Cultura Tres - a new video!
Cultura Tres are a band who impacted on me in ways I can’t express, firstly with their music, and secondly because of their kindness as a band. Their album hit me hard because of the sludgy tones and their ability to craft something heavy out of nowhere – it’s like a write up on how to produce a metal album from start to finish. My second point about kindness – after writing the review for the guys, they were kind enough to send me through a copy of their album on a limited edition vinyl, something which now holds pride of place on the wall at home, and something which blew me away – it was unexpected and fantastic to receive.
Moving on from my personal feelings, the guys have just released a new video for El Sur De La Fe (South Of The Faith), a song which reflects the way religion is experienced in the area the band come from, and the hidden side of the faith and its illusive benefits as the band see them. Seeing as the guys have always been so good to us, and seeing as they’re over here RIGHT NOW – we figured we’d better let you see the video – so check it out!
Moving on from my personal feelings, the guys have just released a new video for El Sur De La Fe (South Of The Faith), a song which reflects the way religion is experienced in the area the band come from, and the hidden side of the faith and its illusive benefits as the band see them. Seeing as the guys have always been so good to us, and seeing as they’re over here RIGHT NOW – we figured we’d better let you see the video – so check it out!
Cultura Tres
We were recently sent through details of Cultura Tres and their album El Mal Del Bien to see what we thought. Released in March of 2011, the album has received glowing approval from fans and media around the world, and now that we’ve got a copy I figured it was my turn to check things out! Formed in Venezuela in South America, the band have incorporated different influences into their sound from sludge to doom and death to classic rock – in all, something which could be very interesting indeed! Selected by Metal Hammer as their ‘global discovery’, this could well be something to look into!
Opening with Propiedad De Dios you’re led into the album by sound effects before an off clean guitar line signals the beginning of proceedings, things sounding dark and ominous from the word go. Building into a sludgy melee of deep bass rhythms, rolling drums and distorted guitar lines, this is some of the slowest, dirtiest metal I’ve come across in a long while. There’s no need for speed here, the slow pace of the track does everything justice and makes this into something which sounds like a cross between Alice In Chains and their heavier twin! Roving between this restrained power and the all out roaring chorus, this is a track which signals damned good things for this album! Luckily, Purified continues the theme and keeps things firmly on the heavy side of the fence, once again opening hard and heavy and not releasing until the moment that the band are ready to let you go. Alternating between all out power and more restrained sections once again, this is another track which harks back to the peers of this band, yet has their own stamp firmly placed on it just to make sure you don’t forget who it is you’re listening to!
Los Muertos De Mi Color seems to serve as an introduction track, leading the way into the hammering opening of El Sur De La Fe and allowing you a brief moment of respite between the power that is this album. Opening hard before almost softening off, this track seems to hark to the likes of the Deftones in some areas, it’s got that dark and sludgy sound which was so popular a while back, yet somehow these guys seem to have made it sound fresh and new, almost as if it’s time for the genre to be reinvented and these guys are at the helm of the project. No Es Mi Verdad and The Grace are two tracks which are real highpoints on the album for me, both opening with sheer power and creating a track which, on the live scene, is sure to have crowds going absolutely mental. If you want music which is technically advanced yet not over produced, this is it! There’s no need for expensive production techniques to make this sound heavier as the band have already achieved one hell of a sound – just check out the double bass rolling around in The Grace if you want evidence of it!
El Mal Del Bien is a further diversion into the realms of more spaced out music, the intro seeming disjointed at first listen but soon adopting a form which you can easily take on, one that you can understand and embrace after a couple of listens, just don’t expect it to happen at once! After the all out assault of the track, Voices comes in as a shock once again, opening soft and almost faded out from the forefront, drawing you in and making you listen harder just to make sure you don’t miss anything. Almost blues like at first in the riff thrown out at you, this is soon forgotten as a dark and distorted riff akin to Pantera takes over, once again fading out to add in a cleaner element to things as if to nod to the world of grunge. I keep thinking this but it’s hard to put into words, if you could imagine the likes of Alice In Chains, but with Zakk Wylde or Dimebag on guitar, and Joe Jordison drumming, then you’re getting somewhere close to the sort of sound these guys have got – it’s technical and advanced yet also sludgy, dirty and downright heavy! Tres Seis Diez Dos is another perfect example of this, pushing a track which, if it were a little more laid back, could easily fit into a different genre, yet with the power these guys have harnessed it’s transformed into something else, a new heavy genre which I don’t even know how to describe – so to put it simply – it’s good!
Your Call signals the official end of the album before the Bonus tracks of Holy Graveyard and Black Sabbath. Your Call, for me, finishes the album perfectly and nothing else is really needed. There’s the sludgy bass which has been so prominent throughout, the riff heavy guitars and those crackly gravelly vocals which don’t seem to fit the mix at first, but soon draw you in and make you accept them. Finishing on a high, the two bonus tracks are really just extras to enjoy, not something to judge an album on! For me though, the highlight of the entire album has been Your Call, it’s once again a mix of The Deftones and Alice In Chaines combined with other areas, all working together to create a sound which is going to pull you in and make you want to turn the lights off and just listen – this isn’t music to go mad to, this is music to really listen to!
