DIALETO

PANDELIRIUM is the latest release which comes out a whopping seven years after "Bartók in Rock" emerged in 2017. Why the long delay? Well the pandemic of 2020 of course. And Coehlo did something that i have never heard anyone else doing and that is documenting his entire bout with covid-19 and all the horrors of experiencing it full on and the recovery process. Yeah, many may have narrated the state of the world during those unfortunate days but as far as i've experienced, no one has put their personal experiences of actually suffering the condition and putting the whole process to music. That is not only a novel idea but fairly unique. Does it make a compelling topic for a musical experience though? Well, why not?!! So many other lesser topics have been covered and after all, the entire event affected the entire world.

The new DIALETO features same lineup as the last album which includes Coelho (guitars, digital instruments), Garbriel Costa (bass) and Fred Barley (drums). PANDELIRIUM is basically a musical medical report about covid-19 and Coelho's experience of contracting the disease, the hospitalization process and the very long recovery process. Apparently there is an accompanying book with written and illustrations that was created by Nelson Coelho with the music soundtrack covered by DIALETO. Now that's original! While the album is in the English language being from Brazil there will be an ebook in the Portuguese language as well. However don't worry about the depressing theme. The lyrics aren't very prevalent. This is mostly an instrumental progressive rock with spoken lyrics that are sort of whispered and not very comprehensible at that.

In the past DIALETO has tackled everything from avant-prog and jazz fusion to heavier prog styles. ON PANDELIRIUM the opening track "The Long Way" starts out as space rock but then towards the end of the nearly 9-minute track becomes a heavier rocker with strong contrapuntal keyboard stabs syncopated with a feisty guitar soloing process. "The Great Geodesic Hall" on the other hand starts with a groovy bass line on slo-mo with a strange slightly off-kilter piano roll accompanying. Then some sort of digitalized sound that joins in. More whispered vocals. Strange chromatic scales. This is wild! The band has a unique way of mixing the avant-prog angularity with outbursts of heavy prog and jazz fusion. They sort of alternate but sort of also connect very logically. Gotta love the cool bass playing. It sounds either fretless or the strings are bent in strange ways. Either way, love it!

"The Long Way Back" is a very relaxed track and perfectly symbolized the painfully slow nature of recovering from anything of major discomfort. It offers something of a lazy atmosphere and a very relaxed bass groove with sensual guitar notes slowly crafting a depressive counterpoint. The feel of anguish, despair and complete exhaustion is conveyed very effectively. But then it explodes into a heavy rock frenzy! Well at least for a few seconds. That was basically the cue to slow down again and let the drums join in. Pretty clever track. "Waiting For Numbers" is more upbeat but offers some starting guitar moves and sort of a dissonant boogie of sort. The bass groove and the guitars are out of sync melodically but rhythmically together. Sort of a no wave move? Then it becomes totally mellow thus the art of DIALETO's unique approach of crafting startling contrasts that connect logically but offer thrilling excursions from the norm.

And thankfully the closing "Back Home" is a cheerful uplifting mix of jazz rock that starts off slow and incrementally gains its strength until the track is a feisty totally recovered entity! Overall this is a cool album that through music narrates the whole covid patient scenario from beginning to end. This concept album works quite well and the music really does indicate the emotions of each stage of the process. DIALETO has always had its own very unique sound and on PANDELIRIUM seems to take it to another level by unifying its signature idiosyncrasies with a concept that is usually not too cheery. It's a topic everyone can relate to but i can't think of another artist who has put it to music! Very original, very creative and a big kudos for all the excellent musicianship of this power trio that displays an excellent sense of interplay as each musician takes his retrospective instrumentation into its own world which results in a very bizarre but satisfying sum of the parts.

On DIALETO's previous studio album I lamented that David Cross was only on one track, well he's on stage with this trio playing on nine of the thirteen tracks. The music of DIALETO here is from their previous album "Bartok In Rock" while the final five songs include four songs from KING CRIMSON and one from a David Cross solo album. So some covers.

The KING CRIMSON songs are awesome and Coelho uses his mellotron guitar on "Starless". This is a powerful band and the vocals sound so authentic too like John Wetton is singing. There is some serious angular guitar on "Talking Drum". Of the band's songs these are "rock" interpretations of Bela Bartok's music, the Hungarian composer and I do like these better than the ones on the studio album.

This is a very strong album and well worth the 4 stars.

