EXSIMIO

Exsimio is an instumental prog band from Chile. This is their second and last album to date, with which the band managed to be included in the most pleasant surprises in 2005. "Carbono 14" is a great album, evidently more mature and solid than their self-titled debut in 1999.

The characteristic of Exsimio's music is the leading role of bassist Carlos Pérez. All compositions are based on the rhythm section and, strange as it may sound, this does not work against the final result. On the contrary, the level of musicianship is very high and the rhythm changes, which are never-ending throughout the album, are at many points brethtaking.

The three songs with lyrics ("El Juicio II", "Haploide" and "2012") mainly focus on world economical policy and the consequences of ecological disturbance caused by humans. I 'd say that "2012" is my favourite among these, but the best moments in this album are not Pérez's narrations. The pounding bass lines and intese drumming in "Esquizofrenia", the heavy constant riffing in "Eugenesia" are magnificent. Most of all everything that happens in the title-track portrays what Exsimio stand for: creative and innovative progressive music, and more specifically, something like metal influenced King Crimson.

Recommended to all fans of adventurous instrumental prog.

If "Exsimio" was a good release, this one is even better. "Carbono 14" meets the identity of Exsimio: that particular sound announced on the debut album, that mix of the classic line up of rock bands with this atypical final result, here dominates the entire experience of listening "Carbono 14", with a rocker style, powerful, but always doing what we knew of Exsimio.

The album starts with an intro, and so on 'C-14' starts building what follows, say, by the half of the song, a rhythm which catches you and doesn't stop until 'Sentencia'. 'El Juicio II' is the first spoken song, and it's about Jack and Carneamarga's mother. Now we know who are these people introduced on the debut album, and what is their story.

The album close with '2012', stuck in a D while the voice complains about the system and the leaders. It's something like 'Electioneering' of Radiohead, or maybe like a paradigmatic ending of an album of Tool.

"Carbono 14", the album, is a great job by Exsimio, with less of Primus and more of Exsimio! There's a special atmosphere surrounding the disc, and it's highly recommended for prog lovers.

A good album from a solid band. The clearest sound found here is Primus, and it's quite present in the whole album. It's mainly the way Carlos Pérez plays the bass, but it's also the guitars, that give the space to that Primus like bass. But the album is not only Primus, there are good nods to King Crimson too, and at the end is, in fact, Exsimio. After the first impression, the firsts tracks with lots of Primus, then appear some numbers more relaxed, more experimental, and thus building what this album is all about.

"Exsimio" is mainly instrumental, but there are some good vocals here and there, relating more than singing, which is good, but still there is some singing that it could be omitted (but finally one gets used to).

Maybe one issue with this album is to realize that is more than a copy from Primus, to fully understand and enjoy the music of Exsimio. That's the way like, for example, Travolta is one of my favourites tracks, after a poor first impression, kind of weak, pop influenced, then arises the sense, which also happens with the "6 minutes of silence", defining in some way the principles of the band.

About 'Empalme', subtitled inside the booklet "movimiento lateral hondo del punto de encaje", one says this is about Castaneda's work, but after hearing the lyrics there's nothing clear, and maybe it's just a hallucination due to the movement of the assemblage point.

At the end of the day, Exsimio left a good piece of prog, with a different perspective to that of their peers, and the most important, an enjoyable album.

This was a hard cd to track down, but the search was well worth it. I already had their "Carbano 14" record and was crossing my fingers that this would be as good. It is. Again the bass leads the way with the drums not far behind. The lead guitar recalls Mr.Fripp often. I was reminded of "Lateralus" more then once with the very heavy bass and drum interplay.

Speaking of TOOL "Cigoto" has a TOOL-like intro of drums and some fat bass lines to open the show. The angular guitar comes in followed by some grinding melodies. Nice. Check the bass out though ! Blistering guitar to follow. "Baretta" is uptempo to begin with before it calms down some 1 1/2 minutes in. Nice sound. The guitar grinds out some melodies, and the song ends with some amazing bass. "Ensueno" displays the bands talents very well. The prominant bass, upfront drumming and angular guitar. Some Spanish words 2 1/2 minutes in followed by a powerful sound a minute later. "Porka Tana" opens with the birds chirping and people speaking in Spanish. It's fairly mellow instrumentally until it really kicks in after 2 minutes. This contrast continues. "El Jucio De Jack Y La Madre De Carneamarga" opens with a dark and heavy bass and drum rhythm. My truck is shaking inside at this point. This song is a killer,especially 2 minutes in. "Empalme" features more drums and some outrageous bass.There are vocals and vocal melodies. We get a sonic explosion after 2 minutes. Oh my ! The guitar is on fire. Yeah i'm smiling.

