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Artnat — 2
(Bandcamp no#, 2025, 2CD / DL)

2 Cover art

Artnat 2 is the second album by Portuguese band Artnat. This new album is both their second outing and a two CD set. It’s a concept album with the first CD containing eleven songs and the second CD containing nine instrumentals. Each of the eleven tracks on the first CD concerns an alternative life of a man who has suffered an awkward event, each day awakening in a different body, a different life, and sometimes a different world. The nine tracks on the second CD are the sonic impressions of the different worlds he visits in his different lives. On their debut album, The Mirror Effect, their music was a cross between Yes and Porcupine Tree. On Artnat 2, they have developed their own sound, which sounds to me like a mash up of every prog band you can think of, the result being a middle-of-the-road unremarkable album. It isn’t until you get to track eight on the first CD that the music piqued my interest. “Underdogs” is a bit weird with its distorted vocals. Followed by “Under a Bad Sign,” which is not the Cream song, but instead a slow dark tune. And then “Warlord,” a sinister and aggressive song the improves over its five minutes. But that is it for the first CD. The instrumentals on the second CD are a mixture of pleasant 80s prog rock/jazz fusion, prog rock, and piano tunes. The most interesting track on the second CD is the last, “Wormhole Crossing,” with its ninety seconds of hodgepodge sounds.

by Henry Schneider, Published 2025-07-11

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.

by Jon Davis, Published 2025-07-04

Filed under: New releases, 2025 releases

Related artist(s): Artnat

More info
http://artnat.bandcamp.com/album/artnat-two

 

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