This band was founded by Eloy Fritsch and friends in order to participate in a student festival in 1983, and after some changes in the lineup, the progressive rock band Apocalypse offered this work, full of energy and will. Alternating between hard rock and progressive themes, with all lyrics in Portuguese, the LP was well received in Brazil, even with weak distribution. One copy was sent to Musea Records in France by a fan who saw a show in Porto Alegre (south region of Brazil). After a good reception from Musea and also good sales of the LP in Europe, the band signed a three-record contract with the company. (César Lanzarini)

Perto do Amanhecer, the first work of a Brazilian progressive rock band released by a foreign record company, is basically a work of symphonic prog rock with strong influences of '80s neo-progressive British bands such as Marillion and IQ. Keyboardist Eloy Fritsch has the same style as Rick Wakeman and Mark Kelly, and his miniMoog solos and analog timbres are present on all tracks of this CD. Some classical moments (e.g., the intro of the instrumental track "Fantasia Mística") and even hard rock (on the tracks "Magia" and "Terra Azul") contribute to the diversity of the album, the biggest characteristic of this work. After all, the vibrance — illustrated by the constant changes in rhythm, hard guitar chords, a duel between the acoustic guitar and miniMoog (on the instrumental "Nascente"), and the well-played keyboards — makes this CD an obligatory purchase for lovers of the neo-progressive style. All the lyrics are in Portuguese and deal with several themes, such as existentialism and mysticism. (César Lanzarini)

The expectation of a second CD after the big success of Perto do Amanhecer in Europe was enough to stress out the entire band. Not abandoning their modern neo-prog essence, the band preferred an approximation of the '70s' school of progressive rock, and with this Apocalypse achieved an evolution: operatic vocal counterpoints, more elaborated arrangements, better-resolved themes, and more emotion. This features six songs, longer and again with Portuguese lyrics with spiritual themes such as life after death and reincarnation; the new theme of ecology is allied with the energy and lyricism of the quartet. The result is complex music (of course, you must expect no comparisons to King Crimson, for example) and rich, melodic tunes. Aurora dos Sonhos opened the doors for a new audience from new countries, especially in the Orient (Japan and Korea). This CD proves that, in fact, Apocalypse is one of the most representative bands of progressive rock from Brazil. (César Lanzarini)

This CD is almost a reissue of their first work (available in LP format only, titled Apocalypse). The difference is that one track was completely re-recorded ("Sozinho, Perdido Dentro de Mim") and the other six tracks were remastered and added to this CD. Three bonus tracks recorded in 1992-1993 were also added. Again, the music is basically in the neo-progressive style, but now with more of a vocal presence from Chico Casara and harmonies from the other bandmembers. A highlight is the constant duel of keyboards and drums. You can note some similarities to IQ and Pendragon, and also a Pink Floyd influence on the track "Levando a Vida," but the album is original enough. It is also important to mention the artwork of the booklet, which carries listeners on a journey to a land of elves and fairy tales. Again, all the lyrics are in Portuguese (César Lanzarini)

After they played at Planeta Atlântida, the biggest music festival in the south of Brazil, with other Brazilian rock and popular artists such as Tim Maia, Rita Lee, J. Quest, and Titãs, the Atração Fonográfica record label made an offer for Apocalypse to release a compilation. Apocalypse, with the kind permission of Musea Records, took the best of their three works released by the French label and the CD was released on the Brazilian market. Actually, the best of Apocalypse is present in this CD. If you do not know anything about this neo-progressive Brazilian band, this CD is certainly a good start. (Cesar Lanzarini)

When Apocalypse accepted an invitation to play in the U.S.A., a live CD was thought of for the first time. And after the tapes with the live recordings of their gig at ProgDay 99 in North Carolina were received, a double-live CD — including a multimedia track with the band's history, discography, video clips, and photos — was planned. The band finally signed with the Rock Symphony label, which made the best offer. The tracks were taken from their previous CDs released by Musea Records, but there are also the new tracks "América do Sul," "ProgJazz," and "Toccata." There is also a memorable track called "Clássicos," which features rock versions of songs by Grieg ("In the Hall of the Mountain King"), Beethoven ("Symphony No. 9"), Bach ("Minuet From the Notebook of Ana Magdalena Bach"), Mozart ("Rondo Alla Turca, From Sonata in A"), and Tchaikovsky ("Russian Dance" from The Nutcracker Suite). Also, "Paz da Solidão" features Ravel ("Bolero"). A nice booklet full of photos is also included. (César Lanzarini)

Refugio" (2003) includes nine tracks (Plus two bonus tracks) and a fantastic booklet with photos, lyrics and information about the band. More than the usual quality Progressive Rock with symphonic influences, it delivers us those forgotten feelings like peace, love and compassion. It is, undoubtly, an album worth listening to ! Musea

Singer Gustavo Demarchi and bass player Magoo Wise are invited to join the band. Apocalypse takes on a new project: to record some of their old hits in English and also to start writing in the new language. There´s a very positive feedback from both public and media to the band´s new approach, with the special addition of Gustavo´s flute in songs like “Refuge” and “Tears”. In September 2005, Apocalypse is invited to another festival in Rio, this time the Rock Symphony For The Record festival at the Teatro Municipal de Niterói, Rio de Janeiro. The band´s concert, on September 8th, was taped for posterity and is presented here in this DVD and CD, released by the Rock Symphony label together with their old friends from Musea.

Quite impressive this new album by brazilian prog veterans of Apocalypse. It was recorded live in concert,, but it contains only original material (a concept album that more or less tell the tale of Jesus, if I´m not mistaken). Eloy Fritsch delivers some of the most delightful keyboards attacks in a long, long time. His playing is rich of timbres and colours, mostly evoking 70´s influences, like analog synths and Hammond organs. His brother Ruy also does a great job on the guitar with some short, emotional and strong solos and riffings. The rhythm section is a show apart with Magoo Wise doing some fine bass runs and the creative drummer Chico Fasoli is on his top form here. Singer Gustavo Demarchi proves once again the band had found a truly original and impressive vocalist. His flute playing is also of note, with some ressemblence of Jethro Tull´s Ian Anderson and This Van Leer (Focus). The arrangements are maybe the most surprising part of the whole album: the band really cooked and they put their full array of influences to their favor. There are echoes of Yes, early Marillion, Genesis, Pink Floyd, Uriah heep, some Beatles, blues rock, jazz and brazilian popular music all around. The CD is quite varied (even thought the strong Marillion hints on the first three tracks are a bit misleading) and it´s hard to believe it was recorded live. Even the backing vocals are very well done and add an extra charm to some tracks. There are no fillers anywhere and the production is simply brilliant. The guest violin player gives some extra prog touches here and there. I hope they use this instrument more often in the future. Conclusion: the best Apocalypse album so far and a strong candidate of best prog album of 2009. The band surpassed my highest expectations. Highly recommended to any prog fan. (Tarcisio Moura)