"6 Minutes De Silencio" has a heavy yet uplifting sound thanks to the guitar melodies playing over top of the bass and drums. Briefly it becomes tranquil as the bass and drums stop leaving the guitar to carry the song. After 4 minutes the guitar cries out and the bass and drums pound away. "Travolta" has a fusion vibe to it. It's very well done but i prefer the heavy bass and drum sound. "Tributo" brings us back to that TOOL-like sound with some scorching guitar as well. "5mm2" has some Spanish vocals in it as well as a good guitar solo 2 minutes in. Vocals are back 3 1/2 minutes in followed by a bass solo ! You know the line in the SAGA song "Wind him up he can't stop..." well i think someone did that to the guitarist on this song. "Angelmandinga" is more of the same and that's a good thing. Some blistering guitar and it ends very heavily.

Highly recommended music from Chile. Get either album, they are both terrific. It's easy to get excited about the way these guys play.

Now, that i call Prog! What a great effort from this chilean muscisians! Carbon 14 is a wonderfull album full of dynamics and complex melodies. Their playing is so tight, i have a long time to hear something so good as this. You can understand instantly that they are experienced musicians and i like the fact that mr. Carlos Pérez abandoned the role of the singer and start to talk wonderfully spanish now and then contributing in album's stunning atmosphere. The best part for me is the bass playing. You have to hear this, Carlos Pérez plays some magnifical complex passages that make this record so perfect. Ofcourse you can't complain abou the other musicians, all play fantastic music. I also loved the astonishing drum play that inerplays with the bass. You shoukd check these guys, they play prog so good! Very highly recommended!

Equaling the magic and surpassing the power of their namesake debut album, Exsimio's "Carbono-14" was one of the most exciting prog releases in 2005, either regarding the South American continent or the worldwide spectrum. The band's line of work is pretty much the same, albeit with a harder edge provided by the enhanced input of the dual guitar riffs and counterpoints. That means that the rhythm section feels obliged to tighten up their amalgam in order to keep up with the ensemble's overall pace, and sure they manage to do so successfully. Once again, bassist Pérez does a terrific job at complementing his rhythm duties with services as a "third guitarist" in some of the counterpoints that take place. The combative nature of the three tracks with lyrics focuses on social violence ('El Juicio II'), abuse of political-economical power ('Haploide') and the environmental deflagration ('2012'), which add rebellion to the anger spread all through the instrumentation. The cover image is quite significant: excavation tools, craniums and archeological ruins, all of them seem to symbolize the band's intention to analyze the roots of modern's society self-destruction. 'Ser en el Ensueño' kicks off the album as a subtle overture that partially announces the display of strength to be immediately developed in 'C- 14' and 'Amenaza'. These two numbers solidly portray complex structures in which the stronger elements get fluidly combined with other constrained passages - 'Amenaza' includes some of the best guitar leads of the album. The aura of restlessness and anger feels like a cloud floating heavily in the air as the album goes on. This sensation of emotional turmoil is taken to a rather hostile level in 'Haploide' and 'El Trauko', two segued pieces that display a most powerful unit, as well as in the oppressive, gray atmospheres of 'Esquizofrenia'. Also notable are the martial, obsessive cadence of 'Eugenesia' and the clever use of decreasing nuances in the closure '2012'. These are really specific examples of the album's appeal, which can only be enjoyed as a sequenced whole of ballsy prog numbers. Definitely, with this amazing sophomore album, Exsimio reaffirm themselves as a proficient item of current Crimson-inspired prog: "Carbono 14" is exciting and inventive, in a word, excellent

Chilean ensemble Exsimio is one of the most energetic and charismatic South American bands around: their KC-meets-Primus influenced ballsy vibe and solid interplaying skills definitely make them deserve a high position in the prog map. Their pallet includes obvious traces of jazz-rock, metallic rock and funky, but I guess that the aforesaid bands are enough to provide an approximate idea in the neophyte's mind. Their eponymous debut album is an amazing catalogue of neurotic rock explosions and explosive textures, mostly based on the dual guitar and bass counterpoints, but also containing brilliant dynamics shared by the riffs and rhythm section and the disturbing guitar solos that emerge to the fore now and then. The parallel development of sonic storms by all three stringed instruments are powerful enough to offer a challenge for the proficient drummer Fernando Jaramillo: his tight foundations and inventive rolling making him a nuclear item at keeping a focus for the band's overall sound. At the same time, you can tell that most of the time there is a cleverly managed constraint in this exhibition of power, since the guitarists never get to indulge themselves into endless pyrotechnics. The show-off is more usual in Pérez's complex bass lines and harmonies ('Ensueño' being a perfect example), which conform the element of relatedness to Primus in Exsimio's music. It seems as if the arrangements were disposed to allow the bass be featured to a degree between the two guitars, and definitely, the human material involved in the line-up makes it work quite right. Some numbers are subtly ethereal, but most of the time the ambience tends to be somber and furious: the full repertoire's inner contrast is generally leaning more toward the harder side of prog. The few tracks with lyrics are more recited than sung, which makes them more evidently testimonial than literally lyrical - by the way, let me add that the messages are charged with left-handed political views. The setlist is so compact and consistent that it is really difficult to make a one-by-one review or pick faves; anyway, let me confess that 'Baretta', 'Ensueño' (recited lyrics taken from Commander Carlos' manifesto), '6 Segundos de Silencio' and the stunning closer 'Angelmandinga' are the most appealing numbers to me. With a band whose impetuous energy is perfectly matched by its talent you can't go wrong: the Crimson influence is very spread in the bolder side of Chilean prog, and this quartet happens to be one of its most accomplished incarnations. "Exsimio" is a must for any decent experimental prog collection and Exsimio is a band to pay close attention to.

