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CRONICO – Delirium Room (****)

- This is a Mexican formation that was founded in 2004 by the youth friends

Daniel G. Köppen and Gabriel Eguiluz. They started to make a demo CD and then presented their music on a festival in the capital and during several cultural activities. In 2007 Cronico released thier debut CD entitled Delirium Room as an own production.

- From the very first listening session I was delighted about Cronico their exciting blend of symphonic –  and neo-prog: lots of fluent songs featuring a lush, varied and modern keyboard sound, pleasant female vocals (some in Spanish, most in English) and wonderful work on acoustic – and electric guitars. The 10 compositions deliver many tasteful and captivating moments, from a compelling atmosphere with howling guitar (Long Way), a psychedelic sounding organ solo (Delirium) and an intense guitar solo with volume-pedal  (Without Reasons) to exciting interplay between organ and guitar (Mood Swing), flashy synthesizer flights (Floating, Delirium, Don’t Be Afraid and When I Try) and a sensational blend of lush organ, fat synthesizers and propulsive drums in the final track Intrepid Nightmare, goose bumps! The band also treats us on some mellow moments (with twanging guitar and warm vocals or acoustic rhythm-guitar and sensitive piano) and lots of tension and dynamic by changing the moods from dreamy to compelling and mid-tempo to bombastic like in the highlights Delirium, Without Reasons and especially When I try (breathtaking final part with strong interplay between moving guitar and lush organ).

Again Latin-America has succeeded to deliver a great new progrock band, after Tarkus from Brazil, William Gray from Argentina and R-U Kaiser from Chile, now we can enjoy Cronico from Mexico, I am sure we will hear more from this promising new band!

MOONRISE – The Lights Of A Distant Bay (****)

- This is a musical project by Polish multi-instrumentalist Kamil Konieczniak and singer Lukasz Galeziowskiejo (with that typical Polish melancholical undertone but his vocal contributions are very limited).

- The sound of Moonrise is firmly rooted into the neo-prog tradition in the vein of IQ and Pendragon. The 8 compositions are very tastefully arranged with some strong breaks, lots of flowing shifting moods, a pleasant variety, a beautiful and modern keyboard sound and splendid guitarwork, from sensitive, fiery and howling runs to propulsive riffs. My favorite moments on this CD are the intense guitar sound and soaring keyboards in the opener The Island, the alternating Help Me I Can’t Help Myself (intro with wonderful interplay between Grand piano and mellow keyboards and then strong work on guitar and keyboards), exciting guitarplay in In The Labyrinth Of The Dream, a spectacular break during Antidotum and a beautiful build-up with piano and keyboards to a compelling final part featuring howling guitar runs, goose bumps!

- I am sure this strong debut-CD will please many neo-progheads!

 

NEMEZIS – Nemezis (***1/2)

- Nemezis is a new Polish five piece band that delivers wonderful neo-prog on her eponymous debut-CD: from mellow with twanging guitars, soaring synthesizers and warm female vocals to compelling and bombastic with varied keyboards and beautiful, often Steve Rothery-like guitarwork (many times he carried me away to Marillion’s Fish era). My highlights are the moving guitar solo in Unknown Tomorrow, the exciting interplay between a church-organ sound, guitar and drums in With No Return, a spectacular synthesizer solo in Somewhere In Time and the long final piece The End (more than 12 minutes) that succeeds to generate a lot of excitement: a dreamy intro with warm vocals, piano and soarin gkeyboards, a wonderful part with intense orchestral keyboards, beautiful piano with longing vocals, sensitive guitarplay in a slow rhythm, a mid-tempo with propulsive drums, a long and harder-edged guitar solo (like Steve Rothery at his pinnacle) and a quite mellow conclusion with piano and again that excellent female voice.

- So it goes on and on with those strong new Polish progrock bands (from Riverside to Osada Vida) and now we have Nemezis, highly recommended, especially to the neo-prog fans!

 

BAROQUE PROJECT – Misteriose Voci (***1/2)

- I prefer to listen to Italian progrock bands with vocals in their native language, just listen to the difference between Banco and PFM their music in Italian and in English vocals! So I am glad that new Italian four piece formation Baroque Project sing in Italian and their singer does a good job with lots of emotion.

- Baroque their sound on the debut CD entitled Misteriose Voci (2007) is accessible, melodic and a bit dated because of the frequent use of the Hammond organ (swirling solos in Odio, Premonizioni and especially Gentile Direttore). The colouring and interplay by the guitar (lots of sensitive runs) and keyboards (from wonderful Grand piano to sumptuous organ and fat synthesizer flights) is very tasteful. In the more mellow pieces Baroque Project reminds me of Italian musicain Angelo Branduari and in the more compelling symphonic rock parts I notice elements of Dutch keyboard driven trio Trace like in the long composition Premonizione and in the final song Un Altro Mondo (beautiful conclusion with a moving guitar solo and lush keyboards).

Recommended to the many Italian progrock fans.

 

                                                                

                                                  

 

MASS MEDIA – Criptoidea (****)

- Italian formation Mass Media made music in the Seventies but they have reunited because the label Electromantic invited the band to make a new album, the current line-up features three original members.

The CD Criptoidea contains 13 songs, four have (Italian) vocals, the rest is instrumental. The music often delivers swinging and fluent jazzrock (echoes from Mahavishnu Orchestra and Brand X) with lots of guitar and Fender Rhodes electric piano (along Hammond organ and synthesizers) and a very adventurous, often propulsive rhythm-section. I am impressed by the musicians their skills and interplay, it’s obvious they are very experienced and know each other very well in musical terms. I am delighted about the parts in which the guitar is supported by strings/ a propulsive rhythm-section and the duels between guitar and keyboards, what an energy. The final composition Suite Del Ringraziamento is a tribute to some classical composers and keyboardists Rick Wakeman and Keith Emerson. It is recorded live in the studio and contains short renditions of compositions by Bach (Badinerie and Preludio), Mozart (Rondo A La Turca), Bernstein (America), Brubeck (Blue Rondo A La Turk), Copland (Hoedown) and Wakeman (Catherine Howard). We can enjoy sparkling piano and fiery guitar and great interplay between guitar and keyboards, remarkably is the fiery electric guitar in Hoedown instead of the fat synthesizer sound.

I am sure this CD wil please many jazzrock fans, what a stunning band and what an exciting CD!