Hocico - Memorias Atras

Hocico have been around a long time, and have gained a loyal fanbase. With 'Memorias Atras', they have opted to experiment with their sound and give the listener a more varied approach to harsh electro.
Opener 'A fatal Desire' gives the listener exactly what they want to hear. Harsh beats? Check. Distorted vocals? Check. Melodic lead synth lines? Check. While this track has a strong intro with a sense of imminent energy, the song itself is generic harsh electro. For the average Harsh electro fan this track does exactly what it says on the tin - but then is Hocico just trying to play it safe?

The answer to that is a resounding "No!" when the second track thunders its way into your eardrums. Do NOT let that slower tempo fool you - there is a deep bassline running throughout coupled with a heavy distorted snare and balanced perfectly with trance-like synth lines. Despite the slower pace it exudes power through its very being - who said a track has to be fast to be any good?

'Stop My Madness' slows down further still and has a funereal feel to it. To me this track would have been right at home on a soundtrack to a film such as 'The Crow'. The vocals are almost spoken word, yet still with distortion to add depth.

The tempo picks up again with 'About A Dead' and this is a track with all the right elements for the dancefloor. The provoking lyrics questioning religion add spice to the already pounding beat, no wonder this was picked as a single release.

'Fed Up' continues the rising tempo, this is another track aimed firmly at the clubs. Throbbing basslines and high lead synths coupled with Erk's trademark vocals mean plenty of high tempo dancefloor antics will be had with this one.

Hocico continue to switch back and forth with the tempo, almost as though they are giving the listener a workout and thus feel the need for those 'rest' moments in between. 'Metamorphous' is another such 'rest' track, not dancy in the slightest but has a sense of foreboding and atmosphere.

This starts off sounding like a Middle Ages funeral march yet it build to a crescendo towards the end with erratic drum rhythms and quirky synth sounds, yet somehow the whole track is given a sense of purpose.
Anyone who has seen the programme 'Click' on television (in the UK) will know where I am coming from when I compare the intro to 'Spirals of Time' to that show's music. This is where the similarity ends, however, and we are soon sucked into a pounding beat and aggressive vocals this time addressing the subject of growing old and looking back in bitterness - but with one eye keenly on the dancefloor.

'Doomed to Perish' takes us back down again in terms of tempo but there is a latent power exuding from this song despite the tempo. Lyrics are almost spat out, a mocking cynical rant at religion.
'Blindfold' may not be an obvious choice for the clubs but it has grown on me to become my favourite track on the album. An emotional call to arms for the oppressed - fantastic song!

'Taste the Waste' carries on with the faster style, and the bassline almost sounds guitar-based. There's a Noisuf-X vibe to this one, too, thanks to the bouncy feel that this track has.

'Drowning' drops the pace once more, putting the stomp-factor on the back burner for a while and letting the music do the talking. There is a strong element of atmosphere to the slower Hocico tracks that I feel can easily be overlooked with the four-to-the-floor stompers. Try listening to this one in a darkened room, through headphones, to experience the enormity of a track such as this.

Closer 'Escapando de los Recuerdos' has a classical feel that builds up in the mutiple styles and layers that switch back and forth. Again heavy atmospherics come into play, showing that Hocico are not shy of experiment with the darker, more brooding elements of electronic music.
Mar 19 2012