Continuo Renacer is a Death/Progressive band with jazz influences from the Basque Country. The band started in 1994 with the following line-up: Demonio, Javier Gutiérrez, Diego, Jon and Xabi. The early times the band plays classic Death Metal but the last years the band changed the formation. Continuo Renacer actually is a intrumental band, very experimental, with influences of Primus, Cynic, Liquid Tension Experiment...

The Great Escape
Continuo Renacer
Type:Full-length
Release date:October 28th, 2011
Label:Erzsebet
Reviews:None yet

1. The great escape
2. Give up tomorrow
3. For those things to come
4. Facing fears
5. The newborn

The new album (6 years after the first one!) is called (2011) Continuo Renacer - The Great Escape.

Rating: 8.4
Continuo Renacer - The Great Escape
28 October 2011

01. The Great Escape
02. Give Up Tomorrow
03. For Those Things To Come
04. Facing Fears
05. The Newborn

This is some wanky, jazzy, death-injected prog that doesn't suck.

But before all but two of you leave, The Great Escape is also one of those albums that's so quirky it's kind of a must listen. Thing is, Continuo Renacer aren't "hey look how clever we are, now you see me, now you don't", Criss Angel chilling with Herman Li, overly-indulgent kind of douchebags. They might really be batshit insane. Just speculating, of course, but the psychosis audible on this seems genuine.

The Great Escape is basically what you'd get if you took a slab of Primus, a pinch of Obscura, and a handful of Gary Busey telepathically communicating with an umbrella, then mixed them in an old industrial-strength blender. With almond milk. It's a loony. It consists mostly of dissonant, polyrhythmic whateverthefucks from the guitars, getting a lot of its melody from its bass. Excluding the brief phone recording bits during the first track, there aren't any vocals either (a good decision). The instruments coast and hiccup then shatter then coast then explode then coast together, and so on. It does seem pretty aimless by the end, but, strangely enough, aimless in a good way.

The band's myspace page says they're stuff is part death metal, which is true to an extent. A bit like how Subway sandwiches can be good for you. If you took out all of the parts that make this tasty, yeah, there'd be some death metal left. But, last time I checked, half a footlong on whole wheat bread with lettuce and vinegar isn't really a rewarding thing to chew on. The weird synthy, jazzy, wtf injections on it are what make this album fun. Despite the decent number of solid death riffs, it's an offbeat, proggy sort of deal first and foremost. One that just happens to get a little brutal sometimes. Nevertheless, the death metal injections were necessary too. A hoagie without bread and lettuce is a piece of shit.

This is some prog strangeness to melt into when, after a hard day not having a job and lurking on the old MS, you've got nothing better to do than zone out and enjoy a flashback or five. One more inane comparison: Listening to it is like kicking back in some surreal, Rocko's Modern Life-esque living room, watching Decapitated jam with Silvio Berlusconi on T.V., with someone babbling distorted riffs at you from behind the couch, and having one of Herbie Hancock's jazz fusion groups laying down fills from the kitchen for when commercials come on. Sometimes a pretty sweet setup, for sure.

Standout tracks: "The Newborn" and "Give Up Tomorrow"

Continuo Renacer: The Great Escape

Granted, blending jazz and metal is not a new thing, and bands like Cynic, Atheist, and Pestilence paved the way for the style that Continuo Renacer play on this album back in the 90s. But that is a minor point, what is important here as whether or not the Spanish trio are good at what they do.

And they are.

They deliver the goods.

While the influence from Cynic and Atheist, and to some extent also Death, makes itself felt throughout the album, Continuo Renacer do contribute a lot of elements of their own, suc has the use of electronic effect, pianos, guitar synths, and organs (especially in the 15 minutes closing track 'The Newborn'). They also embrace some more extreme elements such as blastbeats, a couple of which pop up every now and then. And even if they didn't that wouldn't matter that much to me, because this is overall a style that I absolutely love.

The album is full of changes, odd time signatures, quirky guitar parts, equally quirky bass figures, and drumming with the dynamics of jazz and the chops 'n' power of rock/metal. The bass is central in the mix and has that warm jazzy fretless feel. And with Continuo Renacer being an instrumental act, they are not held back by a vocalist, they have the freedom to really let it rip - which they do. Especially the last track is a wonderful flurry of riffage, slapping and popping bass, mellow passages, synths and effects, brutal odd time signatures and so on.

The Great Escape is a pretty awesome slab of jazz metal which should definitely appeal to fans of Focus-era Cynic, Atheist, Acid Death, and also Spheres-era Pestilence as well as post-Human-era Death (although the two latter a more removed in style from Continuo Renacer's sound than the three former ones). Fans of prog tech extreme jazz metal should definitely check it out!

Track listing:
1. The Great Escape
2. Give Up Tomorrow
3. For Those Things To Come
4. Facing Fears
5. The Newborn
Added: November 14th 2011
Reviewer: Kim Jensen
Score: 4,5 Stars

Hi,
Two days ago I found out about this new album by Continuo Renacer (Progressive Death Metal - Basque Country):
...

Ok, MikeyC, I'll send some emails and let you know:
viewtopic.php?f=9&t=85612

Ok, I got some info.
-Distribution in USA was made through LaserCD:
https://www.lasercd.com/
You could ask them for a copy.
-Nor Erzsebet Records, Indar Productions (I talked with Eate) or the band itself has any copy left (although they talk about a repress in an undetermined date).
-MikeyC, if you're REALLY interested, I could sell you my copy.
Hope that helps!

You don't want your copy anymore? I trust you more than LaserCD to buy from, but if you really want your copy I'll happily buy from there.

I don't need it cause I just rip all my music to Mp3s.
Let my find it and I'll send you some photos, Ok?

Sounds good!

Hi, MikeyC!
Sorry for the delay but I JUST found the CD in my garaje!
I'll send you some photos this night, Ok?
Thanks.

No problem, man. Take your time.

Send me a PM with your address so I can ask for the shipping price, Ok?