Phideaux
„Chupacabras“
Progressive, Psychedelic Rock. CD 2005

When a "recycling of leftovers" is as successful as this album by inspirational monstrosity Phideaux Xavier, the term is meant positively. Phideaux says these songs were discovered by him. Makes sense in a mental phase space where all the songs that were, are and will be.

Everything that didn't make it onto the last two albums was reworked by the "virtual" band Phideaux. The long-player "Chupacabras," in particular, has a progressive and psychedelic feel. The rest of the songs are diverse. The typical lineup is on board:

Phideaux Xavier: guitar, bass, keyboards, vocals
Richard Hutchins: drums, percussion
Ariel Farber: violin, vocals
Valerie Gracious: vocals
Gabriel Moffat: dobro, synthesizer, textures, protools
Mark Sherkus: keyboards

Guest- Musicians
Stefanie Fife: cello
Biker HelFrostt: flutes, oboe, soprano saxophone
Devon Moffat, Kelci Moffat Sydney Moffat: additional vocals

It starts with the short opener "Okay" with a garbled choir, which then segues into the 20-minute-long epic super song "Chupacabras". Here, Phideaux and his friends fire off a firework of rock, art, folk, psychedelic, and prog that never gets boring. Highlight and heart of the album? Definitely. "Party" surprises with wavy 80s vibes and witty lyrics. Male and female voices alternate. Highlight? The whole album is a highlight. "Fortress Of Sand" segues instrumentally into the punk-prog piece "Ruffian On the Stairs," which then merges into the psychedelic song "Sunburnt." This interlude ends with "Return Of The Ruffian," and the closer "Titan" gives all once again. Valerie Gracious takes on the female vocals here.

The production is flawless, with all the instruments and vocals coming across beautifully. Phideaux and his musicians have created a firework display that will delight all fans of intelligent and melodic progressive music. Highly recommended!

Fiendish 2003
Ghost Story 2004
Chupacabras 2005
313 2005
The Great Leap 2006
Doomsday Afternoon 2007
Number Seven 2009
Snowtorch 2011
Infernal 2018

The photos are all from my CD. The rights to all motifs, logos, texts and fonts that can be seen in the photos are of course owned by the copyright holder.