SAL Y MILETO

After my listen to the self-titled debut album of Sal y Mileto, I enthusiastically endorse their choice to define their genre as Rock Libre Ecuatoriano (Ecuadorian Free Rock). The Latacunga combo combines the sensibilities and possibilities of progressive metal and post-metal with pride in the folkloric and literary tradition of Ecuador.

Speaking of literary, according to their website, the band's name is both a literary homage and a play on words. "Sal" (salt), the first part of their name, is the title of a Indigenista novel, the first of its kind in Ecuador, by G. Humberto Mata, a Cuenca author who later resided in Latacunga. The second part is a reference to the Greek Asia Minor figure Thales of Miletius which, in Spanish, is written and pronounced "Tales de Mileto." Joined with the sound of the word "sal," a stealthy pun became the band's name, courtesy of their original lyricist Peky Andino. I speak more on the lyricism of Sal y Mileto below.

Sal y Miileto burst off the disc with "Mal Komun," a strong showcase for intriguing vocal harmonies, moments of understated thumping bass, and finally, showing its experimental credentials by mixing metal with wah-wah funk guitars. For more in this style, check out the funk-metal of "Vieja con Feedback" and its heavy bass line.

Sal y Mileto in different yet enlightening measures, the music is illustrative of how jazz metal works well as a fusion genre, as evidenced by Sal y Mileto's penchant for alternating rhythms and blistering guitars.

While you listen to the songs, note how the rhythm never rests on its groove; rather it changes tempos frequently. For example, Sal y Mileto slow down to start "Craneo" ("Skull") with a jazz-fusion vibe. The alto sax and ostinato bass take center stage, then the combo picks up speed and breaks out their metalcore chops, and alternate to build up the song's energy. This approach continues on "Debora."

They go hardcore on "Mata el Filter" ("Kill the Filter"). The bass breaks are a fascinating trademark for Sal y Mileto, especially if post-metal is meant to be a deconstruction especially topped by rap and saxophone. (If you think about it, heavy metal growls constitute a highly guttural form of rap.)

"Miles de Dias en el Vértice Suicida" ("Thousands of Days in the Suicidal Streak") starts with a ska jump with slows down into a rollicking romp with cleverly distorted vocals

The alto sax is front and center across many of the songs. This is highly evident in "K-Lindou," which fuses more deeply the band's genre-bending approach in this midtempo fretless bass-led instrumental.

The band's music deftly underscore the poetry of the lyrics. True to their influences, the word "muerte" (death) appears throughout in the lyrics. In the plaintive ballad "El Principito es un Guambra del Calle" ("The Little Prince is a Street Kid"), the song begins with airy guitars and sax. The mood switches to hardcore after a line with that particular word. The downtempo vibe in the plaintive jazz-rock ballad "Soledad" ("Solitude") is smooth enough in words and music to please a Roxy Music fan.

Also, consciousness flows in the words. A strong example of that aspect of the lyricism of Sal y Mileto is in the closing song, "Mi Vida es un Yahuarlocro" ("My Life is a Blood Soup," a reference to a traditional Andean stew), It begins as a nod to their folk and nueva trova roots, even capturing at least in vibe, the classic pan-Latin American three-part harmonies, and they manage to play with that tradition as well. The last word, "maldita" (damned), is the logical ending to an eclectic debut. Not just of the band, but to the fascinating genre-smashing contributions of Rock Libre Ecuatoriano.

Recommend for: to experience how much avant-eclecticism can be expressed in song both musically and lyrically, especially a band that could easily have made itself at home in the prog sensibilities of folk and/or jazz as well as metal.