Caminata del hombre muerto

In the originality lacking, boring and repetitive stoner and so-called-"sludge" Argentinean scene, newcomers Los Dragula stand-out with a solid debut, full of fresh ideas, a monolithic sound and, what's most important, variety, making it one of the best albums of the genre to come from South America in a long time.

"Primitivo" works as the typical industrial-tingled intro to the album, with electronic sounds that set the mood for the first real song, "Montenegro", showcasing what the band is going on for: big guitar riffs, low tunings, solid bass lines and fierce drumming bring life to the outstanding track, leaded by drummer Emiliano Lovotti's furious screams. "Pesadillas" continues in the same vein as the next track, with a very groovy stoner riff and a calmer bridge that ends in a great solo. The fourth track, "Catapultas", follows the furious mood, albeit being a more friendly song, making use of guitarist Diego Frandolich clean vocals in the verses as a contrast to Lovotti's harsh voice.

The second half of the album starts with "Elefantes", one of the best tracks in the album, with an atmospheric intro characterized by eerie synths that soon segues into a heavier structure based on elephant-marching-like riffs (no pun intended). Next tracks "Atravesando el Holocausto" and "Bruxismo" have a similar feel, being the doomiest tracks in the album, full of amazing riffs and great clean vocals. While the first one stands as a more melodic and classic doomy song, "Bruxismo" adds more of a stoner flavour to it.

As the eighth track, "Caminata del Hombre Muerto", the song that gives its name to the album, stands out as a crushing and pummeling beast consisting of heavy riffs, hateful vocals and even blast beats, making it the heaviest and most original track of the album, and my personal favourite. Although not as heavy, "El Funebrero" keeps the violent spirit of "Caminata..." with the heavy riffing and the harsh screams, being the catchiest song on the album alongside "Catapultas". "Salmos" closes the album: a truly beautiful song, featuring an ominous atmosphere, a great clean vocals work and the best riff on the whole album. Starting as a very calm tune, almost a ballad, the second half of the song surprises with a marvelous guitar solo and a sludgy section that ends the album in a very spectacular way.

"Caminata del Hombre Muerto" is truly a promising debut: the tracks have great hooks, power and personality and the band proves to be pretty solid one: Frandolich's leads and clean vocals add a very dreamy vibe to the sound, Lovotti's genuine screams make the heaviest parts sound angrier, showing sincere rage, and his proficient drumming, alongside Nicolas Rivas' strong, almost technical bass playing provide a solid base for the guitar riffs. The great production helps by making everything sound crystal clear, assuring the album as a work of quality. My only criticism would be the that sometimes the guitars are low on the mix and that "Catapultas" is not as strong as the rest of the songs, but overall, this is a surprisingly good record. If you enjoy bands like High on Fire, Conan or Horn of the Rhino, then you are going to love this record.