Fifty-Six Minutes of Auditory Amphetamine

BUÑUEL is an experimental supergroup composed of members hailing from multiple acts spanning various countries. Coming from Italy are the guitarist Xabier Iriondo, bassist Andrea Lombardini, and drummer Francesco Valente. With American Eugene S. Robinson providing the vocals. This new group strays astronomically from the styles of the past projects of these members. Getting their namesake from the provocative Spanish Film Director Luis Buñuel, this is a band that is hard to pin down in terms of style and genre. However, Luis Buñuel’s early work with Salvador Dalí is a most fitting description of what tone the band is going for. An uncompromising shot of a razor slicing into an eyeball.

It is at first tempting to write the group off as just a Noise Rock band. Yet they are musicians who are very in tune with writing catchy and instrumentally methodical work. The latest release from BUÑUEL titled Mansuetude was released through OVERDRIVE Records on October 25th. To name the album Mansuetude seems like a humorous choice, due to the fact that the word stands for a state of gentleness. These 13 songs are anything but gentle. The guitars sound like engines in the midst of a rage and vocals are aggressive and guttural. Odd and disorienting drum patterns are used to chaotically introduce the tracks in this album.

The opening song on the album “Who Missed Me” spares no time burying the listener in a heavy sludge of sound. Soon after, the song gives way to intense double bass drumming and heavy metal riffs. The vocal delivery is reminiscent of early 80’s West Coast Punk. Just when the listener ought to be getting settled into the style BUÑUEL has to offer, they completely flip the track on its head and throw in a dance section. While at first this is admittedly jarring, it is absolutely fascinating to hear how seasoned musicians have the ability to pull off this transition.

The rest of the album is chock full of these out of nowhere genre shifts and mood changes. In fact, if one finds themselves not liking a song on the album, simply wait 30 to 60 seconds and it will sound completely different. Track 6 “A Killing On the Beach” is a chorus heavy and dreamy track, while track 8 “High. Speed. Chase.” is a straightforward garage punk song to listen to while speeding on the freeway.

Mansuetude is an album injected with enough adrenaline to give Hunter S. Thompson’s ghost a heart attack. It is a project that is absolutely worth listening to and BUÑUEL is definitely a band worth seeking out for a live performance.