Small Doses Are Best
Apparently El Gordo is Spanish for "the fat guy" but what significance this has to the Swedish band is somewhat lacking, indeed the only promotional picture sent is on the reverse of the album sleeve which is graced by instruments abandoned in what looks like a quarry. So, what does this tell us about the band? Not a lot really which is just as well, much better to let their music do all the talking then relying on a press release of jargon. And letting their music talk is what El Gordo is all about. Embracing the scuzzy fuzz honed rock of years gone by, 'The Man Behind The Machine' is a collection of tracks to have you playing air guitar along to riffs that gone on for a day or more whilst banging your head back an forth and leaving you in permanent need of a neck brace. A new concept it's not but then why try to recreate the wheel?
Introducing themselves with a wall of distorted fuzz, El Gordo swiftly make their mark with album opener 'The End And Back', a short little number by their standards that just manages to break the five minute mark as it careens itself round guitar wizardry and rampant drum beats that leave you feeling exhausted and somewhat dirty. And this is the trend the Swedish group go onto follow. 'Black Diamond' ups the time ante slightly by throwing in a dinosaur of rock with the now almost extinct inclusion of a drum solo, an art form that many bands seem to avoid at all costs and that actually works better than you'd expect. 'The Man Behind The Machine' is indeed all about recapturing the essence of old school rock, the type that works advances that quantity is the key and less is more is not always the way to go. With guitars that ooze one riff after another creating a hail of frenzied finger fumbling, El Gordo certainly churn out the type of tunes to simply listen to and take in; audience participation is not a requirement and although this is all well and good for a few tracks, there's a sense that the band could have tampered with the formula just ever so slightly, after all there's only so many guitar riffs you can hear before you loose concentration.
'The Man Behind The Machine' is an album for lovers of good old fashioned scuzz fuelled rock to take to heart with glee. Doused in layers of guitar skill and brandishing drum beats to pummel you into the ground, it is an album to enjoy, but perhaps in small doses. With tracks that fail to dip beneath the four minute mark and instead attempting to break the ten minute barrier, 'The Man Behind The Machine' can only really be enjoyed in segments; too much of a good thing after all can leave you feeling bloated and desperate for a nap.