The band 17 Pygmies has of course been featured here before with their Celestina Trilogy. And now they have come up with the sequel to that, and if you guessed Isabel trilogy, of which this is disc 1, you are right. Even the song names follow the same route, with songs Isabel I to Isabel XI. Only exception is track 12, which is called Kyrie.
Another familiar touch is the stunning housing of the disk. The cover photo on the left does not do it justice. It is handmade, protecting a staggering 36 page booklet that tells the first part of the story. The quality you hold in your hands, easily translates to the music, as it is very emotional.
If you ever find yourself in need of some music to calm down to, then I strongly suggest listening to an album like this. Just the opening minutes of Isabel I are probably all you need to regain yourself… Just some clean guitar tones picked with calm confidence before a violin kicks in and takes lead. Beautiful music, simple, but oh so effective. Overall I noticed that this album is very peaceful, even the vocal tracks. So even if this is labelled as progressive rock, I think people that are into ambient / new age, will like this very much as well.
So another round of applause to Jackson Del Rey, Meg Maryatt, Dirk Doucette and Jeff Brenneman and their cast of guests. This grabs you by the throat and sends shivers down the spine. Chilling!
