HAIZEA

Never had so much troubles making a review of a band as in the case of HAIZEA, especially for the really complex language that has absolutely no connection with Spanish and to be honest, almost with none I heard before, hard to get into it, but when you find the charm, it adds a bit of mystery to the already oneiric atmosphere.

It's also important to notice that this Basque band has a clear Folk sound with a few Prog elements, mostly Psyche, not fully Progressive but extremely beautiful, so may be a bit bland for extreme purists.

Despite the discussion among experts of the importance of Celtic inheritance in the Basque Country, is evident at the first listen of the self titled album that it's more than casual, even when mixed with Spanish elements, the classical pastoral sound of Medieval Celt is present in HAIZEA.

The album is soft and calmed, perfect for relaxation but without falling in the extremes of that bland hybrid called New Age, what is natural and inherited in HAIZEA members, is forced and artificial in New Age, this is why the band keeps the interest of the listener from start to end.

All the tracks are instrumental or with female vocals by the extraordinary Amaia Zubiría except Goizeko Euri Artean which is sung apparently by Xabier Lasa. The album flows gently from start to end not without interesting mixtures of Basque Folk elements a strong Celtic influence and a few Psychedelic passages that add more interest to an already good album.

Every track brings a surprise, but the biggest one comes in the closer Arrosa Xuriaren Azpian the only epic of the album which is practically two songs, the first half clearly Folk and the conclusion full of jamming and captivating sounds but without loosing the soft and dreamy atmosphere.

A good album for fans of STEELEYE SPAN or FAIRPORT CONVENTION, bands in which the Prog element is present but clearly the weight of the composition and the transcendence of the album is in the ethnic component.

As my first experience with the band I rate it with 3 solid stars, that should be 3.5, but the system has it's limits.