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1/01/2019

Los Pilotos – Under The Breath (2018)




  • Doom rock 
  • Sludge rock 
  • Art rock 
  • Avant-metal 
  • Improvised music 
  • Experimental rock 
  • Avant-rock 
  • Post-metal 
  • Angst rock

Comment: Los Pilotos is the solo project of Keith Helt with a swarm of rotating musical collaborators. In fact, Keith Helt has headed a prolific Chicago, the US-based imprint, Pan Y Rosas Discos for years and it is obviously one of the most represented if not the very most represented project in the discography of the record label. Regrettably I have to admit my experience with the oeuvre by Keith Helt is being moderate because I have reviewed just an album (The Process Of Learning, 2016) before the recent one. However, by comparing these issues I have to assume the releases are quite different ones by their accents and formats. The Process Of Learning was more motorik, psychedelic and electronic music soaked and obviously krautrock influenced but on Under The Breath Keith Helt does away with any electronics and synths. On the other side, this 10-notch whole is a fascinating result due to its repetitive chords on rough yet vibrant guitars and basses and a bit interrupted, convulsive singing manner (yeah, his voice does convey strong passion and intense pain) as if a weird bastard between doom, and sludge rock/metal being subjugated to an improvised algorithm. In a sense, the sparse instrumental premises put huge pressure on the artist's technical virtuosity and aesthetical creativity. At times the listener can perceive even cinematic hovers atop the aforementioned guitar and bass built scaffolding as if some kind of salvation for compensating artsy suffering and fear. All in all, the result is impressive due to Keith Helt's ability to balance between expressive playing style, and a creative formative output. This interaction as a result is truly worth on its own.