27th December 2022

Review: “Fuerza” by Temores Enterrados

Sometimes the work of a great artist isn’t appreciated at the time if its unveiling and its not until years or even decades later that the creation really gets the opportunity to live and breathe. Hence the phenomena that is the cult following with films in particular often being hugely successful in streaming or home media forms having not been well received at the box office. In the case of Temores Enterrados (or “Buried Fears“), a Slamming Deathcore quintet who hail from Ibarra in Ecuador, their debut EP “Fuerza” first began to appear online in July 2020 before the record made it to Spotify in June 2021. However it is now until now, almost two and a half years later that a music video for “No humanos” directed by Efraín Cabrera has put vocalist Jonathan Lara, drummer Martín Esparza, bassist Robert Valencia alongside axe wielding duo Kevin Hernández and Mario Troya in the spotlight…

Recorded at Live Room Studio Mixed and Mastered by the bands own pairing Mario Troya and Robert Valencia, it should come as no surprise that their debut EP is written in Spanish. Naturally not being native speakers, we’ve taken a moment to translate the song titles to give you an insight into the record, but in truth the level of brutality in places on this record means that the vocals are merely another instrument and you’ll need a magnifying glass and a lyric sheet to decipher at least some of them. Opener “No humanos” (or “not human“) has menacing Death Metal overtones with plague wind like Slam roars emanating from the throat of Lara at points, however there is far more to this than meets the eye with Hardcore roots on display in equal measure. The style of 90’s Hardcore bands like Biohazard creeping into the flow between the crushingly violent moments and it’s surprisingly refreshing as well as being politically and socially aware. Yes the quality of the recording is a little on the rough and ready style but that’s not a problem and is nostalgically romantic, reminiscent of demo tape trading days gone by. “Tras la guerra” (or “after the war“) offers staccato riff breaks and chunky chugs with a pit starting attitude, the sinister swirling riffs and brutal slamming finale a master class in getting it done with violent and bloody results. “Siempre se vuelve” (or “always turns“) brings the groove in the verse and bounce in the chorus, a powerhouse that ploughs through freshly fallen snow drifts like a white hot thermal lance. The longest cut on the record, its a beast that again repeats a formula by having the Slam vocals and in this case a downtempo Deathcore breakdown section at the back end; it’s not a problem here but an observation none the less. The title track of the record “Fuerza” (or “Force“) has a riff reminiscent of the kind of Groove Metal that Pantera and Pissing Razors brought us back in the 90’s but has been refreshed with a Metallica Hardcore cutting edge before once again going downtempo Deathcore with Slam vocals for that glass shattering at 30 paces finish that they do so well. It’s good old fashioned filth as well as being damn good fun so logically captain, we want more! [7/10]