EXSIMIO

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!"

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.

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.

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.