We present the new review format, which - hopefully - will allow us to be a little more consistent. Yes, in some cases the reviews will be shorter than normal, but this does not mean that each album will only be listened to only once. As always, it is important for us to give a well-informed opinion (that you agree with us is a different thing) and each album will be listened to as much as possible. Those albums that we consider "worthy" of a 9+ score will have their separate review, under the original format.

Why not just make best-of-the-week lists? That would be optimal, but at densidad20.25 we like to complicate things. In any case, as we've said before, the review itself probably only matters to a few, and that's fine; the main objective is to spread the word about the artists’ work.

Jesús Guerrero - Sueños Repetidos

The lead singer and multi-instrumentalist from your little sister's favorite psych-pop band is back with another solo effort in which he shows just how much he needs his bandmates (or bandmates in general) to create something worthwhile. Outside of his main project, Jesús has ventured into straightforward pop-rock (La Hora Azul) and synth-driven psychedelia (Películas), and for Sueños Repetidos, he attempts to create a cyclical experience through the use of loops made of samples from different songs, but instead of enthralling or hypnotic, these tracks are just tedious. Yes, they are loops and they thrive on repetition, but the lack of progression makes them feel as if they were left unattended while being recorded; most of them have a cohesive flow and the locked grooves work, but it is a formula we have heard a million times before with better results --and that's without counting JDilla's or MF DOOM's work, because their presence would just be too unfair of a comparison.

Jesús is an amazing musician who has always shown ambition even when trying to keep things on an accessible level, and it's easy to imagine him getting further away from the good-yet-predictable redundant aesthetics of his main band to embark on more challenging endeavors, but for the time being, what he delivers on Sueños Repetidos feels too unfinished, which is a complete shame because it is not sloppy work at all, it just needed something extra.

SCORE: 5.2

Sarcastic Burn Victim - Blood & Stomach Pills

Disgustingly mixing grindcore, power-violence, noise and a little bit of Naked City's filthy, erratic reed outbursts, Sarcastic Burn Victim bring in a good dose of ugliness to an even uglier world. Everything you would expect from those genres is there, almost verbatim, but SBV -somehow- manage to throw in a little personality to this well-tested formula. Maybe it is due to chaotic, yet well-executed, tracks, or the inclusion of a more improvisational feel on a track like "Obscure Cayman Islands Offshore Holdings Representatives" -which proves to be a path worth exploring for the band- but Blood & Stomach Pills never bores, and being spawned from genres that pride themselves on being fast and to the point, each track has enough peaks and valleys, and the album in general has slight stylistic detours to keep it interesting.

SCORE: 5.8

Korb - Korb

Korb is a UK project who just reissued their 2018 debut LP through El Necio, Peru's got-to label for everything riff and psych oriented. As is the case with a lot of modern bands cut from the same prog-psych-kraut cloth, Korb have a sound that is both desertic and spacey; with their Hawkwind-Camel-Tangerine Dream sound, they're like the soundtrack to a sandstorm on Mars that could have been released by El Paraiso Records. Throughout the album, we will find a very well defined set of idiomatic elements (think of different versions of Camel's "Lunar Sea''), but not to the point of it being a completely predictable effort. This LP has an expansive sound with droning synths that seem to get thicker and tridimensional with every modulation and oscillation; the rhythm section is dynamic even when it is engaging in NEU!-like repetition which saves it from being pure and meandering Hallogallo worship.

The production is pretty effective, as it achieves a balance between pristine and raw, without going overboard on either one and we are spared pseudo-psychedelic tactics just to make the record sound trippy, man!; the high you get is completely natural, albeit, in the end, it is not that mind-altering. One issue with modern psychedelia is that it aims for space, but it forgets about turbulence, radiation, solar flares and all the fuck-uppery that is also part of the trip; it just keeps things too safe. Regardless, it would seem that Korb is not about surprising as much as they're about knowing how to work within their limitations in order to create an entertaining experience.

