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Humo del Cairo: Vol. II

16/02/12 || gk

Humo del Cairo first came to my attention with their 2010 self titled debut. The trio seemed like another worthy addition to the ranks of stoner friendly metal and rock bands from South America even if their propensity for long and meandering jams didn’t always pay off. Now, a year later, the band is back with a new drummer and an album that is a lot more tight and focused.

Opener “Fe” sets the tone with its rumbling bass, laid back guitar lines and a clean but ballsy vocal melody that lifts the song. “Los Ojos” is driving stoner metal. A catchy guitar riff loaded with fuzz and a break in the middle that owes a fair bit to Black Sabbath makes this song quite memorable. “Tierra del Rey” is the album highlight and employs a huge stoner friendly groove to excellent effect. The vocals are more aggressive here complementing the riffs. Some effective backing vocals and a superb lead guitar section work very well but its the interplay between drums and bass that makes this song truly special. This is followed by “El Alba (parte A)” and “El Alba (parte B)” which shifts the focus of the album from groovy stoner metal to a more expansive and atmospheric side. It’s one song split into two parts for easier consumption and is infectiously catchy with a superb melody that is at the heart of this piece and a great chorus in the second part of the song. The only real misstep on this album comes in “Parte del Leon” which sounds like Clutch around “Blast Tyrant” with lyrics in Spanish. The band just loses some identity here and it seemed like an unnecessary detour. Album closer “Indios” has the vocalist sounding a bit like Pepper Keenan and starts off sounding like some pedestrian southern rock but the ending guitar, bass and drums jam finishes things off on a euphoric note.

The songs are mostly mid paced, have big grooves and vocalist/ guitarist Juan Manuel Diaz comes up with some catchy vocal lines and excellent guitar parts. The rhythm section plays a huge role in making these songs. Bassist Gustavo Bianchi has this way of accentuating the guitar notes while not really following either the guitarist or drummer and this creates a terrific range for these songs with a thick and full sound. New drummer Federico Castrogiovanni is an absolute revelation. He’s never flashy but does enough behind the kit to be the driving force for these songs. Fellow Argentinians Los Natas and their patented brand of metal meets desert rock was a big influence on the bands debut but Humo del Cairo manage to create their own identity here and are pretty fucking good at what they do.

The band has shown remarkable progression between the debut and “Vol. II.” They’ve managed to carve out their own identity in a crowded space and done so with some great and infectious songs. The fact that all of the lyrics are sung in Spanish made absolutely no difference to my enjoying these songs. Humo del Cairo is a band worth checking out for fans of the genre, and “Vol. II” is a fine fine album.

Information
Released: 2011
Label: Estamos Felices
Website: Humo del Cairo MySpace
Band
Juan Manuel Diaz: vocals, guitars
Gustavo Bianchi: bass
Federico Castrogiovanni: drums

Tracklist
01. Fe
02. Los Ojos
03. Tierra Del Rey
04. El Alba (parte A)
05. El Alba (parte B)
06. Crinas
07. Monte
08. Espada de Sal
09. Parte de Leon
10. Descienden de los Cielos
11. Indios

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