Brazilian progressive metal act Maestrick‘s new studio album, Espresso Della Vita: Lunare, will be out on 2nd May, via Frontiers Music Srl. Ahead of that, new single and accompanying lyric video, ‘Agbara’, featuring Caligula’s Horse vocalist Jim Grey, are available now.
“’Agbara’ is a fusion of diverse musical influences, blending Afro-Brazilian rhythms like maracatu and samba with their unique metal style. Inspired by artists like Hermeto Pascoal and Sérgio Mendes, the song embodies artistic plurality and cultural unity. Featuring Jim Grey of Caligula’s Horse singing in both English and Portuguese, along with the all-female Maracatu group Movimento Baque Mulher, Agbara represents strength and power through the union of different cultures, languages, and musical styles,” according to Maestrick vocalist Fábio Caldeira, who continued to discuss both single and album.
“Jim’s dedication and respect for our work was incredible. From the beginning, he was interested in all aspects of the song, the meaning of the lyrics, and even sang in Portuguese. The results exceeded any expectations we could have had!
“Thirteen years ago, we began what would become Espresso Della Vita, a project that would tell the story of a one-day train journey as a metaphor for our journey in life. It was divided into two albums: Solare (Daytime) and Lunare (Nighttime). Partnering up with Frontiers for the release of Lunare is unprecedented to us”.
“Lunare is our most ambitious, grandiose work and the ultimate representation of our vision as artists to date. We are storytellers, musical illustrators of scenes, landscapes and feelings. We could not be prouder and more excited for what this journey will bring!”, he continued.
Alongside Fábio Caldeira on lead vocals, piano, synthesisers and orchestrations, Guilherme Carvalho -handles guitars and vocals, Renato ‘Montanha’ Somera bass and vocals, and Heitor Matos drums, percussion and vocals.
Founded in São José do Rio Preto/SP by three friends, Maestrick has been active since 2006 and bring in their sound elements of rock and progressive heavy metal, Brazilian regional music, world music and classical music.
The band have released two albums in Brazil, Europe, United States and Japan, and are recognised for drinking from different artistic aspects – cinema, plastic arts, visual arts and literature – for their compositions, which results in a unique and, according to specialised critics, their innovative style.
Not surprisingly, Maestrick captivates movie fans, notably those of Tim Burton, George Méliès, Guillermo del Toro, and Christopher Nolan. In music, it attracts listeners of both modern rock/metal, such as Muse, and also of more niche styles within metal, such as Dream Theater, Haken, Jinjer, Spirit Box, and classics like Queen, Yes, and Gentle Giant.
Their songs address everyday complex themes of human nature. The album Espresso Della Vita: Solare, from 2018, was rated by BURRN! music magazine with a score of 86/100 – Quite high for the publication’s standard. Solare‘s success led to a tour of Europe with nine shows in Switzerland, Italy, Poland and the Czech Republic.
With Espresso Della Vita: Lunare, the band’s aim was to redefine progressive metal boundaries. With a malicious, dark, heavy and sarcastic approach, Maestrick deliver adult themes like addictions, racial prejudice, abuse, the holocaust and much more. Its been described as “an emotional album, with deep reflections about what really matters in our journey/life.” Thus, in the last song, the aged character gets off the train and his name, Dante, is revealed.
The explanation for his name has been described thus: “Just like the Italian writer Dante Alighieri, who went from Hell to paradise, all of us, sometimes in the same day, go from paradise to purgatory, to Hell. So, at the end of the day/life, we are all Dantes in some way, and it’s the reason why each album has an Italian title and it’s divided into three movements.”
Espresso Della Vita: Lunare features the tracks: ‘A Very Weird Beginning’, ‘Upside Down’, ‘Boo!’, ‘Ghost Casino’, ‘Mad Witches’, ‘Sunflower Eyes’, ‘The Root’, ‘Dance of Hadassah’, ‘Agbara’, ‘Lunar Vortex’, ‘Ethereal’ and ‘The Last Station (I a.m. Leaving)’ – You can order the album here.
You can check out the official lyric video for ‘Agbara’ here at RAMzine, as you can previous single, ‘Lunar Vortex’, where after the symphonic synthwave of Ethereal and the prog-meets-Tim Burton vibes of Upside Down, Maestrick embraced modern metal.
Influenced by artists like Architects, Caligula’s Horse and Skrillex, the track features down-tuned riffs contrasting with electronic tones, clean and screamed vocals (a first for Maestrick), and brings a special guest in the voice of Roy Khan (Conception, Kamelot) in what’s been described as “a beautiful duet” with Fabio Caldeira. This is also the first time Khan appears in a video that’s not of his own band.
Band vocalist Fábio Caldeira commented: “Roy was a big influence on how I wrote the melodies for this song, so when the opportunity to have him in the album became a reality, we knew it would work very well. He delivered an emotional and energetic performance, both vocally and in the video. We couldn’t be happier with the result.”
While Khan added: “While I was in Brazil, last year, I hooked up with my friends from Maestrick to record ‘Lunar Vortex’ with them. Wonderful people and awesome song. I hope everyone enjoys it!”
