El Camino - The Satanik Magiik (2011)

Swedish band EL CAMINO was formed way back in 2003, and have issued a couple of demo tapes in the years following their formation. 2011 saw the band signed to newly established label Night Tripper Records, who subsequently released El Camino's debut album "The Satanik Magiik".

Once upon a time many bands went down the route that Swedish El Camino appears to have taken. They form, carefully explore the sound they want to take on for a number of years and only when the direction has been firmly established and their songs been given extensive amounts of development they let themselves loose on an official recording. In this particular case we're dealing with an outfit with more than a passing interest in the earliest sound of heavy metal, and Black Sabbath in particular.

And these guys are darn good at it. Doom-laden riffs and thundering bass lines are scattered aplenty throughout, and all aspects of these songs appears to have been given extensive work prior to recording. The bassist will pull in some relatively energetic details of a slightly more recent nature from time to time, of a kind that made me think of good, old Venom. And the guitarists impress with their ability to add some nifty details: A fragmented solo here, a lighter-toned harmonic motif making a brief appearance there, spicing up the proceedings with lighter-toned, reverberating guitars with more of a psychedelic orientation or just shifting over to pace-filled staccato riff barrages more similar to what a band Queens of the Stone Age have made a career out of. But whether in purebred Sabbath mode or in a slightly more expressive one where they cater for details and careful flavouring, the guitar duo at the core of El Camino packs a high quality punch. And the songs as such are equally good.

Personally I wouldn't have minded a slightly more sophisticated approach to the drums however. There's nothing really wrong with them, steady as they come, but personally I like a bit of flair and some unexpected moves also in this department. And then there's the element that comes very much down to personal taste, namely the lead vocals. In this case they are at the halfway point between gruffy ones akin to Lemmy and your archetypical black metal growling. Neither fish nor fowl, but something in between. And to my taste they doesn't fit. Perhaps because I'm too old, or just because I'm extremely sensible to vocals in general. I do enjoy the gruffy, evil lead vocal ploy, and enjoy the likes of Tom Fischer when he adds a certain touch of evilness to his excursions on this field, but for me El Camino are lacking in this department. When that is said, the producer have opted to dampen the vocals place in the arrangements so that they never dominate. Which makes these songs enjoyable even if the vocals might not appeal.
Oh yes, there's a song at the very end called Avra Kehdabra. Let's just forget about that one, shall we? Unless you happen to be extremely fascinated by music played backwards, that is.

"The Satanik Magiik" is a high quality debut album, containing excellent songs of the kind that should appeal to most fans of 70's Black Sabbath, in particular those fond of their most doom-laden, massive compositions. Those who generally dislike gruffy vocals or growling might want to approach with some caution, but apart from that this is to all extents and purposes a recommended production and a fine initial effort.

My rating: 75/100


Track list:
1. Prelude to the Horns
2. Hail the Horns
3. We are the Dark
4. Mountain Man
5. Rise of the Snake
6. Family Values
7. Satanik Magiik
8. Avra Kehdabra