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El Caco - From Dirt

Published May 16 2007


*
=Staff's pick

Beyond Redemption
The Ones Remaining
Crash & Burn
Solid Rest (Seasonal Affective Disorder)
Shadows Of Undone
Nervous Breakdown Hide & Seek*
From Dirt
Code Red*
Honey Tree
Love Delayed
White Flag


Genre Rock/Metal
Öyvind Osa
Vocals
Tracks 11
Anders Gjesti
Guitar
Runningtime 45 Min.
-
Guitar
Label Black Baloon Records
Öyvind Osa
Bass
Release 20 April 2007
Thomas Fredriksen
Drums
Country Norway
-
Keyboard
Similar artists D:A:D, System Of A Down

I'm not too enthusiastic to start with, over this mix of rock and metal. It is simply a bit repetitive and character-less. Although a bit progressive in the like of Pain Of Salvation, in songs like Crash & Burn, it does not become exciting enough to explore further. Öyvind Osa's voice is one reason for that. He is a good singer, but he tends to sound a bit weak and becomes monotonous after just a short while. To that From Dirt is a bit too modern in it's production, done by Daniel Bergstrand (In Flames, Meshuggah etc.). Rock should be raw, dirty and… free, not embedded behind some edge cutting walls.

Not until the sixth track Nervous Breakdown Hide & Seek there is a break with the previous and we can breathe a bit more simple rock 'n' roll and speed. In Code Red we can find slightly eastern oriented melodies, which reminds a bit about System of a Down. Honey Tree makes me think about Porcupine Tree in all its dryness. Love Delayed again increases the speed and thrash riffs. The attempt to add a more aggressive voice is welcome, but a bit too unpolished, and the soft parts are too soft. This fourth effort from these three Norwegians simply does not stick. There is talent, there is an idea of a sound, but there are not songs to back it up this time. The riffs and the attitude from the previous releases seem to be gone.

Performance
Originality
Production
Vocals
Songwriting

5

5

3

4

4

 
Summary



4 chalices of 10 - David


Related links:

www.elcaco.com
www.myspace.com/elcaco