Sangue – Sangue EP

As you probably know, sometimes rock music may seem repetitive and bland, with many good bands working hard to get to the top of the music chain, but with little to no avail of reaching greater audiences, mainly because their music offers nothing new. It’s due to the fact that many of those bands are trying to reinvent the same old wheel by overly mimicking something the greats recorded and performed decades ago, experimenting too much, or simply lacking qualities that will draw the crowd to their music. Thankfully, there are music outlets that know how to deliver fresh, unique, innovative music while still paying homage to the era when heavy rock music ruled the airwaves. Sangue, an exceptional Brazilian rock unit, is one of those bands that know how to deliver emotionally resonant yet profoundly heavy music that tackles all the senses. With their recently released self-titled extended play release, Sangue evoke the glory days of alternative rock music, adorned with only the finest properties borrowed from heavy rock, grunge, stoner, sludge, hard rock, and post metal. But the way they assembled these tracks is what impresses the most. Each composition arrives with a particular set of genres, while the heavy alternative rock remains their primary sonic direction. Depending of the song’s mood, Elvis Suhadolnik Bonesso and Atila Viggiani craft a clever, thoughtful, fascinating sonic and lyrical narrative that guides your listening apparatus from scratch to finish. Each composition arrives entirely packed with sincere emotion, conveyed through bold, heavy, powerful guitar riffs, groovy basslines, and dynamic rhythmic performance that will immediately force you to spin this epic sonic journey all over again.

This epic sonic journey commences with calm, soothing, relaxing notes of “Ghost Town,” a perfect introductory piece that gradually pulls you into Sangue’s sonic whirlwind. At first, the interplay between instruments showcases almost ghostly, psychedelic, ethereal sound, but the band slowly evolves its sound into a profoundly heavy grunge soundscape, built upon exceptional guitar riffs, groovy basslines, and excellent drumming performance. The downtuned guitars deliver all the necessary aggression, rawness, and heaviness you need, while the intricate low-ends offer groove, detail, and clarity. In the meantime, the tastefully assembled beats, breaks, fills, and other percussive acrobatics dictate groove and pace while keeping the remainder of the band in line. The vocals are soulful, passionate, sincere, confident, emotional, and yet pack a lot of power and aggression that complements all the orchestrations. Such an incredible piece that promises a wild ride through the heavy rock universe. With the introductory arpeggiated chord progressions and beautiful leads, “Leash” is also one of those tracks that immediately pulls you in. Evoking some of the finest nineties grunge maneuvers, this composition resonates with soulful vocal harmonies, perfectly blended through multiple vocal layers and recorded to the ultimate perfection. The colossal slab of well-articulated noise, delivered through powerful guitar riffs and another dosage of detailed basslines, acts as a perfect backdrop for all the vocals to shine upon. With each new segment, the guitar and bass works become even heavier, aggressive, and intricate, showcasing two exceptional musicians doing their best. It’s nearly mindblowing how those drumming patterns articulate here. Each splash over the cymbal, accentuation over hi-hats, kick of the bass drum, and hit of the snare has its place and purpose here, propelling this track to new heights. But wait until you hear “Dull.” This composition exemplifies what happens when you blend late-nineties or early noughties grunge with sludge and stoner music. Although Sangue prioritizes aggression, abrasion, heaviness, and ultimate power throughout the entire composition, you’ll still notice a somewhat softer, mellower, calmer chorus serving as a counterweight to all the power these folks deliver through those extremely addictive verses. The band demonstrates how even those soothing and relaxing moments may sometimes seem enormously heavy, despite their mellowness. These are the moments where Sangue’s songwriting, composing, arranging, and producing abilities shine in the limelight, as the duo showcases their skills, creativity, talent, knowledge, and experience to the max. This marvelous extended play comes to an end with “Tainted,” another fine piece of sonic artistry that may seem like a rock ballad at first, but you’ll hear how the band gradually adds more details, rawness, and aggression through another dosage of catchy, memorable, engaging guitar riffs, harmonies, melodies, and other sonic maneuvers. In the meantime, the bass guitar rumbles beneath the guitar works, contributing warmth, depth, clarity, and more groove. The moderate rhythm keeps all the orchestrations grounded, locked into the groove with those well-accentuated beats. It’s such a perfect closure of an exceptional material that will, as soon as it comes to an end, force you to repeat it over and over again.

This self-titled extended play release will immediately transport you to an era when heavy rock, grunge, and alternative ruled the airwaves, yet it also vividly depicts two brilliant musicians offering some of the finest songs that go way beyond anything you could hear on the music scene nowadays. Sangue is an outstanding music outlet capable of delivering profoundly emotional, soulful, and ultimately heavy rock tunes without sounding predictable, repetitive, or bland. Their songwriting and composing abilities are beyond comprehension, and you’ll immediately get hooked on this material as soon as you press play. Head to your favorite streaming platform and check out this masterpiece.