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Iconoclasta — Concierto de Aniversario 35 Años
(Azafrán Media AP 2241, 2015/2022, 2CD)

by Peter Thelen, Published 2022-04-29

Concierto de Aniversario 35 Años Cover art

Formed in Mexico City in 1980, Iconoclasta is one of Mexico’s longest running progressive rock bands. Formed by primary songwriter and multi-instrumentalist (and de-facto bandleader) Ricardo Moreno. The other two members who have appeared on every album are lead guitarist Ricardo Ortegon and drummer Victor Baldovinos. The early lineup was rounded out by bassist Nohemi D'Rubin and keyboardist Rosa Flora Moreno. Following the third album Soliloquio in 1987, the latter two left the group and were replaced by guitarist Hector Hernandez and bassist Alfredo Raigosa, with Ricardo Moreno taking over the keyboard duties. By 1992’s La Reencarnación de Maquiavelo, D'Rubin had returned on bass and the band was again a quartet, with Salvador Govea handling live keyboards. By the 2009 album Resurrección, D'Rubin had left again to be replaced by new bassist Greta Silva. The two disc set at hand is a live celebration of the band’s 35 years together, recorded at Audiorama del Parque Hundido in Mexico City on December 5th, 2015. All of the original members from the first three albums are here, with current bassist Greta Silva playing (and singing) on all of disc one, and Nohemi D'Rubin playing bass and singing on all of disc two. The set launches with “Extincion,” the closing track from 2013’s Movilidad, followed by “Sin Escape” from Resurrección before it. Most of the material on disc one is drawn from those two most recent studio albums. In fact the folks at Azafran Media attended the show, but weren’t even aware that this concert had been recorded, which is probably the main reason for the six-plus year delay in the album’s release, but certainly worth the wait. The second disc is populated with much of the earlier classic material, kicking off with “El Perro de Pavlov” from 1994’s De Todos Uno, followed by "La Ética del Verdugo" and "La Busqueda de la Verdad en Si Mismo" from the same album. Three of the tracks in the second set, “Manantial,” “Fuera de Casa,” and “Origen, Cuspide y Muerte” are drawn from the band’s 1983 self-titled debut, while the wonderfully folky 1987 EP Suite Mexicana is here as well (and from the audience reaction, they were waiting for it). The final piece is a cover of “Sparks” from The Who’s Tommy, a surprise ending to a magnificent performance, one that all fans of Iconoclasta will want to hear over and over again.

Filed under: Archives, 2022 releases, 2015 recordings

Related artist(s): Iconoclasta

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