Influenced by many of the heavy hitting guitarists of the day such as Blackmore, Beck, Page, Hendrix, Clapton, Iommi, and Carlos Santana, Enrique wanted to explore much heavier musical directions than he had been doing with Los Shain’s. He recruited the charismatic Miguel Fiores to handle the percussion side of things, Mark Aguilar, a multi-instrumentalist originally from the US, for bass and acoustic guitar playing and a bit of the piano, and Jaime “Pacho” Orue Moreno, brother of the famous Peruvian pop singer Gustavo “Hit” Moreno, as the group’s lead vocalist.
Aguirre himself would perform rhythm, lead, and additional acoustic guitar playing for the group. Gerardo Manuel Rojas, who sang in Los Shains, would also make a guest appearance on the song Mr. Skin, which was recorded as a single with the track Exorcism. This line-up of the band performed between 1970 and 1972 and released only one album; as well as three 45’s. Their sole LP, May God And Your Will Land You And Your Soul Miles Away From Evil, was released in October of 1970 and contained eight tracks ranging from Sabbath inspired doom to Jimi Hendrix styled psych to mellow Zeppelin-like acoustic tunes. The band also recorded a handful singles to accompany the LP. These can be found as bonus tracks if you purchase the CD reissue of MGAYWLYAYSMAFE (lol). They all also appear on the compilation album, Dark Rose. However the compilation CD is missing three of the tracks from the original record so you’d be better off trying to track down the release containing the full album with the seven bonus tracks included.
After Peru experienced a military coup in 1968, Pax and other Peruvian rock bands found it very difficult to record or perform as the new dictatorship had basically abolished rock music in the country. The cover for their record was in fact made to contain a subliminal message against this corrupt government. But thanks to the difficulties this caused for the band, Pax decided to disband in 1975. However this was only temporary as Enrique would revive the band with different members in the 1980’s and once again in the 00’s. The focus remained the same however; to keep heavy metal alive and flowing in Peru.
Although not quite a masterpiece, Pax’s one and only album is still an entertaining slice of 70’s stoner rock fun. The opener is one of the highlights from the album and gets things started very nicely. It’s also one the heaviest tunes found on the disc. Following this things start to mellow out for a while; a bit too much for me in all honesty. As fun and as catchy as Rock An’ Ball and Green Paper are, they just don’t hit hard enough. Especially when paired against such a strong first track. Things pick up again for Sittin’ On My Head though. It has some fun Hendrix-y guitar and is a good jam overall. But it still doesn't quite pack the same punch the first song has. Next up we have Deep Death. Starts out as a pretty mellow, psychedelic jam, but soon unfolds into another one of the heavier songs on the album (with a title like Deep Death there’d be no excuse not to go all out with the heaviness for this one). It isn't overly destructive the entire time, but there are parts that are pure doom all the way. For Cecilia slows things down once again unfortunately. And once again the song isn't a total train-wreck but there is a definite longing for the Iommi worship found on A Storyless Junkie (the first track) or Deep Death.
Thankfully it returns with a god damn vengeance for song number 7. Don’t be turned off by the title, Pig Pen Boogie is easily the heaviest and most memorable song found on this record. For this track turning the volume up past 11 is a must and it alone makes the album worth your hard earned cash. It even has some cowbell in it and that’s fucking metal and a half. Finally to close the album we have a short, goofy, joke-type song thrown in just for good measure. It starts out fun and upbeat, but ends with some unsettling, totally off the wall, maniacal doll cackling. Interesting to say the least. Overall this album is quite a good listen and although fairly mellow at times (not necessarily a bad thing) there are enough moments of heaviness sprinkled throughout to keep the momentum going. Now if you’re fortunate enough to get your hands on the bonus tracks they’re also quite worthwhile. Firefly will probably have the most appeal, but all seven have merits. There are a couple good covers of Smoke On The Water and Radar Love and Exorcism is definitely very fun and groovy. Another interesting tidbit is apparently Dark Rose was the first recorded funk song to come from Peru.
Along with the Tarkus, these guys were easily among the heaviest groups Peru had to offer in the 70’s. No they didn't choose to demolish everything in sight with each song, but when they wanted to they sure as shit did. They’re influence is still felt in Peru and if you’re a fan of stoned out, heavy rock from the 70’s then do not pass this band by.
Recommended tracks:
-A Storyless Junkie
-Deep Death
-Pig Pen Boogie
-Firefly (bonus track)
Words: Brian