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Cabezas de Cera — Metaensamble
((Not on label) no#, 2026, CD / DL)

by Jon Davis, Published 2026-06-11

Metaensamble Cover art

Broadly speaking, the career of Cabezas de Cera can be seen in three phases. They started out as a trio with Mauricio Sotelo (various stringed instruments), Francisco Sotelo (drums, percussion), and Ramses Luna (woodwinds). After Luna left, Francisco and Mauricio continued as a duo for a number of years. And now, with the addition of Leticia Garcia Arévalo, Braulio Navarro Rodriguez, and Jorge "Jaco" Jácome del Ángel, they enter their Metaensamble phase. One thing that hasn’t changed is the inclusion of various home-built instruments of both the stringed and percussive variety, and the new members play tricordio, jaranita prisma, and charrófono respectively, all of which are categorized as metallic chordophones (cordófonos metálicos). Mauricio isn’t credited with Chapman Stick on this album, though I could swear I hear it handling the bottom end, and it also sounds like there could be some acoustic guitar. If you’re familiar with previous Cabezas music, you will immediately notice that Metaensamble leans toward the more delicate, acoustic side of their identity, without any of the aggressive and distorted King Crimson oriented sounds, though it’s far from being wimpy plucking and pretty melodies. Some of the tracks have a folky feeling to them, and there are some bright major chords in evidence, as on the opener “Al Alba.” But other tracks are built up from interlocking patterns that definitely aren’t inspired by Mexican folk music, and the percussion (which does include drum set) brings it into the realm of chamber rock. And they continue their fondness for odd meters. The tricordio can be played with a bow, with a sound somewhere between a viola and a cello, furthering the impression of chamber music, and the other instruments resemble mandolin and banjo somewhat in timbre. The Metaensamble is basically a string quartet with added percussion, just not using the standard stringed instruments. The music is both sophisticated and accessible, not really venturing into difficult territory, and the album is quite enjoyable throughout the ten tracks. This new version of Cabezas de Cera is a wonderful new phase in the band’s history, and I hope it can continue for further recordings.

Filed under: New releases, 2026 releases

Related artist(s): Cabezas de Cera, Mauricio Sotelo

More info
http://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nNy815qUQObULmWTOAFIuvVzoLaHQUCkI

 

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