#saecula saeculorum

Story of an Angel who got their name stolen by the Devil themselves, only to...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsFgTUwzet8 Saecula Saeculorum is a kind of forerunner of the famous Sagrado Coração da Terra: born in (brazilian state of) Minas Geraes with the great violinist Marcus Vianna. However, unforttunately, the band had short life, borning and dying at seventies. This unique album is a good sample of brazilian symphonic prog rock of these days, very creative, really amazing. My favorite songs are ""Constelação de Aquarius" and "Acqua Vitae". Add it to your collection....by claudss...... Saecula Saeculorum ("per omnia saecula saeculorum" means for all centuries of all centuries) is a brazillian prog-band from middle of seventies. All songs are sung in portuguese (not spanish!!), except the first track: sung in portuguese and latin language. According to AMG, this album is a collection of several demo tapes preserved from that period, without their gigs. Their style is very close to folk-progressive, with harmonic violin, solos guitar, piano, bass and drums. Unfortunatelly, the band release just one album. We never heard about them anymore, only about Marcus Viana, who created Sacred Sound of the Earth and made a famous solo career in Brazil, playing progressive rock, movies soundtracks and New Age. Well, I can say Saecula was one of best brazillian prog-bands, they made a perfect marriage between classical music and rock, not forgetting to add brazillian elements. .... by Prog-Brazil ....... The only album by this group is an excellent work. I think it is rather original as well. The excellent violinist Marcus Viana and the pianist Giacomo Lombardi lead the music. It is a very short album, clocking only a little over 28 minutes, but this is a minor issue because the music is of high quality. Really, it is one of the best seventies South-American albums and especially if you like prog with a strong classical influence. I'm not sure but it could be that this album was released for the first time only in 1996, twenty years after it was recorded. The first song that carries the group's name is fantastic with superb piano and violin work. The second track "Acqua Vitae" with beautiful piano is easily as good. The remaining three tracks are excellent as well....by...Saecula Saeculorum........ The group Saecula Saeculorum was the first prog rock band of Marcus Viana and also the foundation of what would become Sagrado Coração da Terra. As very close friends, the band rehearsed tirelessly in the mid-'70s and bandmembers preserved several demo tapes from this period. Impressed by one of these demo tapes, Warner asked them to sign a contract in 1976. After a lot of discussion (mainly because of Warner's demands that some songs be cut to fulfill special requirements, which the band disagreed with), the band refused the deal and continued their rehearsing. After too much effort and almost no recognition, they disbanded and each musician went their own way. A reunion was promoted in 1996 in order to release the CD Saecula Saeculorum, but no gigs were performed. Some Brazilian critics said that the band was the true progressive version of Clube da Esquina, a famous and impressive musical movement born in Minas Gerais (a state in the southeast of Brazil) that included, among others: Milton Nascimento (from Som Imaginário), Flávio Venturini (from O Terço, 14 Bis), and Beto Guedes....by Cesar Lanzarini...... Oh,those were the days! In the mid seventies seeing a good prog act was something like a distant dream. Brazil was still an exotic, farway country for most international bands and national groups only rarely did shows in my hometown. But we did have our own heroes in Saecula Saeculorum. They played some highly acclaimed shows and, needless to say, were followed everywhere by progheads (me included). We were very proud of them. They did recorded some songs but broke up before it was released (maybe that explains its short running time. Some sources claim the original LP was never completed as intended, lacking some tracks they did not have time to include). In fact, it took decades to be put out, as far as I know - the releasing date must be wrong. And although we were saddned by their demise, their young violinist Marcus Viana carried on with his own group, the now famous Sagrado Coração da Terra. Hearing this CD nowadays brings me back in time and although the group did not succeed much in translating their electrifying live performances into the studio, it is still excellent music. Their mix of symphonic rock (a la italian bands like PFM and Banco) with West Coast acid rock (including the lyrics, all sung in portuguese) was quite interesting and unique. Some of the stuff even reminds me of another seminal brazilian band, Os Mutantes, although much less anarchic and without their humor. There are lots of classical piano parts and great violin riffs that recall Darryl Way´s (Curved Air) style. Vocals were performed by guitarrist Jose Aluisio with help from keyboards player Giacomo Lombardi and the aforementioned Marcus Viana With a good production for the time, this CD is recommended to anyone who likes 70´s classical symphonic rock music. Fans of Sagrado Coração Da Terra and Marcus Viana will be delighted to discover that band´s roots....by Tarcisio Moura ......... Tracks Listing: 1. Saecula Saeculorum (8:05) 2. Acqua Vitae (6:20) 3. Eu Quero Ver O Sol (5:09) 4. Constelacao De Aquarius (3:25) 5. Radio No Peito (5:48) Total Time: 28:47 Line-up: - Giacomo Lombardi / piano - Jose Audisio / guitars - Bob Walter / drums - Edson Pla Viegas / bass - Marcus Viana / violins - Juninho / bass

"In a century of centuries"

Brazilian progressive rock band that mixes elements of classical music, one of my favorite, too bad that only one album was released, the same in 1976.