CORRUPTED — El Mundo Frío (review)

Album · 2005 · Drone Metal

4.5/5 · 2012-08-07
renkls

It's really hard for me to figure out exactly what the appeal of this album is, or for me to even understand why I, and so many other people like it so much.

This is the fourth full length album by Corrupted, and is arguably their most fully realised and varied. That said, what we are dealing with here is a single track giant, 71:40 of sludge/post metal. At least, that's what the genre tags it as.

You wouldn't think so by the ten minute mark, at which point you have heard some dark ambient, mixed in with minimalist classical harp and drums. Suddenly, just as you're dosing, the sludge hits at 10:40, and you're hooked into the meaty part of the track, a long, minimalist sludge intro, which takes us into the 20th minute, at which point there are still no vocals in sight. The drums and guitar settle into a groove here, and we're finally given the first vocals at 23 minutes.

This is pretty restrained stuff for the sludge giants renowned for their uncompromising sludge power, in Paso Inferior for instance - but as the vocals work up the rest of the band to build - we see this is a premeditated piece; it makes us work hard for the payoff. At 27 minutes, that payoff comes, as the vocals roar forth, and the instruments wrap themselves around them, pummeling forward to the thirty minute mark.

While this is a high point in the song, we're not even halfway done. Soon after this early peak, the song returns to the minimalist post-rock style from whence it began, grooving along slowly, weaving in the beautiful strums of the harp along the way. It's this middle section which confuses me as to how it keeps me hooked - as it's more then 15 minutes of minimalist post rock, with very subtle developments as it goes. Somehow, the epic walks a fine line between minimalism and boredom - and even here, for some reason I cannot explain, it works wonders.

At the 48 minute mark, the album picks up the pace again, which is a pretty broad statement, seeing as it's still a super slow development. We're back with the 20 minute mark groove, and soon the lyrics follow again. Here, the lyrics sound like a reprise of what came before, but investigating the lyric book, they tell a different tale the second time around. I'll let you read up on that for yourself.

At the 55 minute mark, we are back with the thunderous vocal roars and heavy riffs oncemore, and this leads us on and on, until we're just under the hour mark, and the vocals let out their last and fade away.

Then, to close the album, like a book cover; a ten minute outro to match the 10 minute intro. And like a good book, it's also very satisfying.

I can't really explain the appeal of this album, but it works on its own terms, and is quite the experience if you ever find 72 minutes to sit down and listen to the whole thing. It's not like a typical sludge piece, as you can see, but there's enough here to pull in fans of minimalism, ambiance, metal and post rock alike.

A great album, but only if you're the patient kind.

more than 2 years ago
Permalink
Report #266538

Share this review

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer

Please login to post a shout

Xaxaar wrote:

more than 2 years ago

This album is really fantastic. I'm still holding off my rating on it, but it is great indeed. One of those albums I feel is way too overlooked.

Tupan wrote:

more than 2 years ago

Renkls is becoming an expert in one-song albums!

renkls wrote:

more than 2 years ago

"the cold world" indeed.

Wilytank wrote:

more than 2 years ago

Listening to this song outside on a breezy day adds some sort of fitting atmosphere to it.

renkls wrote:

more than 2 years ago

I like the ambition that comes with it, sure, there's some air of pretentiousness to releasing albums with one track, but if you treat an album as a whole experience, then you might as well listen to it as one.