Alquilbencil - From Serengethi to Taklamakan ($15.99)
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Alquilbencil - From Serengethi to Taklamakan ($15.99)This is a live album recorded in 2001 by a Spanish band whose first CD was
released in 1999. The sound is excellent, and this is quite an original mélange
of progressive styles. These ten mostly-instrumental pieces blend an elegant,
symphonic jazz-rock featuring melodic sax, in the vein of Soft Machine;
melancholy vocal tracks influenced by Pink Floyd or Pulsar; and intense/complex
King Crimson-style rock. There are also some Mediterranean touches in the
rhythms and melody lines. A very promising band.
Altair -
3 ($15.99)
SALE!Altair is a Spanish band that released their 2nd album Fantasias y Danzas in
the early 1990’s, at that time only available on cassette, thankfully reissued
on CD with a 10-minute live track appended. This is instrumental
classical/progressive keyboard rock with ELP or Triumvirat as primary
influences, plus a touch of Genesis. Housed in a mini-LP style paper
sleeve, it counts as only one-half CD for shipping. 3
is their 3rd album, recorded live in Barcelona in 2000 but not released until
2006. It has a couple tracks closer to jazz-rock but otherwise
follows the same formula.
Amarok -
Retrospectiva ($12.99)
Quentadharkën (which apparently translates to Song of the Fallen/Overcome/Defeated Darkness) is the 6th album by this Spanish (more specifically, Catalonian) band, and they have taken their ethnic-progressive rock fusion to new heights, ever more sophisticated and impressive. On the one hand, Amarok are capable of playing pure Anglo-prog, and on various tracks you can hear influences of Yes, Jethro Tull, ELP, Banco, the Canterbury bands, and Genesis/Steve Hackett. But they also mix in Mediterranean influences, along the lines of Azigza’s world-prog. There are also Celtic and renaissance music influences, and Amarok use a lot of instruments, with guest musicians adding Spanish guitar, oboe, violin, and tenor sax. The seven-piece band consists of female vocals (in Spanish), drums and percussion, bass, electric guitar, flutes, soprano & alto sax, and keyboards. The keyboardist also plays various ethnic instruments: saz, kanun, charango, santour, accordion, marimba, and more. The 71-minute CD includes four bonus tracks, three of which date from 1998.
Sol de Medianoche (Midnight Sun) is Amarok’s 7th album, released in 2007. The band continue to develop their fusion of progressive rock with Mediterranean music and touches of Celtic and early music. The songs are sung principally in Spanish, but there are some in Catalan and in English. The variety of instruments used on this release exceeds even Amarok’s previous album, but the arrangements are precise, the instruments employed in an intelligent fashion. The album concludes with a unique version of ELP’s Abaddon’s Bolero that fans of the original really need to hear. 65-minutes.
Retrospectiva (2007) is an 80-minute
compilation CD covering only Amarok’s first four albums: Els nostres petits
amics (1994), Canciones de los mundos perdidos (1995), Gibra'ara
(1998), and Tierra de especias (2000), plus four previously-unreleased
tracks. These first four Amarok CDs have seen limited distribution and are hard
to come by now.
mp3
samples from these four albums can be found here.
Bijou - El Profeta ($11.99)Bijou is a young Spanish quintet who released their debut album El Profeta
(The Prophet) in 2004. This is the 2005 re-edition on the Luna Negra label, with a new
and improved cover. Bijou are instrumental, with two guitarists, keyboards,
bass and drums. Though instrumental, you’d have to call this neo-prog with a
touch of heavy rock. Mainly this is because the rhythms tend to be steady and
straightforward, while most of the interest is generated by the guitars and keys.
But Bijou have a style of their own and don’t resemble the usual neo-prog
suspects. They are closer to Xang on their Destiny of a Dream album. The music remains melodic throughout, and sometimes the vocal lines are in effect
supplied by the instruments. Despite being outnumbered by the guitarists, the
keyboards have an equal role, as the band is very ensemble-oriented. This is one
of those albums that has appeal to prog-metal fans without being prog-metal, and
is recommended to those who like their symphonic rock melodic, energetic, and
with a modern style.
