One More Battle

Formed in 1983, the Brazilian heavy metal band Inquisicao delivers a powerful studio album entitled One More Battle. Members Sylvio Mazzei (vocals), Luiz Machado (guitars) and Armando Pereira (drums) from the band's most popular line-up are joined by Itho Cruz on bass and Sydney Sohn on keyboards. Their musical style is filled with raw emotion and a stunning richness of texture, attributed to their outstanding arrangements and accomplished musicianship. Embellishment and restraint are used judiciously throughout. Inquisicao creates an original, fresh and vibrant body of work from an eclectic foundation, clearly based upon melodic hard rock, progressive and heavy metal.


The opener, 'The Exorcist,' has a fast, driving rhythm, powerful vocals and a gorgeous guitar solo. Unbelievable that this song was written in the mid-80s, sounding very current with their intensely emotional performance. The same is true for the tracks 'Insane Warrior,' 'Salvation Star' and 'Heaven is Falling.' Silvio’s vocals soar fluidly above the thundering emotion of 'Insane Warrior.' 'Salvation Star' opens with dramatic speed driven guitar work, and Armando’s classic metal double bass drum. A melodic, dreamy keys/ guitar solo beautifully complements the rhythmic metal foundation of this song. Luiz's guitar blazes with raw edginess on 'Heaven is Falling,' as Silvio’s vocals snarl. Enthusiastic delivery of these earlier written songs gives them a special intensity.


The newer tracks are also an incredible display of powerful emotion and musical mastery. Intensely driving rhythms are evident in many tracks. Influences of both Deep Purple and Black Sabbath are clearly revealed on 'Going Down the Abyss.' Sydney provides a great Hammond organ sound, updated with a more staccato touch, while Silvio’s vocals build with forceful emotion to the end. The eclectic style of the band is obvious in the track 'The Animal,' containing an interesting mix of melodic hard rock guitars, atop frenzied metal drumming, punctuated dramatically with stunning vocal screams. This breaks away to reveal a driven, fiery guitar/keys duel. 'Long Day Anxiety' displays a nervous, dark foreboding, obvious in both vocal tone and crunching guitars, grounded by the keyboards, while highlighted by Luiz's scorching guitar solo. Lightning fast keys and guitar work create a breathtaking duel in the solo of 'When Faith Is Dying.' This track also shows an exceptional blending of the band's eclectic tastes, with melodic vocals effectively delivered between the short, powerful guitar riffs. The driving pace of this song, as well as many others, delivers intense emotion deftly crafted with rich texture.


Accomplished musicianship is also apparent on the album’s slower tracks, filled with compelling emotion. 'A Touch of Reality,' a beautiful ballad, begins with a stunning piano intro and is later interwoven with thunderous guitar riffs. Silvio's vocals drip with emotion, building to spine tingling high notes in the chorus. Itho delivers a fantastic bass solo. The use of symphonic keyboards is lush in this brilliant piece. ' Survive' initially entrances the listener with Armando's methodical double bass drum beat, before hypnotic vocals and keyboards weave the dream. The guitar solo soars eerily. Closing the album is the masterful epic length title track. The guitar alone opens and vocals enter softly with gentle humming in the first section. A mid-tempo segment follows, as hard rock riffs dig in deeply and Silvio's vocals soar dramatically over top. The lyrics tell a sad story of the ravages of battle. Beautiful guitar shredding, augmented by a lush Hammond performance also enhance this track. The third part drives the emotion of the song to its climax. This track easily exemplifies the richness of style, musical mastery and sheer emotion of Inquisicao on their album One More Battle.


Inquisicao's album, One More Battle, may be purchased through Marquee Records at:
http://www.marquee.com.br/english/principal.asp

More information about Inquisicao may be found at:
http://www.myspace.com/inquisicao
http://www.inquisicao.com.br/index.asp

Marsha Lockom
Deep Purple Hub, Special Sections Administrator and Staff Writer