CoC : Criminal - Sicario : Review

Criminal - _Sicario_
(Metal Blade, 2005)
by: Jackie Smit (7 out of 10)

For the most part, it's difficult to tell whether _Sicario_ is the product of unachieved potential, or the foundation for a troupe of rising stars from South America to come and thoroughly blow us away next time round. If the latter were the case, they would certainly not be in bad company. As a matter of fact, their fellow countrymen in Sepultura did just that many moons ago when they followed up a solid, but flawed _Schizophrenia_ with _Beneath the Remains_. But _Sicario_ isn't this Chris Barnes-approved outfit's debut album, and for a band that's been around since 1991, they do come dangerously close to running a hole through the thin layer of gabardine separating them from the rest of the world's throwaway melodic thrash / death bands. Their saving grace lies in songs like "Walking Dead" -- a mid-paced affair that owes more to _Chaos AD_ than it does to _Slaughter of the Soul_, and that appears to have been custom-written to show off the coarse belligerence in Anton Reisenegger's vocals. It certainly makes the album worth a listen, if you're into this sort of thing; and if not, I'd dare to wager that with a little more consistency, there's a good chance they may win you over next time around.

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(article published 12/8/2005)