Wednesday, January 21, 2009

DESTRA - JOE'S RHAPSODY / 2004 / DISCOGRAPHY / BIOGRAPHY / REVIEW

















THIS ALBUM CONTAIN(11-TRACKS)
1-THE DINNER
2-CRUEL JUNGLE(Part One)
3-FAMILY ALBUM(Part One And Two)
4-JULIE
5-CRUEL JUNGLE(Part Two)
6-MY LITTLE WAR(My Big Desgrace)
7-LOST BULLET
8-GOODBYE BLUE SKY
9-DARKNESS LAND
10-WISDOM CALL(The Preaching)
11-ONE LAST PRAY
12-ONE LAST PRAY
CREDIT:line up:
Rodrigo Grecco – Vocals & Acoustic Guitars
Ricardo Parronchi – Vocals, Bass, Acoustic Guitars & Mandolin
Eduardo Parronchi – Guitars
Maxsuel Rodrigo – Keyboards
Fabio Fernandes – Drums & Percussions
Guest Musicians
Ricardo Rosa – Percussions
Marcelo SaorimFlute
Valdir Vale Maia – Cello
Leandro Rossetto - Violins
CREDIT For The Current line-up
Rodrigo Grecco -Vocals
Ricardo Parronchi-Bass and Vocals
Rodrigo Rodrigues-Guitars
Murilo Andreo- Keybords
Fabio Fernandes.Drums
DESTRA-SEA OF DOUBT-2000
















THIS ALBUM CONTAIN(10-TRACKS)
1-LOOKING FOR TALES
2-YOU'RE NOT ALONE
3-SOULS FOR SALE(Part I)
4-YOU SHOULD BELIEVE
5-THE CHANCE
6-SHOW ME THE WAY
7-SEA OF DOUBT
8-SOULS FOR SALE(Part II)
9-TRY OR LEAVE
10-PERFECT WAY
CREDIT:Former/past members
Neon :Vocal (Abstract Shadows)(Portrait Bas)
Eduardo Parronchi: Guitar
Douglas Vannuchi: Vocals
Ricardo Parronchi: Bass/Keyboards












"Brazil seems to have a lot to offer when it comes to Metal. Destra is a new band hailing from this big country. I hadn't heard anything from this band until I Desided To Purchased their Music. Stylewise they play progressive metal with influences from Poetry of Dreams,Test of Faith, Dream Theater and the likes. The musicanship is great and the music is technical.After being delayed for quite some time, Destra is finally back with their sophomore album, Joe's Rhapsody. This Brazilian progressive rock/metal band didn't really impress me much on their first album. However, this disc seems to be an improvement and has actually grown on me with each successive listen. The band utilizes a new singer on this album and while he's not the perfect vocalist, I enjoy this guys singing much better than their previous vocalist. He has a somewhat distracting accent and he's a little inconsistent at times, but pretty solid for the most part . Musically, the band doesn't ever get too crazy, but plays a good mix of progressive rock and some hard rock/metal. At times this kinda reminds me of Revolution Mind era Magdalen, only a little bit heavier. The band also make use of well-placed keyboards, quality guitar solos, flutes, cellos, violins, and acoustic guitars. Standout cuts are probably "Cruel Jungle" (both part one and part two), "Darkness Land", and "Julie".Lyrically, the album is a concept story that is about a guy named Joe who lives a hard life, falls into sin and ends up in prison, only to find Jesus in the end.The album actually starts off with an intro of Joe talking to the director of the prison and the director asking Joe how a guy like him ended up in prison.Joe then proceeds to tell the story with the balance of the Album, Production is good and the packaging is superb.The CD booklet is actually too large.It's about20 super glossy pages with lyrics in English and Portuguese with great band photos,but you can't hardly get it out of the case cause it's such a tight fit.I actually had to bend mine the first time cause I couldn't get it out overall,While this is an improvement over their last album and while it has it's good moments, I just don't see myself listening to this a ton after this review.It's a well played album that the band obviously spent a lot of time on, but it just seems to have a difficult time holding my attention at times. However, I'm sure many people will dig this album, especially fans of Destra's first disc that just couldn't get past the vocals.Brazil seems to be exploding with great power metal bands right now. Destra is one such band and they are a proficient power metal band with some progressive influences. Much of the material on "Sea of Doubt" is in the mid-paced power metal range, but there are also some more mellow moments such as on the ballad "The Chance" and on the dynamic "Try or Leave." The last song shows that the band is probably influenced by the Ritchie Blackmore/Jon Lord school of heavy metal as "Perfect Way" has some serious Deep Purple influences, especially in the Keyboard playing of Ricardo Parrouchi, who also doubles as the bands bassist(http://www.holymetalrob.com/)