Album Review/ Nu Metal : Descienda’s ‘𐤒’
Descienda is a Spanish musical group who love to bring to life concepts with music. Their soundscapes are designed to immerse you in the ethos of a thought cycle and make you see. Music to them, is a way of inquiry and exploration. So you’ll see a lot of dynamism, cinematic quotients and an incredible performative quotient that spans across their discography. Their latest release is ‘𐤒’ an album that is meant to disrupt the superficial perception of human life and spirit and draw the listener in deeper. The songs form in the space where nu metal meets dark pop and abstract electronica. You’ll also see orchestral formats that rise with powerful moments of electric guitar and bass.
‘Luz’ opens the collection. It stretches into an urgent and drifting dark cinema. There is mystical vocal chromatism that is deepened by the nu metal bass grooves and powerful rock elements. The percussion is also unstoppable. Placing a slow ethereal vocal drift over a very high performing rhythm and tempo is quite affecting. It really shakes you up and creates a powerful medium of thought, feeling and evocation.
Stylistically, the nu metal features shine the brightest across this album. Every track presents such vast and varied interpretations of the genre, especially as it interacts with other stylistic touches. They not only deepen the chaos that the band is brewing with this album but give it definite articulation and a power to go out and exist in the world. Tracks like ‘Oculto’ and ‘Castigo’ have such an undeniable and irrepressible momentum. Both these tracks hold their personality in the tempo, in the rhythm. The bold rhythm signatures, the powerful pauses and the repetition, reinforces this spirit over and over.
On the other hand, tracks like ‘Fuego’ and ‘Armonía’ have such fluid and rhythm free soundscapes. Their calling is tied to lamentous and long-form vocal lines. It’s not doting, but it pervades layer by layer into the psyche like you wouldn’t believe. The vocals are especially affecting. They hold a despondency that you cannot shake off. It’s a powerful call.
‘Artificial’ has a pop rock lightness to it. ‘Reposo’ swirls into an electro rock swirl that keeps on going, infinitely. With ‘Dentro’, the band leans into the horror sonics to create a hypnotic and unsettling atmosphere. Its haunting feel is what leads you to thought. ‘Soy’ is the concluding track that is sparked with classic rock blues. It gains a boldness with the hard rock riffs and powerful basslines. The atmosphere and the make up takes you back to artists like Linkin Park. Listen Now!
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The album is available for streaming on Bandcamp!
You can listen to ‘𐤒’ by Descienda here -
