There are moments in my reviewing “career” where I don’t know what to think or say about the release that I’m listening to. Tanatori created one such instance with their debut, Stupids, that is going to be released on January 31st. Even after listening to it more than ten times, I’m still torn between calling it awesome-sauce deluxe and deleting it from my PC forever…but I tend toward the former.
Let me backtrack a little and explain: the musical range of the quartet is an interesting mix of thrash metal and southern metal with a healthy dose of groove! The resulting sound is truly remarkable and I felt absorbed from the first second of these thirty-eight minutes. The rich tone of the individual instruments is also a strong factor that contributes towards feeling right at home and having a sense of déjà-entendu.
The seven songs are a truly eclectic journey, that is reinforced by the uncountable vocal styles that the singer adapts, but therein lies one of the problems for me…kind of. If I didn’t know for a fact that the Catalans are a genuine band, I’d assume that Stupids is a metal parody, because at times I hear Phil Anselmo, followed by Ozzy Osbourne, transitioning into Zakk Wylde, only to end up in a crazy Mike Patton rendition.
Having said that, and knowing the facts, I can conclude that Tanatori has managed to pay homage to three great metal styles on a single record, while still bringing enough creativity to the table to avoid boredom! Obviously, this means that I give this the awesome-sauce deluxe stamp of approval and I can strongly recommend everyone, who has ever liked any of the above-mentioned genres, to give this one a spin. You won’t regret it!
In conclusion, let me tell you this ancient philosophy: if a band has a name that sounds like an Asian chicken dish, you give them a go. No questions asked. Head over their Facebook page and listen to the song below to get an idea of what they’re all about! ¡Ándale! ¡Ándale!
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Q3aqh3Zmko]