Electric Wizard | 2002 | Let Us Prey

Psychedelic | Stoner | Doom Metal
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Jus Oborn (guitar, vocals), Tim Bagshaw (bass), Mark Greening (drums, piano) and Paul Sax (violin on "Night of the Shape")

During September and October 2001, Electric Wizard faced a huge challenge: to record the successor to Dopethrone, considered by many as the band's masterpiece, and the album that, undoubtedly, earned them the moniker of "the heaviest band in the universe". Indeed, Dopethrone marked the milestone of a formula that, within its transition that started with their self-titled debut, had reached its pinnacle: a sound in perfect equilibrium between psychedelia and density, and lyrics rich in misanthropy and hatred towards a miserable world in which there's nothing else to do but to escape.
In that sense, it was already evident that there was nothing else to do within the same spectrum, so something had to change. And although change is never wanted by conservative and stubborn fans, Electric Wizard took that sidestep; they ventured into that "no" that translated into a "fuck it", into a risky twist, into a sound that didn't have to prove anything and that, experimental, undertook the trip towards another dimension. Let Us Prey is exactly that: a statement, an adventure without frontiers. Electric Wizard lost fans, but thanks to their liberation, managed to record one of their best albums.
As is clear in its sound, the band's fourth LP turned the old misanthropy into schizoid, transformed it into a furious roar and, at the same time, into a cosmic blast-off, into a rampant allucination, into a lethargic and incoherent vociferation made by someone who already began a one-way trip, with no return. The twitch was so powerful that it weakened the trio's own foundations, as if no such turbulence were possible without losing sight of the experiment itself. After a tour throughout North America, Tim Bagshaw and Mark Greening left the band in 2003 and Electric Wizard would redefine their course, leaving behind Let Us Prey as an indelible testimony of the narcotic vehemence of those last days. —IMF

Tiny Tim | 1968 | Tiny Tim's 2nd Album

Psychedelic | Baroque Pop
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It is difficult to describe a record like Tiny Tim's 2nd Album, due to the deep emotional charge that albums like this inevitably generate over time and after a number of listens. But what can be added about pieces of this category will never be enough.
Although chronologically it could be classified as psychedelic or barroque pop, it would not be unfit to add the "vaudeville" label to the New Yorker's second album, owing to its beautifully aged sound and to the fact that, as a remarkable archivist, Tiny Tim covers songs from decades earlier, from times when the world still had some of the romantic spirit of the 19th century. In that sense, it is a record that stands out for its honest sound and a spirit that only evokes kindness and harmony, which end up shaping an album rich in its diversity, with a repertoire that ranges from deeply melancholic ballads to playful and lively rock & roll, with a huge stretch between both ends –with a sound share of crazyness in between.
Tiny Tim's 2nd Album is a record within which boredom is inexistent, but whose essential value, beyond that, lies in Tiny Tim's vocal performance, so genuine and sensitive, which attracts the listener not only in the merely formal grounds of music, but also in an emotional plane. A beautiful work with an unparalleled sincerity. —IMF

Iron Maiden | 1988 | Seventh Son of a Seventh Son

Heavy Metal
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Bruce Dickinson (vocals), Dave Murray (guitar), Adrian Smith (guitar, guitar synth), Steve Harris (bass, strings) and Nicko McBrain (drums)

After the excellent Somewhere in Time, Iron Maiden found themselves in the verge of a dilemma, for sure: Should they return to the formula that preceded Somewhere in Time or should they instead keep on the path which that album had outlined, including synthesizers and a more atmospheric sound? As is clear in Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, the band chose the latter. And it constitutes one of those adventurous decisions that distanced Iron Maiden from a whole litter of bands from their generation, permanently demoted to a second category due to their fear of taking risks. Conversely, the Londoners persisted in the risk associated with polishing their sound and moving it away from the more puerile rock of other NWOBHM acts, a twist that, undoubtedly, let down many fans of that old school, but that in turn translated into the band's trascendence in the long run.
And their step forward was not timid. Seventh Son of a Seventh Son not only deepened the atmospheric formula and the use of synthesizers, but also, for the first time in the band's career, it included orchestral arrengements –synthesized, by the way– and constituted Iron Maiden's first (and only) concept album. The result? The band's last masterpiece until 2000's Brave New World; an album that just does not have low points and that, although true to Iron Maiden's own spirit, marks the first steps into a more powerful branch of heavy metal, including certain prog elements, which curiously, however, is accompanied by some of the most melodically sensitive moments in Maiden's career.
The bar was thus set very high, and hence it was not surprising to see the band succumbing to the temptation of making things easier, returning to old-school metal in No Prayer for the Dying, sadly an album of notorious lower quality, thus confirming that the risk had been great for the band in previous years. Happily, the level of their golden years would return with the new millenium. But that is another story. —IMF

