HECHO EN MÉXICO

Just when the administrators of all prog e-zines were starting to pose 2007's best album surveys, a big surprise of No. 1 worth was yet to be released before the end of the year: "Hecho en México" is a definitive Cabezas de Cera masterpiece, a monster album that once again reassures this ensemble as a top item in the current avant-garde prog scene. Essentially, "Hecho en México" defines a further exploration of the sonorities that had been elaborated and delivered in their double effort "MetalMúsica"/"Aleaciones Aleatorias", but this time the repertoire shows a more ambitious compositional structure and a more refined way to continue the exploration. In fact, you can tell that most of the time, the ensemble creates their peculiar experimental magic with a dose of delicateness that was not so usual in the aforesaid double album: it is as if the band had decided to bring back some of the ethereal magic that made the best of "Un Segundo" (the other CDC master opus). The fact that all these tracks were basically recorded live (with some extra dubs that do not distort the original spirit) only gives us reason to admire this band and this particular recording more. 'Tercera Llamada' is an effective opener, since its candid colors (between Latin and Arabic) and dynamic rhythmic structures (like a jazzy version of 80s King Crimson) are really uplifting. The contrasts between the relaxing and explicit passages are simply immaculate. 'Tiroxina Rex' keeps the momentum going, with a notable increase of punch and complexity; yet, it never turns into obtuse sonorities, on the contrary, it preserves an agile mood all along the way. 'Peregrino' is the first predominantly serene piece in the album: the Arabic factor, not uncommon in CDC's repertoire, returns with a moderate vengeance. The mood and tempo shifts are like special moments in a spiritual continuum. 'Al Mictlán' creates a mixture of exotically driven textures and experimental muscle: the wind midi assumes a leading role when generating disturbing sounds with spacey undertones, while the charrófono and the drum kit go rearranging the jam's basic scheme over and over. Now we get to the largest piece in the album, 'Rompecabezas'. It starts with a deceitfully relaxing section of cosmic roots, before the jam begins to settle in and grow in a powerful crescendo that ultimately leads to some of the most delirious passages in the album (at least, before 'Parkour'): in moments like this, it seems that the music born of neurosis can be appealing in a very mysterious way. 'Corazón Alegre' displays a very different atmosphere due to its more lyrical framework: the combination of jazz-rock and fusion is managed in a relaxing fashion, although at some point the track delivers some weird cybernetic ornaments as a momentary contrast. 'Parkour' is the most dissonant piece in the album: it mixes the wildest side of contemporary Crimson, RIO and heavy prog in a musical thunderstorm that also incorporates some cybernetic ornaments. The closer 'Caguamán' finds the band exploring their ethereal side, as a soft breeze that aims at providing some rest to the listener's soul after it has been shaken by the incendiary 'Parkour'. More than just excellent, "Hecho en México" is an amazing 2007 masterpiece: Cabezas de Cera is, without question, a big part of the prog crème nowadays.