Album Review: Candarian – Trepanación
Reviewed by Sam Jones
We look to Costa Rica now and put under the microscope Candarian and their fist full length record: Trepanación. Formed in 2020 out of San José, Candarian are a band out of a region the world does not see many metal acts come from. Granted there have been sporadic names but Costa Rica isn’t your go to hub for all things metal but, perhaps things are changing. Putting out their 2022 Demo, Stagnant Liver Mortis, the band got hard to work writing and recording their debut album. Better yet Candarian find themselves signed on with Me Saco Un Ojo Records with Trepanación slated for an April 27th release date. Promising butchering death metal with some gloriously gory old school art, Candarian are ready to share the international community what they’re made of.
Following a foreboding introductory track Candarian’s debut album gets going, utilising a prominent guitar tone that sets the stage for a punching, commanding performance. The band certainly grab your attention with songwriting that’s razor sharp yet manages to evoke a great tempo without pressing too hard on the pedal. We can tell the band enjoy playing at speed but they’re able to infer speed without the riffs barrelling down on you. I think this is the case because much of their songwriting seems to lean into the varying sequence as a cohesive unit. From what we discern the band prefer to stick to each other’s side so no singular element starts straying from the group. It’s what gives this record such a formidable yet driving sound since the band have minimised, to the best of their ability, any sound that could wander and pull our attention away from what’s courting right down the middle.
With that said we mustn’t think Candarian are dull or strive for linear-sounding songwriting; it’s evident Trepanación is a huge record on the inside for the vocals roar and echo long after their initial utterance has faded, piggybacking upon the riffs and all the odious strength they exhibit. However it’s far from crushing, alleviating your senses and showing you won’t need to worry about having your skull drilled whilst you’re listening (ironic given the record’s title). Had the band doubled down on tone this could have been a truly suffocating release akin to early Incantation, but their active choice not to demonstrates the band’s ethos towards this record. They wanted to immerse and subjugate you to all myriads of nefarious and ill borne sensations, but they still want you to return and thus understand experiencing their music is no punishment.
The punching and pummelling aesthetic one receives from Candarian is embedded in how the riffs are conveyed. Whilst the band’s tempo is fast and is clearly what Candarian are most comfortable with, a riff or lick or chord doesn’t linger for long before dissipating, surrendering room for the next, which in turn establishes this ever-revolving flurry of hurt where the pain hardly ceases. It’s as if the band brought the guitar work right to the forefront without having to obviously alter much in the mixing process; the result is a guitar attack where what’s on record feels organic and natural to Candarian’s sound as opposed to an active decision made outside the band’s innate, performative ability.
It’s no wonder Trepanación is conveyed with such astonishing power; once you hear the bass play on its own with nothing else battling for attention, you’ll know then and there why Candarian keep you invested so easily. The bass lines are enormous and come off with gluttonous fervour which, even as the band go full bore on snapping you neck, through keen listening you can pinpoint the bass performing, instilling the record with the bass required to ground such an evil work of metal. It’s half the reason the momentum barely recedes for a second as while you know a track will start strong, you’ll learn it isn’t topping off or pulling back. If anything, the longer a track goes on the greater and more explosive their songwriting becomes as riff upon riff upon bellowing vocals continuously layers itself into a detonation that will not and cannot end.
In conclusion, Trepanación is a fiery and blistering experience that’s able to convey slaughter and brimstone but keeps its volcanic head still, not blowing its top no matter how massive its sound gets. With seven tracks to play with Candarian’s performance never wanes nor does its rapturous sound calm for the sake of varied songwriting. You know why you’re here as do the band, therefore why give you anything less? It’s this commanding opus that tells us to sit down and take it whilst not being so overbearing that the very act of listening grows arduous. Candarian walk that tightrope very carefully but whatever balance they’ve achieved works and I’d like to see where they take things from here. With Costa Rica exploding in its slew of metal acts, Candarian have taken their first and rightful step in joining that niche pantheon.
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