CHAC MOOL

Some kind of experimentation from this Mexican band.

Chac Mool was a very representative band from my country, mainly in the 80s, their music was successful at that time, so they could perform in several TV shows and they gained some popularity and nice audience, sadly, their music changed a lot within their albums, first they were playing progressive rock, with some symphonic roots, later a very nice addition of some spacey elements, and finally they turn to pop rubbish. At the 2000 year, the band with different line-up appeared again to create an extraordinary album that I would recommend to anyone. But now, I will talk about their 1982 album called "Cintas en Directo".

This album contains 7 songs and a total time of 35 minutes, so it is relatively short. It opens with "El Fantasma del Museo" and well I have to say that since the first song, we can notice that the recording sound is very poor, sometimes sounding amateurish. This first song is pretty nice, it shows some changes within itself, not very complex but with fine instrumentation, what I like the least are the vocals, but I enjoy several passages.

"Lo Enterraron Vivo" has some good moments, mainly when the keyboard appears, there is a keyboard solo somewhere, and it sounds nice. There are moments where the song's sound is very 80s, you know what I mean.

"Melanie" is a simple song that has some spacey effects which are actually unnecessary, and I don't want to be mean, but the vocals are horrible here, not their best song at all.

"Un Mundo Feliz", in contrast to the previous one, is much better since the very beginning, with some nice effects as background and the first couple of minutes sound as an improvisation, then the song begins to build up an structure, and creates a very nice piece though the music may sound quite simple, I like it.

"Ofrenda" is a song that offers you a kind of electronic, spacey sound, synths effects, bass lines a constant soft drumming and a warm flute sound here and there, creating a very good atmosphere "Un Punto más Allá del Infinito", starts with flute and bass in the same line, it could be a nice song if it hasn't vocals, the music is not that bad, but the vocals in a funny style are horrible, again. The last part of the song is pretty good actually.

"El Rey del Rock" is the last song of the album and it is a live track, very poppish and catchy, honestly nothing to be proud of.

This is a weak Chac Mool album, they made better things but anyway I would not consider this as a bad album either, not as bad as their Caricia Digital. 2.5 stars would be fair, but this time I will low the rating to 2, I only recommend it for fans.

Enjoy it, anyway!

No wonder that the band will call it quit after this very poor release (even if they will do a come back in 2000, some sixteen years after this "work").

The band released some good stuff in their early works. Floyd, Tull and even Crimson at times were their influences.

With this album (which is very short, fortunately), the band sounds as the poor "Ange" from the eighties. Flat rock music. Nothing interesting at all. Synth pop as well, but not only.

This album is very bad. From the opening "Vestir De Rojo" and its "Genesis" while they were three influence to "Piel De Hielo" which almost sounds as a "Police" song. In between, "Tamaño Natural" is probably the weakest. If ever you would use a well known technique (the press next one), you wouldn't listen to a single track of this album entirely. Gosh! What a suffering I need to endure to write objectively about this crappy release.

Because the worst sits along with the poorest. But to mention awful moments woiuld really mean to mention each track of this album. If you feel like listening to some disgusting AOR, feel free to endure "Solo Tienes 16".

This album is one of the best ones for the press next game, that's for sure. Avoid this album by all means. This has nothing to do with folk prog (nor prog actually). If you would like to have a good idea of the music played by this band, just stick to their first two albums.

This one deserves only one star (and it is on the higher end, really). Dreadful vocals all the way through to add to the quality.

Que nos hicieron ???

"Cintas En Directo" means live tapes.

The band explains that the objective of this record was to show how the band could jam. The album doesn't feature any studio tricks. First takes, that's all. The members were not isolated in a studio room with the idea to show the spontaneity of the band as if they were playing live.

One of my favourite song form this album is by far the beautiful "Un Mundo Feliz" (but it was already released on their debut album). Like all the songs from this release, it sounds raw (a bit too much IMO) but its intro is so poignant.In terms of new songs, the full Tull oriented "Un Punto Más Allá Del Infinito" deserves your attention. One of the good songs.

