DOMA: La Sombra del Fuego

Lately I've been drawn to listening to heavier music. 

I've been introduced by some friends to more and more of stoner, doom and dark psychedelic rock, and I've found myself not only pleased but moved, sort of hypnotized, hence I'm always trying to find new bands to listen to. There's a whole movement worldwide that's awakening towards these paths in music, mostly in northern europe, cold weathers and hot devil's music; or maybe I'm more into it and I'm the one who's been awaken. Either way it's a joyride.

I've come across a band here, in Buenos Aires, that has the best of my favorite things to listen to nowadays, heavy blues and stoner rock, and as strange as it may sound to some, it also has a bit of a jazzy feel.

Sometimes I like to listen to a band the other way round, first I go to a concert and see them live and after that I listen to their album, and that's what happened with Doma and it was a match made in heaven.

Doma are a trio, Fer (guitar), Sebastian (Drums) and Negro (Bass), they just released their first album called "La Sombra del Fuego", which was recorded in January 2012 at El Attic studios by Patricio Claypole and Francisco Demichelis, it was produced by the band and Patricio Claypole as well. The album art was made by Cani.

The album holds ten songs, each and every one of them with a strong sense of power that blows your head off, they're literally a sound force and that can be experienced both live and on the album as well. There's also a sort of reminiscence of the past, the way their sound hits you, the dialogue between the guitar and the rhythmic base, it's like they're turning each other on, it is definitely the kind of sound that turns me on anyway.

Songs like "La regression de los Jinetes" or "El tema maldito" have a way of making your body move that's almost like a ritual, an african fertility dance. And like in an african ritual one gets lost inside it, our faces, our bodies, our sex dances into a trance, where what matters is the way we feel each other, there's no more separate beings, its a holy union, our past, present and future melt into one moment where the other is inside us. When music does that to you, then you're blessed by it, music is about connection, to ourselves yes, but most importantly towards others. I've felt very much like this the first time I listened to this album, of course it's not for the weak minded, you gotta also be ready to get into that, lose the need to control everything and let music control you. This feeling of driving force and surrender to the music is also in this album, it has the freshness of youth and the depth of lives that have walked a few miles, such equilibrium is exquisite.

The three of them have a relationship with the instruments they play that are both delicate, like you would be with something you care so much; and also strong, they're united with them, and that can only bring out fine musicians.

And there's also a place for improvisation yet they don't loose it, one feels that they actually connect with each other and that is also sensed in the album. I've found it quite spiritual, there's really no need for words (the band is instrumental) when you can speak thru your music.

I'm sure we'll be hearing a lot more from these guys in the near future.

We all need to be seduced by the dark side once in a while.

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HUMO DEL CAIRO - VOL. II

Cover art by Gogo goch studios.

For the past five years I’ve had the pleasure of counting among my dearest friends a band like no other in South America. A band that grew and worked their asses off to get where they’re standing now, and it’s a pretty nice place.
It was funny at first that I hadn’t mentioned them before, being such a great band. But looking back now, maybe I couldn’t find the words to describe the feeling they make us all experience. Maybe I didn’t wanted to be disrespectful by not finding the words I needed, maybe I lacked the guts to talk about my friends.
It’s very hard to write about someone you both admire and love at the same time. One would think it’s easy giving all the good vibes and feelings that sensation gives you, but it’s not. And it's not because sometimes when you enjoy music so much it’s never enough, and because music and words are two very different ways of expressing love. Maybe I should pick up a guitar and try to write my reviews that way, but I wouldn’t want to torment you guys that much. You’ve read for these past years my saying about south american rock and roll and you know I’ve never written from a diploma, but from the guts. Heart and soul my dears, is all I give you.

Humo del Cairo (Vox Juan Manuel Diaz, bass Gustavo Bianchi and drums Federico Castrogiovanni) is a band that have always defined themselves as heavy, narcotic and organic psychedelia; and I came across them years ago while covering a Festival held by Estamos Felices, I was photographing the event for a chilean magazine and an enormous wave of thick and surrounding sound came to the stage. I remember dropping my jaw literally and asking the guy next to me who the fuck they were. Since that day we were friends, both in music and in life.

I’ve seen them work, I’ve heard the results and they have exceeded my expectations and more when it comes to their second album, a true masterpiece.
They released their homonymous debut album back in 2007 on Estamos Felices catalog. It was produced by Gonzalo Rainoldi (Los Alamos, El Bordo, Amoeba) and recorded at El Pie and Quark studios.
A lot happened after that, they started playing live more, they travelled with their music and they went thru some band structure changes. The big event came when Meteorcity, the legendary heavy + stoner rock label that supports artists such as Solarized, Los Natas, Nebula, Ararat, Black Pyramid just to name a few I love, took them under their wing and released also thru their catalog both Humo del Cairo’s albums.

Last year their second album “Vol. II” saw the brilliant light of day and what an event it was. Produced by the band and Alejandro Ortiz (Carajo, "El mar de las Almas". 2010), mixed by Mario Breuer (Los Redondos de Ricota, Sumo, Charly García, Soda Stereo) and with the amazing art design by Gogo Goch studios, it was released in December 2011 again by Estamos Felices.
“Vol. II” came as a roar to the faces of many.
Not so long ago I was talking with a fan of the band and a friend, and he would tell me he felt they weren’t “stoner” enough nowadays, that they had changed. I couldn’t’ help to tell him and think what a great thing that was. Humo del Cairo is a band that could’ve stayed in the “king of south american stoner rock” throne and be comfortable there, but instead they took it to another level, and that happens when a band has balls. When there’s no fear and there’s hunger for music. I like artists that evolve, that aren’t afraid to change, that don’t get their asses settled in one successful place to not “disappoint” anybody.
Music is change and presence, is both evolution and personality; and that’s what Humo del Cairo did with their second album, they jumped into an ocean of their own true sound and swam towards a different shore. They’ve grown as composers, musicians and artists. They have managed what no ordinary band can manage and that is to level up and stay true.
True to music, true to themselves, true to their art.
Humo del Cairo is about a communion where both audience and band are one, is about getting together and enjoying the ride, is about friendship and overcoming obstacles, it’s the true music of victory over anything. And you can feel that sense of fullfillment when you listen to the album, they’ve made us felt their fullfillment, and when music travels so honestly from the record to our brains, well that’s a thing to celebrate.

The eleven songs they delivered are overwhelming.
The strength this trio have accumulated over the years has spread thru us all.There’s an exquisite sense of equilibrium in the sound, an architectural design, a sound structure both heavy and delicate.
Of course we can tell they've spent time on this record, and they have, one can see the choices they made and the hours of hard work on it. But it payed off, Humo del Cairo can be proud to have released an album that affects our physically, both our bodies and minds.
I won’t write a word about the songs, you have to listen for yourselves.
They are the proud example of hard working band reaching talented and rocking victory.
We music fans salute you.

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