DELTA RED

A powerful Mexican band!

The first and only time I saw Delta Red in concert was two years ago in a festival in my city, since then, they caught my attention, knowing that they would be a band whose talent would take them far. When I listen to bands like these, I really feel proud of being Mexican, these guys have talent, power and the will to eat the world, they have everything to succeed, now it sour turn to spread the word and help them to reach another lands. I really hope to see them soon in a festival like Baja Prog, they would please the crowd without a doubt.

Well, after that introductory paragraph now I will focus on 'Luz en el s'tano', a new release of Delta Red, which is a DVD/CD combo that shows a performance that took place in Quer'taro back in 2011. First of all, I thank the guys who made this release possible because no matter the concert was two years ago, I is great to have this documented live version, so one can have a slice of their sound in concert, which believe me, is amazing. In the DVD you will find five songs and an interview in which the musicians tell us a brief bio of the band; while the CD contains the same 5 tracks, plus another 3.

It is important to know that Delta Red started as a power trio, their 'Gama de Espectros' album offers songs with that line-up, but nowadays they have a fourth member on keyboards, who changed a bit the vision and adds new wonderful elements to their current sound, so in this release you will witness that 4-man line-up making great instrumental heavy prog. I liked a lot the DVD, they way the interview and concert was intercalated, because when a song finishes one can see the band talking about themselves, their history, how Delta Red was created, what's the name's origin, what are they looking for, and so on, so besides enjoying their great performance (which is the main thing) you can know more about them. The only thing I did not like was the photography, overall I think it was not that accurate in the shoots, but anyways, it does not affect.

Now the songs. The setlist is wonderful, as I previously said, they play instrumental heavy prog which is very well composed, meaning they are talented musicians. It opens with 'Ciempi's' which has a kind of funky guitar at first, but later it turns aggressive, with a wonderful bass full of punch, I love the slaps here, while the guitar plays great riffs and all together create a cool structure, in this track the keyboard player does not figures. In 'Venus' the keyboard as background can be found since the very beginning; this song has some tension on the first minutes, nobody know what comes next, it seems it does not have a structure, but at the same time it seems it is not required, they play we listen, and that's enough, the song flows and the result is excellent, mostly in the parts the energy increases and the power is spread.

'Cuadrafon'a lunatica' has that power since the beginning, but the concept of progressive rock is evident here, you can tell it by the sound, its changes and the variety of figures and textures they bring. Worth mentioning the drummer's work, he is extraordinary, always marking the rhythm in time and space, a great reference. 'Gravedad Cero' is a masterpiece, ten minutes of very ingelligent, greatly composed heavy prog made by four talented (and Mexican) musicians. It is wonderful to see how this song has everything one can ask, passion, power, technique, mood changes, a pleasant sound without a doubt. What I love the most is that none of the members/instruments stands alone, all of them are equally necessary, all of them have something to say and add to the sound, so the communion they four created is amazing, really promising for their forthcoming studio album.

The last song in the DVD is 'Luz en el s'tano' which has a much calmer sound at least in the first two minutes, because later the guitar announces an explosion will come right away, and yes, it comes. A great keyboard solo can be heard here while the bass marks a great rhythm. Another change comes later when the music slows down. Great track!

But the CD continues with three more songs, the first is 'Opus 14' in which once again we can appreciate their high quality as composers but also as performers, because as one of them said in the interview, this live version unveils their true quality with no production tricks.

When I listen to their 'Gama de espectros' album there are a couple of moments when I feel a bit bored, something that never happens here, so that's why I am excited to see their new material, I assume several songs from this live combo will be featured there, so that's good news. 'D'a fuera del tiempo' is another cool track, though I must say it might be my least favorite of this release, which does not mean it is weak, not at all. And finally 'Impro' which as the title suggests, I assume it was a live jam that was wisely recorded and included here as the last track. It starts with electronic sound, very different from the previous songs, later it vanishes and little by little the instruments are joining, creating at first a relaxing atmosphere but as you can imagine, the music flows and became heavier and heavier. Great!

After listening/watching to this gem, I still wonder how Baja Prog organizers don't invite Delta Red, man, they would make the crowd explode. But well, if you have the chance, please get this record, it is really good, believe me. Almost, almost a masterpiece.

Enjoy it!

Last year (2011) I atended to a prog rock festival in Mexico City, with several bands from the city of Queretaro, one of them was Delta Red, a band I did not know, but left me with a great taste of mouth. Their concert was full of energy, they were four young guys trying to eat the world and do what they want with it, which is how I felt their performance, so I was really happy to discover a new band from my country with music of great quality.

I got their debut album, released in 2009 and entitled "Gama de Espectros", here they are a power trio playing heavy prog music, when I saw them they were four people, with the addition of a keyboard player, so my experience in both branches is actually different. This album features 9 songs that make a total time of 66 minutes of great heavy progressive rock, but warning, if you like this genre you will like the album, otherwise I believe it is not for anyone's ears.

