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Not the most amazing album, but still a strong, enjoyable performance.-
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| Totimoshi: Avenger |
Alternative Rock, Punk Rock, Stoner Rock
At a Loss Recordings
August 16th, 2011
- Intro - 0:14
- Avenger - 4:27
- The Fool - 4:57
- Mainline - 4:56
- Calling All Curs - 3:34
- Rose - 3:52
- Opus - 4:19
- Leaves - 5:38
- Snag - 4:38
- Waning Divine - 6:46
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| Review Information |
Release length: 43:26
Review posted on September 7th, 2011
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| | Overall Score: 7/10 |
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| Discography |
Discography covers all information available up to day of review and is updated if future albums are reviewed. |
| Full-Length(s): |
Totimoshi (1999) • Monoli (2002) • ¿Mysterioso? (2003) • Ladrón (2006) • Milagrosa (2008) • Avenger (2011)
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| Review |
Totimoshi isn't a relatively new band, but it's one chances are good you've never heard of before. The group issued their debut full-length album Totimoshi back in 1999, and it received a good amount of positive reviews, as did the many other albums released after that. This group is hard to describe, having a sound that often goes between Alternative Rock, Sludge Rock, and even some people claiming some Punk and various Metal influences to the sound. The band even admits they are hard to describe as far as sound goes. With this "complex" approach to the band's sound, Totimoshi went back into the studio to record their sixth release, Avenger, which is being issued through At a Loss Records this time around. But is this a release that will captivate listeners, or is there a reason why the band isn't the most well known group out there?
Avenger establishes itself as a little out of the normal with the "Intro" track, which winds up just being gibberish with a heavy echo distortion over it for fifteen seconds. While this would be something one would immediately call garbage, it really does set up the lighter yet Sludgey Rock atmosphere of the release. The audio here just kind of comes off like a generic Sludge or even Stoner Rock kind of album. The music sounds pretty clear, and all the heaviness relies greatly on the guitar distortion. There's no real atmosphere to the album, other then maybe a late seventies, early eighties Rock vibe from what would have been a well established band or label at that time. The guitars have a decent amount of distortion that does make them a little heavier, and the bass actually sticks out well in the mix, being a rather loud volume and often being the focal point to keep the song going or started, like with the bass heavy introduction of "The Fool". The drums are pretty solid, having a nice rather loud thud to the bass kicks that of course work with the bass guitar, the snares sound pretty loud as well, and the cymbols are all at the proper audio levels that they don't dominate the album when they are used, but still loud enough that when they crash, it sounds great and not like it's back in the mix and doesn't make much of an impact. Going back to "The Fool", the kit ends up playing more of an important role here, blending what feels like Southern musical aspirations with an Irish Punk Rock vibe that would remind one of The Flogging Mollys. The song has that additional somber atmosphere to it from those, and while those two elements in the same song are a bit confusing, the crashes are kept to a minimum, and when used they are just loud enough to really work with the song and be heard over the guitar, which often can be quite loud when the track is trying to build the song up a bit more, primarily during the chorus.
But that Sludge meets Alternative Rock vibe isn't all this release is restricted to. "Mainline" kicks in next, and it has more of a Stoner Rock sensation to it. The song's slower pace, and especially the guitar solo, definitely establish a smokey feeling to the song and the sensation of a warped euphoria that one might feel from similar stylized bands of the aforementioned time periods. The track does have moments where the song will just stop for a few brief moments, and while that sounds a little odd, it works well with the song and it's atmosphere. The track does pick up a bit around the half way point into a little heavier track that does slightly border on a more Metal inspired release through some deeper, yet rather catchy music. And, while these more Stoner Rock tracks deliver the catchier tracks, the early Rock track "Rose" does stand out more with it's catchy guitar chords that stand out and even push the album a bit to more groovier levels.
As you reach the end though, the album changes gears again. While the heavier Stoner Rock aspect kind of stops, and slower, more ballad-esque material does take over. "Snag" is one of those tracks, though with a slight Stoner vibe to it. The music isn't the most amazing or engaging after a short while, but the guitar solo at the end of the song does establish that atmosphere with it, and ultimately does make the song a little more enjoyable. Before that, however, is the song "Leaves", which really just feels like a deeper sounding Alternative Rock song with nothing all that special about it other then a good performance and a somber vibe to the music. Then you close with the longest track on the release, "Waning Divine," which sounds quite a lot like "Leaves" but not really being a carbon copy and having more of a Neurosis vibe to the song in the more tribal and Trance concepts brought in. The song eventually does pick up, leaving behind some of the tribal and Trance elements and again goes for more of a Stoner Rock vibe, which actually is disheartening because it's not the direction you want or expect the song to go in the first place. However, it ends up being more like a giant, long guitar solo, and for how good it is and how long it lasts, it is enjoyable and you do have to give credit where it's due here, and the solo does deserve it.
There's nothing really bad or wrong to say about this album. The song's are a good mixture of styles, though sometimes a bit confusing. One of the main gripes I found with the album though is this weird dinging sound in the background. It sounds similar to something you would hear on a computer when not typing in the right box, basically alerting you of your idiocy. It's very subtle and throughout many of the tracks on here. Other then that, some of the songs here are just not the most impressive, especially towards the end when they go off in a direction you don't really want them to go, or just sound a little more on the generic side. Overall it's still a good performance, and some of the songs will have get your head bobbing along to the rhythm. If you like some more serious, less-mainstream sounding Atlernative Rock with a little edge, or even a slight Punk Rock vibe to it, then Totimoshi is worth checking out. It's not the more awe-inspiring release in the style, but it's still a solid performance from the band anyhow.
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Digital review copy of this release provided by:
At a Loss Recordings
via Earsplit PR.
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