SCORE: 6.7

Dakhalè - Kharàce

Beautiful raw black metal that is actually understandable despite its lo-fi production. Kharace is not as murky nor sloppy as a lot of raw black metal tends to be --not that it's a bad thing-- but in this case, it is a blessing to be able to hear the guitars as they riff away or delicately arpeggiate, and the subtle ambiance passages are as vivid as they can be with this type of production value (or lack thereof). On the other hand, the voice is distant and unintelligible, but it works to the album's advantage, as it gives it depth and a sense of immensity, which is coherent with its concept based around an architectural structure located in the italian island of Pantelleria.

This is mostly a mid-paced album, but it is far from being soft; it is not completely ominous, but it has violent outbursts, and its emotional punch gives it an ever present sense of melancholy, making it feel like ancient angry ghosts trying to be heard by the new residents of their, once sacred, space. Such a haunting experience is not always achieved without its melodramatic moments, but Dakhalè's sincerity keeps those at bay, successfully mixing beauty with sorrow.

SCORE: 7

Nusle Sound System - Discography

Compiled as a way to raise some funds in favor of helping out the Hranice DIY scene and the Gospoda venue through these difficult virus-ridden times, Korobushka Records issued this release, featuring two full albums (2109's Welcome to Dopici and 2020's Cau Lidi, Nusle Calling) from the czech noise-rock outfit, Nusle Sound System. The band doesn't have a lot of material available, so to say that this compilation shows their evolution and growth as a band, would be a bit of an exaggeration, but that was never its objective in the first place. Instead, we're treated to Nusle's raw intensity back to back, in what could very well be a single album, as it is not quite possible to tell when the LP ends and the EP begins (although, to be fair, Cau Lidi has more melodic passages).

The tracks go from dark noisy heavy riffing, to clean -but unpolished- passages that will bring 90s post-hardcore dynamics to mind. There's not much in terms of speed, but there is definitely a punk element beyond the overall DIY aesthetics the band has, as the songs are fairly brief --not one track reaches the three-minute mark. The quality is consistent, but there are highlights, such as the opener "Nazi", whose riff bears a slight similarity to "Crush the Lies" by sketchy black metal band no.47851, which makes me think it might have been intentional, but as always, I may be overanalyzing just to seem smart.

SCORE: 7

Aberration - Aberration

After a calm and brief intro, Aberration unrelentlessly pummels the listener with filthy blackened death metal intensity. The guitars sound as if the strings were covered by some sort of dark, thick ooze: arpeggios are slimy and the chords are dense and slow (even when they're being attacked with brutal force); the drums are buried underneath, and whenever they're engaging in nefarious blast beats, it feels more like they're fighting for a way out. Aberration feels like a giant, crumbling natural disaster, and the very few spaces in which we are spared from their engulfing -or, rather, suffocating- dynamics don't feel calming at all; we're still knee deep in ruble, bruised and lost.

Delving into the anatomy of it all, this band doesn't stray away from the blackened sound of bands like Vermin Womb -although they are a bit more nuanced-, but they make up for it by creating an intense experience; clocking in at merely 15 minutes, Aberration made the ground tremble, crack beneath us, letting the abyss gaze back at us with that familiar look we know so well but that never fails to send chills down our spine. This makes me wonder how a full-length release would be like; it may be demanding, it may be exhausting, but it will surely be worth it.

SCORE: 7.3

Patricia Brennan - Maquishti

There are albums that relish in the idea of testing our patience by slowly -but strongly- pressing our ability to enjoy the sounds emitted from a note rather than the note itself, and on Maquishti, Patricia Brennan does this beautifully.

Brennan specializes on the vibraphone and marimba, both in a classical and more free-form approach, to really take advantage of the sonic possibilities these instruments have. In this set of improvised pieces, the crystalline overtones from the vibraphone delicately travel through an empty room, sometimes with their natural timbre, and other times, the resonance and reverb are affected by subtle electronic manipulation. We may hear a note linger with the icy reverb we already know (and love), or we may listen to it bend and warp, or engage in glitchy repetitions; fortunately, instead of feeling too synthetic or overly contaminated by exaggerated production, the instruments feel more alive thanks to these interventions.

The mood remains dreamy -as expected from both the marimba and vibraphone- but we are treated to moments in which they are executed with a more percussive approach, only letting them shimmer every few bars. The lack of further instrumentation may leave the space feeling a little bit empty for some people to handle, but this just reinforces its ethereal nature by way of intimacy; the more we can solely focus on the way sound behaves, the more effective and engaging the album becomes. Whether it gently lulls you into the calmest sleep you'll ever have, or makes you stand in awe, Maquishti will leave a lasting impact.