Dificil
Equilibrio - Flood ($15.99)This talented band from Barcelona released their first album in 1997, followed by an album of King Crimson covers amusingly titled The Great Red Lament in Aspic. The guitarist Alberto Diaz was a student of Robert Fripp in Guitar Craft courses. Their 3rd album Trayecto (2000) received critical acclaim, as the band was able to capture the spirit of King Crimson. Dificil Equilibrio’s fourth album Simétricanarquia (2003, digipack) reveals an evolution in their music. The King Crimson influence is still present, but through these 11 mostly instrumental pieces, Alberto Diaz (guitar/vocals), Joan Francisco (bass), and Luis Rodriguez (drums) travel through other musical worlds, with some peaceful acoustic moments and Spanish folk influences. With guests on cello, trumpet, and sax, Dificil Equilibrio take their place among the best contemporary progressive bands, as their compositional talents and virtuosity are exceptional.
Flood (2006) is their fifth album, all
previously-unreleased tracks recorded live in the studio. These eleven
instrumental pieces continue the evolution away from King Crimson into more
original territory, though the influence of Fripp is still easily heard. You
have to wonder about the track sequencing though. Dificil Equilibrio opens this
album with the most experimental improvised piece, perhaps a strategy to drive
away any tentative listeners. The rest of the album covers a wide range of
intensity, from structured melodic compositions with clean guitar tones to dark,
angular pieces using distorted tones. Like King Crimson, Dificil Equilibrio
strikes a balance between musical experimentation and structured progressive rock.
Engel (Miguel Angel de la Llave Jimenez) ($14.99)Engel is a Spanish multi-instrumentalist who plays violin, bagpipes, guitars,
flutes, didgeridoo, harmonica, xylophone, keyboards, bass, whistle, percussion,
and a few other instruments, assisted here by numerous singers. He has created a beautiful and inspired music, influenced
heavily by Mike Oldfield. It melds rock and ethnic music, primarily Celtic but also oriental and
Mediterranean, with some more peaceful and meditative atmospheres.
Notably, Engel’s Celtic passages are more authentic than Oldfield’s. Like
Oldfield, Engel develops superb melodies, enhanced by impressive arrangements
and a great sense of emotion. 55-minutes.
Forgotten Suns - Fiction Edge 1 (Ascent) ($14.99)
A very good 2000 debut by a Portuguese neo-progressive band. There is an obvious early Marillion influence,
but Forgotten Suns aren’t overly derivative; there are many elements in their
music that do not appear in Marillion’s. Especially with the vocals taken into
account, Forgotten Suns are more in the vein of the Swiss band Clepsydra.
Exceptional artwork and 70-minute playing time make this an attractive CD.
Galadriel - Mindscapers ($15.99)
This Spanish band (singing in English) began as an early PFM and Genesis-influenced
band on Muttered Promises (1988), adding more of their own identity with each
succeeding album, always relying heavily on the vocal talents of Jesus Filardi. Chasing the Dragonfly
(1991) is their 2nd and distinguishes itself from their debut by the addition of
some ethnic touches. Mindscapers
(1997) is their 3rd and final release, a 61-minute sci-fi concept album.
Gurth - Tormentes ($14.99)
To the list of Spanish progressive fusion bands that includes Iceberg, Secta
Sonica, Musica Urbana, Pegasus, Borne, and Guadalquivir, add Gurth from near
Barcelona. The band trace their beginnings to 1995 but didn’t record their first
demo until 2003. Tormentes (2008) is their debut CD. On this CD, Gurth
are a quintet of bass, drums, and three guitarists. One of the guitarists
actually plays guitar synth, filling the role of a keyboardist, while the other
two play both electric and acoustic. The music is 1970’s-styled, mostly
instrumental, with a small amount of vocals which we’ll guess are in Catalan. As
with the other Spanish bands mentioned, Gurth have one foot in fusion and one in
progressive rock, with similar quality and appeal.
Hannah - A Life in Rock Minor ($15.99)
A Life in Rock Minor is the 2008 debut CD for Spanish prog rock quintet
Hannah. It is melodic neo-prog sung in English. As with most European bands of
this generation, there is nothing in Hannah’s sound unique to their country of
origin other than an accent in the singer’s English (which is only apparent when
the vocals are exposed in the mix). It isn’t prog-metal, but the guitarist’s
style shows some metal influence, which is what distinguishes neo-prog of this
decade from neo-prog of the 1980’s. Note the first mp3 icon above leads to Hannah’s Flash-based
site. Click MEDIA, then click AUDIO.
