| Artist |
| Hocico |
| Title |
| Tiempos De Furia |
| Format/Cat |
| CD OUT 432 |
| Label |
| Out Of Line |
| Style |
| EBM |
| Date of review |
| 23rd November 2010 |
| Reviewer |
| Carl Jenkinson |
| Rating |
| 7.5/10 |
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Out Of Line are certainly unleashing their big hitters to see us through the winter months, aren't they? Combichrist, a forthcoming single from Blutengel & this latest from Mexico's finest. Of course, you'll all know what to expect here &, for the most part, they don't disappoint, unleashing further barrages of their own brand of nightmarish dark electro with the excellent 'Where Words Fail Hate Speaks' & 'Flesh To Lacerate' both marking themselves out early on as surefire future faves (can't wait to hear them live!) while 'Bite Me!' has as much, er, bite as the title promises. Likewise the slower 'Lost Fate' is full of the dark foreboding moods that is the duo's staple as is the title track which harkens back to some of their older material in its raw power. However, as the album progresses it starts to feel a little on the restrained side, due, in part, to a surprisingly clean production with, in some cases, a more melodic feel. Perhaps this isn't enough to put off hardcore Hocicones but it is a little worrying; the preceding single 'Dog Eat Dog' hinted at this (although it more than holds its own here) & there are a couple of other offenders in that respect as well, notably 'Not Human' (aside from the pitch bending effects that herald the chorus & which are quite cool) & particularly 'Twist The Thorn' which sounds almost like an ill-advised stab at a more poppy sound which is a definite letdown. Allied to this there's a lack of those moments of genius which the duo are famed for & it's left to the instrumentals in the shape of 'Kiss Of The Apocalypse' & the closing 'Los Espejos Rotos' to provide further highlights, reminding any enterprising gothic horror film maker that they would undoubtedly enhance any film they appeared on (& if they made an album totally like that I doubt many would complain, either!!). It's a pity, then, that this isn't quite on a par with the masterpieces we all know they're capable of, no doubt if some newcomers put this out it would be heralded as a pretty good debut but given that this is Hocico we're talking about.....
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