Recorded in 1998 and 1999,
Tryo's
Patrimonio is a surprising album with one foot in
King Crimson-derived progressive rock and the other in instrumental hard rock similar to
Djam Karet or even more garage-sounding outfits like the Hipperoos. The main instrumentation consists of electric guitar, bass, and drums, but occasional acoustic guitar, some very average vocals on a few tracks, and (most of all) cello are also present. The cello brings in a very different texture. The first four tracks are movements of the suite "Valparaison Patrimonio." The album opener is a hot space rock number that sounds inspired by
Ozric Tentacles' CD
Arborescence. This suite showcases the cello throughout, along with delicate arrangements and atmospheric pieces.
Tryo comes back to
Ozric Tentacles/
Djam Karet-styled instrumentals for the next three songs, then shoots through a short
Fripp-ish study and lands on a rendition of an excerpt from
Olivier Messiaen's "Quartet for the End of Time." The last three tracks are electric guitar-driven hard rocking numbers. The whole thing sounds a bit puzzling on paper, but the gradual shift toward harder material is actually quite enjoyable, and
Patriomonio demonstrates the talent of
Tryo's members. This is a strong offering and fans of
Djam Karet should especially check it out.