Harnakis
- Numb Eyes, The Soul Revelation ($11.99) SALE!Something may have gotten lost in translation in this album’s title.
Nevertheless, this is an outstanding 1990 Spanish symphonic progressive CD with
excellent female and male vocals in English, though heavily instrumental.
Harnakis was a bit similar to Galadriel, another Spanish prog band operating
around the same time. The music is Genesis and Camel-inspired but more
Mediterranean, showing many aspects of the band Asia Minor.
In Nomine -
Mythos ($15.99)This Spanish band debuted in 2000 with Mutatis Mutandis, an impressive album that makes all the
right moves, convincingly combining traditional progressive
influences (Yes and Genesis above all) and neo-progressive ones, in particular The Wake-era IQ.
There are majestic instrumental passages where you could swear you’re
listening to IQ in all their splendor. Mythos (2005) is quite a
different second album but every bit as good. There is no neo-prog on this disc.
Maybe you can compare some of it to Jean Pascal Boffo’s Carillons or to
Edhels. There are touches of Echolyn, Steve Hackett, 1980’s King Crimson, and a
slight jazz-rock influence. Syncopated rhythms, numerous breaks, complex
harmonies, sophisticated vocal arrangements, great progressive guitar (no
metal!) – the album is full of great stuff. Remember
that it’s a good thing when an album doesn’t strongly suggest something that has
gone before. Vocals are in English.
Medina Azahara - La Estacion de los Suenos ($13.99)Medina Azahara is a Spanish band in existence since the late 1970’s that has
released at least 15 albums to date and sold large numbers of them in Spain.
They more or less took over from Triana the flamenco rock style. As time went
on, Medina Azahara’s music moved closer to symphonic AOR than symphonic
progressive, but the Andalucian style of singing and other musical elements
plus the symphonic keyboards give the music appeal to progressive fans. Medina
Azahara features strong vocals in Spanish and a high
energy level. Dónde Está la Luz (1993) is their 8th album
and the first to receive U.S. distribution. La Estacion de los Suenos is
from 2005. En Directo is a live album recorded in 1990, originally a
double-LP, now a 75-minute CD.
Negua
- A Way Out ($12.99)
Negua is a Spanish band from Barcelona that includes guitarist Fidel Vázquez of Unoma and
bassist Jordi Planas (ex-Dracma). A Way Out (2006) is sung in English,
though the band’s website is currently only in Spanish and Catalan. The music is
neo-prog with guitars dominating over keys, vocal-heavy and crossing over into
mainstream rock, though the song lengths tend to be long. 60-minutes.
Neverness
- Cuentos de Otros Mundos Posibles ($15.99) Following a 2002 debut, this 2007 CD is the 2nd for Neverness, a Spanish melodic progressive rock band. They sing in Spanish, but the album is primarily instrumental. Their sound is mostly 1970’s-oriented, with vintage keys and long flowing tracks. The music has elements of melodic hard rock and psych, and references to Pink Floyd and 70’s King Crimson.
“They have a unique take on prog rock. The guitar work ranges from 1970's
‘acid-rock’ style to psychedelic to early Crimson-influenced. The synthesizers
are all very analog-sounding and even manage to go slightly out of tune at times
(that’s realistic for a 70’s synth!). There are brief but well-placed Mellotron
passages scattered here and there. The drums are a bit muddily-recorded
(purposely, I’m thinking), making them sound like Trespass-era Genesis.
In short, if you told me this was a re-release of a late 60’s/early 70’s prog
album, I would be hard-pressed to argue with you, except perhaps for the lack of
tape hiss. Cuentos de Otros Mundos Posibles has several purely
instrumental tracks and long instrumental sections even in the tracks with
vocals. The shortest song
Pachamama clocks in at 5:17, most are in the 9-10 minute range, and the
closing epic Mundo de Locos is 12:15. The music is mostly melodic but has
some nice spots that decay into noisiness, though not enough to make them sound
too abrasive. Not much bad to say about this album; a very strong release that I
really enjoyed.” [Fred Trafton - Gibraltar Encyclopedia of Progressive Rock]
October Equus - same ($16.99)October Equus is a new Spanish instrumental prog quartet of keys/guitars/bass/drums.
