The acoustic guitar dueling duo's new album is one of their most refined and compelling. With polished production and added experimentation, Rodrigo y Gabriela continue to strive in the unique style they've created themselves.
Rodrigo y Gabriela came up from the unexpected by covering metal and rock songs with fiery acoustic and flamenco instrumentals that bark back and forth from Rodrigo Sanchez and Gabriela Quintero. The duo have captivated audiences with numerous releases and continue down the path of rapid fire acoustic strumming with complex rhythm changes and even the usage of percussion with the guitars themselves. They are a unique act who have really honed in on crafting their own sound and continue to do so on Mettavolution, their sixth album. There is still the rapid fire guitar strumming we've come to know and love, only with added production, experimentation, and some new surprises here and there.
The songs themselves are some of the duo's most intriguing and compelling to date. The title track and "Terracentric" are the punchy, rapid fire cuts with some nicely added electronics and layered instrumentation that don't muddy up the guitars at all, with the title track having some of the most memorable chords on record. "Cumbé" has the flamenco-infused plucks and is a very satisfying track. "Electric Soul" is a nicely needed cool down of pretty melodies. "Krotona Days" has the more shredding chords than the others, while having some great shift changes in the strumming. "Witness Tree" has some great grooves to it, with some added hushes in the mix (or what sound like hushes). The 19-minute cover of Pink Floyd's "Echoes" is surely the biggest talking point here. It's quite ambitious to put this on a studio album, but Rodrigo y Gabriela make a beautifully stunning cover here and they make this cover their own. The whole 19 minutes is so intense and enjoyable, you won't really think it's that long when listening. It's quite different from their usual schtick, this time having many more quiet moments with their guitars, winding up the intensity for the louder moments in the song. The quiet moments are gorgeous and they really play up to their strengths with the subtleness. I wish there were more crazy epics like this in their discography, since most of their songs clock in at 3-4 minutes or so. Fingers are crossed to see more lengthy tunes in the future from them.
The album contains only seven tracks while clocking in at around 40 minutes. There are six originals along with the 19 minute cover of "Echoes." The collection is solid, I just wish there were a couple more songs sprinkled in if I had to be picky. I think the duo could've definitely pushed themselves more with the effects or even getting out of their comfort zone by slowing things down more within the instrumentation like on "Echoes." I could see them play around with more effects like the ones used on the title track and "Terracentric" on future albums.
Overall, Mettavolution is a solid album from the duo and showcases their fantastic guitar playing abilities and musicianship. It will certainly please fans knowing that they have continued with the primary focus on fast paced guitar playing. With updated polished production and added experimentation in tempo and stylistic choices, Rodrigo y Gabriela keep things interesting enough to add a little more flavor in the mix. They've dominated this style the duo built ever since they started in in the early 2000's, only to continue to strive in it.
My Rating: 7 / 10
Favorite Songs: "Echoes," "Mettavolution," "Terracentric," "Krotona Days"
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