In 2017 Dialeto created a wonderful album entitled 'Bart'k in Rock', in which they rearranged several pieces of this legendary composer and morphed them with rock. That same year the band went on tour to promote the album, and in some shows another legendary musician, former King Crimson member David Cross, joined them so together they gave the audience an intimate and ecstatic experience in which the band offered the previously mentioned Bart'k songs, along with some Crimson tunes.

The Brazilian trio opened the show with 4 Bart'k pieces. 'Roumanian Folk Dances 3' is the first and here they bring a somber atmosphere, which curiously has some crimsonian nuances, to my ears. Later it becomes like a doom terror score. Interesting. 'Roumanian Folk Dances 2' has some 30 hesitant seconds and then the music morphs to that rock realm it now belongs. The faster it gets the more interesting, a nice rendition to Bart'k, without a doubt. 'Roumanian Folk Dances 4' is the longest of this Roumanian pieces. Once again there are some soft introductory seconds and then a change. Nice rhythm with bass and drums while guitar plays the notes we will remember.

Dialeto alone continue with 'Mikrokosmos 149', soft bass lines and jazzy drums soon to be complemented by guitar. The sound is catchy, addictive. A very nice adaptation that might in fact be one of my favorite moments in this concert. Then when 'Mikrokosmos 113' is about to be performed, David Cross joins the band and the rest of the concert is made by a quartet. It is evident that the addition of a violin creates a richer sound and can change the atmospheres in a very positive way. The bass lines here are as addictive as the previous track, but now violin and guitar make a perfect duo while unstoppable drums give the energy and even tension the band and audience need. 'Mikrokosmos 78' is the longest of the Bart'k arrangements. It has a somber feeling in the first minutes, Cross is an expert of doing that in the first parts of the songs. After three minutes Dialeto enter and the direction of the piece changes, no more dark atmospheres there, now we can listen to even some gypsy-like nuances along with the evident rock that is inherent in the sound. It progresses and gives us a pretty nice experience.

'An Evening in the Village' and 'The Young Bride' are the last two Bart'k pieces performed in this show. The first one has an interesting rock sound but with a kind of Western sound, maybe produced by the drummer. The second one is much more interesting to my ears, mid-tempo with some guitar explosions and a clear prog rock sound which remind me a bit of Crimson (again) and also After Crying.

Now the second part of the concert is the tribute to King Crimson, or to the same David Cross. The first track performed is the disarming 'Exiles', Dialeto and Cross added some electronic atmospheres that probably worked as hypnotics, and after 3 minutes the heavy part begins so then we can notice this is actually Exiles and not an improvisation. The arrangements by Dialeto are very good, so it is not a simple copycat, is a well-arranged cover that gives us 10 minutes of great music. In fact, the vocal work is also wonderful. Then 'Tonk' was performed, this is not a Crimson tune but one from David Cross' solo catalogue. A short but vibrant piece that originally has the collaboration of Fripp and Hammill, but here Dialeto put their original grain of sand.

Two of the most iconic moments of Cross in KC come next: 'The Talking Drum' and 'Larks Tongues in Aspic Pt. II', as you can imagine, the moments of tension, doubt and power are shared, but with some little different adaptations made by Dialeto. The concert finishes with the mighty 'Starless', sung by Fred Barley in a great form. A piece that belongs to heaven, an extraordinary anthem of progressive rock in which David Cross participated, and now executed with a trio of very talented musicians.

A great concert, to say the least!

Cross is a very busy musician, but one hopes that he sticks around for more gigs and recording with the trio, as they all blend their skills so very well together, to create an album that is exciting, invigorating, and just bloody great fun to listen to. The interaction between all four is incredible, as they extend and move away from songs and take them into new areas. The first eight songs are by Diaelto, and then we have four from King Crimson and one from David's own band. 'Starless' is instantly recognisable, and gets a reaction from the crowd; it is the perfect way to close out the concert (with drummer Fred Bayley showing that he is a fine singer, and it is a choice for the band to be instrumental as opposed to lack of skill). But before then everyone has been treated to an amazing concert, with four great musicians bouncing ideas off each other, allowing the music to take them where it needs to go. Dialeto have been building quite a reputation, and deservedly so, and hopefully this work with Cross will see them being recognised by a far wider audience, as it is certainly deserved.

