Rating: 9.1

Country: Spain

Release Date: 2005

Record Label: Razorback Records

Track list:
1. Marcha De Los Muertos Sin Ojos
2. Momificados Para La Inmortalidad
3. Horrendos Espectros En Letargo
4. Adoremos Al Cráneo Cornudo
5. Sacrificio (Para El Idolo Tu Muerte, Para Ellos Tu Sangre)
6. Colgados Y Abandonados A La Putrefacción [mp3]
7. Niebla Fúnebre
8. Sepulcros Malditos
9. Monasterio De Bouzano
10. La Noche De Las Gaviotas
11. El Necronomicon Templario
12. Cripta
13. Monjes Fantasma De Ultratumba
14. Ritual De Resurrección
15. Psicofonía De Los Templarios De La Muerte (Los Cuentos Del Muñón Gangrenoso IV)

Band Website: Machetazo

Machetazo – Sinfonias Del Terror Ciego

Rober - Guitar
Carlos "Cadaver" - Bass
Dopi - Drums/Vocals

Spanish goregrind masters Machetazo have returned under the hooded cloak of darkness to unleash their third full-fledged onslaught. I wisely held back my animated cheering and suppressed my soaring expectations that could prove to be detrimental because from my past experience I was made well aware of their ability to stupefy you with an unforeseeable change in their approach. I still can't comprehend with the vast musical difference between their groundbreaking debut ‘Carne De Cemetario' and their blistering follow-up ‘Trono De Huesos' and as a result it took me some time to get into the latter. It was like waiting desperately for this bubbly, voluptuous girl you knew to turn up but she sent her brash, impudent sister for the date instead. But slowly I began to appreciate the positive aspects and eventually even fell in love, but to avoid all this time consuming drama I prepared myself to stay dumb without having any smartass expectations from Machetazo's new album ‘Sinfonias Del Terror Ciego'. It turned out to be one of the smartest moves in my life, as my suspicious weren't entirely unfounded and it surely made it easier for me to accept their progression.

The first thing I noticed is the addition of a third member, a bassist if I'm not mistaken, and he makes sure that everyone with nerves feels his presence. He does it so well that it feels like he's strumming your coronary arteries instead of the strings on his guitar. The second noteworthy thing is the ample utilization of death metal elements in their music. It only gets better. But the most remarkable thing is the dark brooding atmosphere they've lent to their music that truly makes this album special. It's as if some immensely dark and excessively hairy Spanish girl uninhibitedly lifted her skirt and squatted down to incubate this album until it cracked and darkness seeped out of it. The resulting level of darkness is comparable to that of the dark death metal bands like say Incantation although Autopsy is a much better example as it is they who are chiefly responsible for the death metal influences on this album. Oh and speaking of Autopsy, the album features an exciting guest appearance by Chris Reifert in the song “Neibla Timebre”.

Musically the album is quite similar to ‘Trono De Huesos' though now their aggression has been diminished perhaps due to the darkness and the foggy atmosphere. However, the songs are more elaborate and structured and definitely more mature I would say. The crudeness of the previous album has been toned down but not the quality of the riffs. They're just as fantastic and expose influences from Terrorizer, Repulsion and ‘Fear, Emptiness, Despair'-era Napalm Death - of course gorified as per tradition, and now deathened as a new practice. Besides that I could hear a few thrashy parts in this album much like their label mates. Also there's this relaxed and groovy song “Cripta” which rightfully belongs to ‘Carne De Cementario' but somehow sneaked its way into this album. (I get your message, oh valiant song! I vow to hear that album as soon as I'm done with this!).

This album even has a couple of slow creepy instrumentals and in the song “La Noche De Las Gaviotas” one can hear the ringing of bells which covers me entirely with goose bumps. Maybe that's because it provokes memories of my school, but it still intensifies the horror atmosphere. Wait, what did I just hear you say? Macheezetazo? Not at all, my asshole friend. This is genuine dark and spooky stuff right here. Okay, at least dark. The vocals sound as if the vocalist is growling wearing a gas mask, and understandably so, as he requires it to breathe through the dense atmosphere surrounding him. Lastly, credit has to be given to the nearly immaculate, fitting production this album has received. It's not as raw and erosive as their previous album, but it's incredibly heavy, thick and yep, you got it this time, dark. So much that when the album begins, the pupils enlarge instinctively (also penis in my case).

I think my only (minor) gripe is that the songs are a bit inconsistent but overall this is a briliant album. It might not grab your hand and drag you to the dance floor immediately, but if you're patient, it might take you to the bedroom directly. Don't you miss out on ‘Sinfonias Del Terror Ciego‘ for it could be the closest thing you might get to a date. On a side note, it also happens to be one of the best, if not the best album of the year.

December 18th, 2005