Cast releases another double album in 2008 called Originalis. It’s packed with over 90 minutes of symphonic rock, and an ever evolving Cast sound. The band seems to be getting further away from their original (pardon the pun) neo based progressive rock they were known for in the 90’s. It seems more on par with Italian scene than previous efforts. As part of their evolution, in addition to the flute, they add saxophone and clarinet into the mix. The songs have a natural flow into each other thus making each disc feel more like 2 songs divided into sections.
The other notable change is the line-up addition, in the form of a new male vocalist, Alejandro Tornero, who’s delicate vocal style sometimes reminds me a little bit of their former lead vocalist, Dino. I’m not sure if that’s what they were going for, or if it’s just a coincidence. Either way it works just perfectly with the dynamics of the music of each song.
From the opening to the closing track, Cast takes the listener on a musical journey
that balances somewhere between the melodic and complex side of progressive rock. While the lyrics are all in Spanish, you hear that the music flows so much better than the “forced” English vocals of their earlier albums. Even though I don’t understand much of the Spanish language, I find most of their earlier albums missing acceptance by more fans because of this.
The production values are getting better, not perfected though but evolving along with their sound. I have to agree with something I read , that the band needs an outside producer. Only to add some more dynamic in the mix thus giving it a more modern dare I say aggressive feel. Other than that, Originalis is a very beautiful album that will please their true fans such as myself. Recommended, without any doubt, yes!
Reviewed by Ron Fuchs on November 19th, 2008
