La grande forza dei Peruviani SUPAY, fra i più brillanti rappresentanti dell’attuale progressive sudamericano, sta in un sound strumentale particolarmente trascinante ed accattivante, caratterizzato dalla chitarra di Luis Proano dal marcato piglio hard-rock, a duettare con le tastiere di Gustavo Valverde, ma anche da suggestive atmosfere folk-prog.
Il caratteristico suono del flauto di pan andino non può che rendere ulteriormente affascinante la musica del sestetto peruviano, un mix godibilissimo e travolgente di progressive-rock e folk andino, a suo modo particolarmente originale.
Molte sono le analogie con i cilenei Los Jaivas, storica band cilena, ancora in grado di riempiere gli stadi nel loro Paese.

Here we have 10 tracks that comprise each individual asset of Supay’s prog folk style in a nenhanced fashion, yet still all of them fused in a clear unity that cleverly measures the tandards of their mutual contrast. While the “Confusión” album brought the perfect melding between complex rock and the candid textures of Andean folk, “El Viaje” finds both elements growing in its own terms in order to redefine their own untouched marriage. In this way, the resulting tension gives a new dimension to the mysterious beauty of the melodic lines and teh robus tdevelopments of the jams. That’s why guitarist Luis Proaño finds a bigger room to show his hard rocking influences (Blackmore, Satriani) together with his Gilmour-meets-Alquinta flourishes, plus a touch of blues-rock in places. On the other hand, despite the fact that the woodwinds feels sometimes a bit surpassed by the expansive forces of Proaño’s guitar leads, you can still tell that the sounds of the diverse Andean pipes manifest a large part of the band’s essence. The tighter overall sound finds a very appropriate foundation in the solid rhythm duo, while Valverde, with his inventive use of harmonies, ornaments and layers on keyboards (plus a couple of brief solos), stands out as a subtle protagonist within the ensemble. The album kicks off with an ethnic prelude, similar in spirit to the opening track of Los Jaivas’ “Alturas de Machu Picchu”. Then comes ‘Alma’, a rockier number that remains very much rooted in the melancholy side of things until it tightens up for the latter half. On the other hand, the electrifying ‘Supay’ starts and ends in a very intense mood, with some softer cadences emerging in the middle. ‘Lejanía’ and ‘Resurrección’ are as intense as ‘Supay’ and remain highlights of the album. This is an excellent album: “El Viaje” shows the ability of Supay to revitalize their musical core while keeping it intact.