The poor "Melanie" was recorded during the "Sueños De Metal" sessions. When you listen to it, you understand why it was rejected form the original album. Press next.

There is also one live track on this album, but frankly to listen to "Chac Mool" playing a rock song (or intending to do so) is not the best experience you would like to face. Press next, again.

"Chac Mool" tells us that "Cintas En Directo" represented a refreshing experience for them and that they hoped it will please us".

I cannot really cope with this statement. But the closing number is brilliant. Even if "Chac Mool" is referenced in the prog folk genre, they have recorded some spacey numbers as well. This one is again fully reminiscent of "ASOS" from Floyd. A fantastic trip and by far my fave out here.

Two stars.

This album combines some folk, some symphonic music (which is fine) but also some electro-pop (which is not so fine).

"Paranoia" is one of these type. If you add pretty weak vocals during this song, you get the picture.We are far from their very pleasant and symphonic sounds of their debut album. Actually, this song is very poor and it is a bit strange that it was chosen to open this album. Maybe that its commercial structure was the reason for this...

On the contrary, "Kandahar" combines very strong flute playing which conveys this folk-prog feeling to it. But the sound is somewhat harder. Rather upbeat for the most of it, this song brings us back to their good debut album.

One of my favourite is "Brillo De Luna". A simple and repetitive guitar work provides a strong structure and again, the flute (aaaaargh, I really love this instrument) brings us in another dimension. It is true that Mauricio Billieto is not the best vocalist on earth but this time, I admit that he sounds better than usual. Some good percussion work also enriches this song very effectively.

"Que Buena Razón" is somewhat in the same vein, but it has this inducible flavour of "Living In The Past" during some flute passages. Very pleasant (but I am biased.). It is another song of the big man in the band. Carlos Reyes signs (or co-sign) no less than five of them on this album leaving only "Libertad" to Armando Suárez. But this song is the second weak track. Simple and popish.

On the contrary, the closing and long number "Sombras de la Noche" (shadows of the night) opens with a brilliant and ethnic part (similar to "Aymara" from their first album). It is a great combination of native Mexican music and the symphonic style. It should have been a full instrumental IMO because as soon as the vocals get in, it is not so strong any longer. But since they are rather short, let's not complain too much.

It's a very melodic piece of music with spacey keyboards and powerful bass playing. By far the most interesting song from this good album. A special note for the last section of this beautiful song which combines a passionate guitar work with some good orchestrations.

Three stars. Arriba México.

This very confidential band (at least outside Mexico) plays a pleasant symphonic and spacey music.

Some numbers are tinted with ethnic sounds like "Aymara" which could remind the very ancient times of this beautiful country. A great piece of music to meditate while sitting in front of the Kukulcán pyramid in Chitchen Itzà. Not far from there (200 metres) you can find the little statue of Chac Mool from where the band got its name from.

This is my preferred song from this album. A great combination of Mexican rooted music and a spacey and relaxing part.

This album opens with rare synth sounds. Almost sci-fi and chaotic for two minutes. Fortunately "Un Mundo Feliz" (a happy world) switches to an excellent spacey atmosphere. Floyd is very much present, but it will be a consistent aspect of their music on this album.

"Nade Especial" for instance. It automatically reminds me of the end of "Welcome To The Machine". This album features lots of synthesizers and privileged the instrumental parts. Which is good because I am not always convinced by the lead vocalist (Mauricio Bieletto). His tone of voice is rather uniform and not really captivating.

This is mostly noticeable during "Salamandra". It's a pity because there are lots of very good music featured on this album. Very much space-rock oriented (more than prog folk actually).

Still, a song as "El Día Que Murió El Rey Camaleón" holds any Tull aspects you could imagine. Flute of course is very much the key factor to enhance this feeling. Some improvised moments can also relate this number with Crimson (early period).

The weak point of this band is definitely the vocals. If the singer would be a little more demonstrative and emotional, this album would have been really good. As such I can't go over three stars. Arriba México!

