Venezuelan born, but now based in Germany, keyboardist and vocalist Leo Carnicella releases his debut full-length album, Super Sargasso Sea featuring a guest performance from Martin Barre and some stunning instrumental passages. This album is a treat for those who like their prog rock on the more melodic, song-driven side.
Leo Carnicella is a Venezuelan born keyboardist and vocalist who has relocated to Europe. Leo contacted me a couple of weeks ago with details of his first full album, Super Sargasso Sea. He issued an EP last year entitled Until A New Dawn and repeats his collaboration on that here with Tony Franklin on fretless bass (who has played with a host of artists including Roy Harper and Kate Bush) and Jan-Vincent Velazco, the present Pendragon drummer. On the final track, Carnicella pulls off a major coup by having the legendary Martin Barre guest on guitar. The line-up is completed by Beledo on acoustic & electric guitar tracks 2 to 4 inclusive, and Thomas Krampl on tracks 1 & 5, with Alexis Peña providing vocals on the first track.
The first thing to state is that Carnicella is a very talented songwriter and musician and I have enjoyed this album which you can purchase from the wonderful Caerllysi Music at https://www.caerllysimusic.co.uk/contents/en-uk/p4770.html
The Place Where Lost Things Go is a bold nine-and-a-half-minute introduction to proceedings, with some mysterious keyboards and the wind swirling around a promised storm bringing a sense of mystery. Two minutes in, a delicate piano brings forth the main piece with some jazzy percussion which herald a delicious guitar break. Peña’s vocals are rather more of a commentary than a song and a bit of an acquired taste to these ears, but the musicianship is never anything less than enthralling, especially when guitar sings to us underscored by the piano and a pulsing rhythm section with Franklin & Velazco oozing class. The closing 90 seconds have the piano expanding nicely, and this track is a solid start.
Conundrum follows and has a wonderful bluesy feel, with the bass and drum riff pounding underneath. Carnicella takes centre stage with vocals now, and these show a marked improvement. The invective to “remember what freedom means” is one we would all do well to note, and there is a very good sense of anger here at the fact nobody seems to care what kind of world we live in. The mid-section hears the band open up, and the piano is again very noticeable leading the band from the front. The closing passage when the drum plays out is a peaceful and satisfying jam bringing us down from what preceded it and ends a very good track.
Tell Your Mum I’m Not Coming Home is a contender for the most achingly sad title of 2022 and Carnicella sings it beautifully alongside his piano in the intro. Just over one minute in, Franklin again shows his class with a deep bassline before Beledo again impresses with a great riff. As you might imagine, this is a thoughtful piece of music and I thoroughly enjoy its introspective nature.
Balance follows and opens with a richly understated instrumental opening. Once the vocals begin and the synths take centre stage, that mood changes, and amongst the pleasures here are some pleasing synths and a very effective acoustic guitar solo. It is a strange brew this one, with much of it sounding almost post new wave in its intent alongside more traditional swirling keyboards.
Oblivion is the shortest track at a little over two minutes long. It is a lovely instrumental piece, with Krampl playing a quite exquisite acoustic guitar alongside some lovely soundscapes by Carnicella. The track is deeply pleasing, and a criticism is it is perhaps a couple of minutes too short.
And so, to the epic for which all before was leading up to, The Place Where Lost Minds Go. It opens with a spot of deep breathing accompanied then by a spoken voice of a man telling the protagonist not to worry as he goes through a procedure ingesting hallucinogenic (DMT). There is some nice orchestration in the opening section alongside more lovely acoustic guitar. This morphs into a distinctive jazz passage with some impressive drum and percussion licks especially. The lyrics talk about something weird happening as the drugs take effect and the psychedelic feel to the music supports this, with some distinctly impressive guitar as one might expect from a maestro. The next section is rather dystopian as the trip takes its full effect, and it doesn’t strike me as being a particularly pleasant experience, as the guitar rips along in a dark manner alongside the minor chords on the keys. A distorted voice then takes over and it is (deliberately) not a pleasant listen before this thankfully gives way to a beautiful acoustic guitar and soft piano which bring us down to earth. The voice returns to ask him how he is, and the music is soft before the main guitar riff angrily provides the answer to the question – sheer genius and a joy to listen to. The vocals when they return are reflective and talk about a transcendence. The mellotron burst we get is a real treat to the ears and this takes us into the closing passage which allows the mind of the listener to drink in the aftermath of the experience and take time to reflect.
I enjoy this album. There are a couple of minor gripes above, but they do not detract from the overall pleasure of listening, and certainly this debut full-length effort provides great promise for the future. Carnicella is someone I will follow with great interest. I have embedded in this review all the YouTube videos. Certainly, those who love their prog rock to be on the melodic end of the spectrum will find a great deal to enjoy here, and it is recommended.
2023 UPDATE
Following my original review of Super-Sargasso Sea, Leo Carnicella was kind enough to reach out for an interview, which you can read by clicking on the button below. I recommend that you do – the warmth and personality of this talented artist/composer shine through his answers and comments.
In addition, Leo sent me physical copy of the CD (I had purchased the album for my review via a digital download – yes, I know, but that is not uncommon with reviewers). As ever, the sound from the physical copy is so much superior to digital listening, which has come a long way since the early days with technology such as “lossless”, but it is still inferior to the actual product. Add to that, of course, the artwork you get with the CD which in this case is simply stunning.
What’s more, the CD contains a bonus “hidden” track not mentioned on the track listing, and this is “Hola”, a deeply personal and quite beautiful synth and mellotron infused instrumental dedicated to the memory of Leo's father – for the personal, the track is 8:40 minutes long and this because he died at the age of 84. How wonderful is that touch?
The only spoken words on this track are phrases in the voice of Mr Carnicella Senior – you know what? As the soundscapes wash over you, when you hear Hola! you can see him in the existence after this smiling at the touches his son puts on.
As if my review of the iTunes version was not temptation enough for you, then what about that of the CD? You can buy it from https://leocarnicella.bandcamp.com/album/super-sargasso-sea
I, for one, am looking forward to what Carnicella produces next, because this is a very good full-length debut.