Band: Mala Suerte Album: Non Servium/Self-Deprecation and Loathing Label: Illwill Rating: 8/10 Website: http://www.myspace.com/malasuerte BUY NOW!

Mala Suerte has gained a fair amount of exposure in Texas' local extreme metal scene. The Austin-based quartet has shared the stage with some of the world's best doom acts including The Prophecy, Mourning Beloveth, Rwake, and a slot on the Stoner Hands of Doom Festival. On "Self-Deprecation and Loathing," the group plays a brand of doom metal rivaling any album issued by any of the above-mentioned bands. This album is HEAVY! It is not just heavy in the sense of the music, but also in concept, which is related well in the cover and insert art. The cover art depicts Baphomet sitting in front of a stone gate surrounded by nude women and various occult signs. Portraits of H.P. Lovecraft and Aleister Crowley are affixed above the horned one. The literature of Crowley and Lovecraft seem to bring inspiration for the lyrics. I did not get the lyrics, one example comes in "Quest for Light (the Outsider), which is most likely an adaptation of Lovecraft's short story "The Outsider." Mala Suerte mostly plays at an Opium smoker's pace. The slowness is somewhat of a necessity in order to feel the full weight of each riff. Many of the riffs have a grand build up and seismic fall. "Evolved to Dust" opens with a series of short notes that ripple through the airwaves from a heavy dose of reverb. This opening passage brings is reminiscent of Burzum. The main rhythm picks up the tempo a notch, like a wooly mammoth in a defensive trot. A lethargic, distant bass line gradually brings in the rest of the band on "Non Serviam" for more hard-hitting, memorable rhythms. Mala Suerte isn't confined to playing doomy dirges, though. "Shooting Star" and "Guttercrust" blast away like Napalm Death. The group also shows a stoner doom side with numerous psychedelic jam sessions as evidenced on "goatscape" and the symbol song (song has no title, just a symbol). Doom metal does not mass-produce bands like other styles of metal. Some of the biggest names in doom tend to be relatively unknown outside of the scene. This could be an advantage for Mala Suerte. Fewer bands to choose from should lead to more exposure. This group deserves to be at the level of some of the more heralded doom bands of today. If you are a fan of doom in the vein of Cathedral, Eyehategod, St. Vitus and other great artists from this lesser-known sub-genre, check out Mala Suerte. Darren Cowan Back to Reviews