They don’t sound like any other Spanish band. Instead, they sound sinister, showing influences of
Anglagard, King Crimson circa 1973-74, Present, Shylock, and the Rock In Opposition
bands, emphasizing angularity and dissonance over melody. In other words, never use a
major third if you can play a tritone instead.
Andrés
Olaegui Trio - Como Niños ($11.99)
Como Niños (“Like Children”) is a 2005 album by guitarist Andrés
Olaegui, formerly of the great Spanish flamenco rock band Guadalquivir. This is
a mostly-instrumental jazz record with Spanish touches. 65-minutes.
Omni - Sólo fue un sueño
($12.99)
Omni
are an instrumental Spanish band who played at both Baja Prog 2001 and 2002. The
music on Omni’s first CD Tras
el Puente (2000) actually dates from 1990-1993, while their 2nd CD El
Vals de los Duendes (The Waltz of the Little Elves) is from 2002. On
these first two CDs, Omni
play 1970’s Camel-style progressive rock, flowing and melodic, neither heavy nor
demonstrative, with nods to various 1970’s Spanish bands such as Iman or
Iceberg, plus a touch of Santana. Their star is Michael Starry, a very
expressive and melodic guitarist a la Andy Latimer. Behind him are flute, sax,
keys, rhythm guitar, bass and drums.
While their studio albums can’t capture the energy of their live show, their CDs
do recapture the
spirit of 1970’s Camel while adding some Spanish touches.
Omni return in 2007 with Sólo fue un sueño (digipack). This CD is more symphonic than the previous two. Early Camel remains the dominant influence, and there are touches of Genesis circa Wind and Wuthering, Mike Oldfield, and Spanish bands such as Cai and Iman. The softer tracks are similar to the German band Rousseau. Wonderfully lyrical, melodic and flowing, there is none of the modern heaviness to disrupt the 1970’s progressive vibe. This is probably their best album, so start here and work backwards.
Note the audio samples on Omni’s website (click mp3
icon above) are in the .swf format and contain both audio and still images.
These files are playable by the Adobe Flash player. If
these files won’t play in your browser, Windows users can save them to their
hard drive first, then use the free
IrfanView program (you’ll need the plugins as well).
Onza - Paradigma ($17.99) SALE!On Reino Rocoso (1990), Spanish band Onza are an instrumental trio (from Andalucía) assisted by two keyboardists, playing a mix of jazz-rock and progressive rock. The jazz-rock relates to bands such as Iceberg or Borne, with touches of folk and lots of acoustic textures. The progressive side of the band relates more to bands such as Granada or to early King Crimson.
Onza’s third CD
Paradigma (2007, 57-minutes) is on their third prog label, which for some
reason all begin with “M” (Musea, Mellow, margen). Here Onza shift effortlessly
between several progressive rock styles, the primary ones being an IQ or Collage
style of neo-prog and a flowing melodic style similar to Camel. There is also
some Pink Floyd, Rush, and jazz-rock, overall a lively, colorful, melodic
symphonic prog. The CD is about half instrumental, with vocals in Spanish, and
is capped off by the 17-minute track El Alquimista. Here are
mp3 clips from the tracks
Paradigma and
Piensa en ti.
Pegasus - Nuevos Encuentros ($15.99)The 1982 debut by the Spanish fusion band featuring guitarist Max Suñé from
Iceberg. A good progressive fusion album, though not quite on the level of Iceberg.
Petrus
Castrus - Ascenção e Queda ($15.99)Good price on this legitimate Korean mini-LP CD reissue of a 1978 Portuguese
symphonic progressive rarity. Ascenção e Queda (Rise and Fall) was
Petrus Castrus’ second and more symphonic album. This CD adds two bonus
tracks taken from a 1974 single.
