Bertolini - Flute, Whistles
Gonzalo Iglesias - Guitars
Danilo Moschen - Keyboards

Additional Musicians:

Max Ditamo - Vocals (backing) (Track 3)
Diego Valdez - Vocals (backing) (Track 3)
Javier Britos - Vocals (backing) (Track 3)
Pablo G. Soler Guitars (Track 8 )
Jussi Kannaste - Saxophone (Tracks 7, 9)
Candice Night - Vocals (Tracks 6, 7, 9, 11)
Tarja Turunen - Vocals (lead and backing) on tracks 1 & 4, Vocals (backing) on tracks 2, 10 & 11
Sabine Edelsbacher - Vocals (lead & backing) on tracks 2, 10 & 11
Fabio Lione - Vocals (Track 3)