Asesino – Corridos De Muerte
Legend: Brujeria, a group of Columbian drug lords named after a flavor of Mexican Satanic black magic, got together and made a band. Their music, self-described as “machete metal” and “hardcore Mexican murder music”, falls directly under the label of brutal death metal. After releasing several successful Brujeria albums, Juan Brujo (the leader of Brujeria), has once again summoned up El Demoniaco (the demonic maniac) and demanded a series of 13 “Demoniaco” recordings, each one focusing on a different member of the Brujeria clan. Think of it as the KISS solo albums of the “hardcore Mexican murder music” genre. The first of these albums is the story of and from the man known as Asesino — Spanish for assassin.
Reality: Brujeria, a super-group of sorts, features members from Fear Factory, Napalm Death, Cradle of Filth, Faith No More, and Dimmu Borgir, according to their site. Asesino is the first official side project to spring out of Brujeria — the first of 12, if their promo material is to be believed (it rarely is). Guitarist Asesino is in reality, ex-Fear Factory’s Dino Cazares, and Grenudo’s kick drum attack obviously belongs to his former partner in crime, Raymond Herrera. The new variable added to this side project is Maldito X – Tony Campos, of Static-X. (Note: After the particularly nasty breakup of Fear Factory, Herrera is no longer performing with the Asesino.)
Asesino takes the groundwork established by Brujeria and runs with it. The tracks on Corridos De Muerte all lie somewhere between semi-brutal death metal and really-brutal death metal. “Asesino” (the track, not the guy or the album title), sets the bar high by blasting forth a brutal sonic assault that doesn’t let up for 60 minutes. Occasionally, on songs like “Rey de La Selva”, the band will break up their heavy grind with a small groove in the middle, a tradition that Brujeria has always done well and Asesino (the band, not the song or the album this time) seems to have carried on. For the most part though, there’s not as much groove as their is in your face death metal.
The lyrics, like all the Brujeria albums, are sung (or yelled, rather) in Spanish. I’m sure translated lyrics will appear on the web eventually, but for now curious listeners will have to type the lyrics from “Amor Marrano” (Love Pig), “Rey De La Selva” (King of the Forest), or “La Ejecucion” (The Execution) into their favorite online translator of choice. “Lunchador Violador” apparently tells the story “of a masked Mexican wrestler who turns to a career of raping and murdering prostitutes.” Don’t they all?
The Asesino CD is also an enhanced CD which includes five music videos. I won’t ruin any surprises here, but let me just say that the videos are just as brutal and hardcore as the music, and don’t leave much to the imagination. Then again in the last paragraph, I just told you that this album includes a song about a Mexican wrestler who turns to a career of raping and murdering prostitutes. Neither the songs nor their videos are going to appear on MTV anytime soon.
What they will do, however, is go down as some of the catchiest and dirtiest death metal songs I’ve heard in quite a while. While Brujeria’s Mextremist Hits failed to inspire like their previous releases, Asesino’s Corridos De Muerte combines hardcore death metal with a “pop” sensibility. Don’t get me wrong, it doesn’t get much heavier than this, but Campos brings Static-X’s ability to be heavy without being unlistenable to the table, making a ferocious album not soon to be forgotten. To good to be called a “side project”, Asesino’s savage attack deserves to be on every death metalhead’s shelf.
Tracks:
01. Asesino
02. Rey De La Selva
03. Despedazando Muertos
04. Sequestro Nuestro
05. Amor Marrano
06. Luchador Violador
07. El Patron Mando
08. Cyko Maton
09. Carnicero
10. Chota Sucia
11. Donde Esta Mi Corte
12. La Ejecucion
13. Corrido Del Asesino
14. Hidden Track