MAR DE GRISES
"The
Tatterdemallion Express" (Firebox; 2003)
Reviewed by Christopher J. Kelter
I'll tell you there is nothing like getting a musical smack upside the head when you're not paying attention. I'd not heard of Mar de Grises, but knowing the band was on the Firebox label caught my attention pretty quickly. Both the band name and the album name are slightly out-of-the-ordinary but somehow memorable despite the obvious fact that you just might not know what Mar de Grises or even "The Tatterdemallion Express" means.
In any case, Mar de Grises is a Chilean band that roots all of their songs in the doom metal style, but you'd never know it from listening. Mar de Grises' style is an expansive, staggering palette of goth, doom, and death metal and a few other things I can't quite put my finger on at the moment. One might even say Mar de Grises is a progressive doom band – it's not often one can say that about a band. Anyway, I'm finding it quite difficult to put into words exactly how I feel about "The Tatterdemallion Express" only because I simply want to enjoy it for the great record that it is.
Without a doubt, "The Tatterdemallion Express" will not appeal to fans who only like a single metallic genre or are narrow-minded about their preferences. Metal fans with an open mind will appreciate Mar de Grises' "The Tatterdemallion Express" as a work of art as well as a metal album of the highest regard.
"The Tatterdemalion Express" was produced by Marcelo Rodriguez and Rodrigo Galvez; the album was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Raphael Franca.
Mar de Grises is Marcelo Rodriguez on vocals, keyboards, and piano, Sergio Alvarez and Rodrigo Morris on guitars, Rodrigo Galvez on bass, and Alejandro Arce on drums.
For more information visit http://www.mardegrises.cjb.net/.
Rating Guide:
A classic. This record will kick your ass.
Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.
So-so. You've heard better.
Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.
Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.
Copyright © 2004
by R. Scott Bolton. All rights reserved.
Revised: 18 Mar 2024 11:16:00 -0500
.
