Montezuma’s Revenge – Veto
Dubai/Berlin based Montezuma’s Revenge is a seasoned sludge band recently released its 4th record Veto. Veto stands out as the band’s most ambitious album to date. With its sharp transitions, sudden tempo changes, centrally placed noisy riffs, and powerful production, Veto seems poised to quickly captivate any listener who appreciates sludge music.
The album boasts a 47-minute runtime across 8 tracks. While it opens with two hard-hitting songs, Zemplyanie Sni and Solntse, the band’s unique magic, in my opinion, truly emerges with Banderol. The track’s post-hardcore influence, moments of gentle romance, and intriguing, almost danceable structure make it an excellent example of the talent and creativity of the members of Montezuma’s Revenge. Further highlights on the album include Na Khodoleh, where the strings take center stage, and the highly dense post-metal composition, Posle.
Sludge is, in my view, a genre that directly benefits from strong production, and Veto is highly successful in this regard. By using vintage equipment, keeping desk trickery and effects to a minimum, and aiming to create the loudest possible wall of sound, they have achieved a tone that is both gratingly fuzzy and vibrantly live. It is reassuring to see the band’s mastery over both the genre they play and the recording process itself.
The closing track, Gravitacija, is a composition inspired by the lonely, cosmic adventure of a final transmission in a world where electricity and signals have ceased to exist. Intriguingly, it carries a trans-cosmic melancholy and a genuine doom atmosphere. It may be the most distinct track on the album, but it is valuable for closing out Veto in a way that truly resonates with the listener.
In short, with Veto, Montezuma’s Revenge has successfully entered my radar as a band I will now follow much more closely within the sludge genre. They have delivered a rock-solid piece of work that sounds anything but amateur, and I hope we hear their name more often in the future. If you are interested in sludge, post-metal, or post-hardcore, do not miss this album.