"Mikrokosmos 113" opens with that violin slicing away as rumbling drums then a full sound kick in. Suddenly it's bass and drums only then the violin returns. Themes are repeated. I like the guitar before 3 minutes. A nice energetic opener. "Mikrokosmos 149" opens with bass and drums as the guitar joins in. I like the tone of it but that will change.

"An Evening In The Village" has some interesting sounds to start which are somewhat experimental before it kicks in after a minute. It ends like it began. "Roumanian Folk Dances" is divided into six parts ending with a catchy number. Not big on this suite but there is some variety and I like some of it. "The Young Bride" ends it. It sort of trips along and I keep thinking it's going to break out and we do get a heavier sound eventually.

This just doesn't do much for me sadly despite some stellar moments. Again you should check out that opening track with David Cross on it.

What we have here is the latest release from Brazilian trio Dialeto, whose last album 'The Last Tribe' was excellent. I was a little surprised that it has taken four years for them to come back with the follow-up, but that may have something to do with the fact that only guitarist Nelson Coelho was in the band last time around. He has now been joined by drummer Fred Barley and bassist Gabriel Costa, which makes them more how they used to sound, as for the last album the bassist had been replaced by touch guitar. This album is an attempt by Dialeto to take compositions by Béla Bartók and then move them into their own genre, with lots of improvisation. Bartók is considered to be one of the most important Hungarian composers of the last century, and through his collection and analytical study of folk music, he was one of the founders of comparative musicology, which later became ethnomusicology.

With six of the ten songs named Roumanian Folk Dances it isn't hard to see where the music originally stemmed from, but here it has been taken to new levels as jazz fusion and progressive rock takes this as a base and then moves it into quite new areas. The whole album is fresh, exciting and interesting, taking the listener through many twists and turns, and by the end I found myself thinking that I loved this so much that I really ought to discover the originals and see just what Dialeto had done to them to transform them into this modern style of music. David Cross makes an appearance on the first number, and my only wish was that he had could have stayed for the complete album as he had so much impact, but as it is this really is an album to savour.

"Windmaster" has become one of my favourite. Talk about a feel-good tune that features some killer distorted guitar leads. "Dorian Grey" has this ground-shaking bass to start before the drums then guitar join in. A tune that takes it's time yet is all of that. Man these guys would be great to see live. "The Last Tribe" is the title track of course but also the shortest song on here at just under 2 minutes. This picks up quickly and is quite catchy. "Lydia In The Playground" is a relaxing track but there are some outbursts that provide some cool contrasts. Some beautiful guitar on this one. "Unimpossible" is the longest song at just under 8 minutes. It does as Ivan mentions in his review sound like Santana early on, mostly the guitar tone in my opinion. It starts to build after 2 minutes until they are ripping it up.

"Tarde Demais" really reminds me of IRON MAIDEN for about a minute and it's again the guitar tone as he solos in a relaxed manner before it changes. Such a calming, laid back track. "Vintitreis" opens with what sounds like vibes as bass joins in then takes over before it kicks in. Love the sound of the guitar on this one. Great tune. "Whereisit" opens with some guitar that has character as the bass rumbles and the drums pound. Cool stuff right here. One of the heavier tunes. "Sand Horses" is complex and building. Check out the bass ! The guitar starts to solo before 1 1/2 minutes than it's the bass' turn. "Chromaterius" is intricate to start as this atmosphere rolls in like a fog. It kicks in hard just before 2 minutes. Nice.

Well worth checking out if your into the all-instrumental thing.

Dialeto appears to have settled into a well defined sound as of 2013, utilizing a fairly vast canvas to craft their own brand of harder edged, instrumental progressive rock. Economic, sparse and effective on one hand yet richly layered with plentiful of details on the other, they merrily wander wherever they want to go, to the enjoyment of listeners with a taste for easily accessible music and challenging escapades both. A CD that should appeal to fans of progressive rock looking for something subtly different and occasionally demanding, especially those amongst that crowd who prefer their music to be of the instrumental variety.

