Reviews

German review
www.heavyhardes.de/review-4380.html

...A second album that belongs almost definitely to the symphonic rock tag, as RC2 are now more experimental than ever before. Certainly, the melodies are present but the songs structure is complex and multidimensional. Elements from different genres mix (from heavy rock to ethnic), keyboards are lush and guitar patterns are memorable, not to mention the propulsive rhythm section. Undoubtedly, musicianship is of high standard. The mood ranges from melancholic to joyous and from introspective to outbursting moments, based on the help of mellotron, piano, synths and guitar. Fusion and neo prog touches appear here and there, as well. Yes, Camel, King Crimson, Pendragon, Porcupine Tree ("Coming Down Again"), Santana (just listen to "Autumn" especially the part from 05.26 to 05.44) are some of the influences included. Thankfully, "Future Awaits" has all the right influences yet far from being the poor relation of them...
www.metalperspective.com/reviews/rc2.php

French review
www.progressia.net/?rub=chroniques&idchronik=1674

German review
www.rocktimes.de/gesamt/r/rc2/future_awaits.html

...Of course i should mention that, which is usual most of the time within the progressive music world, a great production makes it possible to show off the skills in this band. Best track for me is “Time pieces” which has wonderful guitar and keyboard work. If there is one album you should have heard it’s this one. Is it the best release of the year? No but it’s a damn good one and certainly one which will be played overhere a lot of times.
progressivemusiccharliff.blogspot.com/2008/10/rc2-future-awaits.html

...rhythm thrown in by way of jazzy undertones/sequences. You get plenty of hammond organ/keyboards, great vocals (both lead and harmony), superb guitarplaying, top notch drumming & bass foundations! RC 2, is the name of that band and this (quite frankly) excellent album, delivers everything any progfriend could ask, well...even wish for!! Its been sitting in my cd-player for quite some time now and with every spin I discover more details and new angles! And it is growing...amazing stuff!!! The original band was called Radio Clip (1988-1994) then, RC 2 was formed in Caracas, Venezuela (1999). Their selftitled debut (RC2- 2003) was great, but this new release ladies and gentlemen, are superb...hell, ill go all the way...it is in my honest opinion a progmasterpiece!! So.....what are you waiting for...go get it...NOW!!!..
www.progplanet.com/index.php?categoryid=44&p2_articleid=722

French review
www.metalchroniques.fr/guppy/articles.php?lng=fr&pg=2250

Italian interview with band
www.audiodrome.it/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=4039

German review
www.metal-inside.de/frame.php?url=www.metal-inside.de/review.php?id=10400

German review
www.myrevelations.de/index.php?section=reviews&module=cdreviews&submodule=review_detail&reviewid=5770

Interview
www.dprp.net/specials/2008_rc2

German review
www.powermetal.de/review/review-12876.html

Dutch review
www.progwereld.org/cms/?page_id=20009991

Italian review
www.artistsandbands.org/ita/modules/recensioni/detailfile.php?lid=1055

RC2 is a Venezuelan progressive rock band. This looks to be their second full length record since their inception in 1999. Like many of the other bands on this record label, this is very melodic music but often mixed with some intense playing and song structures. The opening track Time Pieces demonstrates all of these aspects, mellow, heavy metal, power riffs, spacey, cool synths, ending in an amazing 10 minute opening number. The title track is next and starts with some nice piano and remains a ballad until the last 3 minutes of the track when the guitar solo kicks in and then things really pick up. 11 is a bit like Tool meets Queensryche until the break part. There is some really intense and great interaction between all the players in the middle section of this track. Autumn starts off with a great blues guitar solo before the track develops and features some keyboards that sound like flutes. Beautiful singing as well. El Diablo Suelto is an instrumental track with a Hispanic guitar and very beautiful music. Coming Down Again starts with a super cool bass line and great piano line as well before the guitar comes in. That is a really cool song. The CD ends with Voice of the Storm in two parts. It ends the record in a very different way and vibe from the beginning. A very interesting and amazing CD.
aural-innovations.com/2009/january/RC2.htm

...On a separate note, "El Diablo Suelto" is pretty cool due to the mariachi sequence bridging a power ballad with a jam. If you looked up fusion in a dictionary, this could be the given example. Keeping with the alternatives, "Voice Of The Storm" is like an updated epic version of Eric Burdon's "House Of The Rising Sun". The preamble is where it sees the most overlap. Latter aspects are closer to IQ, Saga, Rush, or Styx. When you put it all together, these brewmasters are skilled in their craft. Not only do they incorporate a burst of tricky time-signatures in a vat of structured compositions, it's actually harmonious. That in and of itself is an accomplishment when you consider these potentially clashing ingredients. Can't put my finger on it, but there is something in their algorithms that makes this asymmetrical material mesh...
www.progressiveworld.net/html/modules.php?name=Reviews&rop=showcontent&id=3664

