- Mirar Hacia El Centro
- Perpetuum Karma
- Del Abismo Al Sol
- Travesía
- Cruces Y Sombras
- En Ese Viento
Eternal Motion, Human Stillness
With Perpetuum Karma (2006), Argentina’s Nexus reaffirm their place among the quiet giants of modern symphonic progressive rock - bands who understand that the genre’s true power lies not in complexity for its own sake, but in its ability to convey awe. This album feels less like a collection of compositions and more like a metaphysical journey - a meditation on time, consequence, and the cyclical nature of existence. It is music that breathes, expands, and circles back on itself, like the title suggests: an unending dance between destiny and choice.
From the first moments, Nexus envelop the listener in a sound both majestic and human. The band’s approach blends the architectural grandeur of 1970s symphonic prog with a distinctly South American emotional warmth. Keyboards dominate, not as mere accompaniment but as the narrative engine - sweeping, shimmering, sometimes tempestuous. Each passage feels sculpted from light and shadow, propelled by rhythms that evoke both ritual and motion, while the guitars weave through like comet trails - flashes of energy within vast expanses of sound.
What makes Perpetuum Karma remarkable is its ability to balance the spiritual and the visceral. It is cerebral music, yes - carefully structured, rich in thematic unity - but it also resonates on a gut level. There is passion beneath the precision, a pulsing human heartbeat within the cosmic machinery. The album’s grandeur never feels distant; instead, it draws the listener closer, inviting reflection on the patterns that shape both the universe and the individual.
Nexus’s musicianship is commanding yet unpretentious, each member contributing to a cohesive vision that transcends technical display. The production allows the music to unfold organically, layering textures in a way that rewards immersion. This is an album that insists on time - on patience, on listening deeply, on surrendering to the slow reveal of its emotional and philosophical weight.
In Perpetuum Karma, Nexus achieve a rare synthesis: they make the infinite feel intimate. Their music speaks to the eternal cycles that govern all things - birth and decay, rise and fall, motion and stillness - and does so with grace and conviction. It stands as a testament to the enduring vitality of progressive rock as a global language, one capable of bridging continents, cultures, and the quiet spaces between the stars.
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My personal view:
The symphonic prog sound of Nexus is very much rooted in the seventies, with bands like Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Camel, and Genesis among the main influences. However, they are no mere clones or copycats, and certainly in the comparison with ELP I actually prefer Nexus. This album is a wonderful piece of prog, the shortest track taking almost 7 minutes, and three taking 14 minutes or longer - without losing my attention for a moment. There is not a single weak track on the album, but the best for me are the instrumental Travesía (Journey), Del Abismo Al Sol (From The Abyss To The Sun), and especially En Ese Viento (In That Wind).