Girl at the Rock Shows

Remember a couple of weeks ago when I reviewed ‘Los Animales’ from Oleada? Don’t worry, if you don’t remember, I have a link conveniently placed RIGHT HERE. Well, Oleada is back but in a different form. Doombia is another project from Brendan Deiz– the brains behind Oleada. I found ‘Los Animales’ to be completely foreign when compared to the music I normally listen to so I expect nothing less from Doombia. Based on what Brendan said to me about this album, I think I will get something just as creative but a bit more situated in the rock vein of things. I’m thinking distorted guitars and sludgey metal-inspired riffs but I honestly don’t know. Why waste time speculating? Let’s just jump into this eleven-song album.

“Swim” kicks off the way I kind of thought it would. Raging guitars start this song before almost grunge-inspired vocals come in. Within the first thirty seconds, I knew this was going to be completely different from Oleada but, at the same time, as this six-minute opening track played through, I was constantly reminded of ‘Los Animales’. It’s not a super clear nod but I feel like the intricacies encased in this track really feel a bit like Oleada. They are subtle but, if you listen during the small breaks in the vocals, you hear them and it made my heart so full. Beyond that is the composition. “Swim” doesn’t follow any rules. Rises and falls, choruses and verses– nothing seems to fall where you think it should but that’s what helps pull you into Doombia’s world.

Second on this record is “Azul”. This song seems to hit ever so slightly harder than the first one while giving the album a really good flow between the two tracks. Another fairly lengthy track at just a hair over five minutes long, I feel like this song focused on some of the psychedelic feelings that were part of the intricacy of “Swim”. There’s an almost circular pattern in this track. It’s a hard thing to explain but just the way all of the instrumentation comes in and out and the almost echoed effect on the vocals gives this song an almost mesmerizing and entrancing motion to it which makes it feel much shorter than it actually is. Complete with instrumental breaks that definitely lean into a more standard rock world of things, “Azul” is another super cool track that doesn’t seem to follow any rules.

“Lavarle el cerebro” seems to be a bit of a palate cleanser as it’s soft, delicate, and only a minute long. Again, I couldn’t help but find similarities between this track and the style of ‘Los Animales’ but, as soon as I started to find specifics, the albums had moved onto “Red Pilled”. “Red Pilled” brings a new sense of angst to this album. It takes it a second but, when the vocals come in, they have an almost sinister energy to them. This style switches into something a bit more tender before going back to the angsty sinister style. This is super contrasting and makes it feel like there’s a bit of an inner battle going on throughout this track. It’s an obvious thing but I like how Doombia did it because, instead of feeling completely out of left field every time to mood changes, it all makes sense and works together so perfectly.

For some reason, this is where the album stopped on the streaming service for me. It was weird, it was as if I wasn’t supposed to hear the quick track that is “Endemoniado”. No matter how many times I refreshed my page or tried different devices, I just couldn’t get it to play. Being that this track is only one minute and eleven seconds long, I think it’s another palate cleanser but I was so anxious to check out the other tracks that I gave up on trying to make this work and promptly moved on to “Possessions”.

It wasn’t until “Possessions” that I realized why I kept on feeling that Oleada had seeped into Doombia– it’s the beat. Brendan has a very distinct way of creating and keeping a beat and that’s what keeps on making me think of ‘Los Animales’ throughout this album. I’m not sure why it hit me during “Possessions” because I found myself more entranced by the almost eerie-styled vocals but here we are. I’ve figured it out and am now seeing this album in a whole new light. The distinct beat is joined by guitars that don’t quite overpower anything yet command your attention throughout this song. I loved how just seeing the song title “Possessions”, I was able to make an assumption that there would be something a bit eerie about this track but how Doombia didn’t go completely eerie keeping everything except the vocals very standard when compared to the previous songs.

Everything slows down when it comes to “Joya”. This is another slight palate cleanser due to the lack of vocals (there are some oh’s and ah’s towards the end but nothing like the songs thus far) but I was, again, captivated by this track. Listening to “Joya” will make you feel like you’re in a dream. Lush atmospheric textures take over this track and truly lift you off your feet but, as soon as you are swept off of them, “Tesoro” comes in to bring you back to earth. Out of all of the tracks on this album so far, this seems to be the heaviest. I love the way the almost sinister feeling vocals in “Red Pilled” seem to have transferred to the guitar work in “Tesoro”. It’s almost 80’s heavy metal styled with some of the guitar playing in this track but the vocals and overall composition of this track keep this song from going to heavy in a genius way.

The beginning of “Horizon” caught me a bit off guard. It’s almost theatrical which is a whole new element I hadn’t heard previously on ‘Doombia, Vol.1’ but it fit so perfectly and I instantly wanted more of it. Unfortunately, this element only comes in and out briefly throughout this track and the song settles into the distinct style that is Doombia but that doesn’t mean it’s not another great song, because it is.

Most albums start with “Intro” but Doombia has “Intro” situated as the second to last song. Interesting move but it works so brilliantly and the way this quick palate cleanser leads into the final track, “La Danza de la Doombia”, is genius. “La Danza de la Doombia” is just as intense and amazing as you would hope for any final track on the album. Instead of easing you back into the real world after being lost in the world of Doombia, Doombia dares you to leave with this final track. It’s powerful and rambunctious while not feeling much different from the previous songs. A slight shredding of the guitars mixed with that distinct beat that can only be called Brendan Diaz’s secret sauce and the constant changing of vibes, energy, and style really caps off ‘Doombia, Vol. 1’ in a perfect way.

Like ‘Los Aniimales’ from Oleada, ‘Doombia, Vol.1’ from Doombia is very different than what I typically listen to it will honestly probably be different for you too but that doesn’t mean you should write this album off. The genius and creativity that shines through on this album is, well, genius and creative. It’s a cool sound that will be unlike anything else you hear today and will surely spark that love for creativity in you in a way that we could all use a bit more of. So stop reading this– go listen!

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