(Progressive Metal) Pyramid - Gaudi's Legacy - 2002, MP3, 320 kbps

"The name Pyramid may not mean much to most of you, but the Spanish five-piece band are high-fliers in the European prog metal scene and this is their third album. Their last tours saw them support the likes of Gamma Ray and Symphony X. 'Gaudi's Legacy' is their first album to feature guitarist Santi Leal, whose Petrucci-esque chops give the band some severe clout. This is particularly evident on the album's second number 'Sons of Gaudi', with its eastern feel and absolutely huge solos. Its mid-section should appeal to those listeners who like old fashioned rock, as its twin lead would be one to make Dave Murray and Adrian Smith very proud."

"The Songs
Pyramid are definitely subscribers to the old philosophy 'you can't fix what ain't broken' as this is very much in the Dream Theater by numbers vein, although that's not really a complaint, as it's something the band obviously do very well. That said, there are one or two surprises here. The lounge jazz intro to 'Sister Sona' caught me completely off guard. It seems completely out of step with the rest of the album, being more like something Lanny Cordola might play during one of his forays into jazz and the neo-classical approach during the intro to 'The Guell's Dragons' made me think of early Tony McAlpine outings.

In Summary
To be fair, there's very little else for me to say here. This is prog-metal, very well played. If you have a liking for some of the really heavy bands like Symphony X, this one's definitely for you."

Tony Vallés-Batlle - guitar
Manu González - bass
Roger Guàrdia - drums
Javier Céspedes - vocals
Santi Leal - guitar, keyboards