Serapis Project

On the last 30 and 31 of May, SerapiS Project (a project led by Joaco Luis and Kris Vega) landed at Tótum Revolútum to present their new album “Side Stories” in two different formats, telling us the story of Serapis and his lost love for Nefertiti, the inflexibility of Ai, and the machinations of Hades.

It was a complete show, because alongside the music and the narration by mistress of ceremonies Cristina Lampón, dancers also took part, adding a visual element that rounded out the whole. The effort to communicate the story was also reflected in a full booklet put together to help follow the narrative (the manuscript). On the first night (with a very good turnout), they opened with “Ascension” (the first track from the second album), with a striking visual element in which Nur BloodRose and Shara Wolf danced to Joaco’s opening guitar before the whole band joined in, building to a crescendo where Kris Vega came in on vocals. The next song (from the first album), “Act I: Defiance”, carried on with the same sonic intensity, and with “Restraint” (a track that shines on its own), Cristina Lampón came up on stage for a duet, continuing the dramatic thread. Next came “Act II: Dissidence”, where Kris introduced some brief guttural vocals, and on the delicate “Beyond Repair”, Joaco came in on guitar and vocals before Kris joined him. On “The One Who Waits”, the dancers completed the visual spectacle with a sword dance; another moment of heavy drama came with “The Gravest Mistake”, and the whispered ending offered a counterpoint to the harder first half.

Another surprise of the night was an acoustic entrance on classical guitar, with Sergi Martínez gradually introducing the melody before finally striking up a dialogue with Joaco, leading into “Act III: Wistfulness”. Next came “Act IV: Vengeance”, where Agustín Milton stretched out into a big drum solo, connecting into the calm of the previous track’s ending, “Emptiness”, with a duet between Kris and Joaco with just the guitar.

“The SerapiS Project”, the next guest to take the stage was young Elba Blanco, whose powerful voice shared vocal duties with Kris on the intense “Act V: Greatness”, where the guitars also traded sonic counterpoints. The dancers returned for “The Fury of the Storm”, riding the rhythm of bass, drums and guitars under a sonic veil led by Kris’s voice. “Act VI: Reminiscence” followed, building in delicately before rising in intensity, with the guitars complementing the vocal motifs. Next came “Act VII: Leap in the Dark”, with its more dramatic atmosphere, Lucas Luis coming in with a pulsing bassline wrapped around Joaco’s guitar. Kris and Joaco announced that the concert was drawing to a close, introducing the final songs (also from their respective albums), thanking their collaborators and presenting the band members. “Act VIII: Palingenesis” delivered another of the night’s intense moments (with a gorgeous solo from Joaco), setting up the closing track “Order and Justice”, on which the band bid farewell with an epic finale that turned up the heat on the guitars.

Saturday’s concert (with a bigger turnout than the night before) gave us a similar setlist, but the surprises in store took us into different sonic territory, with guest guitarists giving the music a heavier, more metal-leaning edge (if that’s even possible). The narrative and visual concept stayed intact, with Cristina Lampón both narrating and collaborating on “Restraint”, while dancers Nur Bloodrose and Shara Wolf kept rounding out the spectacle. One of the surprises was a duet between Agustín Milton on handpan and Joaco Luis on guitar introducing “Beyond Repair”. On “Act III: Wistfulness”, singer Sergi Gallardo shared the stage with Kris, bringing far more dramatic weight to the song than we’d heard the night before. Guitarist Chema Wilcox lent his guitar to “Act IV: Vengeance”, and it was a real treat to see three guitars on stage trading solos and building an intense wall of sound that only heightened the epic feel. Agustín Milton also delivered another drum solo, shorter but just as intense. The last guest of the night to take the stage was Carlos Castillo on “Act V: Greatness”, who, besides guitar, also traded vocals with the ever-present Kris Vega (well, in fact Joaco never left the stage for a single moment either!)

On “The Fury of the Storm”, Kris Vega roamed the stage camera in hand, capturing shots from her own perspective. We’re eagerly awaiting the video production of the concert! To close, the interplay of guitars led by Joaco Luis and backed by Sergi Martínez flowed smoothly through both shows, with the rhythm section — Lucas Luis on bass and Agustín Milton on drums — rounding out the sound. Shaping the music was the powerful voice of Kris Vega (also remarkably expressive in its more delicate registers), threading the songs together, pausing now and then between numbers to fire up the crowd and introduce the guest performers, proving herself a front-woman who truly understands the stage, commanding it and reading every scenic element to make the most of the show.

In short, at Tótum Revolútum we got to enjoy a complete progressive metal proposal with melodic touches (verging on symphonic metal at times), which had the enthusiastic crowd having a great time, delivered with real professionalism on stage. We’re looking forward to the next chapter of the story.

Note: during Saturday’s concert, a mischievous cable occasionally insisted on making its own little appearance between songs, demanding its share of the spotlight too, but Joaco, with his stagecraft and skill, ended up folding it right into the show, winning the crowd’s complicity in the process.

SerapiS Project are:
Kris Vega on vocals
Joaco Luis on guitar and vocals
Lucas Luis on bass
Sergi Martínez on guitars
Agustín Milton on drums and percussion

First-night guests:
Cristina Lampón – narrator and vocals on Restraint
Elba Blanco – vocals on The SerapiS Project
Nur Bloodrose and Sharon Wolf – dancers

Second-night guests:
Cristina Lampón – narrator and vocals on Restraint
Sergi Gallardo – vocals on Act III: Wistfulness
Chema Wilcox – guitar on Act IV: Vengeance
Carlos Castillo – guitar and vocals on Act V: Greatness
Nur Bloodrose and Sharon Wolf – dancers