CARBONO 14

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.

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