In all, Cultura Tres have been one of those bands which I love coming across, one which is going to stay with me and one which I know I’ll recommend a lot of people listen to. Their sound is based in the 90’s technically, but it’s been updated to become more modern and to meet the needs of a new audience. Sure, it’s not the heaviest thing in the world, nor is it the most melodic, but what it is is really quite clever, causing you to hark back to bands you listened to years ago and loving every second of it. To put it simply, this is a thinking mans album, it’ll wake your mind up and make you question things, and once in a while we all need that!
To find out more about Cultura Tres, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Opening with Propiedad De Dios you’re led into the album by sound effects before an off clean guitar line signals the beginning of proceedings, things sounding dark and ominous from the word go. Building into a sludgy melee of deep bass rhythms, rolling drums and distorted guitar lines, this is some of the slowest, dirtiest metal I’ve come across in a long while. There’s no need for speed here, the slow pace of the track does everything justice and makes this into something which sounds like a cross between Alice In Chains and their heavier twin! Roving between this restrained power and the all out roaring chorus, this is a track which signals damned good things for this album! Luckily, Purified continues the theme and keeps things firmly on the heavy side of the fence, once again opening hard and heavy and not releasing until the moment that the band are ready to let you go. Alternating between all out power and more restrained sections once again, this is another track which harks back to the peers of this band, yet has their own stamp firmly placed on it just to make sure you don’t forget who it is you’re listening to!
Los Muertos De Mi Color seems to serve as an introduction track, leading the way into the hammering opening of El Sur De La Fe and allowing you a brief moment of respite between the power that is this album. Opening hard before almost softening off, this track seems to hark to the likes of the Deftones in some areas, it’s got that dark and sludgy sound which was so popular a while back, yet somehow these guys seem to have made it sound fresh and new, almost as if it’s time for the genre to be reinvented and these guys are at the helm of the project. No Es Mi Verdad and The Grace are two tracks which are real highpoints on the album for me, both opening with sheer power and creating a track which, on the live scene, is sure to have crowds going absolutely mental. If you want music which is technically advanced yet not over produced, this is it! There’s no need for expensive production techniques to make this sound heavier as the band have already achieved one hell of a sound – just check out the double bass rolling around in The Grace if you want evidence of it!
El Mal Del Bien is a further diversion into the realms of more spaced out music, the intro seeming disjointed at first listen but soon adopting a form which you can easily take on, one that you can understand and embrace after a couple of listens, just don’t expect it to happen at once! After the all out assault of the track, Voices comes in as a shock once again, opening soft and almost faded out from the forefront, drawing you in and making you listen harder just to make sure you don’t miss anything. Almost blues like at first in the riff thrown out at you, this is soon forgotten as a dark and distorted riff akin to Pantera takes over, once again fading out to add in a cleaner element to things as if to nod to the world of grunge. I keep thinking this but it’s hard to put into words, if you could imagine the likes of Alice In Chains, but with Zakk Wylde or Dimebag on guitar, and Joe Jordison drumming, then you’re getting somewhere close to the sort of sound these guys have got – it’s technical and advanced yet also sludgy, dirty and downright heavy! Tres Seis Diez Dos is another perfect example of this, pushing a track which, if it were a little more laid back, could easily fit into a different genre, yet with the power these guys have harnessed it’s transformed into something else, a new heavy genre which I don’t even know how to describe – so to put it simply – it’s good!
Your Call signals the official end of the album before the Bonus tracks of Holy Graveyard and Black Sabbath. Your Call, for me, finishes the album perfectly and nothing else is really needed. There’s the sludgy bass which has been so prominent throughout, the riff heavy guitars and those crackly gravelly vocals which don’t seem to fit the mix at first, but soon draw you in and make you accept them. Finishing on a high, the two bonus tracks are really just extras to enjoy, not something to judge an album on! For me though, the highlight of the entire album has been Your Call, it’s once again a mix of The Deftones and Alice In Chaines combined with other areas, all working together to create a sound which is going to pull you in and make you want to turn the lights off and just listen – this isn’t music to go mad to, this is music to really listen to!
In all, Cultura Tres have been one of those bands which I love coming across, one which is going to stay with me and one which I know I’ll recommend a lot of people listen to. Their sound is based in the 90’s technically, but it’s been updated to become more modern and to meet the needs of a new audience. Sure, it’s not the heaviest thing in the world, nor is it the most melodic, but what it is is really quite clever, causing you to hark back to bands you listened to years ago and loving every second of it. To put it simply, this is a thinking mans album, it’ll wake your mind up and make you question things, and once in a while we all need that!
To find out more about Cultura Tres, check out their Facebook page HERE.