Dialeto - Bartok In Rock

The late great Hunter S. Thompson of Gonzo Journalism, who wrote Hell’s Angels, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail ’72, once said about music is “Music has always been a matter of energy to me, a question of fuel. Sentimental people call it inspiration, but what they really mean is fuel. I am a serious consumer. On some nights I still believe that a care with the gas needle on empty can run about 50 more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio.”

It’s the same thing with me, music has been with me from day one from the day I was born and I always know when the time is right to hear it. One of those bands since discovering them whilst I was at Houston Community College back in 2013 as a student, was a band called, Dialeto. It’s been 30 years since their formation and with three albums in the can, they’ve released their fourth album this year on the Chromatic Music label entitled, Bartok In Rock.

This shows Dialeto honoring the legacy of composer Bela Bartok’s music in ten compositions of his music. And with special guest King Crimson’s violinist David Cross on here, it’s a very interesting combination to bring him in to lend a helping hand. Opener, Mikrokosmos 113 (Bulgarian Rhythm I) gives David Cross in the forefront with some of the most intensive work on his violin with some of the shrieking midsections.

Then you have guitarist Nelson Coelho blaring the riffs and lead sections in his instrument near the end as he and David share a duel between each other. It’s almost as if they were looking at each other smiling creating the vibrations before getting back into the races by reaching the finish line. But on Mikrokosmos 143 (Six Dances in Bulgarian Rhythm II), Gabriel Costa’s bass does a walking intro as it dances to the groove with Fred Barley’s drumming.

Coelho delves into the thunder and lightning rhythm and lead sections to create this climatic-climax scenario that is bluesy reverb with a soaring arranging. An Evening in the Village (10 Easy Piano Pieces No. 5) sees Dialeto walk into this ambient/atmospheric nod to Yes’ Close to the Edge-era introduction for the first minute and seven seconds.

Nelson then honors the essence of Steve Howe’s mesmerizing spiritual textures and channeling the infinite worlds that is something straight out of the poem by Samuel Taylor Coldridge’s Rime of the Ancient Mariner as if Dialeto made a score for one of his poetry set to music recorded in a deep dark cave. You can feel the vibrations and the dynamics that Barley brings the heavy military weapons with his drums going into an intense speeding motion on Roumanian Folk Dances 2 (Peasant Costume).

But on Roumanian Folk Dances 4 (Mountain Horn Song), Gabriel’s bass is in reminiscent of Pink Floyd’s instrumental Careful with that Axe, Eugene. It does have this early Floyd resemblance to their underground period in 1969 as if it was recorded during the Ummagumma period with its waltz ballad in 3/4 time. But the last fifth and sixth movement is where in comes into full circle.

Roumanian Folk Dances 5 (Roumanian Garden Gate) and Roumanian Folk Dances 6 (Little One), it is the calm after the storm for a new day. The fifth movement gets this Tears For Fears vibe that Nelson does on his instrument for the first minute and fifty-six seconds before seguing into the sixth movement as they move from that into the styles of Rush’s 1980-81 period from the Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures period to honor by tipping their hats to the Canadian trio.

Dialeto channeling Bartok’s music is like walking on a dangerous tightrope. And you never know if the rope is going to be loose or about to be cut, but Dialeto do something that is making the doors to erupt open with a gigantic yet big sound that will make you say “How in the hell did they do that?” And believe me, Dialeto opens more doors to see what will lie ahead for their next journey to embark on.