BAGUIBATUS – MANIFIESTO (2024) (Mylodon Records)

Described as a fusion and experimental rock power trio from Valparaíso/Viña del Mar, I absolutely love this album by Baguibatus. We are promised ten intense compositions which is exactly what we get. Luis Fuentes Navarette is the guitarist, Gustavo Celedón Bórquez is the bassist and Rodrigo Garcés, the drummer. Ferocious bass begins the album and soon the others join in: heavy metal heads will be pleased at this point but this is certainly not a heavy Metal album.

Au contraire, on ‘Callejuelas’ Fuentes conjures up his inner FRIPP, while ‘Cuecarias’ is reminiscent of everything that is good about HIGH TIDE and various other beacons of 70s underground guitar-based music. ‘Destructor de temos’ proves they are not all about power, with reflective passages combining with heavier moments. As does ‘Ciencias Filosóficas’ where guest Alvaro Sylleros plays soprano sax to embellish the narrated tale. The band venture into arpeggiated semi-acoustic mode on the reflective ‘El clamor’, while ‘Dobles’ reveals a slight deviation towards the experimental. ‘Nudones’ is a haunting final track that reminds me of STEVE HACKETT’s ‘Shadow of the Hierophant’.