Hocico - El Ultimo Minuto

One of my favorite things about Hocico is their ability to to create music that is intense, melodic, fun and deeply unsettling at the same time.

There's nothing quite like enjoying a catchy melody whilst sensing in the pit of your stomach that something is terribly wrong? and I don't mean "Oh no I forgot to water the plants - terribly wrong" more like "Oh no, I'm being dragged through a chasm by a seven headed demon -terribly wrong" there's a big difference.

Their latest album: 'El Ultimo Minuto' provides that wonderful feeling of adrenalin fueled dread that the fans know and love, but also limits itself by following the same formula - which becomes increasingly noticeable as the album wears on. However, like diamonds in the rough, this album contains a couple absolutely amazing standout tracks: "Firewalking" and "Dead Trust".

If you're introducing a friend to Aggrotech (because that's what good friends do), "Firewalking" is the track to do it with. It begins innocently enough with a simple reverberating synth line, and slowly a more eerie sound creeps its way in like a warning of danger ahead, but by then it's too late.. you are face to face with the beat; brooding, menacing and complemented by equally unsettling vocals hissing and dripping with hate. The bass kick following the first verse is so powerful, it feels like a monster is going to beat its way out of your sub woofer. If you make it to the chorus without crashing your car you get to spend the next few weeks shouting "I WALK ON FIIIRREEE!" at random moments of subconscious self encouragement to the horror of your co-workers and family. The chorus really is that catchy.

Speaking of catchy, the opening of "Dead Trust" is a lesson in How to Get a Listeners Attention 101. The monaural retro beat, which unexpectedly leads into one of the coolest riffs of all time is one of those "Shit just got real" moments where you cant help but drop whatever you're doing and completely immerse yourself in the music.

Aside from these two awesome tracks, nothing else really caught my attention. I feel the album could have been so much better had they experimented with a slightly slower tempo i.e "Firewalking". The Electro-Punk style of up-tempo beats distracts from the melody and actually diminishes their powerful sound.

Overall, don't expect this album to deliver something fresh. It's still Hocico playing around with the same formula, but hey, from someone who still looks forward to every Hocico release after all these years; I have to admit it's still a pretty damn good formula. Feb 09 2013