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Arzgarth
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" Reino Ermitano - Brujas del Mar" [ Arzgarth]
Reino Ermitano - Brujas del Mar
Review by John Pegoraro (StonerRock.com)
PsycheDOOMelic Records
Release date: February 2006
On Brujas del Mar, their second album, Peru’s Reino Ermitano builds on the strength of their debut while expanding their sound into new directions.
If there was a complaint to be made about their self titled debut, it would be that it occasionally suffered from too much plod and not enough groove (a hazard of playing traditional doom, I suppose). Not so with Brujas del Mar. Here even the slowest of songs has an infectious swing to it. And the use of woodwind instruments (such as on “Elipses”) and acoustic guitar (the instrumental “Alajpacha”) create atmospheric moods that give the Brujas del Mar an admirable amount of depth.
See, rather than bludgeon the listener over the head with rehashed Sabbath and Pentagram riffs, the band opts to maximize the dynamics in their songwriting. When they pull back, as on the aforementioned tracks, it makes the heavier songs (“Voragine,” “Crepuscular,” and the exceptional “Oceania”) that much heavier. And as they incorporate South American music into their doom, they put a unique twist on a genre that some insist on rigidly defining.
For the doom fan, there’s plenty to like about Brujas del Mar. Reino Ermitano pays homage to the greats of old without emulating them. They’ve got their own identity and sound, and if you’re looking for something new, this will be right up your alley. And for those who have reservations about foreign language bands, fear not – Reino Ermitano was kind enough to provide English translations to their lyrics.
URL: http://www.reinoermitano.com/
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Kevin
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"Reino Ermitano - Brujas del Mar"
Band: Reino Ermitano
Album: Brujas del Mar
Format: CD
Label: psycheDOOMelic
Time: 59 Minutes
Year: 2006
Track List:
Intro: La Corte
Curandero De Una Realidad Incierta
Voragine
Elipses
Alajpacha
Crepuscular
El Fauno
Hoy, La Tarde
Oraculo
Rosas del Reves
Oceania
Magdalena Del Mar
Label Site: www.psycheDOOMelic.com
Band Site: www.reinoermitano.com
It seems to me that freedom is what Reino Ermitano's brand of doom is really all about. The freedom of the marginilized, the freedom of the outsider, the freedom of the alienated, and first and foremost the freedom of the individual to somehow remove society's strictures in the interest of pure self expression, to use all of one's gifts in pursuit of the lost chord, as it were. This is why Reino Ermitano ("Hermit Kingdom") doesn't sound quite like anyone else; they've absorbed a Heinz 57 mixture of musical influences like a parched sponge, and have in turn produced a characteristic sound that is a synergy of all the group's members. And after all, isn't that what being a successful group is all about? Damned straight!
A while back Reino produced a remarkably professional full-length demo, complete with custom artwork, that still stands as one of the best I've ever heard. They mixed a wide variety of instruments and moods into a heavy riffing doom framework overlaid with female vocals that really worked, and in doing so impressed just about everybody who heard it. The musicianship and songwriting were far beyond the norm; how ironic to think that there are musicians of such ability struggling in the Peruvian underground while folks with far less talent get the big bucks in the northern hemisphere. But then, playing doom of any variety is not about getting rich.
Ideally it's about honest expression, and those that were into the group's eponymous CD will be happy to learn that all the things that made it a success are back with 'Brujas del Mar' ("Witches of the Sea"). The mandolin strumming, the doomy power chords, the light and the dark are all here, only a bit heavier and harder than before. They move effortlessly between moods, frequently in the same song. 'Curandero De Una Realidad Incierta' opens with a doomy riff St. Vitus or Acid King would be proud of, with vocalist Tania Duarte going a bit more over the top than she has before, combining Lori Acid King doominess with distorted old crone singing that sounds like ole' Meg Knuklebones from the classic Ridley Scott film 'Legend.' 'Voragine' is a hard rocker with a doom chorus and some fine guitar playing, while 'Magdalena' has a pretty, acoustic vibe which seems to rise like a vision straight out of the Pacific Ocean to hover high above Peru's Andes mountains. But pounding doom is never far away; 'Crepuscular' and 'Hoy, La Tarde' are excellent cases in point.
So what influences add up to a sound like this? Try Sabbath, Pentagram, St. Vitus, Celtic Frost, Witchcraft and Acid King added to a solid foundation in the classics composed of the likes of Budgie, Tull, and Motorhead, then add in a host of Peruvian bands you've never heard of. Hell, even the cover (by bassist Marcos Coifman) adds to the effect, with it's aquatic brujas swimming languidly through the sea like doomed Modiglianis. The fact is, this music also conveys a sense of spirituality and freedom, feelings that no list of musical influences could accurately describe. For that, you'll just have to get the disc for yourself. Let's doom!
Kevin McHugh
NOW PLAYING: Smithwick Machine - Dixie Witch EP
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MadJohnShaft
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" Reino Ermitano - Brujas del Mar" [ Arzgarth]
(yeah! I liked the couple of leaked tracks I heard - congrats on the release too!)