1. "Windmaster" (6:26) opens the album with a nice series of notes from a guitar (though possibly it is the Touch Guitar) before the bass lines, drums, and pedal-volume-controlled lead guitar notes (though, again, it could be the pedal-controlled volume of the treble side of the Touch Guitar, if it has the double pickup plugs like my Chapman Stick had) all join in. At 1:50 the lead guitarist goes into a heavy solo--which lasts pretty much the full length of the song's remainder. Every time I hear this song I find myself wondering, "Is this going to be a Post Rock/Math Rock album?" (8/10)

2. "Dorian Grey" (4:27) Nothing too complicated but strong, catchy riffs and melodies. The competent classic rock guitar solo is right where it should be. (9/10)

3. "The Last Tribe" (1:56) the title song, brief as it is, starts off just like a varied version of song 6, "Tarde Demias," before falling into martial pace to support another, albeit nice extended solo from the lead guitarist (this one having a second background lead shadowing it.) (7/10)

4. "Lydia in The Playground" (5:20) poor sound recording (scratchy) on first lead guitar. Second lead is nice, great sound. Third lead is also nicely played, recorded well. Rolling "Fretless-like" bass throughout is ear-catching. (8/10)

5. "Unimpossible" (7:46) opens ploddingly, as if unsure what pace and style it wants to play--before settling into a very classic blues style. The effect is rather unsettling as it doesn't really work very well---too late-night lounge like. Even when the drums join in and things get raunchy and the bass-line gets very interesting the song just never seems to get there. Not until the 6:35 mark does the guitarist finally deliver us from the hell of mediocrity. (7/10)

6. "Tarde Demias" (3:40) uses some echoing effects to very positive effect, and also uses several very catchy melody lines (bass and lead guitar). At 1:24 lead guitarist Nelson Coelho takes off on one of his solos, leaving the rest of the band to fend for themselves, which, again, they do not do so well. The solo is good. The band comes back together for a nice finish. (8/10)

7. "Vintitrels" (4:19) by now the blues rock format is overstaying its welcome. The music's stark, sparsely treated sound is getting a bit old and grating. The drummer always seems to be following someone else, the bass (Touch Guitar) player is having trouble keeping time (let's face it: he's no metronome, and by now we've discovered: he's no Tony Levin. As a former Stick player, I can say that there is very little here that impresses me.) and the guitarist often seems to wander off into his own world. (As a matter of fact, perhaps each of the three instrumentalists can be accused of being guilty of such.) (7/10)

8. "Where Is It" (5:11) is perhaps the tightest, most Crimson-esque song on the album, which is a nice change and, by now, surprise. Lots of whole-group staccato rhythm and chord playing. The lead guitar solo beginning at the 3:35 mark is also one of his better soli--though, once again, as Nelson goes off into his own zone it seems that the rest of the band fragments and threatens to disintegrate. Fortunately, they come back together for the final 20 seconds. (9/10)

9. "Sand Horses" (4:07) finds the band travelling back again into classic rock time for some standard bass-drums & guitar jamming. Not quite Hendrix or Stevie Ray. (7/10)

10. "Chromaterius" (3:42) uses its first two minutes to let Jorge show us a little of his two handed Touch guitar skill. Dueling a little with Nelson makes it a little interesting, until the music switches over to a very heavy, very lumbering rhythm section--though this section contains what is easily the most impressive drumming and guitar playing on the album. (8/10)

Favorite songs: "Whereisit," "Dorian Grey," and "Windmaster.

Though the album has grown on me considerably upon repeated listens (the mistakes are less glaring/bothersome and more accepted as part of the musical presentation), The Last Tribe is, for me, a 3.5 star album, rated down for sometimes poor recording, for the band members' timing inconsistencies, their breakdowns in 'group weave', and for their occasional lapses into each their own separate universes.

So, with an instrumental trio it isn't unusual for there to be plenty of jazz structures and tendencies, and that is indeed the case. But, there are times when these guys move from 13/8 into standard 4/4 without missing a beat and all of a sudden we have shredders that are moving the music in a very different direction indeed. It is slow, it is reflective, it is hard, it is in your face. Miguel is the one person attempting very hard to keep the others in line, as Jorge is not adverse to providing a secondary lead line, very different to what one would expect to a 'normal' bassist (although he can also hunker down when the time is right). But Nelson is a real star, with a wonderfully fluid touch that is reminiscent of the great Allan Holdsworth, yet often much more in the face in the style of Satriani.

This album could only ever be described as progressive, yet there are only the three instruments on show, which just goes to show what can be delivered by those who have totally mastery and understanding of what they need to achieve. This may be their third album in recent years, but the first to get a full international release, and I know that we are going to hear a great deal more from these guys. Just stunning. www.moonjune.com