October Equus

Ángel Ontalva (guitar), Amanda Pazos Cosse (bass), Vasco Trilla (drums).

Another key player of “MuzEnergoTour 2014,” is guitarist Angel Ontalva who returned to the project in 2015 with several diverse ensembles. October Equus are often classified as progressive rock, although the specific views of the leader can guarantee that their music has enough space for free improvisation, post-modern decisions, and sometimes the interaction between musicians, almost close to the Baroque roots.

Critics find in October Equus references to famous works of giants – King Crimson, Gentle Giant, Univers Zero, Van Der Graaf Generator and so on. To deny the influence of this music to Antalva’s work would be simply absurd – after all, he belongs to a generation for whom these groups were the idols of youth and catalysts for creative development.

What distinguishes the Spanish group, besides the obviously original material? Firstly, Ontalva was always much closer to free improvisation than the average prog-rockers. Secondly, a Mediterranean flavor, sometimes manifested in October Equus’ music in the most unexpected ways. Thirdly, unconditional “darkness” of his music as almost all notice, the atmosphere of a medieval temple, where everything is subordinated to one idea and where joking is really inappropriate. In short, if it’s rock, it’s the rock of the highest intellectual level; if jazz, it’s really progressive and still far removed from the avant-garde entertainment and spontaneity.