PAX - Dark Rose [ 1970 Peruvian Hard Rock-Psych ]
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Artist: PAX
Album: Dark Rose
Released: 1970 Peru
CD 1997 Lazarus Audio Products ( CD 2002 )
Genre: Hard Rock - Heavy Psych
Review:
*** Pax's only self-titled album was originally released on the Peruvian "MAG" label in the middle of 1970.
The Album.- First of all I'd like to say you that Mark Aguilar (who is Peruvian) more than thirty years ago sung in English better that a lot of contemporary non-English language vocalists, while his voice reminds me Dan McCafferty's of Nazareth. Secondly, it is more than hard to believe it, but Pax's only self-titled album, composed and performed in the first half of 1970, musically can't be compared to any of the bands that, at the time, were also performing Progressive Hard Rock (Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Uriah Heep, Clear Blue Sky, etc). And you may not believe me (until you check Pax's CD out and listen to it), but musically, structurally, stylistically (by all means!), the "Pax" album sounds like a forerunner (the older first cousin from South America?) of both the most commercially successful (not only, though) albums of Nazareth ("Rampant", 1974) and Sweet ("Fanny Adams", 1974). Especially interesting is that the debut albums of both of these UK bands were released in 1971! Also, as well as in the case(s) of "Rampant" and "Fanny Adams" albums, about half of the songs of "Pax" sound squarely in the vein of traditional Hard Rock of the 1970 (i.e. with heavy, strong, quite diverse and, vigorously, very power riffs with a few of guitar solos between vocal parts), and another half of them are, compositionally, fully corresponding to the term of Progressive Hard Rock (where there are a lot of changes of vocal and instrumental themes, tempos, and rich instrumental arrangements as well). These are songs from the "Pax" album that have all the essential compositional ingredients so as to be named the works of a true Progressive Hard Rock: A Storyless Junkie, Sitting On My Head, Deep Death and Pig Pen Boogie... The first of them contains, apart from others, a couple of quite long and, what's the main, extremely unique (I have never heard anything like this before) dark episodes with slow yet very tense guitar riffs and gloomy mid-tempo organ solos. Sitting On My Head is, in my view, the most diverse composition on the album...( from Progressor ).
Reissue of heavy Peruvian psych rock from 1970. Along with Tarkus, they were one of the heaviest bands coming out of Peru at the time. Contains bonus tracks! ( Rockadrome )
Track List:
01.Firefly
02.Resurrection of the Sun
03.Smoke on the Water
04.Exorcism
05.Dark Rose
06.Radar Love
07.Mr. Skin
08.Storyless Junkie
09.Sittin' on my Head
10.Deep Death
11.Pig Pen Boogie
12.Rock an' Ball
Line-up:
Mark Aguilar - lead vocals, bass guitar, piano
Ego Aguirre - lead, rhythm & acoustic guitars,
organ, backing vocals
Miguel Flores - drums & percussion, backing vocals
Jaime Moreno - lead & backing vocals
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