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Chino IrA
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" Reino Ermitano - Brujas del Mar" [ Arzgarth]
just can think about something black and unholy
NOW PLAYING: Celtic Frost - Innocence and Wrath
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El Danno
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" Reino Ermitano - Brujas del Mar" [ Arzgarth] |
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sapling
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" Reino Ermitano - Brujas del Mar" [ Arzgarth] |
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Hellride Mike
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" Reino Ermitano - Brujas del Mar" [ Arzgarth]
Great album, a big improvement on the first one (and I really liked that!)
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Marcos Pesado
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" Reino Ermitano - Brujas del Mar" [ Arzgarth] |
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Marcos Pesado
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" Reino Ermitano - Brujas del Mar" [ Arzgarth] |
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Kevin
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" Reino Ermitano - Brujas del Mar" [ Arzgarth]
Bumpity.
It gets better with repeated listens. Too bad I couldn't make it to Peru for the CD release party! :)
NOW PLAYING: Solace
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MadJohnShaft
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" Reino Ermitano - Brujas del Mar" [ Arzgarth] |
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Marcos Pesado
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" Reino Ermitano - Brujas del Mar" [ Arzgarth]
Too bad I couldn't make it to Peru for the CD release party
If we rise from our ashes next year, as I hope we will, you'll have yet another chance for number 3, Kevin!
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Marcos Pesado
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" Reino Ermitano - Brujas del Mar" [ Arzgarth]
Just saw this, from Crucial Blast:
Reino Ermitano's Brujas Del Mar ("Witches Of The Sea") is the second full length from these Peruvian purveryors of weird Doom. Over the course of these 12 jams, the band moves between sludgy traditional doom metal in the vein of Hellhound Records, Pentagram, Black Sabbath, and The Obsessed, mixed with total Ren Faire madrigals and witchy, psychedelic folk parts complete with mandolin strumming, as well as a progressive pop/rock feel with flutes and interesting rhythmical breakdowns and the occasional stoner rock raveup or blast of epic droning metal...but then the female singer kicks in, and this album gets a bit bizarre. Her vocals alternate between a childish, effects-laden multi-tracked wail that makes her sound like Mike Scheidt's (YOB) little sister...or a freaky processed vocal croon that sounds like three witches chanting all at once, with all of the lyrics sung in Spanish. This gets pretty freaking creepy as the album goes on, believe me, with a sorta narrative flow that moves through the soft psych/folk/medieval parts and the crushing doom metal dirge. Not quite as fucked up as the sorta similiar Aarni CD we reviewed a few months ago, but this is still potently weird South American witch-doom that we are massively digging, and def one of the weirdest albums from Psychedoomelic. Recommended.
URL: http://www.crucialblast.net/webstore/titles_r.html
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saxonhammer
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" Reino Ermitano - Brujas del Mar" [ Arzgarth]
Awesome. Any ideas if this shit-kicking beauty will be coming out on the vinyl format?
NOW PLAYING: Tool - Lateralus
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chest rockwell
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" Reino Ermitano - Brujas del Mar" [ Arzgarth]
the downloaded mp3 samples keep kicking my face in. Crepuscular is really cool!!
i will have to purchase when i get paid soon. great work Marcos.
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Ogro Records
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" Reino Ermitano - Brujas del Mar" [ Arzgarth]
Reino Ermitano - Brujas Del Mar
Tania Duarte- Vocals
Julio Almeida- Drums
Henry Guevara- Guitars
Marcos Coifman- Bass
I plead ignorance with this band's prior, self-titled debut, but if it is along the lines of this recording, I am not averse to the idea of seeking it out. The foundational bedrock of Reíno Ermitaño's sound is familiar to most geologists of the doom persuasion- hefty amounts of Peaceville Pentagram are thrown into a simmering cauldron with 'Born Too Late' Saint Vitus and 'Master Of Reality' Sabbath, though Reíno Ermitaño distinguish themselves from similar-minded kin by juxtaposing despondent, demonic minor-chord excursions with a wistful, bucolic folk edge that suggests an unhealthy fixation with 'Songs From The Wood' and 'Surrealistic Pillow'. Exotic, quixotic and hypnotic, this album whiffs of the same otherworldly, distinctively South American ambrosia that surrounds everything from Los Dug Dug's to Pappo's Blues to Pescado Rabioso to Dragonauta (another contemporary aesthetic parallel that I can draw here).
