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Singled Out: Leon Alvarado's Red Like Blood

11/18/2014
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Today Prog musician Leon Alvarado tells us about the song "Red Like Blood" from his brand new album "2014, Music From An Expanded Universe". Here is the story:

The idea behind many of my instrumental pieces is to take the listener through a musical adventure of sorts. Having that in mind, my music can often be broken in parts or movements. Red Like Blood being no exception, can be broken in three distinct parts or movements.

The first movement starts with an esoteric ambient sound that slowly keeps evolving as it creates a "floating" atmosphere, somewhat calming but mysterious.

The second part or movement of the song is pretty much a crescendo beginning with a faint Mellotron playing a series of repeating chords. Throughout the duration of the second movement, more instruments keep being added to the mix until it becomes a very powerful rocking piece. By the time the second part reaches its climatic end, there are dual drum kits and dual guitar solos going on all at once.

The guitar solos intertwine with one another whilst the two separate drum kits mimic each other creating a massive percussive background. There are many subtle complexities being played by Trey's masterful control of the Warr guitar that aren't usually caught by the listener during first hearing the piece. The bass line is absolutely brilliant and the solid drumming guide the crescendo to it's climatic point as a train with no breaks would.

The last movement brings the listener to the return of a calmer state. It is an array of soft keyboards landscapes with a sprinkling of very ethereal guitar sustains. A sort of "calm after the storm" closing section to balance the previous portion's hectic pace. It also completes the circle of the musical adventure by ending closer to how it began. The title for the instrumental is a sort of tongue-in-cheek reference to King Crimson's double trio era.

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself here and learn more about Leon right here!

Leon Alvarado Music, DVDs, Books and more

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