El Supremo -
El SupremoReview by John Pegoraro (StonerRock.com)
Self Released
Release date: 2009
Based on the fact that the cover of this self-titled album made it seem like the band's name was one word, my initial thought was that “Elsupremo” was another European band with English-as-a-second-language issues. Turns out the band's actually “El Supremo” and hails from Fargo, which, despite the best efforts by the movie of the same name, is not that foreign a place. So we'll blame the graphic designer for the cover and assume this instrumental four-piece got baptized at the local Taco Bell.
And much like the food at a chain restaurant, you pretty much know what you're getting with the seven track
El Supremo. It's positively stoner-rific, with the prerequisite fat riffs and thick grooves and the occasional nagging sensation that it's not only been done before but also a little better. That doesn't make it
bad - in fact, I'd call out “Like a House on Fire,” “Goat Horns and Pentacles,” and “Resinator/Mission Control” as solid examples of the genre. It's just that the album as a whole doesn't quite rise to the level of those by like-minded groups such as Hackman or Treasure Cat.
It could be that the songs all seem to stick to the same mid-tempo rhythm, or it could be that there aren't enough stand out moments like the “Whoa, dude, I'm fucking
high!” beginning to “Goat Horns...” and the greasy slide in “Resinator/Mission Control.” Whatever the cause,
El Supremo is a sort of comfort food; easily digestible but just as easily forgotten.
URL: http://www.myspace.com/elsupremomusic
