Signo Rojo - Signo Rojo

Despite having a Spanish name, Signo Rojo actually originate from Sweden and practise a sonority that falls under the post-doom umbrella.

With early-Mastodon and Cult of Luna as the closest reference points, their first recording presents us a bottom-heavy, sludgy and distorted sound that even though is fairly consistent and solid, does have its faults. Perhaps my greatest gripe is the lacklustre production job that struck me as too muddy and unbalanced, the drums for instance should shatter our eardrums, but instead ends up sounding way too buried in the mix. To be blunt, the album would have sounded a whole lot better with a greater and richer production work.

Aside from this minor complaint, these six songs show some promise, offering some growling bass lines and gargantuan guitar riffs that remind me of Mastodon’s caveman stomp. Just listen to the earth-cracking impetus of “The Beast Beneath” and the bottom-heaviness of “Lashing the Hellspont” to confirm what I’ve just written above.

While it’s true that Signo Rojo don't really bring anything new to the table and still have to refine their song-writing skills a bit, the Swedes are definitely a band to watch out in the future. (5.4/10)

David Alexandre

Band info: www.myspace.com/signorojoswe