Alquilbencil - From Serengethi to Taklamakan ($15.99)
Titles are arranged alphabetically with the latest additions highlighted in yellow.
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 second 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 third 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) Sol de Medianoche (Midnight Sun) is the seventh album by this Spanish (more specifically, Catalonian) band, released in 2007. 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. 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 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.
Guillermo Cazenave is known to many for his collaborations with Anthony Phillips, but much of his solo work is in the cosmic music vein, and Ser (2008, digipack) is probably his best such album. It was recorded at Anthony Phillips’ studio in England. Jeremy Morris has a couple guest vocals, otherwise the music is instrumental. This is not a retro, Berlin School album, though that influence is present. There are acoustic instruments (guitars, flute, sitar, santur) in addition to electronics, so the music has a more organic feel than most electronic music, and crosses over into progressive ala Jade Warrior. Cazenave runs the Astral music label that released this CD, and while the Astral website does have an image of the Ser cover, it isn’t what was actually used on the CD. No audio samples either.
Dificil Equilibrio - Flood ($15.99) SALE!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 third 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, and guests on cello, trumpet, and sax. With this album, Dificil Equilibrio take their place among the better contemporary progressive bands.
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 open 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 strike 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 - Innergy ($12.99) Forgotten Suns are a Portuguese band singing in English who began as a neo-prog band with the 2000 CD Fiction Edge 1 (Ascent), which showed a lot of Marillion influence alongside some heavier elements. Their second CD Snooze (2004) showed the heavier elements taking over, with Dream Theater the main influence. Innergy (2009) is their third, with only the guitarist and keyboardist now remaining from the original lineup, and Forgotten Suns have completed the transition to prog-metal band.
Galadriel - Calibrated Collision Course ($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 Jesús Filardi. Mindscapers (1997) is their third, a 61-minute sci-fi concept album.
After a long wait, Galadriel’s fourth album Calibrated Collision Course appeared at the end of 2008. Most of this album was composed by bassist/keyboardist José Bautista, beginning as early as 1995, and it maintains continuity with the previous Galadriel albums. The new CD includes guests Jean Pascal Boffo and Twelfth Night singer Andy Sears (who has emigrated to Spain). Blending Sears’ backing vocals with Filardi’s lead vocals was a good move, but we still feel that Filardi should allow more instrumental passages, as he sings over just about everything, and always has. That may avoid the problem of the singer having nothing to do on stage during instrumental passages, but more contrast would be welcome. That said, this is a richly-textured progressive rock album, blending symphonic prog with some aspects relating more to Peter Gabriel or modern King Crimson than to Genesis, and more of a jazz/classical bent than any of those artists. 58-minutes.
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. Read reviews here.
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. Read reviews here.
Kotebel - Omphalos ($15.99) 
This Spanish band seem to have rediscovered the key to symphonic rock music: an adept synthesis of classical and rock by musicians with a first-hand knowledge of classical music. Omphalos (2006) is Kotebel’s fourth album, and while their previous CDs were excellent, this one is even better. They play ambitious and complex symphonic progressive with strong classical influences, but also touches of jazz. The band has two keyboardists including their composer, and while some passages are slightly similar to ELP, there are also passages dominated by electric guitar. They have a full-time flute player, and they use operatic female soprano vocals, sometimes with lyrics (mostly English), sometimes wordless and used as another instrument. Kotebel has become quite an original band, with complex harmonies and logical shifts in dynamics, tempo, and texture. The album is centered on the 30-minute Pentacle’ Suite. Beautiful tri-fold digipack with color booklet.
Fragments of Light (2003), Kotebel’s third album, is a very impressive work of 1970’s-style progressive rock. Progressive fans will be delighted by the heavenly female vocals and abundant flute parts, the complex harmonies and rhythm changes, and the virtuoso keyboards. Keyboardist Carlos Plaza remains the main composer, aided this time by guitarist Cesar Garcia. Kotebel’s main influences are the classical composers Debussy, Ravel, and Gabriel Fauré and the progressive bands of the “golden age” (Yes, Genesis, Camel, The Enid, etc.), though the music ends up closer to continental bands such as Asia Minor or Ezra Winston than to the British bands. 72-minutes.
Mysticae Visiones (2002) is their second album. Kotebel aim to achieve a convergence between classical music and progressive rock, and the two pieces that comprise this album can be considered rock symphonies. Keyboardist Carlos Plaza is the composer and mastermind behind this project, and his piano/keyboard parts form the foundation of Kotebel’s music. Flute, sax, female voices, cello, soaring guitar leads, and of course bass and drums complete the sound, which recalls Camel (especially The Snow Goose), Ezra Winston, and The Enid, plus a few touches of ELP at their most orchestral. Highly refined, mystical, and bombastic, this is first-rate instrumental classical progressive rock.
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 second 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.
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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 debuted with the album Retorn in 1998, playing 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. They followed with Demà Serà un Altre Dia (Tomorrow’s Another Day) in 2001 and The Endless Journey in 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. This is one of the best Spanish symphonic prog albums of recent years.
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.
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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 ($14.99) A spacey, psychedelic progressive band out of Portugal. This 2003 album is their third. 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.
Senogul - same ($14.99) This 2007 CD should be considered the first for Senogul, a Spanish instrumental band from Asturias playing refined, melodic 1970’s-style progressive rock. They released a 37-minute CD in 2005, but this new 70-minute CD contains re-recorded versions of all the tracks on that earlier CD. Senogul have diverse influences, with elements of Camel, Caravan, King Crimson, classical, jazz-rock, tango, flamenco, and more. The mainstays of their sound are classical piano married to tasteful guitar work, with exemplary interplay between the instruments. Guest musicians add flute and sax to some tracks. The music is flowing and intricate rather than bombastic or dramatic, but is not lacking for energy. Asturias was also home to Crack and Asturcon, and Senogul is a very worthy successor.
Snowdonia - Pallas ($13.99)Pallas (1995) is the second album by this Spanish retro-prog band. The album sounds as if it was recorded in 1971, as the keyboards and guitar tones are all vintage, the style decidedly British. Guests provide flute, violin and cello. “I found every twist and curve of this album enjoyable right from the start... M José Millon is a wonderful vocalist, she sings in both Spanish and English, her voice mildly reminiscent of Clodagh Simmond’s from Mellow Candle only without the pure folk quality. The production of this album is similar to that band as well, or maybe 70’s recording in general... Between the keyboardist’s skill and arsenal of ivory, this album is vintage keys wonderland... With Pallas, Snowdonia have damn near released the perfect album... For an old dog like me, this album is pure joy.” [Dane Carlson, Exposé] Prog Archives’ review page includes an mp3 of one song.
Soma Planet - Bholenath ($15.99) Bholenath (2008, 58-minutes) is the second CD for this Barcelona band who play mostly-instrumental music blending King Crimson, Gong, the Canterbury bands, and fusion of the more daring variety. There are three songs with English-language vocals that show Soma Planet can also be gentle and melodic. Read the Progressor and Proggnosis reviews.
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 - Uno ($15.99) This Spanish symphonic band play sophisticated and refined progressive rock with references to Camel, Focus, Steve Hackett, Gryphon, Hostsonaten, Anthony Phillips, and Jethro Tull. Uno (2004) is mostly instrumental, with flute and violin in addition to keys and guitar. One or two tracks have a more neo-prog flavor, with heavier guitar.