LOS OJOS VERDES

No ratings and reviews for Estygya from Barcelona, so here's my 'rehab' effort. They were another promising new Spanish prog band, along Senogul, Taifa, Albatros and Kotobel in those interesting Spanish progrock years between 2000 and 2010. Unfortunately it was over after one album, released in 2007.

On this debut album Estygya sounds very fresh and dynamic, most of the music in the 8 songs is rock-oriented (often Metallica and mid-Seventies Rush come to my mind), but it also delivers a lot of variety and a very tasteful colouring. From dreamy with wonderful strings and flute to bombastic with choir-Mellotron-like arrangements in Preludio. From orchestral keyboards with twanging guitar and warm Spanish vocals to a slow rhythm with theatrical vocals and again those majestic choir-Mellotron-like arrangements in La Fuente De Los Alamos Part I. And from dreamy with acoustic rhythm guitar and Floydian guitarwork to bombastic with howling electric guitar runs and sumptuous keyboards in La Fuente De Los Alamos Part III. The two epic compositions are loaded with moving and howling guitar runs and biting wah-wah drenched guitar solos and contain lots of interesting musical ideas like the parts featuring mellow organ and fat synthesizer flights in La Fuente De Los Alamos II (11.33) and swinging, Latin-American inspired piano and flute with acoustic rhythm guitar in the titletrack (19.42).

Due to this tasteful eclectic musical approach and the splendid guitarplay, Estygya succeed to keep my attention in every song. How sad Estygya turned out to be a one shot band. My rating: 3,5 stars.