Humanimal: El Camino De Los Sabios - Reissue 2024 | The Wise Ones Had It Clear
(2024 – 2M Producciones)
Lately, many classic Argentine Heavy Metal albums that went unnoticed by many at the time have been reissued. In this case, it is a welcome return of a great album such as “El Camino De Los Sabios” by Humanimal, which was originally released independently in 2002 and would ultimately be the only album by Humanimal, who also released a demo, an EP, and several appearances on compilations. The band has now returned to activity, which coincides with this re-release.
Humanimal plays classic, melodic Heavy Metal, without sounding like the European Power Metal that was the norm in those years. On the contrary, the band chose the more difficult path, if you will, in a genre that was not very popular at the time. Their own personality as a band unfolded in an album that contains many good songs and high-caliber musical intensity.
A noteworthy detail of this reissue is that, unlike the original version of the album, the vocals are performed by Ivan Sención, who was the vocalist on the original recordings of the album but was replaced during production by the new singer at the time, Juan Soto, due to the former’s departure from the band. Therefore, we can now appreciate the great songs that “El Camino De Los Sabios” contains through the voice of Ivan Sención for the first time, something that Humanimal felt was important to release since it is part of the band’s history, as clarified in the inner sleeve.
In this way, we can appreciate “El Camino De Los Sabios” in a different way, with the voice of another of the best singers that Argentine Metal has ever produced, as Humanimal has had the privilege of having not only Ivan Sención in its ranks but also Juan Soto, another legendary figure.
It is important to note that this album had already been reissued in 2008 as a double album, which included a lot of extra stuff such as demos, live versions, covers, etc., and even had a different cover from the original and this reissue.
In this case, the album only contains the 14 original tracks, plus a bonus track, among which we can find some instrumentals, or rather, transition tracks between songs. This is what the intro “Vestigios Del Pasado” is all about, introducing us to “El Legado,” a powerful way to start a great album, with a heavy riff and truly impressive guitar solos. It couldn’t be any other way with Pablo Soler in their ranks, one of the best guitarists in Argentina. The keyboards, played by Leonardo Palmieri, also play their part and give it a different feel, and as if it were nothing, they give an epic and intriguing aspect to “Prólogo Oscuro,” which serves as an introduction to “Llegará La Luz,” partly reminiscent of Angra’s early days, with the keyboard at the forefront and a powerful base. Next up is another Humanimal classic and one of their best tracks. “Como Un Samurai” is pure speed, melody, and Heavy Metal. The solos between the keyboards and Pablo Soler’s guitar are a real find and truly impressive.
“Hasta El Final” is mid-tempo, a kind of ballad close to the 80s hard rock genre. Meanwhile, “Círculo Eterno” follows the same line, with an interesting classical guitar riff as an introduction and part of its progression that makes its musical construction extremely attractive.
Another interesting piece is the climactic “Escape Interior,” where Humanimal goes through several different moments, in an approach to something more “progressive,” if you will. In “Percepción,” things get heavier, and Humanimal shows off a much more aggressive riff, with a lot of punch but at the same time offering some very interesting melodies on the guitars.
The most classic part of the album is found in “Guerrero Inmortal,” with a mark of chords, scales, and bases taken from classical music and with the foundation of more traditional metal. In turn, “Mentiras Impiadosas” is a little closer to Power Metal, with a powerful and imposing chorus, while its keyboard section intermingled with a guitar solo gives it a different feel.
“Tierras Pérdidas” is another intermezzo that introduces us to “Mundo Ilusorio,” another high-caliber track that continues in the vein of the album. “Cerrarán Las Heridas,” on the other hand, offers a more traditional Heavy Metal sound with a lot of 80s Metal influence.
The slow and melancholic side of the album can be found in the heartfelt “Para Nunca Volver” (Never to Return); with pure keyboard and Ivan Sención’s voice in all its splendor, it is ultimately the last track on the album, although in the case of this reissue, it was added as a bonus track, Humanimal’s version of Rata Blanca’s song “Los Ojos Del Dragón,” which was originally released on the tribute album to that band entitled “La Leyenda Continua,” although with the difference that in this case, Ivan Sención also provides the vocals.
Are there differences with the original material? It could be said that the difference lies in the new mastering of this material, although the most notable change is definitely in the vocals. It would be unfair to say which is better; both Juan Soto and Ivan Sención are two great singers. The point is to be able to listen to this material from a different perspective.
What we find extremely important is that “El Camino De Los Sabios” is available again. It is a way to remember and also to highlight a very good album, which showcases Humanimal with their particular classic sound and many virtues in terms of composition and instrumentation. The songs included are all worth listening to, and several of them are undoubtedly classics of the band. The lyrics of the songs revolve around personal and social issues, etc., all with a metaphorical and lyrical spirit of great flight, as is the case with the band’s music.
From a graphic point of view, it should be noted that this reissue has little to do with the original edition of “El Camino De Los Sabios”; starting with the cover itself, which on this occasion simply shows the band’s logo on a black background with a ray of light, although with higher quality in everything related to the internal artwork. There are even photographs of the band, lyrics, technical data, and more, all with high-quality graphics on the inner sleeve. It would be great if this album also had a vinyl version for lovers of analog sound.
Humanimal has recently returned to activity as a band. In fact, they have been performing quite regularly in the Argentine underground scene, which leads us to believe that perhaps, in the not too distant future, we will have some new material from the band. In the meantime, we have this reissue, which is worth listening to again, especially since this version features the voice of Ivan Sención, who gives a different color to a classic album.
This material can be obtained through the label https://www.2mproducciones.com.ar/ or by contacting the band through their social networks, which we recommend following to find out all their latest news. Finally, here is a lyric video for the song “Percepción” from this great album…
https://www.instagram.com/humanimalarg
