Hominido: Estirpe Litica

Hominido is a Chilean progressive rock/jazz fusion band from the city of Valdivia. The band formed in 2012 after the breakup of La Desooorden, a band I have not heard before. Estirpe Litica (translated in English means 'Kindred Lithic') is their first album.

Estirpe Litica is an interesting listen. If you are at all familiar with the South American prog scene you will have some idea of what to expect although the band does not necessarily follow any trends. The music is complex, a bit angular, quite jazzy and contains many Eastern flavours as there is a certain world vibe on some of the tracks. There is a nice mix of gentler guitar passages with heavier metallic riffs as the band sometimes opts for fuzzier tones. Special mention must be made of bass player Francisco Martin Subercaseaux as he makes his presence felt throughout the disc. He certainly has the chops to play with the big boys. Another important facet is the extensive use of violin adding sorrowful and moodier elements as in the somber "Shalágram Shilá" and the densely layered "Desde Las Cumbres Al Mar" where lovely acoustic guitar, violin and various shades of light and dark makes for a dynamic listen. Trumpet is also used effectively, especially on the album ending "Magma" with its ultra-cool intro of clean guitar, enhanced with echo effects, biting guitar work and interesting percussion. This is heavy prog fusion that goes down quite smooth even though there is enough complexity here to satisfy the most veteran progressive music fan.

The vocals of Eliana Valenzuela Hernández should also be mentioned. She has a good voice and decent range adding a softer element to the band's dynamic arrangements.

The recording quality is also worth a mention as it is very good with outstanding clarity between instruments and tremendous musical depth within the individual tracks.

Hominido has released a fine prog fusion album with Estirpe Litica. I really dig how the band captures some good melodies while stretching their musical chops without sounding pretentious and cold. The more I listen to this album the better it gets and deserves an excellent 4 stars.

Track Listing:
1. Simún
2. Ciudades De Piedra
3. Insano Devenir
4. Desde Las Cumbres Al Mar
5. Shalágram Shilá
6. Eterno Retorno
7. Cabeza De Piedra
8. Mi Roca Interna
9. Adoquines Queretanos
10. Estirpe Litica
11. Salar
12. Magma

Added: November 20th 2014
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Band's Facebook Page
Hits: 2257
Language: english

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