Spanish project KANT FREUD KAFKA is the creative vehicle of composer and musician Javi Herrera, who operates out of Barcelona. ” No Tengas Miedo” is the debut album by this venture, and was self released in 2014.
I understand that this project has been in the works for quite some time, and that the initial versions of the music on this album actually came to be some 30 odd years ago, and that the material have slowly developed over time into the album that saw it’s release in 2014 with recordings done over an elongated period of time. Which probably explains why this album comes across as so well developed and coherent throughout: My impression is that this is the work of a critical creator that have steadily worked to improve all aspects of the material.
As for the music itself, it will by and large go down as a symphonic progressive rock production in my book. It’s not a case of this being a typical venture of this kind however, but more a case of this being the genre description that is the most fitting for the end result here.
What we are dealing with here is an album that moves rather freely between multiple genres as a matter of fact, and where the compositions might as well have been written as classical music suites expanded to become progressive rock as they might be progressive rock excursions expanded into the realms of classical music.
Typically the compositions on this album will move freely between multiple styles with, say, an orchestral opening sporting acoustic and digitized instruments, smoothly seguing over to a more delicate passage that then expands into a more typical jazzrock oriented sound, which gradually opens and blooms into a more typical symphonic progressive rock creation, at times also venturing into more of a classic hard rock sound, and then gradually moves the other way again, concluding with a classical or orchestral feature of a comparable nature as the one that opened the composition.
Other varieties of developments are present here as well, but just about all of them covers the main bases outlined above. The classical sections may be a single piano, delicate chamber music material or more majestic classical symphonic music, the jazzrock sections tends to be smooth, elegant, and occasionally with a funky presence by way of the guitar. When venturing into symphonic progressive rock territories there is a slight tendency to stick to a sound and mood comparable with Camel, but occasionally these will also be rather more dramatic in scope and execution, with bands like Genesis and ELP also given planned or accidental nods along the way.
The end result is an album that should be a delightful experience for those who have a soft spot and strong affection for symphonic progressive rock. A certain taste for both jazzrock and classical music will be warranted, but most of all this is a production that should interest the progressive rock crowd, and arguably those who tend to appreciate bands similar to Camel most of all.
My rating: 80/100
