Voodoo Glow Skulls "Adicción, Tradición, Revolución" CD
[Victory]
The first two Voodoo Glow Skulls records were fucking awesome. That being said, I haven't cared about anything they've done since, and that was almost 10 years ago. Sadly this disc does nothing to change my mind. I won't lie, there was a little part of me that hoped and wanted this record to be good, maybe to sort of renew my interest in the band's old material, but... it's boring. And I'll go ahead and point out that I hate 99% of all ska. Hell, I hate 99% of all music that has anything to do with ska, but when it's done right I can totally get into it, and these guys used to be dead on with that style, you know? This is just basically their usual brand of "skacore" or whatever the hell you want to call it, complete with vocals in both English and Spanish, but the songwriting isn't up to par with their early work at all. It still sounds like the Voodoo Glow Skulls, there's no denying that they've got an immediately identifiable sound all their own, but the songs themselves aren't really doing much for me. The title track picks up the pace and throws in some lightly metallic riffing that I like for its energy, and "Día de Los Muertos" is also slightly faster and therefore sticks out somewhat. "Disaster" is among the shortest tracks at a mere 2:19, much faster and more energized than any of the other songs with some winding punk rock riffs that I actually really like, so this is pretty much the only song herein that really gets two thumbs up from me. "Bastard Music" is somewhat similar, almost sans horns, and that's also a good listen, so... there are at least five minutes of good material here. "Smile Now, Cry Later" is quieter and has more of a straight ska bent to its chords, a little different than most of what I'm accustomed to hearing from the band, and one of the lighter songs herein - granted a good portion of the CD does lean towards a less aggressive side. The last track is a laidback ska take on Guns n' Roses' "Used to Love Her", which is, if nothing else, good for a quick chuckle or so. But the production stinks as well. When the horns are present they're too loud, the guitar tone is too flat and thin with midrange, the rhythm section lacks punch and kind of falls off into the distance, the vocals sound a little dry, etc. All in all everything sounds a little hoarse and weak, there's not enough clarity and it just comes off as lacking punch. Sorry... that has a definite impact on the end result here (not that that the record would be saved otherwise, though). I could go either way on the layout. The cover's not really doing much for me but I do like some of the collaged imagery inside. It's not bad, though. Lyrically the tracks jump from mildly humorous storytelling to dealing with hardships or party types of songs or whatever, nothing really strikes me one way or another, and I'm basically okay with that. This is a truly bland record, however. I'd be almost stunned if their older fans are still into this stuff, because there's really nothing outside of "Disaster" going on with this one that warrants the band still truckin' if you ask me. I can't believe Victory is still funding this mess. (3/10)
Running time - 42:00, Tracks: 14
[Notable tracks: Disaster, Bastard Music]
Victory Records - http://www.victoryrecords.com

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