HELIOTIANS

As every project from Dan Briton's mind, Delunge Grander is not exactly a walk in the park. It defiant the listener, emerges as a whole, a gargantuan monster with a life of its own almost in the vein of Gentle Giant's most bizarre works. A sort of misunderstood beauty like Cthulhu's. It grows in you. And as well as with gentle Giant, Delunge Grander is one of those modern acts in prog rock that's clearly underestimated by far. In only three epic tracks, Briton's lead us into his solar world.

Just as the first sunrise of the day, the album 'dawns' with 'Ulterior'in a sort of somber light; soft, almost too thin, but that quickly grows and expand into its own complexity, the bass line drawing the ground while the keyboards and guitars spreads the light all around and a silver voice tries to lead, although despair but beautiful. With slow pace as pinkfloydian as kingcrimsonian marks the whole ambience before it explodes onto symphonic and strenuous with a range of influences from the classic styles a la ELP and Camel to a vigorous Änglagård's style as well as themselves (as Birds & Buildings), fading into a dense acoustic resolution.

'Saruned' works as an interlude. Smooth, light and energetic crosses paths within Genesis and King Crimson, flooding as an announcement of the war ahead. It vibrates over metallic percussion and vocals of ethereal laments. From time to time flirts with a more "new age" sound. But then again, drums saved the day.

On a well too influenced modern (Phieaux, Echolyn, Ayreon...) trace line, 'Reverse Solarity' spreads a multicolored peacock tail, eye's brushed in Zappa's tune and timber. The flight of this bird runs intense in perpetual motion, building a well-orchestrated journey in six movements, merging each into the other's hesitations. For the most, the track is bear by a tireless drums running unsparing almost breathless yet subtle and generous in textures. As in 'Ulterior' the keyboards paints the light in watercolors and push guitars and bass into a more chromatic experience. Flutes and violins poke out here and there balancing the voices in a solid direction. And as in the first track, an acoustic conclusion plagued on classical symphonic shades among a metal-opera female voice, rises with the sun and warming hearts over lovely torrid clouds.

Dan Briton walks back into all his influences and develops a wide winged project that push himself onto another level without forgetting his own trademark of somber still luminous atmospheres. Even when the instrumentations are mostly in vein of the seventies groups, there's an indubitable force from the nowadays, which only enriches further more. There are so few albums in the latter days as symphonic and challenging like this one. Every good progger should give it a listen? or two.

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