2 DIAS DE SANGRE - "ULTIMO HOMBRE" (Combat Hardcore on "ONE LIFE ONE CREW RECORDS"; CD - Release; 2013.)

2 DIAS DE SANGRE - "ULTIMO HOMBRE"

("ONE LIFE ONE CREW RECORDS"; CD)

(Label contact: http://www.onelifeonecrew.de/)

(Running time: Ten songs in around twenty-nine minutes.)

(Release year: Released by the end of 2013.)

Yeahr, even I am a little bit late with this review article on it now here it finally is, the newest and so far still current and so how it seems today the final 2 DIAS DE SANGRE album ever, released by the end of 2013 - and yes, you read correct: This is, so my stand of play, really the final album of this Hardcore roughnecks primarly from the city of Goslar, sort of my hometown, then from the cities of Hannover (/Hanover) and Hamburg. They played their farewell show this May and for all what I know or think to know that was it then so far. And you know what: This sucks heavily!!! And definitely not the good way of sucking... Okay, anyhow... And if you ask yourself now why this review is coming up just now, just that late, then you have to know: I got it this May, not earlier, and I just didn't manage to write it down earlier so far, hm, that's the story, so just take it like it is and don't ask any questions about it anymore. Okay, so now back to the topic: The newest, current, and (so it seems) final 2 DIAS DE SANGRE album, titled "ULTIMO HOMBRE". Before the release and like Angelo told us in the interview I did with him on 2 DIAS DE SANGRE last year (read it here: http://manslaughterthuglife.blogspot.de/2013/05/2-dias-de-sangre-combat-hardcore-from.html) some drastic changes taken place before the release and recording of "ULTIMO HOMBRE": A new label, a new singer, new and first ever professional done music video, but anyhow no new or second guitar player, how- or why-ever...

Okay so much about all the dingle-dangle around and about "ULTIMO HOMBRE" by 2 DIAS DE SANGRE, now to the music and the songs of and on the album, so here we go: I will start this one with the only negative point concerning "ULTIMO HOMBRE", because you know the old saying of starting with the bad and finishing with the good - or in this case not with the good but with the great and awesome stuff. But, hm, maybe like an other old saying says: "Where there is light, there's always darkness, too." And even I would definitely doubt that "always" term and use in this very saying at least here's one example that this old saying from time to time and also still hits the nail on its head. So the only negative or critical point (from my point of view) is the "new" singer Christoph and his delivery and the style and quality of it which means his vocals and singing here on this album. Don't get me wrong, he's definitely a very good guy, and also beside being sympathic he's also very authentic for how I know him, but he's to be honest just not that good at singing, to say it that way. Okay, he is (or was) also in a pretty if not very difficult situation simply due to the fact that he had to manage to fill out the footprints that Denis left, the former singer and one of the founding members of 2 DIAS DE SANGRE and btw also the older brother of Angelo, okay, not easy anyhow, for sure. I still can remember seeing 2 DIAS DE SANGRE in 2010 at their record release party of their split album with GIVE 'EM BLOOD (my review on it back from 2010 you can read here: http://manslaughterthuglife.blogspot.de/2010/12/things-ive-seen-through-shit-ive-been.html) when I saw them for the first time ever live with Christoph who jumped in to replace Denis for this evening because he was back then in England or where the hell else ever (can't recall it anymore precisely) and I thought right from the start that he couldn't match up with Denis, neither in the case of his stage performance, nor in the case of the style and quality of his delivery. (My thoughts on or about this gig you can read here in my review-article about it from 2011: http://manslaughterthuglife.blogspot.de/2010/12/things-ive-seen-through-shit-ive-been.html.) So I was pretty sceptical when some years ago Angelo told me that Denis was going to quit duties due to new situations in his private and his work-related life and that Christoph was about to jump in replacing him. And okay, maybe it's just a matter of my personal taste and perception in and of music (surely it is, at least also) but in my book Christoph has just not what it takes for a band on this level like 2 DIAS DE SANGRE. Anyhow: Expect brutal and throaty shouted aggressive vocals from him, surely full of energy and, like already said, aggression(s), no problem with that. But I simply don't like the style of his vocal delivery, it's too moldy and uninspired, gammy and lame, stale and heard in this way far too often for thousand times before, and also it lacks a total own note or own identity and that makes it by far too much exchangeable, it sounds like the singing of every more or less noteable ordinary Beatdown or Tough Guy Hardcore band of today outta there, and then that's it already again and that's not much... Beside this by far too ordinary style of the delivery also the quality of it is anything but above average if anyhow, in no way varying or expressive enough to be anyhow grapping and also not massive and harsh enough to really make you listen up with ringing ears. And then that's it... and at least in my book that's just not much and not to talk about being enough after all. That this album only suffers a little bit because of it and is not (totally) taken down by it is just due to two things - and this finally brings us to all the good, the very good, the great, the amazing stuff and moments of "ULTIMO HOMBRE":

