LOS NATAS (Nuevo Orden De La Libertad) LP/CD
LOS NATAS is like good vine: the older he gets, the better he is. I feel no affection at all for their early albums, when they called themselves NATAS. To me they were just a cheap Kyuss clone and even Kyuss doesn't mean a lot to me. But all these are now a thing of the past and since the release of 'Corsario Negro' in 2002 I started to like this Argentinian power trio. Finally they had developed their own identity and meanwhile LOS NATAS belongs to the spearhead of South American heavy rock bands. 'Nuevo Orden De La Libertad' is their third album for Small Stone Records and in my opinion it's their best record until now. The dark atmosphere is what you first notice here and due to the title, which means 'The New Order of Liberty', it is possibly a record about an entirely fictitious revolutionary movement. Well, there are no lyrics and I don't speak Spanish so it remains an assumption. But anyway, heavy psych rock still stands in the foreground, enriched with the band's own musical psychoactive eccentricity. Particularly noticeable is the fact that the album is full of fresh and catchy songs.
As the name implies, 'Hombre de Metal' surprises with a strong metal edge and contains some nasty heavy riffs, similar to what you'd expect from the likes of High On Fire or maybe Celtic Frost. Same goes for 'Resistiedo Dolor' and the title track, where LOS NATAS blend blues, hardrock and metal to a powerful unit. And, by the way, the catchy refrain of the title track is like a call to arms and a signal of alert for all hobby revolutionists while 'Ganar Perder' is so touching and probably one of the band's most emotional ballads. The hard rockin' songs are interspersed with a couple of instrumental tracks that increase the cohesion and mood of the whole album. And, of course, it makes 'Nuevo Orden De La Libertad' more diversified. The other thing I really like about this record is its naturally, earthy production that also gives an authentic picture of their live sound. To my surprise, Billy Anderson didn't produce the album, but this doesn't really matter. So if you have more love for LOS NATAS' heavy rock than for their experimental, kraut-y soundscapes, it's definitely no mistake to buy 'Nuevo Orden De La Libertad'.
(KK)