Most overrated Stoner Rock album. Ever!!! – 4%
Gabometal86, May 23rd, 2005
Inever thought this was possible but there’s a so called Stoner Metal band in Argentina which is less metal, more overrated and even less talented than Nativo. Move aside Berdichevsky because the loserdom crown now belongs to Natas. They sit on the throne of the worst and most overrated pieces of shit coming from Argentina.
Before starting the musical description, let me illustrate you with a little history lesson. More than a decade ago when Grunge was on top of the world, Natas was giving its first steps on the underground scene. Their first two albums were like a kinda bland stoner/psychedelic doom style, something like a less inspired Kyuss but of course, softer than Kyuss. Like a poured off version of Neurosis and its Noise/Crust style.
After they gained some notoriety, they could release “Corsario Negro” in 2002, which would be the album that topped them as a mainstream band around the world, doing tour dates on countries as Greece, Germany and USA with important Stoner acts like Gammera, Samiam and Lost Goat.
This album was produced by Billy Anderson (Melvins, Neurosis, Acid King, Red House Painters, Fantomas, Helios Creed, just to mention some of his projects) who took 2 weeks to come to Argentina and help the band on the recording sessions, and the result is their most psychotic and stoned album up to date and also the first one to move aside from the stoner metal base to step on Stoner Rock ground. Yes, they were becoming even softer. The lows are lower and the highs are even higher. Counting with lots of “spiritual” interludes, incoherent distorted random noises and simple dissonant guitar lines repeated again and again and again and again and…. Okay, I think you’ve got the point. The vocals are distorted too and they are awfully done and simply annoying; the guy sounds like a mesmerized mermaid blown by a whirlwind and there are not too many dynamics as on the previous albums. Oh I almost forgot it, the guitars are hypnotizing but not in a good way, if not in a monotonous and tedious way that makes you go drowsy and finally fall asleep. The drums are more tamed than ever and the bass is damn high and that would be good if the bassist had any talent but as he is just a douchebag, the bass sounding high ends up being pointless.
Imagine Monster Magnet mixed with Queens Of The Stone Age, Fu Manchu and Nebula but more accessible and with poor musical constructs. Well, that’s Natas. Any song from the album is basically the same. Yes, the tempo varies and shifts but the atmosphere and the formula are the same, whether you pick “Planeta Soiltario” or “Bumburí” or any other song for that matter. Oh yes, the intro called “2002” totally fucking sucks, it’s the shittiest instrumental intro ever.
Conclusion: Natas may be The Backstreet Boys of the Stoner Rock genre; surely they get easily beaten by Dragonauta or even Catalepsis.
rafazardly 