ENJAMBRE SISMICO

A very impressive AvantGarde/RIO band from Santiago, Chile, Abrete Gandul's 2011 album Enjambre Sismico sounds as much as a KING CRIMSON (plus flute and more prominent synthesizers) adventure as it does like the rest of the AltrOck Productions cast--which it does.

1. "Hacia la nada" (4:27) sounds so much like 4 A.D.'s DIF JUZ--awesome! (9/10)

2. "Necro sistema" (3:02) drives a little harder, with drums and heavily treated guitars drawing the most attention. Nice bass play starting at 1:20. Fripp-like sustained lead guitar and piano come to foreground in the third minute. (9/10)

3. "Marejeda" (7:29) starts out more ambient New Age, with tuned percussives and weird synth-generated noises setting up the mood in the first two minutes. Drums, bass, synth washes, and dissonant lead guitar arpeggi take over at the 2:05 mark. A melodic, major key chord sequence sets up the fourth minute as heavily-flanged guitar strums and synths draw attention away from the awesome drumming. A more syncopated, odd-timed section begins and then shifts (to that DIF JUZ sound!) in the fifth minute. Shift again to melodic chords in the sixth minute but then go back to King Crimson-like rhythms and sounds again for the final 90 seconds. Cool, intricate, and well-performed song! (9/10)

4. "Consecuencia natural" (10:26) is an expose of very jazzy leanings--from jazz-sounding lead guitar to weave with the electric jazz bass and more delicate, syncopated drums. At 2:30 everything breaks down to simple sounds: two alternating notes throbbing off of the bass, space-flanged guitar notes, some rack lead and cymbal play from the drums. This gradually becomes the foundation for a much more avant-jazz weave over which a sonorous tenor sax plays its heart out. Not my favorite song but I certainly appreciate the creativity and emotion being expressed herein. (8/10)

5. "Colapso" (11:19) opens with about 30 seconds of heavily treated electric guitar strumming two chords before the band signals its participation. At the 1:20 mark, the band finally establish the song's foundation--around and over which it builds and twists and mellows and amplifies around and around over the next four minutes. The a mellow section supports the gentle play of a solo flute until the 7:20 mark, at which time the band restores the original sounds and foundational sounds and variations upon the previously established chord and time structures. At 8:35 a PT-like heavy section opens the way for some serious KING CRIMSON Red-era music! Awesome! To the end of the song! (9/10)

6. "Convergencia caótica" (8:01) opens with some very spacey yet-ominous sounds congealing into a heavy, fast-driving jam during which guitars and thick, chunky bass and a variety of synthesizer sounds take turns trading brief solo jabs at one another. In the fourth minute it sounds as if everyone is about to take it up a notch in intensity when things suddenly quiet down for a bit. Return to heavier drive before the flanged guitar starts to play his freaky chords. A couple more quiet sections and some more piano-based straightforward time signature sections allow different sounds to have their moments in the sun--including the bass, drums, and electric piano. I like this one! (9/10)

7. "Intangible"(7:55) opens with piano and electric guitar weaving their arpeggi together. Bass, drums, and second guitar join in to lay foundations for some synthesizer soloing. At 1:18 the weave shifts and the pace quickens to set a Crimsonian stage for some nice though subdued Allan Holdsworth/ lead guitar soloing. Then at 3:20 things quiet down in the background--though the jazz drums stay busy and the guitar-piano weave remains present in the background--so that some heavily flanged guitar can squeak out some lead sounds. The music builds a little until at 4:55 the Allan Holdsworth imitator is given full command. Just as quickly we're back to some King Crimson Frippisms and interesting synthesizer sounds solo in exchange with the fuzzed bass. The drum work throughout is truly worth attending to but nowhere as much as here, in the seventh and eighth minutes. (9/10)

8. "...y ahora qué?" (7:20) lets the bass establish it's initial stop-and-start structure, which morphs into a nice and easy jazzy walkabout over which soprano sax, electric piano and electric rhythm guitar have their say. A shift around 1:25 into the more syncopated, stutter-step structure allows alto sax and lead guitar to take their turns in the solo light. (9/10)

are both very jazzy--though of very different styles, is very spacey/psychedelic (and RPI sounding), and my favorite, is full of heavy, powerful chord sequences and treated guitars and synths, but the rest could easily pass for King Crimson inventions of the past twenty years.

4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of progressive rock music. A solid effort of well-composed and well-performed music very much in the KING CRIMSON tradition. These are some very talented musicians. Definitely a band to keep following.