Analysis. It is time to welcome the third Phideaux offering, "Chupacabras". Although the CD booklet says there are five musicians in the project's principal lineup now, only singer/multi-instrumentalist Phideaux Xavier is featured on all tracks, playing first violin throughout the recording. The other two really notable contributors are keyboardist Mark Sherkus and drummer Rich Hutchins. Female vocals and vocalizations are an important part of the music, but not on all eight tracks present, while the violin stands out only on the last one. Maybe, it is also featured on the title track, but inasmuch as this composition is rich in violoncello passages, it's hard to recognize whether the violin is part of the palette too (probably not though, unless there are places where both the instruments play in unison). Well, I'd better leave off talking about insignificant details. "Chupacabras" is the most progressive of the three Phideaux albums I've heard thus far and is the most diverse of them as well, the group's resource of fresh ideas seeming to be inexhaustible. The music is exceptionally original, no matter that there are moments that may evoke associations with some other bands. Okay opens the CD, and while this is the only piece that doesn't contain lyrics, the vocals as such are present here as well. They're done in the form of vocalization, a male voice being low-pitched in contrast with a female one, which is kind of angelic. The instrumental canvases are painted with delicate colors of organ, synthesizer, flute and guitar, so the overall picture appears to be symphonic and atmospheric, mysterious and beautiful all alike. While the group could hardly have placed any other piece as an intro to the album to better effect, the location of the 20+-minute Chupacabras, which follows Okay, seems to be less convincing. Not because it is traditionally accepted to conclude albums with lengthy epics, but that the title track is just much more intricate than any of the others, so the untried listener may meet problems with comprehending it and, thus, the entire material. Nonetheless the essence of the composition remains unchanged regardless of my personal vision of the album as a whole. This is a complex multi-layered construction, striking for its grandiose effect. Nominally the suite consists of seven parts, but in reality the number of different thematic sections is much larger. I am still unable to count even those that never repeat themselves, but what I can tell you for sure is that such are either free of singing at all or (much less often) feature wordless vocals. The instrumental arrangements are large-scaled in the concept's truest meaning, now developing intensely in the vein of symphonic Prog, now having a pronounced chamber Rock sound, now appearing as Classical-like movements or interludes. The purely acoustic textures (woven of patterns of piano, acoustic guitar, cello, flute, oboe and saxophone, at times in combination with drums) alternate with mixed and more 'electrified' ones built by electric guitar, bass, organ, Mellotron and some other synthesizers. The light shadows of Procol Harum, Alan Price, Genesis, Yes, Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin dissolve in the air as quickly and unexpectedly as they appear. Party follows the epic and is the last piece featuring the performance of guest chamber musicians, although the overall style tends to symphonic Space Rock somewhat common with that of Eloy in the early '80s. The largely instrumental Fortress of Sand starts off with the Mellotron-laden Classical prelude, while most of the consequent events are experiments with spacey-atmospheric textures. This is a unique thing, the band's sincere nostalgia for the '70s being the only factor making it sound somewhat familiar, which though is generally typical of Phideaux's work. I don't really know how to describe Sunburnt and Titan otherwise than by saying both are filled with magic and that they refer to psychedelic Space Rock, at least partly. Ruffian on the Stairs and Return of the Ruffian combine pronouncedly heavy and symphonic arrangements and are two of the most progressive songs in the set - along with the title track and Party. Some maneuvers are notable for their rapid tempo, and such remind me a bit of Sheer Heart Attack from Queen's "News of the World". Nevertheless, regardless of their belonging to one or another style, all compositions on this recording are highly impressive, each being touched by the wing of magic, though of course, it's above all thanks to the title track that I've rated "Chupacabras" as a masterpiece. I also appreciate Mr. Xavier's vocals on this album. He normally sings in a typically theatric fashion, yet in the way that doesn't remind me of anyone else's. Comparisons would be pointless here, particularly those with the manner's founder, Peter Gabriel. All in all, "Chupacabras" is one of the most successful recordings reproducing the spirit of the '70s I've ever heard, depicting its makers as a charismatic group whose musical universality is common to that of Pink Floyd or Queen, the bands that have bereaved the proverb "Tastes differ" of much of its meaning, at least with reference to Rock music's general audience.