PILOTOS DEL TIEMPO ~ ECOS DE UN AMBIENTE DEVASTADO .... review

Been a while since Desert Psychlist dipped our toes into the Argentine underground scene so let's make up for that right now by introducing you to Pilotos Del Tiempo, a power trio from Neuquen consisting of Santiago Veiga (drums); Rodolfo Velazquez (bass/vocals) and Martin Walter (guitar/vocals) who have just released their debut album "Ecos de un Ambiente Devastado". If you like your distortion devastating, your fuzz heavy and your psych even heavier we think you are going to love these guys.

The durability of your speakers/headphones get tested right from the very off with swaggering opener "Detrás" not only do they have to contend with thunderous swinging drumming, growling heavily distorted bass and fuzzed to the max guitar riffage they also have to deal with vocal lead and dual harmonies pitched at the raw, loud and throaty end of clean. Those speakers do not get much respite with following instrumental "Queena" either, this tune comes at you lathered in distortion so filthy it will stain your ears, and don't expect to hear some swirling lead work cutting through all the delicious nastiness because even the solos are coated in grimy dissonance. Next up.is "Say My Name" the albums only song with English lyrics, here we find the band offsetting their full on stoner metal attack with elements of heavy psych beneath slightly cleaner but no less gritty vocals, the swirling guitar solos do cut through a little more here but are still far from anything close to being pristine. "Labertino" follows and begins with a mix of whispering and throat singing accompanied by a low bass motif and some weird crackling effects before the song explodes into desert/stoner groove drenched in close to breaking up fuzz, vocals here are a little more melodic and a tad mellower but not what you would call exactly harmonious. Doom makes its presence felt on the slightly schizophrenic "Esclavitud de la Razón" but it is a quirky doom with a hard to explain off centred feel, a feel made even more off-centred thanks to its semi narrated vocal dynamics. The doom sticks around for the blackened and sludgy "Invertido" this song boasting crunching reverberating riffs and pounding steady percussion supporting thick guttural vocal tones, the song also features some cool Iommi-esque shredding in its last quarter. Final number "Vagabundo" brings back the speaker shredding fuzz and distortion and twins it with a vocal harmonies that are a strange mix of stoner rock rawness and clipped goth like cleanliness, even stranger is that those vocals work really well against the wall of noise that is surrounding them.

Gloriously loud and deliciously noisy Pilotos Del Tiempo's "Ecos de un Ambiente Devastado" is not the sort of album you will want to listen to while sipping wine while sitting in front of an open fire, this is an album of heavy, extremely fuzzy and unbelievably distorted music perfect for those times when you feel like getting a little rowdy and off your tits on something alcoholic or pharmaceutical. 

Check it out ....   

© 2025 Frazer Jones