NANGYALA

In 1999 Nangyala returned with a new mini-CD entitled, ''Born gifted/Paragon'', which was another self-production by the band.A couple of line-up shakes sees new lead singer Daniel Woltgens taking the place of Alex Armaos and Pieter Hanja feeling in the place of the departing Stefan van de Anker.

Following the line-up changes, there is also a refreshment regarding the style of the group, which is more focused and directed to Neo Prog grounds.''Born gifted'' was actually written by the already gone Alex Armaos, but the the track was destined to be sung by Woltgens, nicely indicating the new direction of Nangyala, which was a combination of Neo and Heavy Prog with monster, orchestral synthesizers and powerful electric guitars, accompanied by the pretty decent vocals of the new singer and reminding at the end the later-days ARENA.Very angular, dynamic and groovy stuff.''Paragon'' clocks at almost 13 minutes and here the band tries to fit its energetic and passionate Neo/Heavy Prog music with more refined and elaborate atmospheres, based on mellow, lyrical textures.The dramatic, instrumental middle-part with the bombastic synths and the crying guitar moves is absolutely great and the piece works well in this combination of alternating calm and pounding soundscapes.The third track of this mini-CD is just a radio version of ''Paragon'', cut in 4 minutes.

What appeared to be some decent potential in ''Spheres'' becomes reality with ''Born gifted/Paragon''.Nangyala focused on the Neo side of Progressive Rock and the result is absolutely satisfying.Recommended.

NANGYALA was a Durch prog band,evolving from PINK PROJECT,a company of twelve musicians,covering ''The wall'' and ''The dark side of the moon'' of PINK FLOYD in several big shows.Five out of the twelve mebers decided to form this new band,publicing their self-written material.''Spheres'' was their first work,a mini-CD around 30 minutes.

But unlike their PINK FLOYD related shows,which reputedly were quite fascinating,I cant say the same about their compositional abilities.''Spheres'' opens with a nice number,''Afraid'' is a modern psychedelic track with nice organ,good guitar work and bearable vocals.''No willy'' is a bit interesting,a quite Neo-Proggish instrumental track due to the decent guitar sound,while organ is again present.From now on the album heads to the downhill.''Satin Dress'' is a long mellow psychedelic cut with unbearable vocals,totally amateur in all its sides and fortunately forgettable.On ''As You Fly'' the band shows its metallic edge,the vocals are more than awful and the guitar riffing more than cliche.Skip this one too.The album closes with ''Brand new day'',an average track with an evident mid-70's FLOYD-ian aura,decent vocals this time,but trully far from the masters' sound. 10 minutes of decent music are not enough to enjoy this mini album and I think you will agree.''Spheres'' became more and more boring after each listening and thus,only Neo Prog and Psychedelic Rock collectors might enjoy it a bit.Not really recommended.

The climbing-rock on the picture of the front cover is at about a mile away from my home in the south of The Hague and I have seen this promising group many times. Nangyala was an interesting blend of musicians with varied musical backgrounds, from heavy metal and electronic to symphonic and rock. Before they turned into a Rush/Pink Floyd/Marillion inspired progrock formation, Nangyala released this debut CD. The five tracks sound pleasant and varied but you can hear that these musicians still had to mature in composing and were still searching for the formula. Nangyala reached the local television, performed in the Omniversum (a know tourist attraction in The Hague) but due to increasing musical disputes, they disbanded in 2000. I am still disappointed about that because Nangyala had a lot to offer. Rating 2,5.

www.progwalhalla.com

This mini-CD from the Dutch progrock band Nangyala turned out to be their swansong. After they disbanded, other rock bands from the Dutch residence The Hague (my hometown) that were touring in the same circuit like Di-rect and Kane got national recognition and are at this moment even on the brink of international success! If you listen to this mini-CD you will notice that Nangyala has more moved from progressive rock towards progressive pop. The first track "Solitude" starts with propulsive drum beats and sensitive electric guitarwork. Then many good musical ideas: electric piano and warm vocals, a heavy guitar outburst, spacey sounding synthesizers and a final part featuring a sensitive electric guitar solo, supported by soaring keyboards and dynamic drums. Next "Feelincognito" that delivers a beautiful romantic climate with emotional vocals, delicate Fender Rhodes electric piano and a dramatic build-up that culminates into howling electric guitar, lush organ and propulsive drums, very compelling! The third song is the titletrack, this is Nangyala at their best! First a twanging acoustic guitar, warm vocals and soaring keyboards, then a slow rhythm with a howling electric guitar solo. The music changes into a mid-tempo with expressive, slightly distorted vocals, very original to hear. The climate becomes more and more dynamic featuring fiery electric guitar, wonderful orchestral keyboards, sensational Minimoog-like flights, heavy guitar riffs, propulsive drumming and again that original singer with his emotional undertone. The final song is an single edit version of "Paragon" including changing climates, from twanging guitars and a strong drumbeat to a bombastic eruption featuring heavy electric guitarplay. It sounds less captivating than the original long version but I'm delighted about the dynamic and captivating sound. Nangyala plays on this mini-CD not in the traditional progrock tradition, it sounds more as a creative blend of pop, rock and symphonic. AN INTERESTING MINI-CD!

www.progwalhalla.com

To my huge surprise I noticed that Prog Archives has put the Dutch progrock band Nangyala on the site! Well, this an emotional experience for me because I've followed the band a long time, I've written many reviews about them in Dutch progrock magazines, the front cover picture from their debut-CD has been taken one mile from my home and their very talented guitarplayer Pieter Hanja became a friend of mine for some years! My CD single (a promo) includes the two tracks "Born gifted" (8.20) and "Paragon" (12.44). The first one is a compelling song featuring lots of changing climates, exciting guitarwork, powerful drums, very disctinctive vocals (with a pleasant emotional undertone) and sensational synthesizer flights. The other composition is Nangyala's finest moment and has been broadcasted (as the single version of "Paragon") on the local Dutch television TV West. It starts with a mid-tempo rhythm, wonderful strings, twanging guitarplay, bluesy vocals, suddenly interrupted by a bombastic break delivering a heavy guitar outburst. Then climates that changes from mellow to hevay metal featuring again great guitarplay by Pieter Hanja (he easily changes from sensitive to heavy metal). Halfway the atmosphere shifts to ominous featuring hypnotizing drum beats, soaring strings, whispering vocals and propulsive guitar riffs, VERY COMPELLING. The rhythm goes faster and faster featuring a splendid and very exciting duel between the howling guitar runs and sensational synthesizer runs, I'M PROUD TO BE DUTCH! In the final part the music slows down until it erupts and slows down again with a howling guitar and soaring keyboards. I had high expectations from this very promising Dutch progrock but due to musical disputes they disbanded a few years ago and until now, nobody has re-entered the progrock scene. I keep on waiting!

www.progwalhalla.com