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Phaedrus — Pleiades Suite
(Bandcamp Vessence Experimental no#, 2026, CD / DL)

by Peter Thelen, Published 2026-06-18

Pleiades Suite Cover art

Phaedrus is a project involving two members of Kotebel (Cesar G. Forero on guitars, bass, keyboards, and  clarinet, and Carlos G.Plaza on keyboards, bass, and drums) and Victor Rodriguez of October Equus (keyboards, sonic landscapes, and digital orchestral production), and while Pleiades Suite is officially Phaedrus’ debut release, some earlier material recorded between 2016 and 2018 has now been released as Triptych. The seven tracks on Pleiades Suite offer a musical representation of the seven goddesses associated with the most prominent stars in the Pleiades cluster. At this point, their music is an entirely instrumental, and very ambitions take in the style of classic symphonic progressive rock, each piece tending to be a mini-epic of sorts, with complex multi-part structures and arrangements featuring guitars, bass, multiple keyboards, woodwinds and drums. Most of  the pieces here clock in between six and ten minutes, but have enough changes and switchbacks to make them seem much longer than they actually are; the opener “Merope” which approaches the eleven minute mark is exemplary, with so many distinct parts that rarely seem to repeat, each section opening a new portal to something yet unheard, though every turn offers a classic move that never fails to impress. Like their respective bands, and Rodriguez’ solo album Fragmentos de la Torre, which we reviewed last year, there is never a shortage of interesting turns and complexities that carry an abundance of powerful emotions and adventurous compositional brilliance. Each of the three members get their share of the compositions, which taken together offer nearly an hour of music, most of which is tightly arranged with only occasional room for soloing, but when solos are presented they are always tasty and match the spirit of the piece. Having listened to this well over half a dozen times, I’m still no closer to being able to predict what’s coming round the next turn, which is a good sign, at least when it comes to the progressive rock idiom.

Filed under: New releases, 2026 releases

Related artist(s): Victor Rodriguez, Phaedrus

More info
http://vessence-e.bandcamp.com/album/pleiades-suite

 

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