Good Spanish prog-metal-Avalanch

Formed in Spain in the early 1990's and with a nice edgy hard/metal prog sound to them, Avalanch suffer from the same fate, stateside, that so many non-English speaking bands do, they are virtually unheard of. However, this is a pretty good selection of their stuff, although I am pretty sure not their entire catalogue....a bit hard to get info on them, other than what I already know, which is not all that much. Lets see how much we can piece together.

The first album (there were an earlier EP or 2 butI don't have) hit in 1997, "La Lama Eterna" and, at this point the band consisted of vocalist Juan Lozano, bassist Francisco Fidalgo, Drummer Fernando Arias, flute player (I don't know how to spell the "correct term" for it. Fuck you.) Fernando Arias, and guitar-whiz/multi instrumental/resident musical genius Alberto Riaondo, who would be the band's focal point throughout their run. The album is fair-to-good, somewhat Tull-tinged metal with fine Spanish language vocals (yes, as always, I'm a sucker for foreign language rock vocals, I know many Yanks don't share my enthusiasm)... Rocks out (and "progs-out") pretty good, the title track, "El Despertar" and the 12-minute "Avalanch" are good ones and I'd give this a solid 3-star rating. "Eternal Flame" is the English language version of this album, I listened once so I could attempt to learn a bit lyrically, but the English vocals just don't get it for me. If any of you prefer this, the English version, please inform me, it'd be interesting.

My favorite release is 1999's "Llanto De Un Heroe"......as far as I know they did not release an English version of this one, this a more complex, instrumentally/musically issue than before, and I think new vocalist Victor Garcia is maybe a small improvement.......this album sounds like it wants to be a "classic", and hell, maybe in Spain it is considered one.....of just always like this one, nice trippy/spacy, far less metallic......I just really do like this one.

"Dias de Gloria" is a good sounding live recording, in which the band shows in no uncertain terms that then can crank the amps up.......an fine and unknown live metal release from 2000. "El Angel Caido", from 2001 is about as good as "Llanto", returning to the earlier, more power rock sound and still keeping the cool proggy touches... listening this second as I type this to the metal throbber "Corazon Negro" as I type this, sounds perfectly good (I must point out the very good hard rock drumming on these albums, don't think I noticed it as much first time round back in the early 00's.

Changing course again in a more sometimes almost folk/prog, but still hard rocking (this band showed excellent growth along the way, some NEVER learn about the concept) was "Los Poetas han muerto"......still plenty of Riaondo's guitar antics and Garcia's vocal theatrics to keep it interesting to me.......not as good as "Llanto" or "La Lama", but if you've liked this up to now, this is certainly not disgrace. Perfectly good album. There is also (not sure if a "bonus disc" or seperate release" entitled "Los Petas no han muerto", a live set recorded in Madrid, again showing off these boys's considerable live rock n roll chops.

The next LP the guys delievered was 2004's "las Ruinades del eden", focusing back more on the band's hard-rock/metal side, lots of riffing and soloing and yelling, sounds perfectly respectable to me......."Juego Cruel" and "Lucero" are standouts, maybe, but this is another good effort from this criminally underappreciated rock band.

"Mother Earth" was another attempt to find a US audience with an English language version of "Los Poetas han muerto".....deosn't work for me, at all, and if the oppurtunity to hear these amigos take on U2's "Where the Streets have No Name", HERE is your big chance!

IN 2005, they released "El Hijo Prodigo", another quite good collection of guitar-driven riff rocking......perhaps it's my prejudice in favor of non-English vocals at time, but what exactly was these guys low point? Pretty good consistent hard rock career, better, than, say, Rush IMO.....(think that might start something? Darn wouldn't that be a shame)....."Papel Roto", -"Semilia Rencor", and "Le Cara Oculta De la Luna" stand out to me as perfectly serviceable hard rock tunes for an old hard rock guy like me.

"Un Paso Mias" is a good enough best of, with a few bonus tracks tacked on to keep it interesting... perhaps if you are not such a fan of non-English rock as I am, you may wish to start here.....this is good stuff here, a career that was a much better run, musically, than a lot of other bands get......the remind me, not in sound (obviously) but in just comparing the careers, somewhat, of Skyclad, folk/prog laced metal tunes that don't ever forget the metal.......-Skyclad of course always had brilliant lyrics, and I don't know about them here as I also prefer NOT to translate lyrics I can't get, but they sure SOUND good, and I bet more than one of you out there consider this something of a "find".......I hope so.

