Despoblador

After three split releases with fellow Madrid band Molbol, with whom it shares a member, black metal / dark ambient act Parásito the at last puts out debut album "Despoblodar" (Spanish for "Depopulator"), the recording having been two years in the making. The time the two Parásito musicians Mm and The Troll put into writing, playing and recording the four songs is well justified: while definitely black metal, the music doesn't rely on the usual black metal conventions and stereotypes for its aggression and dark desolate atmospheres but instead draws from BM sub-genres such as atmospheric BM and blackgaze, and even ambient and industrial to create an active, ever-changing and dynamic style of many moods and atmospheres that is sure to keep most listeners hooked all the way to the end. The music is harsh but there is enough clean quality in the recording that allows listeners to sense the ominous presence of negative black space behind the music and to empathise with the pain and anguish of the shrieky singing. With bass guitar being prominent, the music also gains a moody urban blues feeling that adds subtlety to the overall presentation.

The band presents two long melodic BM epics "Flor de Fuego" and "Eger" which feature plenty of inner mental torment and strife along with the insistent riffing, the blast beats and constantly shifting percussion rhythms and beats. The riffs may not be very catchy but they are urgent in themselves, calling attention to the decay and corruption and filth present within the music. Changes in pace, rhythm and even key will keep listeners on the alert and compel them to pay active attention for further shifts in the music that might reveal another layer of meaning or a change in mood. On both tracks the guitars and bass are overwhelmingly dominant though the drumming holds up well by pursuing its own, almost improvisatory path that harmonises with the music.

The other tracks "Cascuda I" and "Cascuda II", alternating with the straight-out BM epics, are instrumental pieces with an experimental, exploratory bent. "Cascuda I", ranging across atmo-BM and even blackgaze and ambient in parts, is an intense searing journey of wandering lead guitar through bleak dark landscapes. It's a repetitive track but the repetition is enough to keep your ears glued to the music even as its harsh textures burn them. "Cascuda II" is a grim and desolate industrial ambient soundscape with droning synth wash layers and various ambient samples over a chugging noise rhythm that concludes the album on a downbeat pessimistic note.

The album definitely heralds the arrival of a distinct and very individual BM act not afraid to plough its own (perhaps lonely) furrow in its interpretation of BM and what the music means to the Parásito men. It's a pity the album only has four tracks showcasing what Parásito is capable of and the range of the duo's music – another couple of tracks would have bulked out the album and turned it into a real force of BM evil. As it is, we'll have to accept the album as it is: an all too short (and as a result, rather frustrating) introduction to a band that, so far in its seven years of existence, hasn't released very many recordings.