CHAOS PARADOX

Sever years after the release of their debut album, Mexican band Anima Tempo has delivered a new work entitled 'Chaos Paradox', in which we can hear a quite interesting mixture of sounds, musical genres, and cultures. It is divided in 8 tracks that make a total time of 44 minutes where the band offers a truly mature sound, taking elements from their previous release, but also adding so many new ones, which makes this a rich journey.

The album opens with 'Digital Heart', which was the fourth and last single off this record. I love this track! In the first seconds we can hear a kind of 8-bit music which laters turns into djent; Anima Tempo are beasts with their instruments, all are marvelous players and we can notice it with the notes, chords and sounds they make, but another thing I love is the combination of both, clean and growl vocals, something I cheer because growling singer, Daniel Gonzalez had left the band some years ago, however, it is great to see him back. This track has also a video in which the band's members turn into cartoons, emulating video games, which at the same time, explains the title of the track and also the direction of the album, conceptually talking. There's a killer guitar solo by Dante Granados in this song, by the way.

With 'The Infinite Eye' we can appreciate the amazing bass playing by Pável Vanegas, but also how the band start to introduce sounds from other cultures, such as mid-eastern or japanese. The music can go from djent to symphonic, from prog to death metal. Though Anima Tempo virtuosism usually makes us take a look at the strings, it is worht mentioning the keyboard work not only in this track, but in the whole album, creating great atmospheres and the sounds that take us closer to those other cultures.

'Deceitful Idols' was the first single of this album and was released 2 years ago! So yeah, back in 2021 we received a proof of this new Anima Tempo phase. The beginning of this track show obvious Japanese elements, in moments reminding me a bit of fellow Mexican project Iden Gakusha. The band always is challenging themselves, we can also notice it by listening to the different changes in tempo and mood within the songs. That Japanese and eastern sound continues with 'Deconstruct', a powerful track with a variety of contrasts that we can appreciate not only by the vocals, but also by the music itself. The drums by Antonio Guerrero are excellent here as well. Of course I cannot continue without mentioning the great work by Gian Granados who provides rhythm guitar and those great clean vocals, which can sound delicate or powerful, depending the moment of the music.

The first seconds of 'Chaos Paradox' sounds like the introduction of an epic movie. New elements are being added while the seconds pass and after a minute, growling vocals appear here but with a different tone, a surprising moment, if you ask me. Later clean vocals appear, the tempo changes two or three times and the growling we are used to, return. It is notable the skills of each and every one of the musicians involved here. 'Robo-lution' is a title that might represent what we are living nowadays where AI is almost taking over. Digital technology has come to help us, and of course they do, however, we are not far from being surpassed by it.

'Primal Symmetry' comes very fast, so fasten your seatbelt. The energy brought by the band is contagious, so it is normal if you feel the will to move your body or shake your head for a while. Mid-eastern elements are added here once again, so they are part of the essence of this album. Djent and death metal are present, with its accurate amount of prog. The album finishes with 'Saeger Equation' which take the listener to Anima Tempo's culture, the Mexican one, you can notice it by the folk sounds of the beginning. However, they kept that Japanese essence, so the mixture is quite interesting.

Congrats to Anima Tempo, after witnessing their work through the years and after listening to this record, it is easy to understand why are they playing in different festivals and countries around the world.