Can't tell you how many times over the years I've been browsing in the CD ailes at Virgin Music, FYE, or the now defunct Tower Records, and come across the section for Mago De Oz and thought "wow, those are some seriously cool album covers...no doubt this band is either some Spanish prog or metal band...how come I've never heard anything from them?". I mean, we are talking about some wild cover art here folks, all fantasy tinged and what not, so when this brand new live double CD set from Locomotive Records came in, the time was finally here to experience what this band was all about.
Hailing from Madrid, Spain, Mago De Oz are a mix of medieval prog, folk, hard rock, and heavy metal. A nine piece band featuring drums, violin,electric & acoustic guitars, bass, flute, keyboards, bagpipes, accordion, and vocals, the music is extremely varied, at times heavy, at others quite symphonic, often folky. This live set features 20 songs from throughout the bands career, and is quite enjoyable, regardless of whether you understand Spanish or not. The vocals of Jose Andrea are often times high pitched yet very emotional, his ability to reach the heavens quite apparent, and he often times gives the band their metal edge. Musically, this is some pretty rich and diverse stuff, almost like a meeting of Jethro Tull, Kansas, Blackmore's Night, Skyclad, Iron Maiden, Fairport Convention, and Korpiklaani. Many of the tunes here are in the 5-9 minute range, giving the band plenty of room to stretch out and even engage the audience into sing-a-longs. The interplay between the flute and violin though is what really makes this band, as songs like "Santa Compana" and "El Santo Grial" sees the two instruments doing battle and weaving plenty of tricky melody lines while the guitar riffs and keyboard washes provide more of a foundation than the driving focus. Prog heads will love the epic " El Fin Del Camino", a real gorgeous piece that has moments of true beauty featuring stunning piano, flute, and violin, yet also rocks pretty hard with some crushing riffs, raging organ, and over the top vocals.
A Costa Da Morte is an extremely fun and lively live album from Mago De Oz. The interaction with the crowd really comes across as something special, as it seems pretty obvious that there was a special connection that night between the two. This is ultimately a great retrospective of the band's career, a live 'best of' if you will, and a great place to start if you are new to Mago De Oz.
Track Listing
Disc: 1
1. Intro Gazza Ladra
2. El Santo Grial
3. Molinos De Viento
4. El Que Quiera Entender
5. Santa Compana
6. El Fin Del Camino
7. Hasta Que El Cuerpo Aguante
8. La Insula De Barataria
9. Pensando En Ti
10. Hijo Del Blues
Disc: 2
1. La Leyenda De La Mancha
2. Maritornes
3. Astaroth
4. Jesus De Chamberi
5. Resacosix En Hispania
6. Satania
7. Txus Presenta
8. La Danza Del Fuego
9. Fiesta Pagana
10. Despedida (Ancha Es Castilla)
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