NAUYAKA

What he delivers here is a 54-minute album divided in nine pieces, which would be the nine rituals, as the title suggests, letting us know once again that Briseño is quite fond of ancestral culture. It opens with 'Uno Ritual Zabiduría', a blend of symphonic prog with zeuhl and avant-garde roots, the experimentation is inherent part of Nauyaka's music, we can tell it by this sole track. The journey is completely instrumental here, so be prepared for its different passages and explosions, just like it happens in 'Doz Ritual Voluntad' which has a darker sound with instruments playing at unison, and then after some seconds a new rhythm and structure begins to be built-up. Some nice spacey synth atmospheres are delivered here, jazzy-zeuhl piano and sympnonic keyboards every now and then, this is a quite interesting track.

The first 20 seconds of 'Trez Ritual Ekztaziz' begin with percussion, then the explosion arrives and that nice mixture of eclectic prog where symph meets zeuhl is present again. A faster rhythm that sometimes is contrasted by pauses, by a slower rhythm, but representing the ecstasy somehow, a ritual full of energy and emotions. The keyboard work here is excellent, probably one of my favorite from the Nauyaka experience. 'Kuatro Ritual Tranzformazión' has several inner changes that makes it more interesting because the music is never plain, the eclecticism of Nauyaka is shown here, in a piece that I could say blends not only different rhythms or musical genres, but also different cultures.

'Zinko Ritual Komunión' has a psych prog essence in the very first seconds, an opening scene much different from the previous songs, however, a bit later it returns to that symphonic and zeuhl-like sound Nauyaka accostumed us to. A vertiginous ride, power and energy delivered in most of the song, contrasted by some passages where the rhythm slows down a bit. There is a very nice work of strings, both the bass lines and the guitar notes and riffs. 'Zeiz Ritual Dialéktika' sounds more stuck to ancestral roots and rituals, the percussion work here is quite fine, while piano and guitar put a diversity of colors. Its first two minutes might be the most Mexican song from both Nauyaka's albums, sounds quite different, however, after minute two it changes, the rock and the vertiginous ride begin and Briseño fills us with energy during the rest of the song.

A darker atmosphere appears in the first seconds of 'Ziete Ritual Kreatividad', then it makes a sudden explosion but it slows down and provide an enigmatic calm passage where percussion and strings produce a kind of mourning sound. I believe Briseño reflects here his own creativity, I in fact believe this album is a step forward compared to his debut, because I don't fit it that repetitive, I mean, each song shows Nauyaka's essence, but each one has something quite different to tell. 'Ocho Ritual Zenzibilidad' shares a kind of gothic sound that reminds me of some 70s Italian acts, it is like going to a church and be embraced by its charm. Half of the song continues like that, but then it changes a little bit, a soft and natural change that is easy to dig and enjoy.

The album finishes with 'Nueve Ritual Amor' which nicely sums up what Nauyaka's sound is about and, as I interpret, it is a reflection of what moves Briseño: love, for music, for art, for his culture, for his ancestral research, love for creativity.

Congrats once again, not an easy task to be a one-man-band and release albums with this kind of creativity and quality.

Here we can appreciate a one-man-band, because Tizok is who composes and plays everything, something quite plausible. By the way, the nauyaca is a species of serpents that comes from Mexico, it is said it is quite poisonous, so here in a figurative sense, we are ready to receive its bites. The names, titles, etcetera, are written in spanish, however, he changed some letters, so consider that in his writing predominates the letter z over the s.

The album features nine compositions and kicks-off with 'Despertar dela zerpiente', which means "the awakening of the snake", so yeah, it all begins and Nauyaka is ready to make an impact. He delivers instrumental music in the vein of symphonic prog, but there is also an evident experimental sound that puts it a bit closer to avant-garde. Guitars and keyboards at unison, nice electronic drumming and addictive bass lines here and there, the song is easy to dig and enjoy, it sounds quite adventurous and I like the intercalation between keyboard and guitar solos.

With 'Zekreto Zentimiento dela Pirámide' and its odd-time-signatures I remembered the music of fellow Mexican master Greco Bastian, I mean, I am sure both artists explore their creativity and have fun while composing, maybe Bastian uses much more the humor, however, Briseño with his music let us know he has no boundaries and is free to play whatever he wants to. 'Ezpirituz Turkeza Zakrifikadoz' brings piano, bass and drums, a slice of zeuhl musik is shared here, with episodes where keyboards create eerie sounds. Electric guitar appears here and there, while a repetitive or addictive bass and drums base prevails. Some tension is shared here in dark passages, however there are moments where the piano takes over and produces a kind of jazzy sound.

'Kreazion del infinito' starts softer, like an epic coming, and then at second 40 the explosion begins to be orchestrated. Some guitar solos here and there while the cool bass lines take over, accompanied by the drums and keyboards as background. Some changes in mood and tempo, countless nuances and textures spread everywhere during these 7 minutes in which Nauyaka shows his quality and freedom as a composer in what seems to be a constant dialogue between all the instruments, all played by him, so I figure it is an internal dialogue with his diferent selves. 'Koronazion de mi íntimo guerrero' is a nice track that explores with other sounds and rhythms, with bass lines that remind me a bit of cumbia-style, and with a piano that oscillates from zeuhl to salsa, somehow.

The music created here is quite good, however, there are moments where I think it sounds a bit repetitive, it happens with 'Evanezenzias Zhamánikaz', where the formula might be repeated, and we are listening like an extension of the previous tracks. This is not necessarily negative, though. 'Alegre Zonriza de Eternidad' has an uncertain start, different elements are being introduced while the seconds pass, like in a stealthy way, until at 1:30 the rhythm explodes and that mixture of rock, electronic, zeuhl, takes over. A 4/4 base, but there are some odd time changes that last for a blink of an eye. Instruments at unison, then some solos. Nice.

'Reptilikum_Felinux_Ketzaltzin' which sounds a bit more experimental, the sound is not so explosive, it also provides elements from nature, such as animals or winds, while guitars, bass, drums and keys place the pieces in a puzzle that has different faces. And finally, the album ends with its longest composition entitled 'Invizible Luz', whose over seven minutes provide a calm sound that embraces you and takes you by the hand; soft piano notes and suddenly strong keyboard drops, while guitar and bass wander here and there. The song becomes a bit emotional while the minutes pass, and I believe it is thanks to the sound of keyboards as background. Nice.

Congratulations to Nauyaka on this debut, which is very nice and creative.