ROSTRO DEL SOL

It is always a pleasure to me to find high quality music made by Mexican musicians, and when I discovered Rostro del Sol, I ended up completely astonished by their work, that I wanted to recommend it to almost any person crossing my way.

Now after having released an acclaimed debut album, they are back this 2023 with 'Blue Storm', a four-song album that has a total time of 34 minutes full of psychedelia, prog rock and blues with a vintage spirit.

I am not sure if they did it on purpose, but there are two long songs and two short ones, and the order in the album is from the longest to the shortest. So it kicks-off with 'Blue Storm' which is a majestic track, a feast of sounds and rhythms with a festival or carnival mood, its spirit is joyful so it is normal if you feel the will to move your body and why not, dance. There are several changes in rhythm and mood, moments of vertigo where they get faster and we can appreciate their different skills, I mean, they give us guitar solos, keyboard solos, they provide crazy drums, wonderful bass lines and an amazing saxophone use. But there are also slower moments where what we listen is completely different, I mean, in one single track we can hear hints of King Crimson, Weather Report or Atomic Rooster, to name a few. Great!

'Kinich Ahau' is a beautiful track, and yeah, that is a suitable adjective and even a surprising one because after listening to the powerful and vertiginous opener, they now delight us with one soft and delicious mid-tempo track, a beautiful mixture of prog rock with jazz, in which we can hear clear hints of Camel, which I am sure is an influence. This is a ten- minute song, so of course here we will have changes in time and mood, and one change I love is where flute and vocals appear after the fourth minute, it is an injection of peace, so you can close your eyes and let the music do the rest. Now picture yourself having a mind trip while listening to a beautiful sax while great and gentle bass lines sound, alongside a mellotron-like keyboard and soft drumming. Ah, but wait a bit, because at minute seven it changes again and bring that energy released in the first track, so yeah, it is a hell of a composition.

The short tracks now. First 'El Ritual' and I assume it is a rendition to that legendary Mexican band with the same name, the 70's feeling is totally present here, they manage to sound vintage but at the same time, they bring a fresh sound. The voice is deep and powerful, but I love the instrumental moments because they sound free and explosive, I also love the organ work. And last but not least 'Dark Meta' is another feast of prog and vintage rock, the winds are so powerful and prominent here, some Crimsonian textures are shared in this track, and what I love the most is that all of the musicians are equally good, so I dare you listen to these tracks on repeat and pay attention to a different instrument each time, your experience will be different but in the end, worth it.

Once again I am truly happy with a Rostro del Sol release, they are a hell of a band and I really, really hope they get much more attention not only localy, but internationally.

Enjoy it!

A couple of years ago I discovered a new Mexican band whose sound immediately blew my mind, they are called Rostro del Sol, and I am happy to see them included in this site because they have brought an exquisite combination of old-school heavy psych rock with hints of also old-school prog rock, so their music will take you back to the 70s, however, they don't sound old-fashioned, they created a refreshing vintage sound.

Their selt-titled debut album consists of 6 tracks and a total time of 40 minutes. It opens with 'Effect of Creation', whose first 1:30 minutes are just like a somber and hypnotic background, then, an organ appears, reminding me a bit of Iron Butterfly, and later after 2:30 when strings and drums appear, a new and psychedelic sound starts to being built up and you will start to shake your head and move your body a little bit. The names of monsters such as Frank Zappa, King Crimson or Soft Machine come to my mind while listening to its development, the musicianship is amazing, the music is complex but gentle at the same time, truly enjoyable for anyone who loves old school psych and prog. Hypnotic bass lines, wonderful guitar and keyboard solos, and also a truly accurate sax that appears as both, lead and back. A hell of a track, a daring way to start this album.

Well, that was the longest track, and now it comes 'Solar Flare', which happens to be the shortest track. Its three minutes are full of vertigo and changes, the music never stops and it takes you to a magnificent psychedelic trip, in which we can enjoy great guitar solos. Seems the band greatly know each other, sometimes it sounds like they are just jamming and enjoying music, and maybe it is what they actually did, and its contagious!

'Backyard's Blues' starts with a catchy sound that reminded me a bit of Sabbaths' 'Iron Man', later they create a mixture of rhythms, of course the blues is totally present, however, I think rock, jazz and prog put also their grain of sand. I love the keyboard work, reminding me once again of those Soft Machine years in the 70s. Some wah wah guitar solos and also hints of Pink Floyd roots are also shared in this cool track, but it does not end there, because after 4:30 minutes you can also listen to some kind of funky tunes blended with afrolatin sounds. Delicious.

'Bop C Sketches' is an amazing track, once again we can notice the band's wonderful skills as composers and performers, I love the bass lines here and how that always accurate and fast drums are present. The music is again a mixture of jazz, psych, heavy rock and prog, with some Latin sauce on it that is present not only with the rhythm, but also with the Santan-esque guitar, which is wonderful. The 70's feeling is always here, but don't get me wrong, they are not a 70s-revival-band, they are actually a modern band using in a wonderful way, a bunch of elements and musical styles they know, they grew up with. The result, to my ears, is superb.

'Tales I-III' is a nice track divided in three, and I like how it starts, with a softer sound, calmer, and then it changes in mood and tempo, putting into my ears once again the name of Zappa. They later dare to use a mellotron sound that of course brings back the name of King Crimson, and wow, they play as long time maestros, as if this wasn't a debut album, because this sounds like the pinnacle of an experimented career. But remember, this is a new band, this is just the beginning, a debut album.

Last but not least is 'Cynical Mind' which immediately takes us back to the 70s, a bombastic sound that now reminds me of Allman Bros and Cream, but then they morph into a Crimson again, including that wonderful sax solo whose rhythm might be a hint or even a rendition to 'Pictures of a City', I don't know. The whole track is great, just as the whole album. I remember I truly became surprised and excited when I first listened to it, I asked myself who tf are these guys, and a big WOW appeared in my mind.

Rostro del Sol is an amazing and talented band from Mexico City whose music I really hope can reach more and more ears nationally and of course, worldwide, these guys rock and I have to bow down to them, because that exciting effect I had with my first listen, is the same I still have every time I repeat the album, and that does not happen always. Congratulations!

So please, go and listen to the album and if you can, buy it.

Enjoy it!