MAESTRICK – Espresso Della Vita: Lunare (Album Review)

Otherworldly locomotion set to music.

Brazil might well be regarded as the metal capital of South America, but it also seems to be the land of some of the genre’s best-kept secrets. Case in point, Sao Paulo-based progressive metal stalwarts Maestrick, who have been at the game since 2004, yet have a fairly sparse output in the studio department and have only recently come to enjoy a sizable presence in the worldwide underground.

Originally flying under the banner of local Brazilian label Die Hard Records for their early 2010s debut EP and subsequent LP Unpuzzle, they would see their stock rise considerably with their highly ambitious 2018 sophomore studio outing Espresso della Vita: Solare, a stylistically multifaceted and epic in scope conceptual work that the Japanese-based Avalon Records would also pick up for distribution on the other side of the world.

Now being among the ranks of the melodic metal powerhouse label Frontiers Records, this dynamic four-piece outfit comes back bigger and better with a sequel to their sophomore breakthrough dubbed Espresso della Vita: Lunare.

For the uninitiated masses, the unique niche that Maestrick plays within relies upon a combination of virtuoso feats between each of its individual members, a highly theatrical and bombastic presentation that borders on symphonic, and a sense of melodic splendor and stylistic variation that reconciles the otherwise highly divergent influences of Kamelot and Dream Theater.

The most dynamic character of this troupe is vocalist and pianist Fabio Calderia, whose largely clean-cut yet highly expressive voice is highly reminiscent of present Kamelot frontman Tommy Karevik, but isn’t shy about playing up a more eccentric angel at key points through a combination of operatic chops and quirky studio effects.

That being said, the insane chops put forth by axe-slinger Guilherme Henrique and bassist Renato Somera could easily stand toe to toe with the technical feats of Petrucci and Myung while being far from carbon copies of the two. Likewise, the steady yet highly involved kit work of drummer Heitor Matos showcases some notable parallels to legend Neil Peart, though with a much heavier timbre to complement the punchy grooves and frenzied bursts out of the rest of the band.

Clocking in at a gargantuan hour and 18 minutes, Espresso della Vita: Lunare is as ambitious as it is comprehensive, yet it’s also not bereft of a needed level of accessibility in the songwriting department for those looking to balance out extended jams with a few smaller-scale bangers.

Following a brief Hollywood-like overture aptly named “A Very Weird Beginning”, the first foray into a conceptual train ride through life set to music “Upside Down” has all the earworm moments of a rock radio hit with a side order of dissonant, Danny Elfman-inspired quirkiness and enough technical high-jinks to orbit Dream Theater’s “Metropolis Pt. 1” in just over 4 minutes.

Subsequent entries “Boo” and “Ghost Casino” maintain the same general sense of theatricality and whimsical twists; the former in the form of a driving metallic anthem with some extreme vocal elements, the latter coming off as a nightmarish blend of heavy grooving and a retro-swing jazz number. Things even go into mainstream pop/rock balladry with the heartfelt, piano-driven serenade “Sunflower Eyes”, which sees Calderia’s keyboard chops and crooning voice all but begging for a Billboard Top 40 slot.

The mystically-tinged and symphonic “Mad Witches” leans pretty heavily into the aforementioned Danny Elfman-like musical theater realm, chock full of oddball twists and turns, to speak nothing for some truly wild virtuosic moments from Henrique’s guitars and some spellbindingly weird choral moments out of Calderia and a throng of supporting voices.

The 12-minute progressive slough “The Root” lands a little closer to a traditional metallic entry, throwing in a cacophony of wild guitar and keyboard solos on top of a chaotic sea of shifting time signatures, yet never venturing too far from a consistently heavy drive.

Naturally, this is an album that also doesn’t shy away from exploring either the longer-winded and wildly adventurous side of the songwriting spectrum or the shorter, punchier, and ethnic side of the band’s heritage and the result is a handful of tracks that we would be remiss not to highlight.

Approaching the final section of the record we find two entries where Calderia is joined by two distinctive voices of the progressive metal world. First comes “Agbara” – featuring Caligula’s Horse frontman Jim Grey — a track that fuses Afro-Brazilian rhythms with the band’s distinctive metal edge tapestry. Grey sings in both English and Portuguese, alongside the all-female Maracatu group Movimento Baque Mulher, turning into a brilliant cohesive mix that embodies both strength and power through the harmony of culture and languages, peppered with Somera extra tasteful bass lines.

“Lunar Vortex” comes next, and takes the Kamelot‘s nostalgia to 11 by simply featuring the distinctive voice of none other than Roy Khan himself. While Khan can probably duet with anyone in the prog/power metal realm, the pairing of his voice and Calderia‘s is a match made in heaven. The best way to sum up this song — without using too many words — is to say this could be easily mistaken as the best Kamelot track the band has ever written after The Black Halo. And I stand by that statement.

If you have gotten excited up to this point, the album’s most ambitious moment is still to come. The pinnacle arrives with The Last Station, an 18-minute odyssey that explores nearly every sonic possibility within the progressive rock and metal realm, feeling vast enough to stand as its own self-contained EP. As its final note fades, resisting the urge to restart this musical journey from the beginning is hard to control.

At its core, Espresso della Vita: Lunare pushes the boundaries of the subgenre while simultaneously embracing its foundational elements — an ambitious balance fitting for an album so expansive that it would spill beyond a single CD, thanks to the sonically daring bonus track, “Zion.”

Although 2025 isn’t even halfway through, Maestrick has already delivered what could be considered a progressive metal magnum opus — one that stands as a strong contender for not just the best progressive metal album of the year, but possibly the best album overall. This is no small feat, especially given Dream Theater’s powerhouse release Parasomia earlier this year and the equally impressive early showing from Italian power/prog titans Labyrinth.

The concept of train-themed albums is becoming increasingly common, perhaps even verging on cliché. However, Maestrick’s take on the idea is so distinctive that mistaking Espresso della Vita: Lunare for anything else would prove to be utterly impossible.

Release Date: May 2nd, 2025
Record Label: Frontiers Music SLR
Genre: Progressive Metal

Musicians:

• Fábio Caldeira / Lead vocal, piano, synths, orchestrations
• Guilherme Carvalho / Guitars, vocals
• Renato “Montanha” Somera / Bass, vocals
• Heitor Matos / Drums, percussion, vocals

Espresso Della Vita: Lunare Track-list:

1. A Very Weird Beginning
2. Upside Down
3. Boo!
4. Ghost Casino
5. Mad Witches
6. Sunflower Eyes
7. The Root
8. Dance of Hadassah
9. Agbara (Featuring Jim Grey of Caligula’s Horse)
10. Lunar Vortex (Featuring Roy Khan of Conception)
11. Ethereal
12. The Last Station (I a.m. Leaving)
13. Zion (Bonus track)

Pre-order Espresso Della Vita: Lunare here