Artist: Moira
Title: Cloto
Type: EP
Label: Digital
Mexican. There you go. Everything I know about them. But it did pop up in a couple of knowledgeable places . Give it a spin I thought, why not…? Don’t .often get much stuff from Mexico
‘Manchas De Grasa’ (which I unreliably informed by a translator app means ‘grease stains’ began with a slow, doomy raw guyitar sound and then hit the accelerator sharply. First off I was surprised at the punk vibe in this, the raw skeletal sound and yet the undeniable groove (in a thrashy black metal sense) that is threaded through the riff. The vocals are fine indeed; nice snapping, snarling and ravenous like a rabid coyote. It manages to thread so real hooks in there too, a very cool bit of heavy metal melody on the tail end. Serious Slegest territory.
And then ‘Origenes’ strikes up. So to all the above we suddenly add a very Hispanic feel to the melody. That strange mix of lightness with deep running emotion. The vocals remain black metal, the riff drives on hard and yet that melody line is full of Mexican flavoured punk and frankly the mix is heady and just great. Truly.
‘Atemporal’ is that metal punk balance and bounce. Moira have a great knack just of the hook to string into the riff, but letting the energy run free without removing the wait or the attack of the vocals. The melody makes the guitars sound as though we’re facing gunslingers somehow; a swagger and an attack and a supreme confidence that is very well placed. And the best thing is the sound is dirty as hell…
‘Todo Se Mete’ (everything gets involved??) increases the hardcore punk sound even more, a slice of crust in there. Fine by me. The songwriting is excellent (and there’s lyrics for Spanish speaker on Bancamp) and like Slegest it moves so smoothly between the punk, through heavy/thrash metal and towards the black with a fantastic ease. Nothing here is forced, it all flows into one hybrid.
We close with ‘Aqui Y Ahora’ (again, think it’s ‘Here And Now’). It begins with a slow hybrid black metal riff and Mexcian tinged melody before veering straight into the speed. Black metal snarls and punk metal riffing and the fantastic ‘loose but never sloppy’ sound I love hearing. When everything should be falling apart and yet somehow through gaffa tape and wire it hangs together even on the tight corners. The chug is fantastic, the drive of the band is superb.
And like that it all goes quiet.
This is just one of those releases that walks in, smashes the place up and calmly walks away. The songwriting is just spot on, the blend of black metal, metal, punk and a real Mexican passion coming out in those melodies and the performances as a whole is just a real revelation. Angry, yes, passionate, yes. But damn it made me smile too somehow, just by the raw, straight ahead attitude.
Seriously well worth your time
Gizmo
.tal
Walking The Liminal Space 