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Juzz — Juzz II
(Bandcamp aMarxe no #, 2026, CD / DL)

by Peter Thelen, Published 2026-05-17

Juzz II Cover art

It’s often said that a group has a lifetime to prepare their debut album, but only a year or two to produce the follow-up; in the case of Juzz, they had a full eight years from the original release of their first album (2018) and the second, Juzz II in 2026, so they got a fortunate break that most artists wouldn’t, and judging by the material at hand, they have used that added time very well, as their second album shows none of the classic tendency known as the sophomore slump — it is in fact a much stronger effort than their debut. The band has pretty much remained intact for the duration, only the loss of their alto sax player has changed the configuration from a septet to a sextet, with guitarist and composer Virxilio da Silva, keyboardists Álex Salgueiro and Xan Campos (the former on organ, Mellotron, and synthesizers, doubling on flute, and the latter on Fender Rhodes and Poly D), bassist Felix Barth, drummer Iago Fernández, and tenor saxophonist Rosolino Marinello. The standout track, due to its beautiful guitar figure, unforgettable melody, and wordless vocals would be “Alto do Paraño,” but honestly, there isn’t a bad track to be found anywhere on this album, the compositions and arrangements are sublime. Opener “Das Cabinet” begins with a skeletal piano figure before the bass, drums, guitars, and all the other arrangements begin filling the soundfield, blessing it with one powerful instrumental passage after another including some gripping guitar solos, as it moves on to its seven-and-a-half minute conclusion. The eleven minute “Nostalxia Adolescente” that follows the opener sports a bit of a jazzy feel, though with a powerful rock drive, vaguely reminiscent of somethimg Mahavishnu might have done, but with saxes instead of violin, trading solos between guitar, Rhodes, tenor sax, and more, meticulously composed and arranged, shifting gears numerous times throughout its duration. The slow-building “Supernova” employs a fair amount of electronics as well as an unforgettable melody, while the closer “Despois do Final” wraps the whole set up nicely with an abundance of guitar power. Make no mistake, Juzz II more than fulfills the promise of their opening salvo.

Filed under: New releases, 2026 releases

Related artist(s): Juzz

More info
http://amarxe.bandcamp.com/album/juzz-ii

 

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