SCORE: 7.5

Ferriterium - Calvaire

Calvarie is an album that wastes no time to let its presence be known, and not a second goes unused. The third installment on this french black metal project's catalog is more polished (not overproduced) than its predecessors, to the point of almost feeling symphonic, but this is only due to its epicness. The tracks are long, fast, and while remaining linear -there's not much in terms of weird tempo changes or any fancy composing elements- they don't feel monotonous because of the dynamic songwriting; however, while the guitar work may carry the songs, the vocal delivery gives them feel. Raido's vocals are deranged, avoiding being gimmicky or exaggerated, and not only do they match the music's intensity, they enhance it. But to focus only on the epic guitar leads and vox delivery would be downplaying the fantastic performance of everyone involved. The songs were composed by Raido, but the drummer and bassist make those parts their own with a flawless and powerful performance.

As is often the case with extreme music, the lack of nuance can sometimes cause the experience to wane as it progresses, for once we manage to keep up with the speed, the meandering guitar lines and the screaming, we may be left waiting for something more; Calvaire suffers a bit from this, as its formula becomes apparent too quickly: blast beats, mid tempo, and blast beats. However, the length of the album helps it not to become background noise after a few minutes, because despite being long, it only has four tracks, and even though there are some pitfalls after the opening track, Ferriterium manages to get us hooked.

SCORE: 7.7

FOUDRE! - Future Sabbath

This french supergroup may have named themselves Thunder! but they actually represent all the stages of an electrical storm: from the ominous feeling one gets once black clouds start covering the sky, right to the moment in which tempestuous precipitation furiously falls upon the ground, and an uncontrollable wind shakes the trees with apocalyptic force. The sound of thunder comes right at the end, only once, but with enough strength to actually make everything go back to normal. This is how Future Sabbath feels, as it starts with carefully executed electroacoustic soundscapes, with an almost meditative quality, mixing clean frequencies with saturation that comes and goes.

The pieces are improvised but one can tell that these musicians have been doing this -together and separately- for a long time now, as the structures feel coherent, while still retaining their freedom. "Black Swan Theory I" ventures more into electronic music, with a pulsating synth serving as a metronome, nervously keepin time and building up the tension by changing register and timbre. FOUDRE! are experts at building anticipation, adding more and more layers to their improvised structures, but they avoid predictability by not giving us a full-on climax when everything indicates that we will be rewarded with one; instead, they calm things down, but the tension always lingers on. "Black Swan Theory II" finally gives a payoff in the form of a dense techno piece that decays into oblivion.

Future Sabbath true genius lies in how quickly it moves despite its droning nature; it is so engaging that by the time you look at the tracklist, you're already in the last track. Nonetheless, it is discrete enough that it can be left as background music, but the recommended option is to let it shine as the center of attention, which it will undoubtedly become anyway.

SCORE: 8.3

Sage Alyte - Paume de pierre

A collection of rustic pieces that feel ancient and sacred, as if they were the music to a ritual taking place in the deepest parts of an enchanted forest. This Belgian duo beautifully and gently takes us through the anatomy and the essence of their instruments and the sounds they emit; along the way, we will find comfort in the traditional approaches to folk music (“Soleils inscrits”) but we will also be struck by a sense of wanderlust when Sage Alyte decide to fall into drone-and-movement interplay, and extended techniques to create layers and textures.

Despite there being electronic elements such as a synth and electronic processing, Paume de pierre sounds completely organic, even when it’s not (“Visiteé parfois de l’iris”); maintaining an aesthetic without coming off as monotonous is not an easy task, and it’s just wonderful how Sage are able to retain their essence while playing with different elements. This also makes Paume flow like a breeze —an analogy not that farfetched, as the album closes with bird songs and a processed violin that mimics their singing.

This album is both intimate and remote. You can visualize yourself in a cozy space while this is played for you and a handful of people, but at the same, Paume de pierre sounds as if it’s coming from a distant and unfamiliar place. Usually, these type of dichotomies and paradoxes are a source of unease, but Sage Alyte manage to make this a welcoming experience.

SCORE: 8.6