Guitar, bass, drums and voice; it’s a format as old as the hills. Bands have been exploring the possibilities for decades, and you might think all bases had by now been covered. From Cream to Sabbath, Motorhead to ZZ Top, it’s been done, right? Well, why aren’t we bored yet? We keep listening because sometimes, a band comes along with their own take, which sounds that bit different to what has come before. Enter Ethiva, a Spanish band who have been around for nearly fifteen years without making much of a splash, but that could just possibly change as they unleash their third album, Beaten Track.
Founders Javi Lorenzo (guitar) and Ramón Fernández (drums) have been making exploratory psych drenched music for a while, with some success, but to my mind have been hampered by the lack of a decent singer. That changes on Beaten Track, and in a big way. Camil Cinnamon has transformed Ethiva. Their basic sound remains intact, but now the hard hitting guitar jams and reverb soaked soundscapes are focussed around the Cinnamon girl, and what a voice she has. More than that though is the presence, as she inhabits the songs; her voice an instrument in its own right. New bassist Iván Muñoz completes the line up, and suddenly new possibilities abound.
Ethiva sound like nobody else, but imagine a weird mash up of Crazy Horse, The Doors and Pearl Handled Revolver, but with this beautiful female voice commanding proceedings. Lorenzo’s guitar leads the songs as one riff or melody drifts off and gets reinvented, often several times in each track. Nothing is static, the music ever evolving before your ears as the improvisations build the tension. Fernández holds everything together when things threaten to get chaotic, his drumming is inventive but rock solid. Muñoz bubbles away, adding his own exploratory bass lines before returning to his place at the root of each song. Lorenzo is a bit of a star, his guitar is everywhere, but there’s nothing flashy or technical, just pure feel for the magic coming from his fretboard. One imagines he’d be more at home listening to Peter Green than Eddie Van Halen!
Rolling Freeze opens their account with a free wheeling fuzzed up guitar, loping bass and a clatter of drums, soon to be topped off with the gorgeous vocals of Cinnamon as the tune takes a choppy turn and threatens to get funky. The band leave plenty of room for the music to breathe, and aren’t afraid of letting spaces appear when the song demands it. Half way through the song, things are allowed to slow to a crawl as Lorenzo sends his guitar questing to the outer reaches and Cinnamon adds her own vocal improvisations. It’s an impressive start, and Cut The Top follows on with little pause for breath, a simple insistent rhythm beating out embellished by Lorenzo’s dirty guitar, the melody carried by the vocals. Whilst her voice is undeniably magically musical, it’s hard to fathom what she’s singing about much of the time, but it matters little. It’s all about the timbre, phrasing and timing which seem so natural and organic. The track jams it’s way into a shuffling riff which picks up the pace to the finish.
It is striking how ‘live’ this record feels, and with their approach to improvising and their innate spontaneity, one feels they must be a great live act. Run Far Away is the shortest track, but because Ethiva won’t be hurried, it still almost makes it to six minutes. It’s a subtle song with honey dripping vocals and nimble guitar picking, a strong melody and is probably as close to a single as Ethiva would get. My personal favourite song though is left for last; Summertime is a sublime piece of work worthy of special mention. It’s a blues based workout dripping with Lorenzo’s trademark reverb laden guitar, some superb tribal drum patterns and some of Cinnamon’s best singing on the album. She even whispers the lyrics during one of Lorenzo’s guitar solos, then trades scat yelps with him as his guitar spits echoing sparks of sound in an incredibly inventive closing jam. It’s a brilliant end to a fine album, and I have no hesitation in recommending Beaten Track to any discerning rock fan. Ethiva’s approach is more psyche guitar rock than prog, but their invention leads them to explore in a very progressive way, and I’m sure would more than satisfy many a curious listener. Let’s hope they might be tempted to tour this album, as this music was made to be experienced live.
TRACK LISTING
01. Rolling Freeze (7:58)
02. Cut The Top (7:40)
03. Run Far Away (5:52)
04. Mountain Claim (7:56)
05. Red Lights (6:47)
06. Summertime (7:57)
Total Time – 44:10
MUSICIANS
Javi Lorenzo – Guitar
Ramón Fernández – Drums
Iván Muñoz – Bass
Camil Cinnamon – Vocals
ADDITIONAL INFO
Record Label: Independent
Country of Origin: Spain
Date of Release: 13th May 2025
