Ultimo Ancestral

Description

Caio Lemos is an artist who works under several pseudonyms--Bakt, Rasha, Kaatayra, Vauruva, and Brii. He consistently emphasizes rhythm in his music, creating a unique auditory experience. His recent projects under the names Brii and Kaatayra, starting from 2020, have been particularly impactful. They have won my personal album of the year twice and secured a runner-up position once. Each of these albums has used rhythm in innovative ways, contributing to their success.

The album "Ultimo Ancestral Comum" is a blend of lo-fi black metal, electronica, and trance house, and it has been recently acquired by the Italian label Flowing Downward for a physical release on cassette tape and vinyl LP. Caio Lemos, a Brazilian musician, is behind this project, which is one of his three black metal fusion projects. Lemos is highly regarded as one of the most valuable musicians, crossing over different genres such as metal, folk, tropicalia, electronica, and trance in his music, creating beautiful and experimental pieces. His music has the ability to transport listeners to places where they experience a sense of connection to nature and the universe, finding peace and joy despite their immediate surroundings. While Lemos's other projects, Kaatayra and Vauruva, delve into Brazilian folk and progressive rock, respectively, Brii focuses on ambient and electronica, exploring humanity's place in an indifferent universe. On "Ultimo Ancestral Comum," Brii's orientation takes a direction towards trance/house music.

The album's opening tracks plunge the listener into a darkly intimate yet expansive and mind-bending sonic landscape, blending the intensity of black metal with trance beats and melodic electronica. The first track, "Viajante Universal," is a powerful introduction, showcasing a relentless fusion of harsh lo-fi black metal, blast-beat percussion, and house music grooves. The savage, otherworldly vocals and spacey synth-generated psychedelia create an atmosphere that is simultaneously exhilarating and despairing, gorgeous and uplifting. This track encapsulates the essence of Brii's music, deeply rooted in the darkness of black metal while exploring new, expansive territories.

"Alienigena Interior" follows as a forceful, snarling composition, filled with raw violence. The feral vocals, shrill squealing guitar melodies, hyper-fast drumming, and swirling keyboard drones combine to create a track that is both complex in its structure and rich in emotional depth. It alternates between frenetic speed and slower, more deliberate moments, yet consistently maintains a ferocious intensity. The production, while raw and unpolished, adds to the untamed nature of the song, though one might wonder how a cleaner, more refined production could have further enhanced its complexity without losing its wild edge.