Exposé print issues (1993-2011)
Artnat — 2
(Bandcamp no#, 2025, 2CD / DL)
by Jon Davis, Published 2025-07-04
Several years ago, the debut album by Portuguese progressive rock band Artnat, The Mirror Effect, garnered comparisons to Yes and Magenta. Now, with Artnat 2, we find a band that has matured a bit, though the influences are still quite evident. On its best tracks, there’s a dark edge to the music that takes it in a different direction, but those are only a portion of the 20 tracks here, spread across two CDs with the individual titles Alternative Lifes (sic) and Parallel Universes. Sometimes there are touches of trippy space rock that add a different flavor, but on the whole, the band is squarely in 80s-style Neo-Prog territory. As such, I hope they find their audience — and I know that there are lots of people out there who enjoy the style — but Artnat 2 mostly leaves me disinterested. I can’t fault the playing, and some (though not all) of the singing is good, but I’m constantly reminded that I’d much rather be listening to something recorded in the 70s.
The Parallel Universes half of the album is all instrumental, and is more enjoyable than the vocal tunes, with some nice violin work. In fact, if this had arrived as a release on its own, my overall reaction would be much more positive. The music is not super complex, but it’s well-done instrumental prog with some fun keyboard work and the previously mentioned violin. I’m all for musicians being ambitious, but maybe in Artnat’s case, separating this into two separate albums would have been a better choice — at least one of them is a keeper, for me, at least. Luckily you can sample it on Bandcamp to see which camp you’re in.
Filed under: New releases, 2025 releases
Related artist(s): Artnat
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