Pendejo - 2023 - Volc​a​n

(43:44; Chancho Records)

Track list:
1. Tu Hermana 4:47
2. Revolucion 3:12
3. No Te Vayas 3:47
4. Otro Dios 4:23
5. Hasta El Final 4:04
6. La Pistola Del Anciano 1:24
7. El Nuevo Novio 3:02
8. Vamos a La Haya 4:01
9. La Reina De La Ametralladora 4:50
10. Ninguno 6:39
11. La Vieja 3:35

Line-up:
Not stated


Dutch band Pendejo have been a feature in the European rock scene for fifteen years and a bit, releasing their first studio album back in 2010 and with five full length albums to their name at the time this review was written. Their most recent production is "Volcan", and was released through their own label Chancho Records in the early spring of 2023.

By chance more than any other reason Pendejo is a band where I have received promotional editions of most of their albums at this point, and they have always left me impressed on some level with albums that have been rock solid, well made and entertaining in style, mood and spirit. And in the case of "Volcan" my impression is that the band have managed to fine tune all their best sides and come forth with the type of album that in truth is their best album yet. This description is of course something of a cliche for people reading reviews, but for me at least it is not an expression I use all that often just because the prolific use of it makes the description a bit pointless in many ways. Still, for me I can at least state that of the albums by Pendejo that I have come across, this one is in a class of its own.

There are many reasons for why this album makes such an impression, and all of them are subtle. The music in general isn't the most complicated one, which actually is a bit of a challenge. Making relatively simple music sound good is something many can pull off, making it sound brilliant is a task with a marked higher difficulty. Stoner rock is the name of the game here, and one of the ingredients used here to elevate the listener experience is to have a booming, dirty bass guitar as a central feature. The role of the guitar is tweaked slightly from one song to the next, establishing a variable element straight away that in itself gives each of the songs a stronger unique identity. We go from galloping escapades to the use of impact riffs, songs where the guitars are removed in part or on full from the verse parts and other songs where the guitar is used in a more textured manner. We also have compositions that use a floating, psychedelic guitar presence in some sections, and on the concluding cut impulses from folk music and jazz are brought to the front in an acoustic setting. Hence variety, and a great deal more of it than I tend to encounter with stoner bands. That we also get a case of the band going a bit hardcore in style here obviously also expands on the variation department just a little bit.

A vital ingredient in many of the songs here is the use of brass instruments. While not unheard of in heavy music, with good old Celtic Frost probably being the first band I encountered that used brass instruments to add some literal heavy metal to their soundscapes and Pendejo obviously having a bit of history in this department too, the Latin sounds of the brass on this album really is an invigorating presence. It is obvious that a lot of planning has been done in order to use the brass in the best manner possible here. This isn't a case of just adding some brass surges, but rather we get toned down brass elements, more explosive surges, some brass soloing, brass additions making more or less use of folk music elements and emphasizing different aspects of tone, timbre and intensity that suits the landscapes explored in the best possible manner. The band also appears to seek to combine and gain as many synergy effects as possible with another highly important element: The lead vocals.

While I can't see any line-up information on the album in my hands, I presume that El Pastuso is still the vocalist of the band, and he does an amazing job here. He doesn't have a lot of range, and his vocals are raspy and a bit macho in expression. But he uses slight variations in tone, timbre and intensity to create an elegant and often very playful vocal delivery that really adds an additional dimension or three to the proceedings. Some may possibly just be byproducts of the Spanish language, but still it is impactful as heck and combined with the other elements described in some detail above the end result is more often than not rather stunning.

While I don't think that "Volcan" will be a universally appealing album, knowing full well that English is the language of choice for many music fans and the use of brass instruments in hard rock isn't a feature everyone will appreciate, those who have a bit more of an open mind will find this to be quite the mesmerizing album I suspect. Latin style stoner brass rock is a possible short definition of the style explored here, and I doubt I'll encounter an album that explore this style of music in a more enthralling manner anytime soon. Chances are very good that this album will be well inside of my top ten albums of 2023 when I summarize the music I've been exposed to this year come December 31st.

Olav M. Björnsen, March 2023

Links:
https://www.pendejoband.com/
http://chanchorecords.com/