Release Date: December 12th 2024. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD
Lado A - Track Listing:
1.March of Glory 03:17
2.The Uprising 07:31
3.I Walk Alone 09:44
4.Mistress of Deceit 08:22
Members
Alfonso Brito López: vocals & rhitmic guitar
Mauricio Hernández: Drums
Israel Oñate: Bass
César Gama: lead guitar
Review
Lado A is the new album from Mexican Occult/Doom/Stoner Rockers Okktli and I have to thank the always reliable and super knowledgeable MEL LIE of SUNDAY’S HEAVY TUNES for recommending this great record to me, as it would have passed me by. The record has a high amount of Occult sounds with some fantastic down-tempo moments to impress listeners with that can be quite seedy and weedian in places
The vocals have a classic Proto Metal attitude to them with flashes of classic Doom/Stoner Metal appearing briefly with the opening track March Of Glory and becoming an integral part of Okktli’s music within the standout second track The Uprising. There’s a subtle and stripped back HEAVY METAL sound that’s deconstructed to become more of a Doom/Stoner Metal melody with flashes and outbursts of Classic Hard Rock with inspiring IRON MAIDEN and THIN LIZZY based grooves on the later stages of the track.
Okktli are a band who live for the ALMIGHTY RIFF and they play a wide array of different styles on this album which is made the more impressive by the short running time of the album. As Lado A clocks in around under thirty minutes in length.
Third trackI Walk Alone sees the band become more empowered by the Occult Rock scene with moments of Heavy Psychedelic Fuzzed Up sounds appearing. The vocals are not what you expect though with a subtle Grunge and Doom based vibe joining forces for a “less is more” narrative forming. The track is quite slow paced and minimalistic that once again shows a different side to Okktli. The second half of the track is “WHERE THE MAGIC HAPPENS” when the aggressive and fast-paced grooves appear and Okktli plays the catchiest and heaviest sounds on the whole record.
The final track of Mistress Of Deceit is the perfect homage to the whole Occult/Doom Rock scene with Okktli playing a more operatic and OTT style of music. The lyrics are overblown but fit perfectly into the whole “Occult Rock” narrative. The song opens with long drawn out melodies and sublime Doomedelic Fuzzy guitars which become more muscular and aggressive that build up to a subtle “riff-centric” style.
Lado A is a gloriously entertaining record and is quite outrageous in places but also allows Okktli to create their own highly original style of Occult Doom Metal that’s spliced with true Stoner Metal heaviness throughout.
Excellent and Highly Recommended.
Words by Steve Howe
Links
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