De Todos Uno

Released on a small local label, De Todos Uno allowed Iconoclasta to briefly reach out to progressive rock circles. Despite a cold, surgical production, the album contains strong instrumentals and a few nice songs, too. Spanish lyrics and prominent use of Spanish guitar give the music more of a local flavor than, say, Cast's mainstreamed neo-prog songs. The strength of De Todos Uno resides in the fluidity and ease of the many odd-metered instrumentals. Tracks like 'La Maternidad del Alacran,' 'La Prueba de la Manzana,' and 'La Profecia de las Plagas' really groove. Ricardo Ortegon's choice of lead guitar lines is often puzzling, a note or two regularly (and deliberately) falling just outside of the chosen tonality. Ricardo Moreno wrote all the material and supplied keyboards and acoustic guitar. Bassist Nohemi D'rubin doubles as the group's singer. Her relatively low-range voice is not something to die for, but it has warmth and conviction to compensate for a certain lack of power. Drummer Victor Baldovinos does a convincing job, but his drums sound dry and lifeless. Each track contains catchy themes (a la mid-period Genesis) that counterbalance the jazz-rock inspired rhythmical complexity, striking a really nice balance. If you can overlook the misled production, this is a fine album, although maybe not worth the effort and money you will need to invest in order to put your hands on it.