Rough Edge: Reincidentes CD Reviews

REINCIDENTES

"El Comercio del Dolar" (Locomotive; 2005)

Reviewed by R. Scott Bolton

Another collection of lively punk/metal hybrid tunes, "El Comercio del Dolar" seems to have a little more attitude than its predecessor, "Cosas de Este Mundo." Of course, I'm judging this by the lead vocalist's tone and the music's edge because the extent of my Spanish is very limited.

Language barrier aside, "El Comercio del Dolar" is a solid rock'n'roll album through and through with its driving rhythms and hook laden yet heavy melodies. Even when things slow down, as they do on the token ballad here, "Romanos de las Piedras," the music has enough edge to keep you from punching the skip button. Much of this has to do with the lead vocalist's ability to deliver give even clean vocals a hint of a snarl.

Of course, the bagpipe intro of "Dios Salve a McFarland," which sounds a bit like a Dropkick Murphys song, is a little shocking but the song still rocks.

I'm sure that "El Comercio del Dolar" would be even better if I could understand more of the lyrics. However, I'd rather the band kept to their home language and retain their original style. In other words, it obviously ain't broke, so why fix it?

For more information, check out http://www.reincidentes-sca.es/.

"Cosas de Este Mundo" (Locomotive; 2004)

Reviewed by R. Scott Bolton

"Cosas de Este Mundo" is an interesting and lively hard rock / punk combination. Since I don't speak much Spanish, the lyrics are pretty much unknown to me, but the CD has an infectious intensity that will grab most listeners despite their primary language.

Not heavy metal and not really quite punk, "Cosas de Este Mundo" falls somewhere between the hard rock and punk rock genres. The guitars are crisp and clear, like the best of popular hard rock, but the tempos and vocal styles often lead more toward The Clash-type punk. It's a seamless combination here, however, with the final result being acceptable to fans of either genre.

A highlight, especially for Ramones fans like myself, is "Tu," the band's "cover" of "Somebody Put Something In My Drink." The lyrics are completely different (I checked with Alta Vista's Babelfish translator), but the song is given a harder rock edge that makes it sound great.

The only complaint I can make about this 2-CD set is that it should have been a one CD set: Disc 1 runs just over 30 minutes while Disc 2 runs just over 34 minutes. All of it would have easily fit onto one CD.

For more information, check out http://www.reincidentes-sca.es/.

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.

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