Uma Totoro | 2014 | Energía Solar Para Tortugas Gigantes

Experimental | Post-Rock
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Uma Totoro's self-titled debut had a palpable exploratory character that in their second album, Aparatos que median entre la realidad y el hombre, shaped a very unique sound, a dynamic type of experimental post-rock which, albeit having some electronic elements, was quite organic. In that chronology, Energía solar para tortugas gigantes is possibly the highest point in the duo's discography, mainly due to the nice dicotomy that is found in it: the confirmation of that characteristic sound –with more maturity, certainly– and, at the same time, an eclecticism that marks a sort of comeback to Uma Totoro's more adventurous spirit.
Thus, for example, in addition to songs that are more traditional (within the band's style), such as "El Jirafonte" or "Al calor de las máquinas", we are faced with "Lobotomóvil", which could be an interlude in a recent Tangerine Dream record; "Incidente en Roswell", which sounds like an electronic experiment by Radiohead; or the album closer, "Costa de Marfil", with an almost industrial sound. In that context, the fact that the band included acoustic instruments in their music, such as in "Bonbyx Mori" or "El Sol que rebota en los peces", is not surprising, and they work pretty well within Uma Totoro's formula.
In sum, without sacrificing their identity, the band achieved a dynamic and fresh-sounding album, and that instead of staying in the comfort of what they had already done before, boosted Uma Totoro back into the journey, back into the sonic quest that seems to always take them to the right destinations. —IMF

The Stooges | 1973 | Raw Power

Garage Rock | Proto-Punk
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Iggy Pop (vocals), James Williamson (guitar), Ron Asheton (bass, backing vocals), Scott Asheton (drums) y David Bowie (piano, percussion)

Fun House was the first album by The Stooges that I listened to, followed by the band's self-titled debut. The quartet's first two albums blowed my mind, each one from its particular flank. I had to listen to the legendary Raw Power, no doubt.
However, it was not what I expected. I did not understand it. I thought that I was listening to a flawed version. How was it possible that it sounded that bad? But I gave it more chances, in spite of the fact that I still was not able to understand it. Until it happened: I slowly began to remember the songs. And then I started to feel the need to listen to them again and again, until I suddently realized I had memorized the whole record. It did not bore me at all. I understood it.
Raw Power is, undoubtedly, the highest point in The Stooges's career, even within their original trilogy. The band's overflowing effervescence, their uncontrollable rush was already producing consequences: bassist Dave Alexander had been fired due to his alcoholism, Iggy Pop was immersed in a heroin addiction and the band's stability was in critical condition. In the middle of the turbulence of excesses, the quartet –which now consisted of Iggy Pop, James Williamson (who had just entered the band), and brothers Ron and Scott Asheton– managed to somehow focus on a creative process boosted by David Bowie acting as a producer. The result was Raw Power, a reliable reflection of that street indecency, that liberating muddle and reckless wildness in which the band was submerged.

The album has a rusty, grimy, crude, careless sound, and that is precisely what enabled The Stooges's peerless spirit (the sound that the band built like there was no tomorrow, as if it was a life or death matter) to be captured seamlessly. A plainly possessed Iggy Pop (it is easy not to recognize him at first listen) steps onto an instrumentation as solid as in previous albums, but in which the incorporation of guitarist Williamson and Ron Asheton's new role behind the bass stand out, shaping the band's sound towards a perhaps less psychedelic, yet not less powerful path, especially when Scott Asheton's drums are added to the recipe, adding outstanding intensity to Raw Power.

And when everything –blood, sweat and tears– is put onto the music and, in addition, there is as much unparalleled talent as the one the band had already showed in The Stooges and Fun House, the result cannot be other than a masterpiece. Raw Power has no low points and just grows with every listen. And it is, no doubt, a reflection of voluptuous and hasty creative energy, as well as of rabid eagerness and vehemence that, sadly, did not end up well in its frenzy. The Stooges split up, leaving behind three key pieces of rock history. —IMF
Note: This is the original, Bowie-mixed version of Raw Power.