Perhaps we should try to free ourselves from the euphoria that each return to the Navarrese arena causes us and put things in context, but it is something that a priori does not seem simple. Right off the bat, it’s clear that the layman will enjoy this new work, but… what about the lifelong fan? How will the new album fit into his overall discography? Certainly, there are occasions when it is advisable to allow a reasonable amount of time to pass before passing sentence; It always comes in handy, it’s true. Even so, it is the law of life, and surely both the quasi-spontaneous evaluation and the expression of the sensations offered by the warm material that has just come out of the oven are necessary. This being the case, we will agree that, if the album is mediocre, we will hardly even consider the comparison with past works.
What does this new job offer us? Well, to begin with, the same acidity and bad compositional and lyrical ostentation of the usual Koma. The rating goes up on the second or third listen, something that shows the validity of the studio work. The only drawback is due to the slightly duller sound than their brighter and more powerful albums. The compositions are not the cause of that small setback, nor are the execution or perhaps the recording itself. It is the final sound, once materialized in physical or digital format, that needs a more vibrant push. Because… how could we complain about a beginning like “Dinamítalos”, which could well belong to “Synonym of offending” and even to “The vinegar taster”? And if we seek to relive the evil and murderous images that they have left us throughout their career, we can indulge ourselves with the cutting riffs and the double bass drum of “The Time Machine” or “The Duel.” The latter also delights us with some extremely interesting instrumental passages, even in the choruses or voices that subtly introduce them. A latter aspect that we will also emphasize later when talking about other topics.
If we are looking for direct cucumbers to the liver, we cannot pass up “Falso”, an ostia in the whole face of less than three minutes long, with a short and simple chorus but one of those that create a real fandom. Nor do we forget his instrumental development, an aspect to also emphasize in his entire career. We have purposely skipped “The Journey”, to link its commentary with “Magic Words”, both surprising. The first evokes, in a certain sense, the Barricada of “Bésame” or even more of “Hombre mate hombre”, due to its somewhat softened guitars and points in a slower and more melodic direction than the one we are accustomed to. The second (“Magic Words”) is deliciously beautiful. An exciting, delicate and velvety mid-tempo that skips the script to embrace melodic textures that will surprise more than one.
If what we want are harmonious choruses, there is “Somersaults”. If we prefer to dance, letting ourselves be carried away by a determined riff accompanied by a rhythm with a hook, one of the options will be “El exterminador”, which may perhaps evoke the album “Criminal” from 2000. “Los deheradados” is part of the group of songs most festive in his long career. Although the best undoubtedly comes in the choruses, near the final part, which even turn it into an addictive tavern anthem, endorsed with a powerful final guitar solo. Brigi does not abandon her vocal strength “Ni a shots”, also a characteristic song that does not shy away from instrumental developments. They close with “Beggar of Joy”, a characteristic song from their classic era, if by that we understand the 90s legacy (the maketa and its first three albums): it could have worked perfectly in 1996 or 1999.
This last song, along with most of the others, is also representative of a new musical wisdom that, while maintaining a powerful compositional force, also gives us a few clues about the group’s creative capacity. It seems unlikely that they will make a sudden stylistic change at this point, but we want to highlight their compositional, technical and conceptual capacity, which could give us some surprises in the future. But ultimately, what we want to emphasize above all is that Koma’s return meets all the expectations and quality requirements that are assumed, without forgetting an essential aspect: they retain their strength and aggressiveness ten albums and twenty-nine years after.