One of the most widely adored albums out of Spain, Fusioon's Minorisa is indeed a fine album, but one that didn't impress me quite as much as some other albums from the country, such as Gotic, Mezquita or Crack. It's basically impossible to pin down exactly what Fusioon is going for here. The album is highly varied, featuring everything from electronic soundscapes to Yes- and Gentle Giant-like symphonic fare, to laid back, jazzy sections. Generally, the music is based around the excellent keyboard and bass playing, is overwhelmingly instrumental, and builds around fluid melodic themes.
The album is made up of three compositions, the first two being primarily instrumental, slightly jazzy symphonic (for the most part), while the third, "Llaves del Subconsciente" ventures off into electronic experimentation and sounds like a completely different band. The title track is far and away the highlight of the album for me. Condensed enough to remain interesting, and packed with firey, memorable melodies, it is absolutely superb. "Ebusus" is the real epic here, making up the bulk of the album. Although definitely a nice track, it does lag at points. Occasionally it catches fire, but much of the time it strikes me as slightly detached and, for lack of a better term, "unemotional". Nice playing, but lacking intensity to my ears. The final track is a complete departure from the previous two, primarily ambient electronic sounds and effects. Interesting at points, but I usually stop the CD after the second song. For an album under 40 minutes, the eight minutes of "Llaves del Subconsciente" prove too much to squander. Overall, a nice album, but not as consistent as some other stuff from Spain.
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Sjef Oellers 21-March-2001 Minorisa
Minorisa is the third album by the Spanish band Fusioon. This album is mainly great instrumental progressive with lots of mood and tempo changes. Some strange, but interesting vocal arrangements occur occasionally. In essence the music focuses around melodic guitar and keyboard interplay, but paradoxically there is always a slight dissonance or angularity lurking that gives the music a great ominous feel. To me Fusioon sounds like nobody else, but you might hear elements of Gentle Giant, Pulsar and 70's Italian art rock. At the end of the album, there is interesting use of keyboards/sequencers and almost unrecognizable processed guitar, which create a creepy, unsettling atmosphere. The influence of Klaus Schulze or Tangerine Dream seems to be present here. A superb album with (little or) no flaws.
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