Chac Mool is (were) a great Mexican band of progressive rock, their latest album El Mensajero de los Dioses was a very good stuff, and with Nadie en Especial, i think are their onlly 2 very prog albums, this is their debut album, and the most well known in Mexico, this album is a very good one, it has 7 studio songs, the songs on Nadie en Especial, but it also has bonus tracks, that bonus tracks were recorded from their first concert in Mexico City, so here we can listen to their early notes, and it is a good experience. The album is not the best, is not the most complex or the best arrangements, but is really good, here we can find a clear Pink Floyd`s influecne, in fact, in one track we can hear some notes as in Have a Cigar, they are quite similar, also, this album has a good mix of instruments as a good keyboard work, some strings like cellos and a bit of flute, is totally a symphonic album, with sthe unique sound of the coming 80`s era, the opening song Un Mundo Feliz and Salamandra are my favorites, after all, this is a good album, but not essential, i cant really suggest it to you. 3 stars

In 1980, I had the oportunity to saw Chac Mool Live in the Tecnológico de Monterrey auditorium (I was stuying there) and they presented a great show not for the scenography but for the good tasty music of their first album... but they played various songs from the second, like "Brillo de Luna", "Que buena razón" (*), or "El rey del Rock" (not issued in this CD). Unfortunately, bad management and differences between parts end with a good Mexican band with international talent, as happened in a same way with "Caifanes"...

The music was really good and at a high level. The tracks written here had the same thematic essence of the songs of the first album (*), and "El Rey Del Rock" was a little exercise of the Rock & Roll kind; but in general, the second recording, lacks of the force, power and creativity of their first effort... It's really a shame that the Record Industry in México don't let the musicians work alone and transform the real message of the music into a selfish mediocre Pop hype, or that the musicians really don't know how to make a team to work out a recording. And that's why, between other reasons, Carlos Santana, is making records in U.S.A. and not in México City. It's a shame, but it's true!...Good Luck!

I really liked Chac Mool in the 80's for what they were, but this release should be seen in a different angle, the band was already gathering widespread recognition in Mexico, and they issued this comercially tinted LP, no prog in it, in addition Jorge Reyes sang on it (heck they even shaved their beards so they could look cool) but nonetheless a very satisfiying album (after all, didn't ELP (love beach), Genesis (Mama), Tull (??), FM (tonight) released very commercial music during the '80's)

This it is without doubt the worst album of Chac Mool, they did it too much pop and commercial, maybe they needed to be acquaintances in mexico, but therefore was not this the form, by the way after this album they decided to be separated, is an absurd material too much of the years 80çs with letters ridiculas and with musica without ningun sense and without progressive atmospheres, in few words is an album too sad and bad, is good that listen it to know them but, but I do not believe that you like.

— First review of this album —

Another great mexican band!

Chac Mool is a band which started playing in the early 80´s, maybe in the late 70´s they were jamming but it was until 1980 when they released their first and most precious album called "Nadie en Especial", showing us their clear Pink Floyd influence and their duty of make good music based in progressive rock, after that, they released a couple more studio albums with less quality and one live album, in 1984 with "Caricia Digital" they marked a new era for the members, Chac Moll dissapeared.

This album is the return of Chac Mool as a group, after several years when they decided to separate and go every one with their respective projects in fact, Chac Mool did not exist for almost 20 years!, in 2001 they returned with a very nice album called "El Mensajero de los Dioses", where only keyboardist Carlos Alvarado and bassist Armando Reyes belong to the original line up, therefore, Chac Mool continued here with new members, including a new vocalist and a female violin player, giving it a new but great touch.

The album itself could be considered as a symphonic, but actually it has loads of folkish elements, i could talk about mexican roots and prehispanic customs, the great sound of keyboards experimenting with violin, flute and those folkish passages, makes a very interesting album, which i own with joy not only for being a mexican band, but for a very nice return, but well, after that the band has never reunited again to release a new record.

"Maldita Vida", "Un dia Mas" are my favorite tracks here, full of nice atmosphere and great music above all, so i could recommend it for any prog fan.