Beta by Sigilu

The album consists of nine tracks, mostly 5 or 6 minutes long, with the exception of the opening track (about 8 minutes) and the closing track (about 3 minutes), for a total running time of about 50 minutes.

Neuropa opens the album, beginning with distorted fuzz-style guitar and vocals in Spanish with electronic effects, distortions, and echoes. It's a slow song with a beautiful melody and a dark atmosphere. The song kicks off with distorted guitar with a beautiful progression and deep drums and bass, a powerful rock sound. The overall sound is beautiful, with beautiful drum tuning and a beautifully performed vocal, and a remarkable interlude that heralds the most complex section. The bass is stratospheric and the drums are barely there. A great, suspended atmosphere forms the foundation for the vocals. The song builds to an exceptional finale with distorted, driving sounds. Great opening track

Gracias Y Perdón is a beautiful, more melodic song, beginning with fantastic electric guitar and vocal arpeggios, followed by a splendid chorus, deep bass, and passionate vocals. After this long intonation, the song lights up with a decidedly dark section, beautiful distortions, controlled chaos, and a spectacular rhythm section. Halfway through the song, a distorted guitar solo with overwhelming effects, the bass traces long distorted sounds, and the vocals are passionate. A beautiful psychedelic atmosphere. The closing is very hard, a riot of distortions. This is also a great song.

Sagitario A starts with a bang, with a nice hard rock and distorted guitar that traces a sort of postmodern blues. Beautiful, precise and clean drums and a guitar riff bordering on metal. The song is disturbing. It keeps the tension high, building bar after bar. Beautiful tempo variations and transitions. Super precise drums and bass. Top vocals. Mind-blowing breaks on odd time signatures in the second half of the song. There are three of them, but they seem like twice as many, and the distortions are always used in a very melodic and musical way. Beautiful.

Tribu Virtual, a rhythmic and captivating song that starts with a clean guitar part and beautiful vocals, characterized by a great melody and (it's clear by now) an exceptional rhythm section. An exciting piece without distortions, with a beautiful guitar section and almost muted drums. And then the rock kicks in, with the distorted guitar solo—what flavor and energy! The bass is once again frightening. The voice is superb. Its emphasis reminds me of beautiful Spanish folk singing and at times even some passionate figures from modern Greek music, the so-called "laika" but also distantly reminiscent of Piero Pelù of the Italian band Litfiba. Many characteristics make Nacho Cuesta's voice a very versatile instrument, capable of conveying immense emotion. At the end, distorted sounds announce and initiate the next song. This piece is impressive.

Señal|||Ruido, a fast tempo, or as the lyrics say, "a constant rhythm" made of distorted bass, powerful drums, and a guitar with an uninterrupted rhythmic riff. The guitar solo is monstrous, but it's only an interlude. The mood returns, pressing and hammering, full of breaks and nuances, moments of silence that leave room for twists and turns, details of taste and technique. Halfway through, the song becomes cleaner, with splendid guitar arpeggios and then an extraordinary solo. The drums enrich the song with pure taste. The bass remains deep and semi-distorted. I want to listen to this guitarist as much as possible. A beautiful instrumental section that leaves room for the voice, sublime with an echo that fills every space. It closes with a light rain on guitar arpeggios that also serve as the beginning of the next song. Superlative.

Lloviembre opens with a very ambient guitar, with slow and colorful distortions, and then begins a beautiful clean progression over a slow rhythmic base with a folky feel. It's a very balanced piece with a light, suspended atmosphere. The song builds with the drums and their deep sounds, and the guitar riff doesn't stop until a beautiful prog moment arrives. The guitar riff and drum counter-beats, along with the metronomic bass, are spectacular. Then the vocals return, and the song takes on the form of a song. There's still room for a truly captivating finale. A beautiful melody and great composition. TOP arrangements.

[i.4] begins with electronic sounds and noises that close the previous song and give way to a beautiful intro of clean guitar and vocals. The melody and vocals are also beautiful here. A psychedelic atmosphere, but with a modernity in the sounds and melodies that generates something new. Then the distortions begin, the rhythm becomes deconstructed, and deep electronic sounds are part of the rhythm itself. The distorted guitar riff forms the basis for the same verses, but with a spectacular density of sound. The song picks up again, and the drums and bass take center stage, ushering in a powerful and clean finale. Truly excellent,

Concursología returns to fuzz from the very first bars. A haunting tempo, a digging bass, and clean drums. The guitar accompanies rhythmically. Odd tempos and breaks. A hypnotic foundation for the vocals until the exciting and radiant chorus. Then it begins again with variations, and then the choral section returns. And then it accelerates into a fantastic, exciting and electrifying prog, with a monumental rhythm section and stratospheric guitar. The vocals scream in control, interpreting, reciting. It makes me want to learn Spanish. The finale is overwhelming, everything rises and grows, splits and excites, right up to the distortion that closes the piece, with ambient noises that open the next piece. Beautiful.

Epílogo begins acoustically, with guitar, vocals, and percussion. Rhythmic and light, captivating, rare electronic sounds appear without disturbing, then a deep base of sounds emerges to give intensity. This track has a wonderful psychedelic atmosphere, a spectacular arrangement. Just over 3 minutes but truly intense. Great finish.

The artwork is essential, with graphics I really like and that are strangely dark without being obscure.

A very pleasant surprise. To summarize what I received, I must mention all the musicians individually and their great symbiosis and ability to develop, with the influences of modern rock in its various, even less conventional, declinations, a very effective, forward-thinking prog.

There's distortion—let me call it "harmonic," I know it's an oxymoron—but the distortion in this work is never akin to itself and isn't intended to destroy or be disturbing. It's part of the melody. Not only that, Nacho Cuesta masters it on guitar, but it's equally mastered on bass by Ángel Boquete, who uses it to lay down carpets of imposing, sometimes almost imperceptible, sounds, without which the music wouldn't have the same density. The guitar and bass aren't always distorted, they're not monothematic, they're not tied to a genre or a range of sounds. Like great musicians, they can express themselves in fuzz and clear with virtuosity that's never exaggerated or with great clarity of sound, depending on the song's intentions.

Pablo Saavedra's drumming is absolutely outstanding, at ease with both complexity and linearity—though never truly linear. He moves with incredible mastery through every level of complexity and enriches it with details, touches, accents, sudden refinements, and surprisingly careful diversions.

And finally, the voice: Nacho Cuesta is an exceptional singer, who combines the bel canto I've often found in the Spanish tradition with a passionate interpretation, not overly theatrical, but one that makes you understand that he believes in what he sings, he feels it, and you, the listener, feel it too.

Excellent album, I've already got the previous one, and after listening to this beautiful Beta several times, I'll give it a listen too.

Highly recommended.

The Tracks
1. Neuropa (8:16)
2. Gracias Y Perdón (5:56)
3. Sagitario A (6:38)
4. Tribu Virtual (4:26)
5. SeñalRuido (5:49)
6. Lloviembre (5:00)
7. [i.4] (5:26)
8. Concursología (5:22)
9. Epílogo (3:16)
Running Time: 50:09

The Line-Up
- Nacho Cuesta - guitars, vocals
- Pablo Saavedra - drums
- Ángel Boquete - bass