ninehertz

Satánicos Marihuanos, from Peru, have been around a while now - their first release came out in 2017, and their sophomore album Inmerso en El Ande was fondly thought of here at ninehertz. They're now back after a three year gap, with yet another statement album.

From my memory, they've gone heavier, although I'd need to back and relisten to their earlier material to fully confirm. Whereas before I recall heavy psych only occasionally turned blacker, La Hora del Pacto is six tracks of epic old school doom with classic metal flair and even the odd dip into old school black metal waters. The title track opener is so grand that when it shifts gears you feel like you've been locked in for an age, yet the clock only displays three minutes, the guest vocals surprisingly light and ethereal, which works extremely well with the sense of arcane ritual and lore that form the album's concept, and gives them a different angle musically which is welcome. Even the NWOBHM-esque screeches and wild guitar soloing towards the end add to the sense of occasion, ending in a place you wouldn't have entirely predicted.

The following near-fourteen minutes of Ritual's long organ-setting on the synth intro provides a suitable gothic occult doom expectation, and as the song gains legs it follows as you'd imagine, adding in a little proto doom retrospection nudging on classic heavy metal bombast. It really lights up by the end, you'd think the length might make this a touch bloated but the soloing guitars get wilder and I'm wanting more even as it closes.

Entra en El Altar brings forth a first wave black metal urgency to it; behind that front there's some masked subtlety, a nice rise and fall, but this is primarily the riffs and golloping guitar solos of the 80s, with darker edged vocals. Muerte en Sacrificio is even further into classic rock, with happy, beer swilling boisterous vibes, before eventually slowing into that trad doom / black metal pits, shelving the smiles and good times for some ominous dread.

It closes surprisingly - Sabaoth a ten minute mellow, melodic and gothic tinged ambient piece you weren't expecting. But Satánicos Marihuanos have a deft touch in amongst the venom, and a nous borne from experience, and this album excels in its slight variances. There are times when comparisons to Green Lung wouldn't be outrageous, but ultimately they're off on their own here, and all the better for it.