If reviews translated albums note-for-note and dynamic-for-dynamic, this one would begin in size four font, slowly expanding until it reaches 12-point. Once at that size, several words would arbitrarily be bolded, italicized or in Wingdings, and there'd be entire paragraphs written with ellipses. Several 70s catchphrases like "Dy-no-mite!" or "Kiss mah grits!" would be dropped, but references to iPod shuffles and Johnny Cochrane tributes would clearly indicate the year is 2005. Oh, and the review would contain 20,000 words and use a language that's half Celtic, half Elvish.
Needless to say, London prog-rock trio Guapo produces some pretty far-out stuff, yet they do so with relatively familiar ingredients. Their hard-on for Magma has been extensively documented and they've clearly taken a few cues from Ipecac co-owner and Fantômas frontman Mike Patton. For the 70s fiends, they bring the mellotron and Fender Rhodes, but treat those trendy prog-rockers to sludgy basslines and caterwauling metal guitar. To top it off, the band's press releases and official website are littered with vocabulary like "Behold!," "avatar," "beast," and "dragon"-- further fusing the worlds of prog rock and D&D.;
Sixth album Black Oni is actually part two of a trilogy starting with 2002's Five Suns, so it's no surprise many sci-fi savvy Guapo fans refer to this as the "Empire Strikes Back record". Not to encourage them, but the metaphor is peculiarly apt. From the gloomy black and white album art to the serpentine death marches scattered throughout the album's five tracks, Black Oni sounds more threatening than its predecessor. The Rhodes takes a back seat to more somber mellotron, organ and strings. While not exactly melodic, the album's several haunting fugues constantly mutating into one another until suddenly the squeal on final track "V" evaporates into nothingness, Guapo's stab at a musical cliffhanger.
Unfortunately Guapo feel a little too smug with the down-in-the-dumps sound they've cultivated here. Sure, they avoid the over-the-top horror movie shtick Fantômas has been pulling on recent albums and save face for prog in general after Mars Volta's pretentious antics, but 45 minutes packed with gloom is, well, depressing. Even the darkest, longest Godspeed!-like tracks peaked at a violin trill or eerie voice sample, unlike the teasing builds Guapo start but forget to finish. Hey, I'll listen to it during D&D;, but the excitement won't be the same when my dwarf takes down a paladin.
