DADDY ANTOGNA Y LOS DE HELIO

Daddy Antogna was the drummer on legendary Argentine prog band Ave Rock their Hammond drenched eponymous album. Then he was involved in many musical projects, until he got an accident, resulting in a paraplegia from the hips so he needed a wheelchair. But thanks to a long and intensive rehabilitation Daddy Antogna succeeded to play drums again, on a custom build drum kit. What an incredible determined musician!

On this debut album from 2009 four piece formation Daddy Antogna Y Los De Helio is accompanied by guest musicans on violin, accordeon, zampona, keyboards, percussion and violincello. The music is very adventurous and varied progressive rock, loaded with surprising shifting moods and a wide range of instruments. The first track Frascos Tendidos starts with heavy guitar riffs, then an atmospheric interlude and finally fiery electric guitar and thunderous drums.

That combination of heavy guitar and a propulsive and powerful rhythm section is an element in many songs, but the other moment the band easily delivers ambient-like sound collages. And influences from legendary prog - and rock bands are blended with strong own musical ideas.

Obvious hints from Eighties and Nineties King Crimson in the titletrack.

A dreamy Floydian atmosphere with harder-edged guitar in Colapsa.

And a Led Zeppelin inspired guitar riff, along accordeon and finally a blistering guitar in Al-Carreta.

As a huge and strong contrast with the heavy guitar and propulsive drums this album is concluded with a hypnotizing climate featuring warm accordeon in Veronica D., simply beautiful.

Daddy Antogna and his band made a progrock album in the genuine tradition, with adventure and variety. Unfortunately it turned out to be their only effort.

My rating: 3,5 star.

Viva Belice is a nice initial effort by veteran drummer Daddy Antogna and his latest project, the cooperation with the band Los de Helio.

As Antogna is bound to a wheelchair following a bad accident almost 30 years ago, his input will never be what it was when he was at the top of his game musically, but with an additional drummer and a specially adopted drumkit for Antogna he's able to provide his expert additions to the sound of the band musically and compositionally, even if the former is in a limited capacity.

And while the end result isn't breathtaking this time around, those with a soft spot for instrumental psychedelic rock with a foundation in the 70's harder rocking parts of this universe should find quite a lot to their liking here. Dissonant art rock tendencies, fusion-tinged touches and a distinct Indo/Raga spice added for final number Veronica D. adds variation to the proceedings, but never to the extent of taking these songs out of a psychedelic universe.

Daddy Antogna y Los De Helio is an incredible Argentinian super-group that makes quite an exciting statement in the contemporary world of prog rock: creating an electrifying mixture of psychedelic rock and jazz-rock in a powerfully driven progressive framework, the band sure reveals itself as a solid source of proficiency and finesse. Comprising Mr. Antogna (formerly of Ave Rock and a long time prog rock and jazz veteran), guitarist Alan Courtis (formerly of Reynols), and the Las Orejas Y La Lengua members Nicolás Diab and Fernando de la Vega, the ensemble realy made the best out of their mutual fruition. The fact that the band has dual drum kits (Antogna has been paralyzed since the early 80s) effectively helps the band to achieve a robust sonic scheme: at times, this factor is utilized for groovy shared solos. The album starts with 'Frascos Tendidos', a convincingly rocking piece whose energy is wisely ordained: with the extra colors provided by the guest violinist and the elaboration of an accentuated coda, this piece makes an impressive starting point. Immediately after, 'Desincrustante' and 'Sub Umbra Floreo' bring the rocking power to a higher level. The former's dynamic intensity may remind us (to a certain degree) of early Guru Guru, while the latter builds a peculiarly muscular approach to Crimson-inspired cadences (and Courtis' guitar feels quite Frippian in its own terms, as well). Caught between these two tracks is the namesake piece, which leans on the band's softer side - its delicate jazzy structure brings a warm spirit, occasionally ornamented with moderately uneasy moods, but mostly, the track's predominat ambience bears a dreamy quality. Oh, and by the way, its title is a homage to one track in Ave Rock's debut album, where Antogna himself played drums and percussion. 'Brazo Largo' also states an introspective stance, delivered by the musicians with clever constraint. The fact that the final passages find the rhythmic pace going faster does not kill but complement the underlying serenity, if only adding a touch of optimism. 'Colapsa' begins and ends with autumnal moods, while its interlude states an explosion of KC-style grooves. 'Al-Carreta' is much more explicit, closer to the sense of confident energy that we had met earlier in tracks 2 and 4. The last track 'Verónica D.' lasts 10- minutes, bringing an effective climax to the whole listening experience. The track's compositional scheme is quite simplistic, but its richness lies in the clever elaboration of two successive crescendoes: I perceive a perfect balance of guitar-oriented krautrock and standardized post-rock in this piece, and if I'm right, this will give you a proper idea about the sort of mood delivered in the closing track. After what I've been listening in the "Viva Belice" album, I completely understand why this band has conquered such a loyal following in their local area. This album, as an item, is the opportunity for all prog fans around the world to get acquainted with this refreshing type of progressive rock. 4.45 stars for this one.