DAWN IN SPACE

Great psych/space trip!

They are Pyramidal, a four-member Spanish band that last year (2011) released their debut album entitled "Dawn in Space", in which we will find seven compositions ranging from 6 to 14 minutes (with the exception of the introductory track) that together make a total time of 62 minutes. Here we will listen to a nice combination of psychedelic and space rock, with some heavy prog moments that may remind you of some other contemporary fellow Spanish acts such as Lüger or Albatros, though, of course, Pyramidal possesses their own sound.

"Intronauts" is the only short track of the album, as I mentioned, it is just an introductory piece that let us know their tendency to the space rock. It leads to "Black Land", in which the guitar softly enters playing repetitive notes. A minute later it changes a little bit, a new structure is created, synth background, 4/4 rhythm implemented by drums and bass, and a far voice accompanying. Later the guitar riffs begin and the psychedelic tune is more evident. Here, honestly the name of Hawkwind came to my mind. The song flows, progresses and invites us to their psychedelic and spacey realm.

"Kosmik Blizzard" since the name let us guess that the music will have an inherent krautrock flavor, which at the same time, has an almost mandatory psychedelic sound on it. Here I adore the drums because no matter the repetitive rhythm, they are always implementing new figures and sounds, making the song more dynamic and stronger. At half the song the music turns a bit heavier, exemplifying that combination of heavy rock and psych I told you earlier in this review.

"Dawn in Space" has that spacey/kosmiche/atmospheric sound that characterizes these psychedelic/space bands. First synth as background and later guitars, drums and bass start creating a structure where the repetition of does not mean monotony, it actually means hypnotism. The vertigo continues until 3:30 where it slows down, giving us a relaxing moment where the synthesizer puts different effects and atmospheres. After that short soft passage, the song explodes and creates that faster and yummy heavy psychedelic tune. This is actually an excellent track that I particularly enjoy a lot.

The last three songs are over the ten-minute mark. "Plastikleuten (Parts I & II)" is actually the shortest. It starts with some distorted effects that create a tense atmosphere, then the other instruments join and though they sound far, they can be perceived. The music flows, though I expected it to change earlier, because after three minutes of practically the same, it did not involve me as I though, as the previous tracks did. However, later more sounds are implemented with the pass of the seconds, working as a support of the background and the structure. Before the fifth minute the change comes, guitar riffs, faster sound and heavy psych bliss. I cannot ask for more here. After seven minutes the psych side vanishes and the spacey side begins. You just have to close your eyes and enjoy your trip.

"Tempel Iaru" starts with synthesizer and guitar, both in a soft spacey mood and with some kind of mid-east flavor. A couple of minutes later drums join and create add that necessary element that makes the song not being plain. Just before reaching the fourth minute the vocals enter, once again with a distant sound, and once again, reminding me of Hawkwind. I like how the band manages to intercalate some faster moments with mid-tempo rhythms, and how the psychedelic, space, and heavy rock perfectly complement each other. Here after eight minutes, we can enjoy the skills of drummer Lluís Mas in his solo spot. The last minute is very intense, with a kind of latin sound included, exquisite!

Finally, the last and longest track comes with "Mars Lagoon", a song whose 14 minutes take us to different places in which we can appreciate a salad of sounds, a mixture of nuances and textures, and a diversity of images. The song has a complete body, and all the pieces are necessary for its success, no matter the various inner changes it has, each and every of them are linked to each other, so you just have to let the music flow and I am sure you will be pleased.

What a great debut album from Pyramidal, a very strong release that deserves more attention, so I invite you to listen to them and why not, support them with a review, spreading the word, buying their album, etc. Not what I would call a true masterpiece, but it is not far from it. My final grade, four (4.5) solid stars.

Enjoy it!

Beiruth ... Domo ... Alicante already seemed to be a prime address regarding space rock in Spain And now we also can add four musicians to the bill who formed the band PYRAMIDAL in 2010. 'Dawn In Space' is their debut - album title and cover art immediately make it clear what is going on. They are offering cosmic explorations here, showing a strong liking of stoner and heavy rock influences on this occasion. Nearly as usual it all starts with an ambient/spacey tinged warm-up featuring diverse samples and oriental touch.

While fading into a groovy expedition Black Land gathers speed in best tradition then. Overall the dual guitar management serves for a lush sound furthermore. Although this comes strictly instrumental variety is guaranteed in general - due to several twists and turns this avoids tediousness for sure. The title song is carrying this into effect by all means. Plastikleuten is composed of two parts, the first one points out some German references, besides the title in general the making reminds me of Agitation Free in some way. The second section though is more of a classic space rock outfit showing some relaxed floating ambience too.

Featuring some decent synth contributions the magnificent Mars Lagoon closes the band's first excursion into space. Another groovy thing where they lose control a bit and let it flow with strong jamming appeal. The PYRAMIDAL stand for modern heavy psych/space rock in the fashion of ... for example Samsara Blues Experiment come close occasionally. 'Dawn In Space' is a proper exemplar also featuring Hawkwind and krautrock references, elaborated compositions including improvisational attempt within some extended tracks - 3.5 stars