ALBUM REVIEW: Doom Nacional – Soldati
It’s easy to shy away from our pasts, but in order to really own where we’ve come from, we’ve got to really channel the feelings we associate with our experiences into something meaningful. SOLDATI, coming from Argentina have been crafting their experiences into their debut album, Doom Nacional. Here, they express the full might of their pain, their struggles and the inner fight they’ve all battled within to create an album that is truthful and cathartic.
From Skulls chugs in like some demonic engine, growling and gravely, with a set of vocals to match. There’s a pinch of blues infused in here, but the bite from the off is much more aggressive. As the symbols hiss and the drums bark, things start to mount into a trudging journey towards utter disdain. That’s not to say things don’t stay cool and psychedelic- the sense of doom and melancholy blends so well into the atmospheric twists and turns this opener smears itself with.
If you’re looking to be hit right in the face with a big fat hook and a big fit fuzz of a song, Suicide Girl is what you’re looking for. The same droning vocals weigh in under a cool riff, the modulation and swirling, bending tones creating a smooth ride under the pummelling drums. There’s a huge amount for anyone who enjoys QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, ASTHMA CASTLE and CAGE THE ELEPHANT in this record, no question.
Balanced somewhere between the two previous tracks, Whisky Negro maintains its vocal styling but tempers the motion of everything else to really hone into the brooding darkness. There’s a real passion in this music, a fight and a will of its own that really elevates things. Every player has a distinct tone, from the drums and bass through to the guitars and vocals, everyone is bringing something important and worthwhile.
La Electricidad Del Arbol Caido is another perfect blend of the stoner mentality. It keeps itself paced, but adds some really tasty modulation and thickness through the riff; a crashing tide of power and might. The first half is a nice ride on the waves, but it’s soon clear that a bigger storm was brewing all along. As the pace flat out batters, it’s a torrent of undiluted truth and rage, clobbering, foaming at the mouth, back and forth between that calmer flow and a downright tempest.
In a similar way, Los Secretos De Shiva has a simmering beast beneath its introduction that slowly raises its head. There’s perhaps a little less colour in this track, as the overall tone muddies into every instrument in the first half, and doesn’t go out of its way to show as much expressive depths as the previous tracks. It’s still got a good groove, but keeps on the same flow for just a little too long before things get interesting. Once it finds its feel, the riff brings things back to a place of clarity and emotional playing that experiments with some twisted psychedelia.
If you want to find a track on this record that really manages to show some personal rage that can really be universally appreciated, Un Tren Al Sol is probably it. There’s so much simmering in that crackling bass line, so much in the battering onslaught of the drums, a spark of dragon flame in the guitars, the vocals only used sparingly really just narrate what’s palpable in this track. SOLDATI means soldier, and if there was ever a track to exemplify the fight in this band, it’s this one. It’s not just the textures of all the instruments and the massive sense of pain in this playing, it’s the way that against the hard grain of the verse, which oozes so much musical flavour, the little pushes into a softer pain beneath through the riff that makes it so worth a listen.
Finishing on Solar Tse, we are brought right back into a much heavier, slower pacing that leans a little more towards the doomier side of SOLDATI. The expression is much simpler, the riff taking a back seat for the most part while the drums frantically whip up a frenzy. While the hook is just as memorable, truly this is a rhythmic beast that stomps low and with a purpose you’ll no doubt be drawn into. At just over eight and a half minutes, it’s earned it’s time to mull on melancholy ideas and lets them fester into something dirty, but is all the tastier for it.
Doom Nacional is balanced perfectly with doom, stoner and desert rock sensibilities, a beefy record that isn’t afraid to take its time, but also knows when to land a blow that’ll knock you for sick. There’s all the emotional backbone of blues and the dynamic range of a band wanting to make something worthwhile, creating the perfect fuzzed up vehicle for some rip-roaring good music. Considering this is a debut to boot, when SOLDATI play like they’re old hands at this, makes Doom Nacional an even more impressive beast.
Rating: 8/10
Doom Nacional is out on April 24th via Argonauta Records.
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