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Chimp Spanner: At the Dream's Edge
Chimp Spanner At the Dream's Edge new music review

Chimp Spanner: At the Dream's Edge

Instrumental Progressive Rock/Metal
Rating: 4.5/5.0

Dumb name, great music. Those four words succinctly describe Paul Antonio Ortiz's second instrumental progressive release, At the Dream's Edge, under this moniker. Ortiz is a masterful musician who deftly blends a great variety of the genres and influences he loves into creative and entertaining arrangements. Working all instruments, this solo artist tracks down everything from ambient, industrial, classic heavy metal, prog rock, rock fusion and much more to weave solid arrangements. The music is clever, never redundant or repetitious as so much prog music can be. Heavy metal riffs coexist with some spry keyboard work on Far From Home and The Mirror. The whole rock and metal fusion is also quite impressive, even brilliant, on songs like Ghosts of the Golden City and the three part Terminus. But I think across all the songs, I appreciate Mr. Ortiz's fret skill the most; he usually uses an 7 or 8 string guitar, and he's quite good. Paul Antonio Ortiz is definitely on to a very good thing on At the Dream's Edge, and hopefully this will be his breakout work. Quite recommended.

In Short

Despite the goofy moniker, Paul Antonio Ortiz is a talented and ambitious multi-instrumentalist with an ear for great progressive music, which draws from varied and eclectic sources. At the Dream's Edge is a solid work, creative and highly entertaining.

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