GREYFIELD

As the ratings show, the initial reception for this instrumental prog album was very warm. But unfortunately only two reviews ever appeared, and the artist's output withered after a digital single released in 2016. Greyfield was a one- man project of Fernardo Marín Vega from Southern Spain. If he plays all the instruments himself on this album, he's a truly gifted multi-instrumentalist! Keyboards, flute, guitars, bass, drums -- at least these are played to a very band-like effect.

Vega's musical influences include both classic symphonic prog acts such as ELP, Camel and Focus, and classical composers like Bela Bartók and Igor Stravinsky. You guessed, organ is central in the sound, but the flute as well, actually even more. The rhythm section is powerful, and both electric guitar and Spanish-type acoustic guitar are bringing some sonic variety. On one hand, mainly speaking of the organ and the flute, the sound is rather retro (late 60's, early 70's), but the use of electric guitar is pretty modern and approaches heavy/metal. Also the synth arsenal contains some modern approach. This dichotomy has its pros and cons.

Have to say, I am not as impressed by this album as I hoped to be. In the end the pieces sound rather the same mainly because the mellower sections are painfully scarse. Compositional variety is narrow, emphasizing on the energetic power. I'm not very much into the ELP sort of organ dominance, but most of all I'm disappointed with the flute. In general I love especially the delicate, soft sounds of this fine instrument (think of some Camel pieces), but here the flute is heard too constantly and often too high-pitched, so my ears get tired of it. The nearly 11-minute final piece 'Mediterranean Sonata' may be a highlight on its own, as a dynamic and meandering composition, but sonically it doesn't really stick out from the rest.