Mettavolution

The acoustic guitar instrumentals of this Mexican duo have always tended to divide world music fans. Back in 2012, Songlines reflected this with a ‘for and against’ debate, in which Chris Moss argued that they made ‘mush music, bereft of class, focus, inspiration, character, generic depth, roots, rhyme, rhythm and, above all, a raison d’être.’ Your reviewer politely countered that their ‘combination of flamenco-like rhythms and rock aggression sets the blood racing.’ We even illustrated the piece with Rod y Gab's faces superimposed on a jar of Marmite.

Their sixth studio album and first since 2014 is not going to change many minds either way but – without any appreciable change in the formula – it is probably their most ambitious set to date. ‘Krotona Days’ and ‘Terracentric’ are noisy slices of acoustic thrash-metal, Rodrigo essaying lightning lead lines over Gabriela's rhythmic strum-and-thump. The swaying ‘Cumbé’ pays tribute to their Latino roots and ‘Electric Soul’ and ‘Witness Tree’ are fine flamenco-blues workouts. Most impressive of all is their arrangement of Pink Floyd's ‘Echoes’ recast as a 19-minute epic acoustic suite featuring some of the most bravura psychedelic guitar playing you're ever likely to hear. The production by Dave Sardy is magnificent too, the vibration of each string and every note projected with startling clarity.