Style: Minimalist Folk/Experimental Atmoblack/Trance (mixed vocals)
Review by: Andy
Country: Brazil
Release date: 13 May, 2022
I am a fanboy of Caio Lemos (Kaatayra, Bríi) and unafraid to admit it. Unfortunately, despite being able to wax poetic about his recent releases like the best of them, objectivity becomes challenging as a reviewer. In Corpos Transparentes Bríi expertly weaves together a sonic tapestry out of the threads of his previous works: the gorgeous acoustic black metal barrage of Só Quem Viu o Relâmpago à Sua Direita Sabe, the post-minimalist Brazilian folk leanings of Inpariquipe, and the rainforest-inspired trance elements of Sem Preposito. Will melting down the formulas for three other amazing projects and fusing them into a single thirty-six minute track result in pure gold or a lower quality alloy?
In tradition with the three works already mentioned, Corpos largely eschews traditional metal aesthetics, this time abandoning the electric guitar like fellow black metallers Wreche, instead reveling in piano, synths, and other less common metal textures. However, the record feels so complete, so full of ideas and shifting textures, that I didn’t even realize the lack of electric guitar until multiple listens later. Such experimentation has been used to great effect by other bands in the metal canon (Wreche again), and Bríi’s essentially guitarless (some textures seem to be acoustic guitar but it’s hard to tell) black metal album confirms that Mr. Lemos is quite the alchemist…
While relatively simple melodies are layered to mind-blowingly complex levels, it’s all about the rhythm. In Corpos Transparentes, *everything* is rhythm (a phrase from Inpariquipe’s album blurb that feels even more applicable this time around). First, drums–often multiple simultaneous tracks of various percussion styles, typical metal drums, and bells–escort the song forward like a more melodic Plague Orphan. Blast beats and traditional percussion with a Brazilian flourish, Caio’s hallmark style in Kaatayra, play for minutes at a time until suddenly the album transitions into Bríi’s excellent, driving trance-like breakcore beats. The drum production gets the best of both the electronica and metal worlds, sitting high in the mix with an emphasis on cymbals but with enough low end for the double bass to be felt deep in the chest. Moreover, pianos don’t just maintain the truly glorious melodies but rather fulfill their rarely utilized place as a percussion instrument. Aside from the occasional crazy lead solo like the one throughout the first half of the twenty-second minute, reminiscent of the godly solo in The Art of Life by X Japan, the piano subtly beats like a heart, steady rhythmic iambs connecting the piece to the natural world in a similar way as Só Quem Viu o Relâmpago à Sua Direita Sabe. The occasional flute plays in syncopated lines; acoustic guitar strums act like the percussion of raindrops; choral vocals in Portuguese drone forward as a further device to accentuate the track’s metrical complexity; and harsh yelps have always seemed more rhythmic than melodic. Even the synths, vitally important in filling the album’s atmosphere and negative space, seem connected to the rest as an integral part of the beat.
The scope of these interweaving parts perfectly entering and exiting the foreground throughout the entire runtime is still nearly incomprehensible to me. It’s as if Caio had a perfect bird’s eye view of the album, hearing all parts at once and seeing where each new texture fits best. Caio had stated at the release of Inpariquipe that it was his first album in which he considered the pacing of the full package, and just one release later he has completely mastered the art. Corpos Transparentes is a love letter to feeling the beat of a drum as thirty-six minutes of twined instrumentation function as a single pulse, tying itself to the conceptual theming, which, while all in Portuguese, is about “anticipating grief.” The album centers on remembering life is finite and savoring it regardless. The feeling that the album acts like a big heartbeat has to be intentional as Caio upholds life in the highest regard throughout the work.
Writing one practically perfect album could be luck; two, perhaps a fluke. But to write album-of-the-year-quality releases thrice, let alone in three consecutive years, transcends mere songwriting talent. I knew this album was special minutes into my first listen, but it has truly magnified its excellence over the past few months as the pacing, layering, and songwriting reveal their mysteries. Caio Lemos is a musical god, and this may just be his magnum opus (the exact phrase I have used multiple years running). I can’t wait to hear how the next release impossibly tops my expectations.
Recommended tracks: Corpos Transparentes (lol)
Recommended for fans of: Fishmans, Kaatayra
You may also like: Wreche, Plague Orphan, Heimsrkingla
Final verdict: 9.5/10
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram
Label: Independent
Bríi is:
– Serafim (Caio Lemos) (instruments, lyrics, and backing vocals)
– Pedrito Hildebrando (lead vocals)
7 Comments
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