Toluca
Act I


4.0
excellent

Review

by Ignimbrite USER (31 Reviews)
November 9th, 2012 | 12 replies


Release Date: 2012 | Tracklist

Review Summary: "Act I" is not only surprisingly good for such a new and underexposed band: it's also a standout among its renowned stylistic peers.

No one has any idea where Toluca came from.

Well, this might not be completely true: their Bandcamp lists them as being a black metal group from Moscow, but this is as much information as anyone has on them, as their Bandcamp represents their only known presence on the Internet. They lack a website or a Facebook page, and the only way people can discover them is through their Bandcamp or through another website or blog linking to their Bandcamp. However, although they are undoubtedly a very under-the-radar act, their debut EP sounds like the work of a much more experienced group of musicians. A 25-minute voyage through the realms of black metal, screamo, post-rock, and sludge metal, Act I is not only surprisingly good for such a new band: it's also a standout among many of its renowned stylistic peers. The furiously emotional black metal framework of Act I bring to mind other atmospheric black metal acts such as Wolves in the Throne Room, while the absolutely stellar basswork and its unusual prominence in the mix somewhat mirrors European-style screamo acts such as Sed Non Satiata and Funeral Diner. Toluca also liberally incorporate post-rock sections into the five tracks presented on Act I. For many so-called "post-black metal" groups, this comes off as a poorly-thought out gimmick, but Toluca make absolutely stellar use of these elements, mirroring the murky, desolate, and supremely beautiful assault of Altar of Plagues far more than they do the whimsical shoegaze flourishes of Alcest or An Autumn for Crippled Children. Here, the post-rock sections complement rather than overwhelm the EP's screamo-heavy black metal, and this sense of restraint and placement is ultimately what allows Toluca's debut to overshadow legions of similar, far more experienced acts. If you are a fan of this kind of music, you would be doing yourself an absolute disservice not to give one of the most out-of-nowhere, engaging, and beautiful black metal efforts of the year. We can only hope than a second act lies somewhere in the near future.



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user ratings (13)
3.7
great


Comments:Add a Comment 
Ignimbrite
November 9th 2012


6903 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Off

http://toluca.bandcamp.com/



It's free, it's short, and it absolutely slays, so there is absolutely no reason for you not to listen to this.



Also, I lacked the energy and the attention span to write a longer review for this, so I went with the Adam Thomas approach (although it's not nearly as well-executed as his stuff).

Rail
November 9th 2012


565 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

It says the minimum price is five dollars?

Ignimbrite
November 9th 2012


6903 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Off

Whoops...



I'm not going to link it here because that would be unethical and only bad people steal music, but if you consider yourself to be a bad person you may or may not be able to scroll down a bit on this blog and find what you're looking for...



http://obsidian-tides.blogspot.com/

Rail
November 9th 2012


565 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

I'm a very bad man until something gets put onto disc/tape/wax.



Cheers for the link man. Your blog looks pretty cool too, so I've bookmarked it.

Ignimbrite
November 9th 2012


6903 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Off

I'm a very bad man until something gets put onto disc/tape/wax.




Thanks, and yeah, pretty much this

GiaNXGX
November 9th 2012


5474 Comments


only bad people steal music

Not really.

Ignimbrite
November 10th 2012


6903 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Off

#sarcasm

zaruyache
November 10th 2012


27750 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

Heard some of this before but didn't spend much time on it. Your review rekindled my interest.

Rail
November 11th 2012


565 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

So, this is really good. I'm liking the more condensed aesthetic, in contrast to some of the airy-fairy bands in the genre.

Nikkolae
November 29th 2012


6762 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

such an amazing find right here, vephar is such a masterpiece, review is pure gold too, pos'd

Digging: Mineral - EndSerenading

Luckys3ven
February 1st 2013


1 Comments


Hey guys, great thanks to all the words and the review

check us out, we made a FB page
http://www.facebook.com/tolucaband

currently working on new material, release is planned on the beginning of summer so wait!



necromechanical
February 1st 2013


519 Comments


This EP is the shit. keep up the good work!



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