**The Album Reviews published on Dying Scene are written and submitted by regular users of the site. These users are not professional music critics nor are they paid for what they write. If you disagree with an album’s rating, feel free to voice your opinion and give it your own rating in the comments. If you’d like to submit your own review do it here.
Where do I start? “La Ilusion Que Llevas”, the most recent release from Peru’s Play Attenchon, had been on my radar for a (very) long time before it came out in 2008 and the hype was big since the band had posted some of their top tracks on their myspace page so many were hungry for more. Everyone had been leaving positive feedback and times were good for the band and now with the official Bells On release available to the entire world, times were rollin’. I would first like to say how nice of a guy Alessandro (drummer) is to everyone in the punk rock community and beyond. There’s always someone in a band that takes the extra steps to help promote, communicate, provide updates, etc, to people and Alessandro is by far one of the best (or even the best) punk ambassadors out there today. Being in Peru is hard enough to promote music but through the help of the band’s “open arms” approach, Play Attenchon have gotten the much needed attention they so desperately deserved. First off for the album, take a look at this:
High Points:
– Mario’s vocals are like a Spanish Zoli Teglas from USA’s Ignite and Pennywise.
– Alessandro’s technicality on drums and the bass pedal sounds on the recording are amazing. You can hear everything!
– They “bring it” on every track
– Even if it’s Spanish vocals, the music and vocals have that little “something something” that makes you listen to the band over and over again.
I love the approach that the guys took going into the studio. And wow @ Angelo at Ances Studio did a superb job. The band’s goal was to have all instruments sound at a high level and they accomplished that. The drums REALLY sound good. I’m sure you would not be surprised if I told you that the band’s main influences are Belvedere as well as Forus and pretty much all Bells On Records bands. The first track of the album, “Intro”, is instrumental and like Forus’ EP starter track, it shines from the get go. I mean how can you not be interested with an opener like that? Imagine playing a hockey game and pumping up the troops with a track like that just before hitting the ice. Carnage I say. As indicated before, Mario’s vocals are such a high point and the album starts off with the track “Ya No Sere El Mismo”. There’s a lot of stops-and-go with a lot of fancy pedal work. If someone is not familiar with the band and not accustomed to hearing Spanish vocals, they will surely love the music no matter what. “Viviendo En El Pasado” sees more hardcore vocals at the start which then fades to the distinctive melodic sung ones. The track finishes off with a crafty classic like solo.
Moving along, “Solo En La Oscuridad”, being at the middle of the album brings all the elements of the band’s influences into this track. It’s a powerful track to show anyone who wants to hear Play Attenchon for the first time. I really would show many tracks from the band to a first time listener so it was a tough one to choose; trust me. “Mis Suenos” starts us off with a sweet guitarmony and finishes with some Whippersnapper like guitars at the end. Play Attenchon really can create some of the best shorter solos out there! Sorry Dragonforce. They make you think; wow did they really play that? “La Ilusion Que Llevas”, the title track of the album, is not the title track for any reason. That guitar riff that they play at the intro and later on (1:42…) is just lovely to hear. This kick ass song has some crazy vocals/back vocals as well. It shows that they REALLY know how to use their vocal talents to the extreme. “Identidad” has the best start of a song that I’ve heard in a while. I don’t know what’s it about but the guitars just have that effect on me I guess. In the end, this is an album you can’t pass by. If you have a music collection and you do not have this release please do not call your music collection great. It’s kind of like the law on the jungle.
And yes, the songs might have been written a couple of years ago but they sound like the “cream of the crop” of the punk rock out today. The new album that the guys are working on is surely to be a classic for the books. The punk rock community might have a day off when that release is official. Also, on a side note, the band is now focusing on English vocals to get their name out more in the international scene. You can hear the band with English vocals on the “Coalition” four-way split on Bells On Records; it contains a sweet Craig’s Brother cover to boot!