...Comparisons to Uriah Heep and Rush have been made, but a closer listen shows a sound much more similar to Saga, with the keyboards and guitars having a strong center to each track. This, along with the almost jazz flair that can be hard on many of Saga's works, pushes them from most of their progressive rock counterparts, (for comparison, after a listen to this take a listen to Saga's brilliant 1979's Images at Twilight or 1993's Security of Illusion.) This soft underbelly of a touch of jazz can be heard on the CD highlight, "Future Awaits," but also of note is the wonderfully played organ with a lush guitar supplement of the instrumental "El Diablo Suelto," a delicious track that also seems to feature the flair and sounds of South America with heavy use of a wide variety of drums and percussion as well as steel, ukulele, acoustic and electric guitars. This same type of South America flair can be heard on the two part "Voice of the Storm."..
www.hardrockhaven.net/reviews2009/jan09/RC2%20-%20Future%20Awaits.php

German review
www.obliveon.de/pn-om/modules.php?op=modload&name=cdreviews&file=index&req=showcontent&id=12174

German review
www.heavy-metal.de/?id=12544

Italian review
www.audiodrome.it/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=3858

Italian review
www.hardsounds.it/PUBLIC/recensione.php?id=4527

...Thankfully RC2 turn in a quite superb performance owing more to the subtle Prog Metal sounds of WOLVERINE or SHADOW GALLERY and even the mighty 80’s styled RUSH. There’s Metal in abundance but through each track is an imagination and conviction of a group water tight in application and difference. Particular highlights come in the form of vocalist Felix Duque who puts in a commanding performance as does drummer Eduardo Benatar. From the epic opening ‘’Time Pieces’’ running the gamut of all things Prog to the sanguine fluidity of ‘’Autumn’’ RC2 has recorded a highlight of the Prog year...
www.metal-observer.com/articles.php?lid=1&sid=1&id=14965

French review
www.magicfiremusic.net/chronique.php?id=2241

...RC2 consists of Felix Duque (vocals), Eric Baule (guitars), Rafael Paz (keyboards), Pedro Misle (bass) and Eduardo Benatar (drums). One of the things you notice right-off-the-bat with Future Awaits is the change in musical approach. It’s more symphonic and less progressive metal. The guitars are still present but keyboards play a much bigger role in the compositions. There are eight tracks, all of them on the longish side, only one track is under six minutes and the last two tracks are actually part 1 and 2 of the same song making it about sixteen minutes. The album starts off with “Time Pieces” (10:59) featuring a rousing staccato guitar-drums introduction in a complex signature, which then evolves into the song proper. RC2’s style of prog has a modern sound but they compose in a more traditional style. The songs contain many parts and move back and forth between these elements. It’s clearly symphonic, but there is also a definite edge to the sound; romantic, yes, but also aggressive. There is a hint of that Latin feel found in the South American prog style, but it’s only a hint. It seems that the heavier the music gets, that’s the first thing that disappears. Where you do hear that trait with RC2 is in the intricacy of the music. Not that it’s complex, but rather it’s all about layers and layers of detailed arrangements all supporting the various melodies and rich harmonies. The music of Future Awaits, because the tracks are so long, allows for lots of softer, mellow moments, where the band’s instrumental prowess shines. There are a couple tracks on the CD’s second half, tracks like “Autumn” (8:02) where the band really hit their stride offering some wonderful keyboards, flute and some spectacular musical riffs. Over all there isn’t a weak track, each offers something sonically pleasing to my ears...
www.jerrylucky.com/reviews%20p-t_029.htm

Italian review
www.loudvision.it/musica_recensioni-rc2-future-awaits--2312.html

French review
www.magicfiremusic.net/chronique.php?cat=chronique&id=2241

Swedish review
www.extendedmix.com/recensioner/recension.asp?albumID=1356

German review
allover-ffm-rock.de/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3629&Itemid=91

