Trono de huesos

Machetazo, one of the pioneer bands in the Spanish grindcore/death metal scene and an incredibly underrated band that despite being almost 20 years old, still offers consistent, solid and no-fucks given music.

Trono de Huesos is to me, their best release so far... The sheer brutality of this record is unmatched and well on par with Carcass' "Reek of Putrefaction".

This great album begins with a simple sound effect of what seems bones grinding each other, after a few seconds of this we are welcomed with an extremely solid riff and the first drum beats which soon unleash hell upon your ears, I particularly love the sound of the drums in this one as it sounds honest and organic, the grooves and fills are excellent and there are a lot more variation than in your typical grindcore/deathgrind band.

The riffs have a bit of Bathory and Motorhead influences, catchy and interesting throughout the album and at the same time slowing down when it's necessary; "La Flema" is an example of this, the song is fast and violent, yet near the end it slows down a bit and sounds groovy, the next song "Engendro" also has slower sections that you can savor and enjoy before being assaulted with yet another barrage of blast beats, fast riffing and crushing vocals.

Regarding the vocals, Dopico showcases a wide arrange of vocal styles, ranging from high-pitched and almost black-metal sounding screams as heard in "Banquete Funerario" down to really low guttural growls as heard in the title track, there is enough vocal styles in here to keep the album entertaining and fresh.

In conclusion, this is an excellent release, a MUST HAVE if you're into grindcore, deathgrind, goregrind and death metal

Razorback is a pretty consistent label. Over the years they've built up a steady reputation for churning out oodles of sick-minded fun that tends to crossbreed early death metal, grind and thrash. The label is as a whole a campy and fun ode to every bit of 70s and 80s geek culture. The problem is that a lot of the retro material the label puts out is great at first listen but after about a month or so it starts to tire. Perhaps the goofiness often gets a bit heavy-handed (strangely enough). So, where does 'Trono Des Huesos' stand in the honourable (and occasionally dishonourable) Razorback catelogue? Well, I'd wager that it's without a doubt the greatest fucking thing that they have ever put out. Not only that but I'd also argue that this is in fact the best grind album since 2000.

Gone is the campiness that you'd come to expect from the Razorback Hive. Instead of a gimmick that combines G.I Joe and Basket Case (I'm talking about you Engorged) is an atmosphere of genuine horror and an off-the-wall intensity that no one has really topped since. Sure the musicianship could be a bit tighter, but it's one of those albums where the sloppy musicanship actually enhances the feel of the album. The atmosphere of 'Trono des Huesos' is dense and horrific. It's as though the band researched the kinds of scales used in vintage Gothic horror soundtracks (like Black Sunday or early Hammer films) and translated them into grind songs. The vocals range from gritty screams to guttural barking lows that sound like a more crusty take on the lows on 'Reek of Putrefaction'. What's even more impressive is that this guy isn't even using lyrics! As ridiculous as that sound it still works perfectly well as his vocals fit the song patterns just fine and he still sounds like he's grunting out real words. The production is so harsh that it could possibly damage your ears, but I still reccomend you to blast it loud on headphones to really understand how amazing this album really is. The perfect way to describe the production of 'Trono de Huesos' is to tell you about its intro. It starts off with the sound of what seems to be a nail scraping against chalk. This basically describes the overall aesthetic of the album; raw, ear-destroying and harsh fucking shit. This is quite possibly one of the most abrasive and extreme pieces of metal/grind ever recorded. But still, somehow it all really works and sounds incredible despite the eventual damage it will do to your hearing.

The band mixes elements of crust, death metal (of the rotten and ugly old-school variety...you know, the kind that's actually good), grind and doom in a way that feels completely genuine and somehow fresh and original. Sure they aren't playing in complex time signatures and it all does sound somewhat like Reek of Putrefaction, but Machetazo are talented and honest song-writers who have a definite personality behind everything that they do. What I love about this album is that it never sounds like they're trying too hard. They aren't playing this music to be 'retro', they just do it because it's in their blood and because they happen to be pretty much geniuses in this style of music.

If I were to explain this album by comparing it to other albums I'd say that it sounds like a cross between 'Reek of Putrefaction' and Assuck's 'Misery Index', but that somehow doesn't do it justice. This album is all about character. Though it's well grounded in the old school it doesn't just tread the same old ground as other albums. The songs for the most part are incredibly evil yet cathartic to listen to at the same time, just because they're so forceful and passionate. The riffs churn and screech, sounding like they are rising from the grave. Add to this an amazingly fun cover of 'The Ace of Spades' and you've got yourself a pretty insane little album.

Sure, mainstream metal magazines will tell you that this album is nothing knew but I'd say it's the most interesting piece of grind to come along in quite a while. And as far as I'm concerned nothing has replaced it as of yet.