EL CIELO

Dredg

Crossover Prog

4.10 | 279 ratings

From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website

It's hard for me to find real prog masterpieces released by contemporary bands but El Cielo is one of these modern jewels that any prog fan has to add to their collectios.

This conceptual album is a real musical journey from beautiful piano floating songs like Brushstroke: Walk in the Park to mini-apics like Canyon Behind Her. Intelligent and mature every composition is very tight and solid, dominated by guitars, the beautiful voice of Gavin Hayes and cryptic poetical lyrics. The album has many musical elements mixed to create 16 beautiful songs: from pop to hard rock, from spacy and almost psychedelic sections to melodic and catchy rhythms. Sometimes many sections doesn't sounds as classic prog and that's one of the most interesting things about Dredg and his particular style.

A slow and minimalist intro is the first step into this fantastic world full of changes and different styles. From the catchy drum rhythm and the melancholic guitar sections of "Same Ol' Road" to the nostalgic of "Sanzen", a sad song with heavy guitar riffs but still floating and proggy. "Triangle", "Of the Room" and "Eighteen People Living in Harmony" are two songs full of changes (the heavy parts reminds some Anekdoten tracks) and maybe the most attractive compositions of the album cos the almost post-rock guitar sections and the subsequent and surprising changes. "Sorry But It's Over" is a awsome song, maybe the most heavy of the album cos the guitar riffs and the complex drum rhythmical base. "Convalescent" is another great song closer to some brit pop cannons but still powerful and again, full of powerful heavy guitar sections. Brushstroke: Walk in the Park is a delicate but short piano piece really amazing. "It Only Took a Day" is heavy and closer to some things they made on their first EP "Orph", I mean, a song with similarities with the best things made by System of a Dawn. "Whoa Is Me" and "Canyon Behind Her". This last song is a beautiful mini epic with great keyboards at the end and the best GAvin Haye vocal performance of the album. A prog delicatessen!

I have to recognize that I was devastated by El Cielo. A modern masterpiece which deserves all the attention of prog fans. 4.5*

progadicto | 5/5 | 2007-10-11

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