French review
www.musicwaves.fr/frmChronique.aspx?PRO_ID=3291

Polish review
www.artrock.pl/recenzje_sc.php?id=2184

Spanish review
www.hallofmetal.com/ver_disco.php?id=1041

...RC2 states that bands like Marillion, Yes, Genesis, Camel and Rush are main influences on the type of music they like to explore: those fostered by the founders of the neo progressive genre, vintage symphonic acts and a more hard rocking Canadian power trio. And this is one of the instances where a band's named influences can easily be found in the music they make and one of the very rare cases of the type where the results of these influences also contain high amounts of originality and creativity, where even a description like “adventurous” is suitable. It's no surprise that the foundation of all compositions on this recording is symphonic rock; this is as expected. But it is a nice surprise to hear how these musicians have crafted their creations. All songs, from start to finish, are carefully planned in sound and structure. There are no dominating instruments or aspects to be spoken of in these tunes, apart from the focus on strong melodies. The various instruments are carefully and skillfully mixed in a nuanced, rather complex, manner where great care is taken at all times to produce a balanced, detailed soundscape rich in textures and details. The Hammond, or what sounds very much like one, is a mostly constant feature in all songs here. Most times placed way back in the mix, adding nuances and fleshing out finer details of the melody lines, this instrument is ever present, but rarely given a dominating role: the few times it does is in soloing segments, and even then brief and effective more often than not. The guitars have a more prominent place in the mix and the band opts for the use of acoustic guitars as well as clean, undistorted, electric guitars in most passages on this production. Swirling and energetic or mellow and laid-back in style, it's the instrument of choice for melody delivery, as well as providing atmospheric notes and the odd surprising detail to the individual songs...
www.progressor.net/review/rc2_2008.html

Dutch review
www.fileunder.nl/archives/2008/09/rc2_future_awaits.php

...Imagine a dark, comfortable and perhaps vulnerable space and imagine then that space is filled with instruments and you are behind every single instrument at the same time, at all times. Each instrument sounds fantastic and together they create a sounscape, which not only describes emotions, but also awakens them in the listener. On the new release, RC2 have almost completely dropped their metallic edge and the focus is more on classical prog, jazz, fusion and latin, only it doesn’t feel like the band is trying to focus on genres or anything else, except the emotional ride that is their music...
metal-revolution.com/plugins/content/content.php?content.1634

Spanish review
www.manticornio.com/rock-progresivo/R/RC2/future-awaits.html

...There’s a repeated lyric on “Future Awaits” that brings a smile to this reviewer: “and I review wherever I go” (the nature of the day job and this activity – I wish it substituted the daytime one…). There’s also a sequence that reminds of the final part of Emerson, Lake and Palmer (ELP)’s “A Time and a Place” from Tarkus. “11” uses a similar sequence. It begins a la ELP’s “Tank” and includes a theme as if a distant echo of the more acoustic section of Pink Floyd’s “Welcome to the Machine”...
usaprogmusic.com/joomla/index.php?option=com_simple_review&Itemid=28&review=200-RC2-Future-Awaits

French review
www.progressive-area.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=875&Itemid=2

...The album starts off in fine form. Time Pieces is simply a great piece of classic, progressive songwriting. A rousing staccato metallic guitar opens in a complex signature. A cute piano melody is added before the song moves into a more mellow section led by a bluesy guitar lick. Around halfway through the song changes direction. A lump of electronica is mixed amid some neo-prog influences. The distinctive vocals carry a catchy melody and some effective phrasing. This song contains many parts and moves back and forth between them. Similar to that great riff which opens Sieges Even’s Art Of Navigating … album, the riff here is repeatedly used to bring the listener (and the song) back to familiar territory. And that folks is the story of the whole album. Sometimes romantic, sometimes aggressive. Always engaging and packed full of clever details. Everything allowed plenty of space by a crystalline production...
www.dprp.net/reviews/200844.php

Italian review
www.movimentiprog.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=Recensioni&file=view&id=2817

Interview with band
www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=72065&FID=47

Interview with drummer
www.jerrylucky.com/interviews_005.htm

French review
www.musicinbelgium.net/pl/modules.php?name=Reviews&rop=showcontent&id=2976

..."El Diablo Suelto" is a playful, all-instrumental piece that clearly showcases RC2's musicianship - and is probably the standout track. Opening song "Time Pieces" is an 11-minute mini-epic that moves through several structural elements and shifting tempos - and look out for the piano-backed wailing guitar solo about half-way through. It won't blow your socks off, but you'll probably enjoy it enough to play it again and again. And two-part "Voice Of The Storm" is a 16-minute epic featuring long, soaring, expressive guitar solos, rich Hammond and synth sounds, and powerful vocals. Approachable, hard-edged, melodic, but with plenty of progressive complexities - a strong addition to the Prog Rock Records stable.
www.seaoftranquility.org/reviews.php?op=showcontent&id=6630