(1.) 2 DIAS DE SANGRE change often the singer which means the lead singer on "ULTIMO HOMBRE" and so it is damn great to see or better hear Denis himself returning to the mic on this very album and even Angelo himself is taking over the lead mic duties and here we get one great surprise, there was never ever the need to search "outside" for a new singer simply because Angelo's voice, style and delivery and also the quality of it which means his lead singing and his lead singing voice is total gold and the perfect match to/with the songs and music of 2 DIAS DE SANGRE. Brutal, hard, very massive and harsh, heavy and aggressive and beside this truly very smart and charismatic and even some sort of anthemic from start to end, full of grapping energy and sheer unmasked and unaffected real and honest hardness and raw and brute force, just perfect. Angelo takes over lead vocal duties on the phenoemnal title track "ULTIMO HOMBRE" dedicated to Gabor/(former) MY OWN LIFE one of his very best friends who suffered a terrible accident years ago and who still suffers through the bitter consequences of it, as well as he shares lead vocal duties with Denis and Christoph and a guy named Björn on "WHAT YOU GONNA DO?" and also delivers the backing vocals on "EUROPAS STURZ", their brilliant cover version of the legendary DOGMA IVS classic as a tribute to DOGMA IVS and especially our good friend Marcus who tragically died some years ago (read here about it: http://manslaughterthuglife.blogspot.de/2011/05/marcus-giese-02-08-1969-15-05-2011-rest.html; and also here: http://manslaughterthuglife.blogspot.de/2011/09/one-final-last-good-bye-farewell-my.html). Just the perfect combination and style'n'quality of what Angelo delivers here and how he delivers it all, and this also all totally on point.

(2.) The second point, and also the even more important point: The over-all quality of the songs on "ULTIMO HOMBRE" is just amazing and totally awesome, absolutely total gold if not even already total platinum, it would make up for anything or would make good every fault so it all makes up good the only average lead vocals of their main singer. It all starts with the sheer great and just totally grapping and damn interesting songwriting that's beside being totally bonecracking and skullsmashing, and full of everything down hammering and any resistance atomizing heavyness and full force brutality and total power also filled to the bloody max with one hell of a lot of surprising moments, strong changes of the pace compositions and the rhythm arrangements and a tension building almighty song architecture and great twists and turns and that's also again very advanced compared with their earlier (already and still damn fucking great) stuff. You get this good when listening to "FRONTIERS" and "WINGS OF HERSEY" that both had been already released in 2010 in their original versions on the above already mentioned split with GIVE 'EM BLOOD, and while both songs also already back then totally conquered today in their updated 2K13 versions they shine in an even brighter light and that's just damn brilliant. No need to say that 2 DIAS DE SANGRE are or had been very skilled and determined, focussed, and ambitious musicians (and that I really desperately hope to see the guys returning to make new music in which form ever and under which banner ever). Hard working and talented guys, the best-ever combination (in no matter what in life, and so also in making and creating music). We get almighty damn great stand-alone guitars with that typical unique and characteristic sound by Angelo, it's at the same time incredible harsh and heavy and forceful while at the same time groovy, catchy, and in a great way varying so that it really makes for major parts the music and that it makes all the differences in quality and style or just put it that way: A really stand-alone trademark!!! It is backed up by a total massive and brute, tight and precise in time at the point played very diverse and varying rhythm section consisting out of very strong bass playing by Jan and incredible great and well-versed, diverse, and forceful drumming delivered by Hajo. Then a lot of fat and broad crew gang back up chantings'n'shouts add up to it as well as the diverse and varying lead vocals (to which I already said respectively wrote enough above). To anyhow label 2 DIAS DE SANGRE anyway is pretty hard with melting Hardcore of various forms (from NYHC influences to Beatdown impressions and from there to metallic HC marks, and Metalcore reminiscences we find truckloads of differing inspirations or influences that are taken by 2 DIAS DE SANGRE and that are made to something totally of their very own) together with Thrash Metal and Death Metal and also managing it to fill in some Grindcore moments as well, so just let us stick with the description of Combat Hardcore/Metal, their very own breed of murderous great musick. A truly very unique band, definitely. They deliver ten songs in total here on and with "ULTIMO HOMBRE", two re-done ones, one cover song, and one intro song, and all the songs are nothing but amazing, with "ULTIMO HOMBRE" shining above or shining out them all. And what they made out of the anyhow great classic "EUROPAS STURZ" is also just totally phenomenal. But also all the other songs totally do nothing else than conquer, period. Especially the re-done ones "FRONTIERS" and "WINGS OF HERSEY" rule, and also "DENIS SONG", "TIME HAS COME", and "WHAT YOU GONNA DO?" used to take me by storm and force right from the start, point and fact. Beside the great music that is also wrapped up in one bomb of a mighty powerful production sound we get also a really great artwork and one more time again damn strong lyrics delivered by 2 DIAS DE SANGRE. So you see, it's the TOTAL package we get here. So, if it wouldn't be for the above mentioned and discussed lead vocal issue "ULTIMO HOMBRE" would definitely get the ultimate rating up here by me but also so be sure that the rating will be well deserved and justified and also make sure to get your hands on a copy of this album just in case you may still don't have already done so, because otherwise you would miss one of the strongest albums of the last years and perhaps also in years to come no matter out of which particular genre. So, it really sucks and is sort of pretty sad that 2 DIAS DE SANGRE really seem to called it a day, but at least they managed to do right in which so many countless others do wrong or completly fail: They leave us and say good bye to us with one hell of an amazing album that is a statement of its very own, and as far as I don't know why they disbanded and so can't understand it I am at least thankful that they go with such a phenomenal album and in a such a great and strong way, a great farewell statement by them for all of us, and (like already said one or two times before) just a totally overwhelming and incredible bright shining amazing album that you simply NEED to have, so in case you should still don't have it then go out and change this HERE AND NOW and damn fucking buy this album, period. Highly, highly recommended. Good bye guys!!! HARDCORE!!! FIST!!! /// Andy

(9,5 of 10 points)

(Band contact I: https://www.facebook.com/#!/dosdiasdesangre?fref=ts)

(Band contact II: http://dosdiasdesangre.bigcartel.com/)