Otra de las novedades para el GAR de este año son los españoles October Equus, grupo que abrirá el festival el 1 de mayo a las cinco de la tarde. Un muy buen comienzo para un festival que poco a poco empieza a tomar forma ya que hay cuatro actuaciones confirmadas. Esta y la de Gordon Giltrap, KBB y Focus. Todavía quedan siete más por anunciar ya que, por primera vez, el festival durará tres días.
Incluyo algunas reseñas sobre OE incluídas en su sitio en myspace que puede ser visitado para escuchar su música, conocerlo más a fondo e, incluso, ponerse en contacto con ellos.
"October Equus is a brand new instrumental prog rock band from Spain, whose debut self-titled album is a rich and complex display of serious chops and promising compositional skills. While the band makes no bones about hiding their influences-you can hear plenty of references to King Crimson, Gentle Giant, Univers Zero, Hatfield & the North, Van Der Graaf Generator, and National Health, they sure know how to create music that sounds fresh and exciting.' Pete Pardo, Sea of Tranquility -'Heavy dark and a touch of evil is how I like my prog served up and October Equus ladles it up just perfectly... ...Highly recommended.' The Laser's Edge -' New Spanish band making their debut recording here, and a really good one it is. This is dark, but not overbearingly so, and heavy all instrumental avant-progressive rock, performed on guitar, keyboards, bass and drums. I can hear touches of some of the heavier Italian 70's bands in the keyboards and overall influences from early Present, zeuhl, Pochakaite Malko and more. This is an extremely promising debut. ' Wayside Music -'Il mio impatto primario è estato per un potenziale disco dell'anno. Ho ridotto un po..le mire, ma per me resta una dei migliori dischi del 2006 senza ombra di dubbio.' Roberto Vanali, Arlequins -'...Ontalva's leads capture an intensity reserved for the best of progressive rock somewhere between Steve Vai, Roger Trigaux and Phil Miller. Keyboardist and other main composer Victor Rodríguez has worked out joint arrangements which support both intricate melodic patches as well as discordant segues that are impressive and passionate... ...The group is simply one of the best finds in the RIO space this year ...' Jeff Melton, Pregressive Land -'...un..identità propria e una maturità sorprendente per un primo episodio. Consigliato!' Marcello Marinone, Agartha -'An awesome debut album by a Spanish band that is already more than just a mere promise: October Equus revelas itself as a mature avant-garde prog force with its outstanding eponymous album. Lovers of the rockier side of RIO (Present, early 80s- Univers Zero Happy Family) and the rougher side of King Crimson should not miss this 2006 gem... ...This prog genre is not too common in Spain, but definitely, October Equus prove to be an important musical force for the preservation of radical prog rock in our current times. ' César Inca Mendoza Loyola, Progarchives "