They open with "Gama de espectros" which is the longest composition, so it is a challenging way to start an album, a CD that actually features several mid to long length tracks. In this first one they show since the first moments they are an instrumental band, with heavy guitars, powerful drums and a solid bass. This is like a jam that flows very well, but what I like the most is when they decide to slow down, at minute five, so the heavy notes does not tire the listener because they bring diversity in the piece, adding even some jazzy moments.

"Estampida" is a nice song that blends heavy prog with soft moments, actually one can appreciate the song is divided in two halves, cool. And better is "Segunda Premier" whose bombastic start is very promising because it is full of energy and the anxiety of leaving all the sweat in the studio, in the stage, everywhere, that is what I like about Delta Red, they will to leave a mark can be appreciated even in some moments of their music. This is another long song whose content offers several changes in time, rhythm and mood, that let us know their compositional skills, so in spite being a young band, they show a mature structure.

In "Cuarto Oscuro" they bring a more relaxed tune, while it seems to explode sometimes, it remains in the same softer vein, at least for the first minutes. Here I like the work of the drummer, and of course the addition of a saxophone, which adds a special flavor to the sound. So far my experience with the album is great, but to be honest, there are some moments when I feel a bit tired, feel that this is not truly my cup of tea, and I realized about it while listening to "Día fuera del tiempo" followed by "Ciempiés", two of the shortest tracks of the album, with an alike style, though with great quality (I like the funky guitar in the latter). The compositions are good, I must say, but my enthusiasm is not the same as in the beginning. This was the main difference I found between their live performance and this album, in the first I was thrilled all the time, in the last only in some moments.

My interest returned with "El dique" because to my ears this is one of their best compositions. It is a blend of heavy prog with some jazz elements once again, but also with some psych nuances, so it is a bit different from the previous tracks. "Opus 14" is a cool track actually, here I like a lot the work of the strings (both, guitar and bass), mostly the guitar, I think there are moments where it sounds different from the other songs, they are not heavy, this time they have some kind of fast crimson-esque style, if you know what I mean. This is another highlight.

And the album finishes with "Venus" which is an 8-minute track that sums up what the music of Delta Red is about. So as I previously mentioned, if you like heavy instrumental prog then you will surely like this album, I like it, but not love it, and I think the band can actually deliver a more solid upcoming album, now with the use of synths. Hope I can see them live soon again, and hope to listen to their next works. My final grade will be 3 stars.

Enjoy it!

Coming from the prolific area of Querétaro, Delta Red is a power-trio that sure can emphasize strongly the power in the concept. In the later part of year 2009, Delta Red released this excellent album entitled "Gama De Espectros", an exhibition of inventive, eclectic heavy prog that includes noticeable doses of jazz-rock and fusion as well as psychedelic colors and math-rock cadences. Bozzio Levin Stevens, Rush, "Red"-era King Crimson and why not, Don Caballero, can be traced as particular references and influences for Delta Red in their road of musical self-discovery. The band's sound, while performed with finesse, bears a harsh quality that makes it closer to Tryo, AkinetónRetard or Arco Iris' rockier side than to Mar De Robles or Ergo Sum. The albump's first 12 minutes are occupied by the namesake track, largely based on an extended 5/4 jam. The whole sonic scheme rocks really hard although therte is also room for subtlety: the sense of urgency never gets too overwhelming, and in fact, there are some contemplative quieter passages that settle in at times to provide a reasonable variation. The first full stampide comes with 'Estampida', whose first half completes a combination of heavy and funk- oriented fusion. Its second half shifts toward languid moods. 'Segunda Premier', generally speaking, delivers a progressive ambition similar to that of the opener's, but the result turns out to be more electrifying and climatic. The links among the stronger and softer passages is extremely polished. The pairing of tracks 2 & 3 makes the first highlight of the album. 'Cuarto Oscuro' bears an abundantly texturial compositional framework, but the delivery is far from soft: its is powerful and austere, very Crimsonian - the guest bartione sax player happens to provide a major asset for this piece. 'Día Fuera Del Tiempo' and 'Opus 14' are two tracks that can be described as Rush-meets-King Crimson with slight touches of jazz-rock in the fold - two more highlights. 'Ciempiés' is a funky rocker whose patent fusion colors come to its definitive fruition in the tropical-oriented coda. 'El Dique' is more mysterious and austere, full of equally relevant elements of jazz-rock and psychedelia. The last 8+ minutes in teh album are filled by 'Venus', which is an integral manifestation of the sort of power and colorfulness that the band has been recreating continuously throughout the album: an appealing closure that closes down the full musical circle of "Gama De Espectros". Delta Red is a name to be noted down in all us prog collectors eager to keep in touch with the latest most interesting items of nowadays prog rock.