Siroll! – Al Gra!

Band: Siroll!
Title: Al Gra!
Label: Blood Fire Death
Release date: June 14th, 2024
Country: Spain
Format reviewed: High-Quality Digital Recording

First thing that comes to my mind while I’m listening on repeat to the new album by Siroll! is, what the hell have these guys been eating for the last few years to put out such a beast of an albuml?? Because, let’s see, the guys were already good, they had released three LPs, a couple of EPs, a live album last year… But for “Al Gra!”, well… I don’t have words…

Siroll! have released an album of “pure and fucking Metal”, as they themselves call their music; Crossover Thrash with touches of Death Metal and a Hardcore Punk attitude, the most forceful and extreme they have released to date. Eight tracks between 2.30 and 3.30 minutes long, short and direct, which are like raw whipping. A festival of aggression and relentless force through the ears, pure brutality! The whole album is just over 23 minutes long, so it’s something to listen to again and again, and be sure that you won’t get tired at all, on the contrary… You’ll never have enough!

The album starts with Gou “The Beast” shouting (bellowing) “Ja n’hi ha prou!” (“Enough is enough!”), and from there the total madness begins… This man’s voice has so many nuances, let’s just say that his vocal range goes from a “moderate upset” to the most brutal fury ever unleashed. And musically, there are many passages that are clearly Thrash, other ones that are more into Melodic Death Metal, the riffs are sharp and stick in your brain to live there forever, all wrapped up with the drums that, when it starts galloping it reminds you that we are here to enjoy a fast-paced and vindictive journey to the rhythm of the purest Crossover.

As always, Siroll! stands out for being a band “from the land and for the land”, their lyrics are combative, always with a heavy load of anti-system and anti-fascism and anti-all-the-establishment… The brutality of their songs is mainly provided, as I said before, by the vocalist, Gou, who gives guttural bellows that are pure animal yells. And the aggression comes basically from drums, which make a full display of explosive, high-speed rhythms; Albert smashes his kit without any kind of restriction or delicacy. Woahh, what an adrenaline rush!

As for the string section, the two guitar players, Venty and Jaume, give it ALL to offer us great riffs in both Death and Thrash Metal key, alive, sharp, without subtleties or sweetness. And we can even find a solo in “Nosa”, which for a few moments makes my head spin and brings me to other not so ‘hardcore’ realms… The bass, in Thomas’ hands, provides a sound very low and dark in the themes, and it’s galloping, energetic, sometimes it resonates really strong, and always with a lot of depth.

The closing track, “Plou poc, però pel poc que plou, plou prou” can be translated as “It rains a little, but for the little that rains, it rains enough”. It’s a good tongue-twister, and it’s not exactly a song talking about rain, no… but about the political and economic situation in Catalonia, the land of Siroll!, my land… These guys get us used to lyrics about politics disguised as harmless and innocent texts, but hiding a strong and claim message…

Let’s see, I chose Siroll!’s new album! to write the review partly for a personal matter. And also because, what the Hell!, it’s great and deserves more broadcasting in my opinion. Writing for Blessed Altar Zine brings me the opportunity to contribute a bit, and try this album may be heard beyond our borders. I listen to Swedish, Finnish, and Norwegian underground bands singing in their mother tongues… and I think, why could not a person from these (or any other) countries listen to a Crossover/Thrash band singing in Catalan? If the music gets you and moves you, language doesn’t have to be a barrier… (And you can use a translator, after all…)

Are you ready for Siroll!? I bet you are. This album is 10/10 by Sílvia

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10/10 Immortal Classic
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