Split Review: Hispanodelia (2020)
The Southern and Central part of the American continents are fantastic breeding grounds for badass underground sounds and beautiful music off charts. This is once more proven by the recently released Split EP "Hispanodelia" which features six amazing bands from Latin America.
Without further ado, let's have a look at the songs by:
La Iglesia Atomica (Puerto Rico),
Laura La Sangrienta (Peru),
Yaatra (Argentina),
Hoja Madre (Peru),
La Sustancia Divina (Mexico) and
Múcaro (Dominican Republic).
1. La Iglesia Atomica - The Art of Levitation (08:28)
Puerto Rican band La Iglesia Atomica ("atomic church") was founded in 1990 and re-founded in 2016. On their Bandcamp site you'll find a ton of releases by the trio from San Juan. The pioneers of the Latin American Psychedelic and Stoner Rock scene open the split with a beautiful psychedelic jam called 'The Art of Levitation'. The song is a fuzzy and mesmerizing journey through space and time. Raw psychedelic meets Stoner Rock and Funk. Also, I am pretty sure I can hear someone lighting up and hitting a bong which adds to the theme of levitation.
2. Laura La Sangrienta - El Andar del Ogro (04:42)
Now this might ring a bell here and there amongst my readers. Last August, I reviewed two singles by Laura La Sangrienta (link). One of them was 'El Andar del Ogro' ("walk of the ogre"). The band calling themselves "Laura covered in blood" presents some uptempo instrumental Stoner Rock. The main riff is a classic Sabbath-like which then slides into a heavy and fuzzy jam. In my first review of Laura La Sangrienta I used the term Heavy Stone'n'Roll which I still find very adequate for the Peruvian trio's sound. I especially like how the strong coda in the last quartert of the song is introduced. This is kickass Stoner Rock.
3. Yaatra - Cuenca Aitken (09:40)
Argentinan Post-Rock, Progressive Rock band Yaatra adds another nuance to the Split EP. Ice cold and brachial riffing perfectly musicks the frosty and rough atmosphere of the Aitken Basin their song is about. Powerful Post-Rock in the style of Noorvik or ISIS sends us on a jolty trip towards the moon. As if we were sitting on the meteor ourselves Yaatra let us discover the vast beauty of space and the fear of the heavy impact at the same time. From the first chord over every break until the voice samples and the crashing finale this track is just exciting.
4. Hoja Madre - Desilusión (05:57)
Slowing it down by a little Peruvian band Hoja Madre ("mother leaf") present their exclusive song 'Desilusión' ("desillusion"). This track is build on a similar Post-Rock foundation as the one by Yaatra. But Hoja Madre are a lot more psychedelic when they change from warm undistorted harmonies to heavy riffs and back. In the distorted parts and the very late coda especially the band adds some Space Rock influence to their style. The song 'Desilusión' commences very calm and then step by step enhances its intensity towards the end. The structure reminds me of Stoned Jeus' 'I am the Mountain' a little.
As this song is an exclusive, you will only find it on the Split which is added at the very end of the review. Also Hoja Madre's new album "II" is worth listening to as well as the single 'Cisma':
5. La Sustancia Divina - Axolotl (13:12)
Mexican band La Sustancia Divina ("the divine substance") comes with a surprise: vocals! Their band name is shortened to LSD and exactly that adds to the air of the song. Acid and Blues Rock meet the Psychedelic sound of the 60s. LSD remind me of Argentinan band KNEI at some point. Their song 'Axolotl' is like an endless psychedelic party. La Sustancia Divina play beautiful tricks with the human mind by adding effects such as echoes in the middle of their song. As it slowly fades out into a mesmerizing mass, they bring back the main riff - but stronger. This might become the soundtrack for my next summer party.
Here's their 2019 EP "Búsqueda Interestelar" ("interstellar search"):
6. Múcaro - El Hombre del Jardín en la Espalda (07:21)
Múcaro ("owl") from the Dominican Republic finalize this stunning Split EP. Their track 'El Hombre del Jardín en la Espalda' ("The Man With The Garden On His Back") is the second song with vocals on "Hispanodelia". The band from Santo Domingo plays powerful and brachial Desert Rock with heavy impacts from Doom Metal and Psychedelic Rock. The beginning of the track sounds a bit like Hermano or Fu Manchu while from the middle on it gets more and more experimental until it finally slides into massive Doom Metal riffing. What a poerwful finale for this amazing release!
