Band:	Ortega
Album:	1634
Style:	Doom metal, Sludge metal
Release date:	January 2010

01. Still
02. Into The Waves
03. Shipwrecked
04. The Siren
05. Octagon
06. Chaser
07. The Oracle

Ortega, not to be confused with the salsa, is a band hailing from the land of dikes and clogs. They do, however, have things in common beyond the name. A good salsa combines various elements - tomatoes, Serrano peppers, onions, lemon juice, red peppers, and garlic to create a spicy little number. Ortega (back to the band) do likewise, adding various elements of "post", doom, sludge, and the occasional black into one spicy number.

The album 1634 is centered around a nautical theme (I seem to be a sucker for that kinda stuff), recounting the journey of a sailor who gets shipwrecked, wakes up on the Spanish coast, then tries to recall all that happened in the interim.

It starts off with "Still", a clean, simplistic guitar line that lulls the listener in before they drop the tsunami with "Into The Waves." Harsh throated vocals and crushing sludgy doom riffs batter the listener. Those two tracks sort of set the dual-tone for the journey that follows. Ortega shift between and mix the various styles mentioned in the first paragraph to masterful effect. The album ebbs and flows like the tide, with quieter, more introspective passages countered by crunchy blackened thrash (well, somewhere between black and thrash) riffs or pummeling doom. Even when the violin surfaces in an interlude of "Octagon" it's only slightly surprising and fits right in.

Everything flows smoothly, and sounds great. It's a mix of a variety of styles, but one they've managed to master and make their own. I loved it the first listen through and still enjoy it now, months and months later, so it's got some staying power.

Sadly this release - in some really cool packaging - was limited to 100 copies. So unless you have a cool hook up, your best bet is to visit the band's facebook page and beg. They offered 100 download copies not long ago. Throw your wretched selves at their mercy.