LA LLAMA ETERNA-01 La Llama Eterna/02 El Mudno Perdido/03 El Despertar/04 Vicio Letal/05 Esclavo de la ira/06 Avalon, la Morada del ray/07 Excalibur/08 Sigue Asi/09 Rainbow Warrior/10 Juego Cruel/11 La Taberna/12 Avalanch/13 El Cierre De la Taberna

ETERNAL FLAME-01 Eternal Flame/02 The Lost World/03 Awake/04 Lethal Vice/05 Slave of the Anger/06 Avalon, the King's Abode/07 Excalibur/08 Following/09 Rainbow Warrior/10 Cruel Game/11 The Tavern/12 Avalanch/13 Closing the tavern

LLANTO DE UN HEROE-01 Intro/02 Toruqumada/03 Por me Libertad/04 Pelayo/05 Vientos del sur/06 Polvo, Sudor y Sangre/07 Cid/08 Dias de Gloria?/09 No Pidas Que Crea En Ti/10 Cambaral/11 Aqui Estare/12 Llanto de un heroe

DIAS DE GLORIA-01 Intro/02 Torqumada/03 Por mi Libertad/04 El Despertar/05 Vicio letal/06 Vienos del Sur/07 Excalibur/08 Pelayo/09 I Want Out/10 Epilogo/11 Save Me

EL ANGEL CADO-01 Hacia la Luz/02 Tierra De Nadie/03 El Angel Caido/04 Xana/05 La Buena Nueva/06 Levantate Y Anda/07 Alam En Pena/08 Corazon Negro/09 Delirious de Grandeza/10 Antojo de un Dios/11 El Septimo Dia/12 las Ruinas Del Eden (Act 1)/13 Las Ruinas Del Eden (Act 2)/14 Las Ruinas Del Eden (Act 3)/15 Santa barbara

LOS POETAS HAN MUERTO-01 Lucero/02 Cien veces/03 Nino/04 Jamas/05 Alborado/06 El viejo Torreon/07 Del Cielo a la tierra/08 Los Poetas han Muerto/09 Madre Tierra/10 Ecos de vida

LOS PUETOS NO HAN MUERTO-01 Cien veces/02 Nono/03 jamas/04 El viejo Torreon/05 Interludio/06 Vientos del Sur/07 Lucero

LAS RUINADES DEL EDEN-01 Juego Cruel/02 Delirious de Grandeza/03 Xana/04 Lucero/05 Vientos del Sur/06 El Angel Ciado/07 El Viejo Torrieon/08 Corazon Negro/09 Pelayo/10 Leavantate y Anda/11 Antojo  de un Dios/12 Cambaral/13 Las Ruinades Del Eden

MOTHER EARTH-01 Lucero/02 One Hundred Times/03 Come To My Arms/04 No more Damage/05 Dawn/06 Old Fortress/07 Heaven and earth/08 Echos of a Life/09 Where the Streets Have No name

EL HIJO PRODIGO-01 Alas de Cristal/02 Semilla de Rencor/03 Aun Respiro/04 La Cara Oculta de la Luna/05 Tu Fuego En Mi/06 Papel Roto/07 mar de Lagrimas/08 Un paso mas/09 Lagrimas  Megras/10 El Hijo Prodigo

UN PASO MAS-01 Agora Non/02 Alas de Cristal/03 Nino/04 Antojo de un Dios/05 Delirios de Grandiza (Acoustic)/06 mar de lagrimas/07 Xana/08 Juego Cruel/09 Lucero/10 Cambaral (acoustic)/11 No more Damage/12 Where the Streets Have No name/13 El Principe feliz

So what do you think? I continue to try and deliver shit of the most varied nature, many don't know this troup, and they are BAD ASS, for fans of metal, prog rock, non-English language rock, etc......this is a bunch of good shit here, don't let it go by and notify me three years from now asking me to re-up them......