The debut album by the Peruvian doom metallers ARGUL, titled “Soledad & Orgullo”, is a record that looks both backward and forward. Releasing material recorded a decade ago alongside a more recent version of themselves, the band presents a debut that speaks the timeless language of existential horror — in Spanish — and of its passage through time.
Country: Peru (Lima)
Genre: Doom / Stoner Metal
For fans of: Witchcraft, Trouble, Reverend Bizarre, Pallbearer, Yob
Argul formed in 2014 by guitarists Mauricio Guerrero (Illwind) and Jose Venturi (Arcada), inspired by heavy psych and stoner metal à la Witchcraft or Trouble, but also by the doom revival of the previous decade (Reverend Bizarre). The debut’s material — four of the five tracks — was recorded in 2017 but stayed in the drawer until recently, while the fifth, “Kamog”, was written about ten years later. The result naturally sounds like a debut, even if technically it is a “collection”.
The listening
“Ritual” opens with a slow, paranoid doom, giving room to traditional doom metal trot and vocals that recall Pallbearer and Yob as it builds. The rising basslines and the bluesy solos make a strong first impression, while the inner tracks (“Engendro” / “Hor Hodin”) are faster and catchier. Compared to South American psychedelic doom, their approach belongs neither to the Electric Wizard school nor to the retro 70s heavy/prog scene.
Further on, “Animal Dog” and the newer “Kamog” (both over 10 minutes) carry a “Sorrow & Extinction”-type seriousness. Together with “Ritual”, they point to where the band has evolved: a more glassy atmosphere and a slow drone that still carries a metallic jog and a heavy rock lead. Overall, the album offers a respectable, dark stoner/doom with prospects for the future.