Granted, your enjoyment of this album will hinge largely on your stance towards dramatic, assertively individualistic vocals- I cannot help but be reminded of Chile's unsung Aguaturbia (a depraved late ‘60s HEAVY psychedelic troupe dedicated to reinterpreting bebop and bluegrass staples at MINDFRYING volume) when I hear Tania's voice, and her bewitching, impassioned, NEFARIOUS delivery adds considerable character to Reíno Ermitaño's sound. Aesthetically, the madcap approach of the band can, on occasion, make for frustratingly inconsistent results- the album is a tad longer than it should be, and the band's inclinations towards ponderous, sinister sounding Sabbathine chords (contrasted, of course, by eloquent blues-scale solos and soporific medieval folk sections) mean that some of the tracks do tend to bleed into one another, but when it all comes together, the music is positively GORGEOUS. “Elipses” boasts a dismal, disorienting main riff that positively OOZES with insidious creepiness, and the serpentine, bilious atmosphere is heightened by an inspired vocal turn by Tania, while “Oceánia” brims to the fore with its impossibly spooky acoustic intro, propulsive horror-doom riff and unsettling multi-tracked banshee coos.
While I maintain that some of the transitions on this record can be a bit awkward and arbitrary, the dynamism and textural depth of this album is astonishing for a band that is only on its sophomore release, and one can only expect that the next record will exhibit marked improvements in all departments. Unquestionably, the band already have a firm grasp on the importance of ATMOSPHERE and SPACE on a doom record, and everything here is natural, spontaneous, spirited and HONEST. There is also little question in my mind that when this record gets going, there are few recordings in recent memory that rival it in originality and eeriness…as an avid aficionado of all things macabre, ethereal and WEIRD, I award this with my hearty recommendations. Dark, cerebral and enchanting progressive doom with incredible promise.
Nin Chan
(from diabolicalconquest.com)
URL: http://www.diabolicalconquest.com/reviews/reino_ermitano-brujas_del_m
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renfield
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" Reino Ermitano - Brujas del Mar" [ Arzgarth]
haven't listened to these guys in a while...
mad throbbing gallons of love to be heaped upon' em. enchanting peruvian witch metal, you can feel the fucking cauldron rippling into your soul. highly spiritual and gorgeous, both albums. i'm a firm believer in starting with the debut and then rewarding yourself with this one after you've fostered a great love and appreciation for it.
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Ogro Records
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" Reino Ermitano - Brujas del Mar" [ Arzgarth]
If you’re a bit tired of angry sludge-maniacs of the likes of FISTULA or ACCEPT DEATH, if you’re a bit stuffed with monotonous stoner/doom monsters of the likes of TURAMBAR or HEAVY LORD, if you’re kind of starting to lose your mind from the ultra-slow sick sludge doom of the likes of STUMM or MOSS, then listen to REINO ERMITAÑO, that’ll be like a gulp of fresh air! This exotic quartet from Peru makes thick stoner/doom with beautiful acoustic fills, folk melodies and vocals in Spanish! The new album ‘Brujas del Mar’ includes very well done tracks, like Elipses, Crepusclular, el Fauno, Oceania. The last track stands apart and is completely without a rhythm section. ‘Magdalena del Mar’ is an astonishing in its beauty acoustic ballad, with the noise of the ocean’s waves in the background and flute! The female vocals tops everything with a special honesty.
All the tracks are well thought through: After every three tracks there’s an instrumental ‘intermission’, where you can relax, listening to beautiful melodies. Most of the tracks have fast and slow drum parts, the vocals are different in form; from cries to nice clean singing, the guitar varies between monotonous riffs to fast energetic solos. Because of all this, this album stays very interesting from beginning until the very end, and you really take pleasure in every song.
If you buy this album, you don’t just buy music, you also acquire a little piece of the culture of REINO ERMITAÑO and the spirit of their Peru! This second album of this talentful quartet is very fresh, original, and a quality piece of work. So don’t think, and just buy this album!
Brujas del Mar comes with a 12-page booklet with the lyrics in Spanish and English and also black-and-white pictures of the ocean on the background of the booklet pages. You’ll also get a staggering layout, made by bass guitarist MARCOS COIFMAN. It’s done in a saturated blue colour and looks just amazing!
This is highly recommended for all stoner/doom fans, and also for everyone who can appreciate talented and original bands!
(Translation: Shaytan - thanks)
URL: http://doom-sludge.com/dreviews/r/reinoermitano2006.html
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jibberish
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" Reino Ermitano - Brujas del Mar" [ Arzgarth]
I notice a recurring review topic: tull. I base this on the reviewers not feeling the latin history (ie "spanish" or "gypsy" music roots) which carried to SA. tull derives more from northern european history. these are hardcore doom/metal reviewers' perspectives, not oldschool brit prog rock reviewers' perspectives (just IMO but I think it bears mentioning )
My sense was the inflection of the latin-worldness perspective that only "foreigners" could conjure and amaze and delite us with the freshness of the presentation. and they did this by painting dark peru on top of black sabbath.
I love this album. You can listen to it over and over and over, and it takes you somewhere far away..........
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Ogro Records
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" Reino Ermitano - Brujas del Mar" [ Arzgarth]
Reino Ermitaño's excellent second album Brujas del Mar will be available on vinyl courtesy of Shadow Kingdom Records / Nuclear War Now! Records early into 2009.
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