What an astonishing release. Six songs by six bands from five countries. All of them are absolutely stunning and exciting, and all of them are extremely underrated, especially in Europe, were I live. Readers and lovers of psychedelic music from all around the world, here are some amazing bands that really deserve your support. And finally, here's the Split as a full stream:
And if you're reading this, send me message on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram saying "OLA DE MANGO".
First three people to do so will win free music.
Without further ado, let's have a look at the songs by:
La Iglesia Atomica (Puerto Rico),
Laura La Sangrienta (Peru),
Yaatra (Argentina),
Hoja Madre (Peru),
La Sustancia Divina (Mexico) and
Múcaro (Dominican Republic).
Puerto Rican band La Iglesia Atomica ("atomic church") was founded in 1990 and re-founded in 2016. On their Bandcamp site you'll find a ton of releases by the trio from San Juan. The pioneers of the Latin American Psychedelic and Stoner Rock scene open the split with a beautiful psychedelic jam called 'The Art of Levitation'. The song is a fuzzy and mesmerizing journey through space and time. Raw psychedelic meets Stoner Rock and Funk. Also, I am pretty sure I can hear someone lighting up and hitting a bong which adds to the theme of levitation.
Now this might ring a bell here and there amongst my readers. Last August, I reviewed two singles by Laura La Sangrienta (link). One of them was 'El Andar del Ogro' ("walk of the ogre"). The band calling themselves "Laura covered in blood" presents some uptempo instrumental Stoner Rock. The main riff is a classic Sabbath-like which then slides into a heavy and fuzzy jam. In my first review of Laura La Sangrienta I used the term Heavy Stone'n'Roll which I still find very adequate for the Peruvian trio's sound. I especially like how the strong coda in the last quartert of the song is introduced. This is kickass Stoner Rock.
Argentinan Post-Rock, Progressive Rock band Yaatra adds another nuance to the Split EP. Ice cold and brachial riffing perfectly musicks the frosty and rough atmosphere of the Aitken Basin their song is about. Powerful Post-Rock in the style of Noorvik or ISIS sends us on a jolty trip towards the moon. As if we were sitting on the meteor ourselves Yaatra let us discover the vast beauty of space and the fear of the heavy impact at the same time. From the first chord over every break until the voice samples and the crashing finale this track is just exciting.
Slowing it down by a little Peruvian band Hoja Madre ("mother leaf") present their exclusive song 'Desilusión' ("desillusion"). This track is build on a similar Post-Rock foundation as the one by Yaatra. But Hoja Madre are a lot more psychedelic when they change from warm undistorted harmonies to heavy riffs and back. In the distorted parts and the very late coda especially the band adds some Space Rock influence to their style. The song 'Desilusión' commences very calm and then step by step enhances its intensity towards the end. The structure reminds me of Stoned Jeus' 'I am the Mountain' a little.
As this song is an exclusive, you will only find it on the Split which is added at the very end of the review. Also Hoja Madre's new album "II" is worth listening to as well as the single 'Cisma':
Mexican band La Sustancia Divina ("the divine substance") comes with a surprise: vocals! Their band name is shortened to LSD and exactly that adds to the air of the song. Acid and Blues Rock meet the Psychedelic sound of the 60s. LSD remind me of Argentinan band KNEI at some point. Their song 'Axolotl' is like an endless psychedelic party. La Sustancia Divina play beautiful tricks with the human mind by adding effects such as echoes in the middle of their song. As it slowly fades out into a mesmerizing mass, they bring back the main riff - but stronger. This might become the soundtrack for my next summer party.
Here's their 2019 EP "Búsqueda Interestelar" ("interstellar search"):
6. Múcaro - El Hombre del Jardín en la Espalda (07:21)
Múcaro ("owl") from the Dominican Republic finalize this stunning Split EP. Their track 'El Hombre del Jardín en la Espalda' ("The Man With The Garden On His Back") is the second song with vocals on "Hispanodelia". The band from Santo Domingo plays powerful and brachial Desert Rock with heavy impacts from Doom Metal and Psychedelic Rock. The beginning of the track sounds a bit like Hermano or Fu Manchu while from the middle on it gets more and more experimental until it finally slides into massive Doom Metal riffing. What a poerwful finale for this amazing release!
What an astonishing release. Six songs by six bands from five countries. All of them are absolutely stunning and exciting, and all of them are extremely underrated, especially in Europe, were I live. Readers and lovers of psychedelic music from all around the world, here are some amazing bands that really deserve your support. And finally, here's the Split as a full stream:
First three people to do so will win free music.
For Mucaro, the name of the song translates to "The Man With The Garden On His Back"
ReplyDeleteGreat review!