Boveda Del Sol – Collective Unconsciousness
Boveda Del Sol – Collective Unconsciousness
Self-Released
Release Date: 17/05/24
Running Time: 37:19
Review by Oli Gonzalez
8/10
Having began life as solely a studio project circa 2016, Boveda Del Sol today boasts a full line up and is now celebrating their latest release “Collective Unconsciousness”. The Spanish act pride themselves on doing everything in house, and have taken this approach here. Promising a post metal sound combined with doom elements, this certainly got my attention! There’s a lot that can be said for bands that begin life as solo projects, having just attended Fortress Festival multiple bands who started out this way. Let’s see how Boveda Del Sol stacks up.
Well, how to categorise this band stylistically? Don’t. You can’t. Boveda Del Sol are here to play by their own rules and forge a metal sound in their own image…and it’s wonderful! As the listener, you’re constantly left guessing as to which direction you’ll be dragged into. Kind of like a river that don’t know where it’s goin’, in the words of the great Bruce Springsteen.
The band promised doom. We get doom! There’s some neck snapping moments and seemingly simple yet brutal riffs throughout the album but perhaps this is most salient in ‘Event Horizon’. Nothing slick, nothing fancy. Just good old fashioned heavy tones played with maximum emotion and devastation.
On more than one occasion, we’re take down a psychedelic path, one where we’re treated to a plethora of elegantly unique guitar effects demonstrating the band’s collective creativity and knowledge of the pedal board. This perhaps being most apparent in ‘Heliosphere’.
Want something a little more industrial? You’ll find that in ‘Orbitual’, with a nice sprinkling of electronic elements that adds some welcome dimension to the band’s sound.
Vocally, there’s variety for sure! Mostly, you’ll find yourself admiring the calming and soothing vibes. At other times, you’ll indulge in rather gnarly heavy gutturals vocals, much in the style of Opeth’s Mike Akerfeldt! Check out ‘Collective Unconsciousness’ for perhaps the best illustration of this contrast. While the heavier vocals are sublime, sadly the cleaner vocals lack a bit of clarity and diction at times. Is this a production issue or simply a case of English not being the first language for the band? Rhetorical. On the subject of production, this is a great effort for what is essential a DIY band. Which is fantastic, as sadly some solo projects that turn into full bands can be dreadful in my experience. Thanks to Boveda Del Sol for being the exception to that rule here. Though there’s definitely a little bit of studio magic missing to make this a top tier album and bring the best out of all the instruments here. Which is a shame, because there’s clearly spades of talent here within the bands ranks. A band with a sound that all self-respecting fans of progressive and experimental music should have a close examination of. At a mere 37 minutes in length, it’s definitely worth a punt!
TRACKLISTING
01. Orbitual
02. Moonless Night
03. Oscilllation Invocation
04. Collective Unconsciousness
05. Heliosphere
06. Event Horizon
LINE-UP
Jordi – Guitars and Vocals
Victor – Bass and Vocals
Uri – Guitars.
Marcal – Drums and Vocals
LINKS
Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Oli Gonzalez and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
