Lago - Tyranny (Demo) [Review]

Last week I posted my long overdue review for Lago's debut EP Marianas which greatly impressed me. I decided to also take a close listen to this 2012 demo, which contains songs that will appear on an upcoming full length, which I am really anticipating!

 

This demo starts off right with the track “The Tyranny of Men” which showcases some solid tremolo riffage with pinchy accents. After this, the track breaks into a dissonant blackened section with ringing chords and a really prominent bass line. In fact, the bass is both more audible and does more of its own thing on this demo compared to the band’s debut EP Marianas. The song also contains a melodic solo from new lead guitarist Andrew Breshears. As with the band’s previous work, the blasty sections flow perfectly into the slower and mid-paced sections, such as the weighty and heavy chorus.

“Coming Cataclysm” starts off with another slower, churning intro which shifts quickly into faster paced death metal mode and returns to a doomier feel with the breakdown at the end. Another solid song, but doesn’t capture and hold my attention as “The Tyranny of Men” does.

Lago has undergone some line-up changes since Marianas. Andrew Breshears proves to be a competent and fitting player for this band, though neither of the solos here ‘wowed’ me. New drummer Brian Miller is also great at what he does, though the drumming here seems very kick and blast happy compared to the more subtle but solid approach on the debut EP.

Garret Thomas’s vocals are less prominent on this demo than on the debut, which I find to be a good thing as I much prefer the more guttural lead vocals of Cole Jacobson, who delivers both great vocals and riffs here as was expected.

Another impressive release from a band that has proven themselves as solid song-writers with a definite idea of the sound they are going for. Morbid Angel (sometimes blackened) with a touch of the modern is what we have here, but with good enough song writing that the band stands on its own. The two songs on this demo kick plenty of ass, but did not hit me quite as hard or have quite the staying power as the material on Marianas. Perhaps these songs will shine more in the context of the upcoming full-length, which I am sure will be a pretty killer release!

Tex's rating: 80%

Check it out here!: http://lagometal.bandcamp.com/

Lago - Marianas (EP) [Review]

I have been meaning to get around to reviewing this EP since sometime in 2011 (it was released in 2010). I know, it's sad, but life sometimes gets in the way. It did not, however, get in the way of me listening to and enjoying Lago in the meantime. And it's better late than never, so here it is...

 

 

Lago is a death metal outfit from Phoenix Arizona. Dumping a subgenre tag on these guys or simply comparing them to other bands would prove difficult and a disservice to the band. Just “Death Metal” will do. I can say that they draw on the old-school, but they definitely sound in the here-and-now. There are shifts in the music between frantic tempos and doomier sections, but the majority of the material sits at a nice mid-paced, head-banging, riff-churning level, and never gets bogged down or boring.

Speaking of riff-churning, Lago are pretty close to masterful at playing concise, catchy riffs that carry that familiar death metal sound while containing a subtle complexity and uniqueness in their composition. There is some good tight palm-muting and fast chug-heavy riffing amongst some nastier tremolo picked chaos. They also make excellent use of some dissonant ringing chords (think Gorguts or Ulcerate minus anything avant garde or too weird). I see the connections that can be made to Morbid Angel, but never does it sound like the band is sticking too tight to its influences. In fact, the songs sound a lot more ‘inspired’ by OSDM than ‘influenced’ by any band in particular.

The bass and drums pound along nicely to the massive guitar riffing and add their own little twists and embellishments. Drummer Shawn Reiterman shows his talent especially in the slower dissonant sections of “Arbitrary Conflict,” giving the wonky, jangly chords a solid foundation groove with some really original fills. Manuel Dominguez’s lead work is just excellent, melodic while complimenting the disharmony of everything going on around him. I can hesitantly compare him to Trey Azagthoth and James Murphy, but he is definitely a force all his own.

Cole Jacobsen’s vocals fit the music well, they are low and guttural, full of power. Nothing particularly new or interesting going on here, but well-executed. However, I find Garrett Thomas’s higher pitched and more manic backing vocals to be ill-fitting and somewhat off-putting. Thankfully they do not intrude too often and they don’t do much damage to the songs.

This is a solid EP that sports some really fantastic elements. The songs are all memorable, but more variety or experimentation would be appreciated if the band tackles a longer release format.

Tex's rating: 86%

You can check out the tunes from this EP and their 2012 demo (review for that coming soon!) here: http://www.reverbnation.com/lagoaz
If you are into death metal, you really should check these guys out!

 

Amputation Spree – Terminal Velocity (Tex's Review)

     When I saw the band name, EP title and song titles I was ready for some brutal old school gorefest that would leave me squealing like a recently defiled schoolgirl. That turned out not to be the case, but what we have here is a decent work of modern “brutal” death metal.

     The main problem with this release is the severe lack of riffs. A lot of the time the songs are comprised of a few chords either chugging along or ringing out over a mid to slow paced drum beat, even trudging dangerously close to “breakdown” territory. I’m assuming this is where the band gets its “brutal” moniker from, but for me this kind of riffing (or lack thereof) is just jarring rather than heavy or brutal and serves mostly to derail the good ideas in the songs.

     Thankfully there are a lot of good ideas on this EP. Some great ones in fact! The use of synths in both “Third World Genocide Machine” and “Sudden Monolithic Realization of Chaos and Suffering” were a great unexpected touch that lends these songs some atmosphere while lending an epic flavour reminiscent of the use of synth in works by Nile and Nocturnus. These are also subsequently the best tracks on the EP, the latter containing a fantastic melodic solo section that I wish wasn’t so low in the mix or bookended by chuggy breakdowns. The absolute highlight of the EP is the vocal work which is truly brutal, consistent and professional sounding throughout the entire release.

     Unfortunately, the really great sections are hampered by the aforementioned lack of riffs, a plodding pace throughout and some bizarre choices in song structure. The artwork of the EP made me instantly think there might be some Human era Death style writing and structure going on here, but when the songs get unconventional they get clunky and almost lost. Especially bewildering is the fade-out-fade-in parts in “Addicting to Beheading Children Part II” (10 bonus points for this song title, btw). The first time it seemed kind of original and cool, even if a little oddly placed, but having it several times in one song just doesn’t work.

     While I may seem pretty critical, the parts that are good really are quite good, and the parts that aren’t don’t ruin the EP, even if they are abundant. While it completely defied my expectations and isn’t really the kind of death metal I’m into, with time and refinement this band could put out something really cool.

Tex's review:  65%