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 |  El HorizonteSignatures At The Crossroads Shock Hailing from Geraldton, Western Australia, up and coming hard rockers El Horizonte have fused together a very angsty and energetic debut album. As winners of their state final of the 2002 National Campus Band Competition, it is clear that the energy from the album must translate to a powerful live show for an audience. 'Signatures At The Crossroads' is a very dark album, anger being the main emotive fuel. The production is very bass heavy - fitting with the style, of course - and as of such the lyrics are often hard to pick. The desired gloom is easily communicated however, through the varied styles of murmurs, screams and chanted choruses. Actually, despite not being my style of music at all, I have to admire the complex sound El Horizonte have created by the diversity of their songs in regards to tempo, volume and mix of instruments. "Signatures..." is simply a good taste of the potential El Horizonte have in writing creative, intelligent hard rock. The album is consistent in its melancholic and haunting mood, which comes with both merits and shortcomings. For one thing, this is not a "user friendly" album and is difficult to appreciate on the first listen. Brash and hard hitting, it triggers a certain amount of apprehensiveness, so one really needs to be patient before realising the depth of sound and harmony that underlies. The low-budget production doesn't help either - at high volume, the bass really is overpowering. Nevertheless, 'Signatures...' is a worthy debut and should El Horizonte keep exploring their talent, they should have a bright future ahead.  | |
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