KHALLICE – The Journey

You might not have noticed, but Brazil seems to be gaining ground as “the” country to be in to become a successful musician. As of late, Brazil is unleashing some spectacular up-and-coming musical groups into the entertainment market. The latest entry is a band called Khallice (pronounced “ka-LEE-say”) whom throws their hat into the overwhelmingly and seemingly crowded Progressive Metal ring.

The band started their careers like most others by covering material from some pretty popular late seventies bands (e.g., Rush, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, and Deep Purple) and managed to put out two demos, the first written in their native tongue, Portuguese. Their second demo, Prophecy, was released to rave reviews from media and fans all over Brazil. The entire band has a long list of musical accomplishments, including teaching, extensive experience with Jazz, Pop, Classical, and Bossa Nova styles, being published in musician-oriented magazines, owning a Guitar and Music Institute, and performing in the Brazilian and Mexican cast of Jesus Christ Superstar.

There is a lot to like in their first full release, The Journey here in 2007, and thanks to Magna Carta, countries outside of Brazil can now experience Khallice. The album was sold out in the first six months it was released in Brazil, by the way. The Journey includes new tracks as well as re-recorded or reworked versions of songs written since the bands inception (e.g., the aforementioned Prophecy is included here).

Technically speaking, this band is at the top of the grade, firing on all cylinders. Musically speaking, they sound very reminiscent of early Dream Theater, but with a sense of renewed vigor, energy, and hunger. Compositions have occasional tempo changes, “animal-like” drumming (visions of The Muppets’ “Animal” comes to mind), massive lead guitar and rhythm sections, and several keyboard accentuations that remind of earlier Progressive bands like Rush and Yes. Also refreshing is the astounding vocal performance of Netto, who sounds like a cross between a James LaBrie and Tony Harnell, all delivered with a convincingly clear English annunciation. All of these elements combine to keep the music refreshing, interesting, and entertaining.

The CD contains ten tracks, all of which are all solid tracks. The only questionable decision is why they decided to open the CD with “Loneliness,” which is a slower, plodding track that seems less suited to make a positive first impression, compared to other spectacular entries like “I’ve Lost My Faith,” “Wrong Words,” “Thunderstorm,” and “Prophecy.” All that can be said is hang in there, as the release gets much better! The band even shows in “Thunderstorm” that they can integrate a memorable, melodic chorus into the heavy Progressive framework and still come out standing. “Prophecy” shows how the band can seamlessly pendulum from a driving riff into an artistic interlude and then seamlessly tilt back up into a driving riff again.

Bottom line, this is a remarkably artistic and technical debut release. What’s even more amazing is that most of the material here is from the band’s early catalog; just imagine what they could do now that they have one release under their belts. Fans of highly technical, Progressive Metal in the vein of Dream Theater are going to burn a hole in this disc. Beware; it takes several listens, and a keen ear, to fully embrace and appreciate everything that is going on in each track. Based on this release, expectations for a follow-up will run very high. The question is … is Khallice still a “band?” The Journey was originally released in 2003 in Brazil, the band’s official site hasn’t been updated since 2004, and their MySpace site is sparse! Hopefully they do still exist, because they would definitely be a band to watch in 2007 and beyond!!!

Lineup

Alírio Netto – Vocals
Marcelo Barbosa – Guitar
Michel Marciano – Bass
Bruno Wambier – Keyboards
Cesar Zolhof – Drums