Chimp Spanner

Chimp Spanner is a progressive metal project created by multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer, Paul Ortiz. His first home produced album Imperium Vorago (2004) won instant favour with fellow solo artists and listeners alike with its mixture of heavy riffs, catchy accessible melodies and dramatic use of dynamics and contrast. Despite the varied production styles and limited resources, it still served to show that the limitations normally associated with home recording could be overcome. You can get a big sound from a small space, on an even smaller budget!

Fast forward to the present, and the Chimp sound is bigger and denser; the idea more focused and consistent. The upcoming album (unnamed at this time) promises to bring more styles into play, reaching an even wider audience of metal fans and non metal fans alike. With an epic futuristic narrative at its core, it looks set to define a new style of cinematic progressive metal; part music, part soundscape. Performed, recorded, produced and mixed entirely by Paul, At The Dreams Edge encompasses many styles of progressive Rock and Metal, delivered on a movie-like soundscape with a tight and punchy modern production. Visualize an instrumental Dream Theater meets Toto, arranged by Vangelis and produced by Devin Townsend, with Frederik Thordendal on rhythm and Steve Vai on lead guitars. On the 6th of February 2012 a new masterpiece was released 'All Roads Lead Here'.

As an integral player in the international online prog / tech “djent” metal scene, Paul is regularly bouncing ideas with Misha Mansoor (Periphery) or jamming with the likes of Fellsilent and The Safety Fire. Beyond this, Paul composes in a number of other styles from film-score through to ambient and experimental electronic with an aim to write music for games, short/independent film and TV.