Label: Season of Mist
Review by Warren Mayocchi
For we foreigners the exotic sound of music sung in a language we do not understand can be captivating. For the right type of song another layer of mystery is added. It suits atmospheric doom metal particularly well as the music is usually darkly evocative – rolling waves of noise gently pounding one’s ears. So, it was I listened to “Sangue Cássia” by Sinistro a number of times, reveling in the melodic waves made by the band as they crash against my thoughts. Along the way I did notice I could not understand the lyrics, but it was a fleeting thought, lost as I was carried into the next musical moment. At just under one hour of music the album is sung entirely in Portuguese, but I am not concerned by the language, the album has a hypnotic effect and seems much shorter. All the vocals are sung with passionate (clean) female vocals as the band churn out just as much emotion, they blend into one just as often as they seem to be on opposite sides of the sea pushing the ocean at each other with all their combined might. If I am to paint a mental picture for you, take the stereotypical jazz lounge bar along with its sultry vocalist. Colour the scene gothic, supply the band with the instruments of rock, put them on stage, and enjoy the show as they bleed through their instruments in a performance which seems as grand as it is personal. In fact, why not look at the music videos for “Abismo” [click here], “Petalas” [click here] or “Lotus” [click here] to see and hear the band in mostly black and white glory. I like “Lotus” best out of those tracks and it seems the longer the songs play the more I like them. My two favourite songs from the album both exceed ten minutes play time. However, any of the music videos will give you a reasonable example of the remainder of the album. I won’t pretend to understand the lyrical content, though I have seen the cumbersome online translations and seen it written Portuguese lyrics have a strange poetry to them, even in the native tongue. It does not matter. Perhaps there be monsters in these depths, but the songs are powerful, they contain a dark element of mystery which beckons me on to listen again. And again.
Rating – 94/100
Tracklist
- Cosmos Controle
- Lótus
- Pétalas
- Vento Sul
- Abismo
- Nuvem
- Gardénia
- Cravo Carne
Line Up
- Patricia Andrade – Vocals
- Rick Chain – Guitar
- Ricardo Matias – Guitar
- Fernando Matias – Bass, programming
- Paulo Lafaia: drums