Review: Sulaco

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Sulaco
“Self-Titled”
(Relapse Records)

Upon initial listen of Sulaco (an “all-star band” of sorts if you can call survivors from various forgettable death metal bands “stars”), one is put off faster than imagining naked photos of Roseanne Barr with a strap-on. After a few spins though, their slightly derivative sound is moderately appealing. Sulaco know when to go full-on with blast beats worthy of a Cannibal Corpse album, but they don’t sully these four tracks by overdoing it.

Surprisingly, at times the delivery rides extremely close to newer hardcore lines. With thunderous breakdowns and searing hot vocals that shriek instead of rumbling like a bad case of diarrhea, this might be “traditional” (read: kinda predictable), but it’s not the worst sin Relapse has been responsible for unleashing onto metal. To quote Mr. Burns: “I know what I hate…I don’t hate this.”