EXSIMIO are an instrumental band from Chile. Comprised of a drummer, bass player and two guitarists. No keyboards. You would think with two guitarists that they would be the focus, but no, it's the bass and drums that dominate.The bass player especially stands out from the other musicians, he's the star and leader of this band. Love the album cover of a guy dusting off a buried guitar, like it's been there for centuries along with the skull and bones beside it. Haha.

Check out the crisp and amazing drumming after a minute on "Ser En El Ensueno", as the guitar continues to grind it out. Some great atmosphere late. On "C-14" they step it up a notch, and the drum / guitar interplay is incredible. Killer bass 3 minutes in, and the guitar starts to light it up a minute later. "Amenaza" has this powerful soundscape with some ripping guitar 1 1/2 minutes in. In "El juicio II" the bass playing again steals the show. There is also some Spanish speaking going on (no idea what he's saying), but the fat bass and awesome drumming are loud and clear after 2 1/2 minutes, as the guitar grinds away. Nice. "Sentencia" is a short, dark song with more chunky bass as a heavy sound comes in.

"Eugenisia" has a cool sound to it, it gets heavier a minute in and the guitar comes in grinding away before 2 minutes. "Haploide" has Spanish words, again spoken by the bass player (I still have no idea what he is saying). Amazing song though. "El Trauko" features some incredible drumming. Guitar comes in around 4 minutes to end it. "Esquizofrenia" has this interesting guitar melody early. Some nice bass after 1 1/2 minutes as drums pound away. It becomes more passionate a minute later. A barrage of drums comes in late. "Fragmentos" is fairly laid back(for them) until 3 minutes in when guitar and bass let loose. Killer bass ! "2012" has spoken vocals and a lighter than usual sound.

This is highly recommended ! If you like GUAPO or the heavy KING CRIMSON style music, this is for you.

In Chile, the last years had been a lot of orignal band in the prog scene, but one special band makes me proud to be chilean: Exsimio, and C14 speacly.

Well, this secound album has more experience than "Exsimio", now Perez learn of his mistakes and don't try to sing, but recite the lyrics, the low point in "Exsimio". Here we can find a mature band that has a lot of sound to show to the people in general, with original ideas about music, with the classic influence of King Crimson, but the KC in the last disc, although there's only influence, not a base to make the disc. The work of the bass-drums is great, because it gives a powerfull base to the album, and the sounds that Iñaki and Corsione gives with theyre fresh musical ideas make this disc an essential disc of the last years of the prog. An 100% recommendable album to the people who's searching for original music and is boring of the bands that only copy to the others.

A long time ago, a friend told me "weón!, hay un baterista que se manda el solo de ticks & leeches con una bateria simple", and i answered "tay weon!, eso es imposible"*, and, like magic in the night i saw a videoclip of the band EXSIMIO in the TV, and, well, the intro of the song, Cigoto, was really good, and semed, to me, like the intro of tick and leeches. After that, and when a i could, i buy this cd (the re-issue version, with 2 extra songs : Cigoto Extend (a live) and Ensueño a live). This band, his style, is selfcalled "Evolutivo", why?, because they think that don't fit in any description, and all those name are just names, and they don't like very much them. All the players are really great, with a great technique, and all that stuff that make a band good. The first song, Cigoto, is, to me, the best song of a chilena group, here the group give us a wonderful instrumental song, because they are really good players, virtuosism by everywhere in the song, a perfect start to any band (a live is spectacular) another greeat song (to tell a few of them) is Ensueño, in this one Perez talk, saying a poem about the creation, i don't remember who write the original poem, but it doesn't matter, the only thing that matter is that song is excellent! well, you maybe are asking "and how it sounds?", well, a lot of people say that it sound like King Crimson in theyre last time, i say it sound like "No interferece" of Dysrhytmia, but a lot better, all the people who knows this group tell, without doubt, that the sound is original, if you say "is like kinb crimson", you let a lot of things out. If you're really seeking for something orinal, a band wich don't copy anything, a band that has a particular sound, you're looking for Exsimio!!!!!!!!!!!!

*"hey!, there's a drummer that make a solo like tick & leeches wirth a simple drum", "that's impossible!"