TRIANA (EL PATIO)

I have heard a lot of positive things about this band and I thought it was about time to invest some of money in this band. What I got was very different from what I am used to. This review is therefore done by a novice in Spanish prog rock. Please understand.

Triana is described as a mix of flamenco and progressive rock. That's spot on. But I do not know which prog rock band they can be compared to. Triana operates in an universe totally unknown to me. They are also very different from any Italian prog rock bands, as far as I know.

The first thing I notice is the flamenco guitars and the hand-clapping. Strange stuff...... Then I notice the haunting vocals in Spanish, followed by more traditional prog rock instruments like moog, electric guitars and piano. The result is really haunting songs with a symphonic prog rock. None of the songs are particular complex and offers any big surprises. Although a song like Sé de un Lugar is really symphonic and is a perfect blend of moog drenched prog and flamenco. That is a superb song. I also like Luminosa Mañana with it's guitar solo. The rest of the album is good too. It is just an unknown entity to me; Triana's universe. And I really enjoy myself in their universe. It is so good to go to Prog Archive, read some reviews and decide to purchase a couple of albums based on curiosity on my curiosity and urge to learn more about progressive rock. That's called the joy of life and this album has supplied me with plenty of that.

This is only 3.75 stars because I am not able to fully grasp what Triana is doing. I guess I, God willing, will spend some years on this album and this band.

I recommend anyone into symphonic rock to check out this band.