The Gray Stones of Escalia (Galadriel, 1992)

This is not the only track from Spanish band Galadriel in my blog, so you can devine my opinion about their music. Yes, I like those musicians very much and their misty, delicate still full-bodied kind of progressive rock. "The Gray Stones of Escalia" comes from the album "Chasing The Dragonfly" and features all the main influences Galadriel gathered and re-worked with care and passion. This long epic (a suite? Something like that...) starts under an atmospheric and Jon Anderson-like star, thanks to Jesús Filardi's vocals and to the sophisticated vocal harmonies the band conjures up, but even so there's an original acoustic approach backed with spacey and Floydian accents.

"Chasing The Dragonfly" was the second studio work by Galadriel.

The track gradually grows up in rythm and energy, and the electric guitars get more and more important. A series of orchestral effects ends up this crescendo and then, here you are an unpredictable lyrical section, kind of a magic and intense lied, something inner and even experimental, leaving a melancholy smell and a sweet taste.The finale, of course, changes all once again and goes rock. Listen to this, my friends...

To Die in Avalon (Galadriel, 1988)

I've rarely listened to a more sophisticated prog song than this one. Full on shadows and light flashes, it's a classically inspired 10 minutes track taken from "Muttered Promises from An Ageless Pond", Galadriel's debut album. The piano and the vocals are the main characters of this musical romance, but the whole band is there to charm and disquiet the listener. Nothing is trivial in "To Die in Avalon" (maybe just the title is...), certainly not the slightly dissonant piano solo, nor the mystical sung sections.

The cover art is as liquid and disquieting as the music inside.

Definitely, this Spanish fivesome try to create something new. And this is not a minor virtue and surely it wasn't during the '80s. This music is like a spiritual wave, coming in and out from a distant sea. Galadriel succeed in being both innovative and pleasant, uncompromising and never boring. If you feel like exploring the inner side of yourself, you might try this...