“Winterize” is the latest album by ciconia, another instrumental prog band from Spain. “Winterize” is also something most people in cold weather areas should have done by now. There must be something in the water over there because there are so many great instrumental prog bands: Toundra, el tubo elástico, Jardin de la Croix, Bauluna, Captains of Sea and War, the list goes on and on.

The 10 tracks on “Winterize” are actually all part of a full length title track. Each track does have its own identity and work well as separate pieces. “Snowfields” starts out the album as a cold and windy day blows in. It’s a beautiful acoustic introduction to the album. “Eloina´s Inn” kicks in and showcases the band’s playing. It’s a heavy rocker with a pounding beat that even goes into a blast beat. This track really separates Ciconia from the aforementioned bands because it’s MUCH proggier than any of those bands and it still maintains it’s post rock atmosphere. Great song.

“Limbus” has a shoegaze vibe that feels a bit like an Alcest track (I love Alcest). “Scarsman” is another heavy riffing track. It also has a really cool dual lead part that sounds rather majestic. One of my favorite tracks is “The Forgotten” which at almost 12 minutes makes a great epic. It starts out acoustic before taking flight a little more than 4 minutes in. This track has tons of great riffs and hooks.

But “The Forgotten” is actually not the biggest epic. The massive “Towards the Valley” is 16 minutes and how you properly close out an album. Once again, the band utilize acoustic guitars to start the song out peacefully and it even has a very Spanish vibe to it which is nice. I really like the main acoustic riff at the start. It’s a very strong melody and a great hook. And then things get heavy as you might expect. This track makes “Winterize” worth purchasing on its own. It’s a true journey.

cicconia are yet another incredible band from Spain. This trio has a huge sound sure to please prog fans and people who love post metal and even shoegaze and stoner metal too. cicconia have a variety of influences and styles that the band mixes together on “Winterize” with excellent results. “Winterize” is more than a process of preparing for winter. It’s also the process of making some great music.

Rating: 8/10

Tracklist:
1. Snowfields
2. Eloina´s Inn
3. Limbus
4. Scarsman
5. The Forgotten
6. A Wolf Never Comes Alone
7. Reel of Trevinca
8. Forestwalk
9. Fiadeiro
10. Towards the Valley

Bandcamp: ciconia.bandcamp.com/album/winterize