Parrilla, hailing from the Southend on the Sea, UK, have been described as a rising force in the UK underground. Having cut their teeth round Essex, sharing the stage with the likes of Goat Monsoon and participating in Bloodstock’s Metal To The Masses, the four piece have a reputation both on and off the stage for being a tight musical unit and with this comes a strong sense of confidence, especially when you plan a trilogy of thematically linked EPs! “Femme Fatale: Ensnared By Venus I” is the first offering and the general consensus so far from others who have covered this has been extremely positive. One thing all who have covered this EP have agreed upon is how the band effortlessly blend several genres and compositional approaches, so let’s see if this musical lady is as dangerous as she is made out to be, or if the real dangerous intent is buried further into the musical journey Parrilla intend to take us on.
The EP opens up with an ominous sample based start in the form of “Law Of Texas” but the samples are quickly drowned out by huge walls of hard distortion and hazy vocals. Thundering chugs and powerful rhythmic attacks suddenly speed up as synth elements add an almost techno/electronica quality to the sound before it snaps back to the harder hitting metallic attack for the chorus where the vocals lose that hazy edge and turn to raw shouts. You can hear the Industrial vibes in the track and bands like Nine Inch Nails and Ministry spring to mind with how the electronic sample components and synths weave their way into the harsh distortion. It serves as a decent opening track and helps set the scene for the rest of the EP.
“Bleed, Cry, Pray, Die” has an infectious rhythmic hook which grabs you right off the bat and sound wise, it is heavily reminiscent of Nu-Metal/Industrial hybrid The Union Underground’s material. It has some great momentum and the shift into track 3, “Show Me” works perfectly. A dramatic synth build up brings some echoes of the gothic grandeur of The Sisters Of Mercy, rich in atmosphere and over the top expressive vocal stylings, albeit slightly darker in delivery. In all, these three opening tracks are a great display of what Parrilla can do, who their influences are and how they have put their own slant on the sounds which inspired them.
Leading single/promoted track “Mannequin Complex” is the first major sonic divergence. The gothic and industrial vibes remain throughout the track, but it has a real intricate and dark feel to it. Vocally it dances between haunting cleans, powerful growls and harsh screams all to the backdrop of something which has the touches of flair you would expect from the Neue Deutsche Härte/Welle stylings, kind of like New Order meets Rammstein! This trend is reflected in the 5th track, “Desire” which has a sleazy, fast paced groove which mirrors “Bleed, Cry…” from earlier on the release, only this time it’s a lot more twisted and intense with the delivery – seductive samples, chilling whispers and furious roars all over a musical backdrop which conjures mental images of underground nightclubs filled with strobe lights, wispy smoke and people dressed like they are in the Matrix. Think ‘I’m with Stupid’ by Static-X and you get the idea! “Femme Fatale” rounds off the EP and whilst it still packs a punch with its rhythmic delivery and high octane, energetic pacing like the previous tracks, it doesn’t quite have the same punch in terms of the sound. The hard metal is there, but it isn’t as pummelling. It has that infectious nature in its sound which counts for something, but as a finale to the release, it’s kind of underwhelming.
In all, this is a rather solid EP. It’s just about the right length to keep you hooked and has enough content on it to appeal to a wide range of audiences. The blend of electronica and metal works fine, both in a good proportion to each other so neither is overwhelming. The vocals are diverse enough to add melodic aspects and atmospheric impacts and the rhythmic work is spot on! Whilst it might not be something I would purposely go out of my way to listen to (I am very picky with Industrial-leaning things) it is a well composed release and that is something I will praise and appreciate! Part 1 of this trilogy has piqued my interest, I am tempted to stick around to see how the other parts play out.
(7/10 Fraggle)
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