The lyrics all sung entirely in Spanish so I will be unable to comment on the lyrical content of the disc. However, the delivery of the lyrics is for the most part competent. The band’s basic formula for songs is to have a slow, quiet verse tinged with electronic sounds that builds into a cathartic chorus. The electronics are used in a way similar to what is used in other Nu-Metal bands. In fact the whole CD sounds like how I imagine Linkin Park would sound if they were from Spain and dropped the rapping. Spanish influences and rhythms also permeate the album and serve to differentiate the band from all the other nu-metal bands I have heard. The choruses are executed very well by the band and usually involve harmonies sung by two vocalists. I found it tough to differentiate between the tracks due to the Spanish lyrics and the uniformity of the sound but the songs, Alicia, Icaro and Eden stood out among the rest.

My biggest beef with El ano del Dragon is that the band always seems afraid to get too heavy and seems to be holding back at times. The moments when they did break out the heavy guitar sounds, like the end of the last track “Ego”, and launched into driving riffs were the high points of the CD. Unfortunately those moments are few and far between. The CD can thus not be classified as extreme metal by any stretch of the imagination. Despite this, the CD as a whole is quite solid. Adventurous Nu-metal fans looking for something more exotic would not do wrong to track down El ano del Dragon. Whether anyone else enjoys it depends on how well one can tolerate Spanish and Nu-metal.

written by Scott Huffard

Playing time: 41.57