Pi2
- The Endless Journey ($15.99)
The Spanish band Pi2 initially released Retorn in 1998
though it didn’t receive widespread distribution until this 2004 reissue. This
is sophisticated classic-style instrumental symphonic progressive rock, vaguely in the Camel,
Focus, Genesis, and ELP camps but about as original as one can be with this style of
prog these days. It is generally mid-tempo and melodic, with lots of keyboards
and some tasty clarinet and sax parts. The Endless Journey
is from 2005. Since Retorn, Pi2 have added an excellent singer in
Alex Warner, so this album has English-language vocals. The Endless Journey
features an expanded role for vocals, with a few harmony vocals that almost
reach Todd Rundgren level, though the album is still about half instrumental.
This album is more professional-sounding
and better produced, with Camel and Genesis as the main influences.
Probably the best Spanish symphonic prog band now.
Planeta
Imaginario - ¿Qué me Dices? ($15.99)
Planeta Imaginario is an all-instrumental, 8-man Spanish band (keyboards, trumpet,
trombone, saxes, guitar, bass, drums). Recorded in 2002, ¿Qué me Dices? is a
progressive jazz-rock built around a powerful brass section, fusion guitar, and symphonic keyboards
(Rhodes, Hammond, synths). These skillful musicians combine a strong Canterbury
influence (especially Gilgamesh / Alan Gowen) with the best of the Spanish
1970’s fusion bands (Iceberg), a touch of RIO (Miriodor), and other influences
into their own distinctive sound.
Rivendel
- The Meaning ($11.99) SALE!1996 album by this Spanish neo-prog band, with vocals in English, Spanish,
and French. The music is symphonic progressive comprised of three long suites,
highly composed, with references to Van der Graaf Generator, Genesis, and King Crimson.
Saturnia - Hydrophonic Gardening ($15.99)
A spacey, psychedelic progressive band out of Portugal. This 2003 album is their 3rd. This is very lush and
organic, much more laid-back and ambient than Ozric Tentacles, with some low-key
vocals. The overall effect is dreamy, hypnotic, and mesmerizing, very well done.
Tantra - Terra ($16.99)
Tantra was Portugal’s top symphonic progressive rock band during the 1970’s
and, now reconstituted, remains so today.
Their music could be compared to Genesis, Yes (circa Topographic Oceans),
Camel, and perhaps Gentle Giant, with touches of jazz-rock at times. Their very
lyrical vocals are in Portuguese. Their
albums have the refined and complex arrangements of the best 1970’s European progressive bands, and the
level of musicianship is high. Like so
many prog bands, they disbanded in the early 1980’s but have now reformed, and
their 2003 studio album Terra (66-minutes) is even better than their 70’s
albums! Tantra today are led by Manuel Cardoso, the lead guitarist and singer.
Unoma
- Croma ($12.99) Croma is the first album by Unoma, a
project created by the young Spanish composer/guitarist Fidel Vázquez. Assisted
by other musicians on keyboards, bass, drums, and vocals, this is an album of
supremely tasteful guitar-based instrumentals, with English vocals from Alex
Warner on the 15-minute In the Name of God that closes the album.
Although this is a guitarist’s album, there are plenty of keyboards; in a couple
places these are downright Genesis-inspired. Vázquez is a talented guitar player,
well-versed in subtlety and nuance and thus able to
convey emotion, and a clever and gifted composer. Successfully fusing
melancholy and power, with nice dialogues between keyboards and guitars,
Croma is an excellent album. If you like listening to “shredding” though,
best look elsewhere -- this album is about music.
Zyclope -
Contracorriente ($15.99)
This Spanish band play sophisticated and refined symphonic progressive rock. Contracorriente (2005) is their 2nd album. On this album, Zyclope have three core
members on vocals/keys, guitar, and drums; three associate members on violin,
bass, and guitar; and several guests including the guitarist and the flute
player from the band Kotebel. The violin is used frequently and is a big part of
their sound. In some respects this is a continuation of 1970’s Spanish
bands such as Bloque and Ñu, with references to Camel, Pink Floyd, and other
Anglo prog bands. The vocals are in Spanish. Along with the band Pi2 (there is
some similarity between these two Spanish bands), Zyclope represent the new
hope of Spanish progressive rock. In addition to the mp3’s at the link above,
here is an mp3 from the
band’s site.
