A FLYING FISH – El Pez Que Voló – ACT II

RELEASE YEAR: 2025
BAND URL: https://aflyingfish.bandcamp.com/album/el-pez-que-vol-act-ii

The previous full-length extravaganza by A Flying Fish appropriately titled El Pez Que Voló – ACT I was one of the prog rock highlights of 2023, so naturally, this recently released successor sporting a most fabulous artwork was highly welcome, and given the content and lyrical narrative of the album, I am forever grateful and indebted to Gymnocal Industries for handing me a copy of the masterpiece on CD as there is a lot to digest throughout – visually as well as musically, mind you. While I used the term prog rock, the truth is that A Flying Fish is akin to a mixture of prog, art rock, and avantgarde music, and for whatever strange reason El Pez Quo Voio – ACT II often makes me think of Queen at their most theatrical and dramatic. So, we are in for a real treat, as you can probably imagine. Carnivalesque? You got it!

There is a storyline, a concept, and an overall theme to this record, which goes back to what I said about being grateful for getting my hands on a physical copy of this musically eclectic and fearless piece of work. From absurd and humorous to eerie and spooky, the results presented on the disc are simply gorgeous in terms of sounding engaging and being intoxicating to listen to. The music twists, turns, and transforms into hitherto unknown shapes without ever losing the plot, and its otherness is outright unique. The crisp and warm production suits the organic and ever-evolving compositions splendidly, and none of the guest appearances appear superfluous in that they all seem to be onboard with main man Râhoola’s innovative visions and ideas.

The LP is a masterful exercise in making experimental prog that keeps the listener transfixed and invested from beginning to end, and the record continues (and builds on) the momentum of its predecessor. Completely bonkers and totally brilliant!