Operating previously, I’m told, under the name MACH 4, VOX DEI were perhaps Argentenia’s premier psych-prog band (with the emphasis, for a change, on the psych!) This, their first LP, is perhaps lesser known than their major breakthrough LA BIBLIA (1971), but Caliente is a veritable delight for those seeking a good ole’ Latin American psychedelic fuzz-fest. 

A great soul-stomping, lo-fi psychedelic reverie from beginning to end, Caliente was released at the start of the seventies in what was to quickly become a turbulent political time for this most volatile of continents (and which which would culminate in the military coup of 75′ and the start of the so-called “Dirty War”). And perhaps not surprisingly, “Reflejos” kicks off proceedings in a magnificently prescient mood — sounding for all the world like some dictator interrogating the mid-sixties Motown catalogue. But in many ways, although turbulence was ahead, on a lot of levels, this was still golden-ages for the country, and some great soul stomp, and an earnest vocal later, the main delight of this song erupts — a hugely fuzzed psych guitar solo — Tommorow-period Howe maybe or S.F. Sorrow-period Pretty Things (particularly the solo for “Ballon Burning”) while, all along, the funky backbeat grooves on. 

The guitar is absolutely infected with herpes at this point — and the twin call-and-answer solo-ing of Ricardo Soule and Yody Godoy is introduced at this point. The vocals (in spanish obviously) degenrate into wordless growls and yelps, as the guitar bashes away — tentative at times, other times much more sure of itself. “No Es Por Falta De Suerte” carries on the groovy latin vibe — all deep rumbling Jamerson bass-lines (busy, bubbling, boing-ey and beautiful). This song is a little more structured, but the real delight of Vox Dei is their earnest simplicity — basic arrangements means everything is in the grooves and the melody.

Nothing about this track prepares one for the massive buzz-saw glam decsend that kicks off “Cuero” — one of the scuzziest guitar sounds around — utter fucking filth! and fabulous — four or so bars of it (sounding strangely akin to the beginning of Bauhaus’ minimalist punk-goth manifesto “Dark Entries”) and then a slow-moving swamp-blues begins — gutteral and highly-strung vocal screams and yet more “scuzzguitar” wildly solo-ing for the last two minutes off the song, building as maddeningly clattery, Shrat-esque tea-tray percussion kerfuffles along until wham! the song dies, only for the groove to re-emerge from the primal swamp once more — oh yeah, and some of the best acid-fuzz guitaring I have ever, ever heard. Truly Fried!!

Side (or Lado as the Argy’s would have it) 2 is a short affair beginning with a truly primal Sabbs riff, before a bizzarre jugband wobbly riff replaces it, and the singer half sings/half-talks about something or other (probably politically motivated). This whole thing has the vibe of one of those obscure psych 45s from some band in “nowheresville, texas” or some such place — Again a mightily distorted guitar-solo grasps the listener from the (relative) musical orthodoxy of the song. For fans of bitty, acid-fried, on-fire guitar fuzz Vox Dei are a must. “Total Que” begins with a massive rising howl of harmonica (as madly distorted as everything else) or is it kazoo? 

Again, this could easily be a cult american garage-psych 45. Indeed, everything about this whole LP, in fact, alludes to that moment in American counter-culture, and somehow refracts it through the aesthetic traditions and political upheavals of South American culture during 1967–1970. The band started in 1967, and, of course, eventually Vox Dei would “do a prog,” just like most other self-respecting latin american psych bands of the same period. But this was much later on, and along with La Biblia (a little more structured perhaps — and perhaps the most famous Argentinian rock Lp of the 1970s — certainly one of the most discussed), Caliente still has its feet firmly in the fuzzed-out lysergi-fests of yesteryear — and is much the better for it, in my opinion.

“Cancion Para Una Mujer” goes a bit folky, the album’s only real acoustic moment actually, and sounding very similar to fellow Argy’s: SUI GENERIS — a nice outro is attached to this number introducing a mellow arrpegiated electric guitar which they should have extended. (In fact, the psych-folk side of the band would appear more on La Biblia, which, bizzarrely, recieved its stamp of approval from the Catholic Church! — how rock’n’roll is that??

Last song “Presente” is a bit of an anomally really in the context of the rest of the LP — a sort of sing-along folk strum — and something of an anti-climax to a blitzkrieg LP of acid-soul pyrotechnics. 

This soul influence is strongly evident rigth the way through the LP, and this early incarnation remind me of a very badly (i.e. greatly!) produced choatic take on Whitfield-Strong-period Tempts. Indeed, the band started their career with a full-on version of Percy Sledge’s “When A Man Loves A Woman” — a demo which apparently helped broker the Mandioca deal — incidentally, Argentinia’s first Rock-specific record label.

Fans of this type of groovy psych-soul are directed towards these first two LP’s in particular “Caliente” and “La Biblia” — for their great swampy, soulful takes on hysterical acid-fried guitar storms and psychedelic, mushroom induced madness of the peculiarly South American variety. 

A lot less prog than Crucis, say, or Espiritu — the only musical virtuosity on show here revolves around the mightily chaotic guitar blasts and strange vocal dynamics, which coulda came straight outta the Demetrio Stratos handbook. But the odd trad. latin folk fable is worth sitting through to get to experience the crazy psych bombast on offer here!

Vox Dei Caliente (1970) — Ricardo Soule — Guitarra y voz — Willie Quiroga — Bajo y voz — Yody Godoy — Guitarra y voz — Ruben Basoalto — Batteria y percusion.