Dillom - Por cesárea (REVIEW)
I'm a bit of a sucker when it comes to music that writhes in the darkness. There's something about an artist exploring the darker sides of the human psyche that catches my attention. Another soft spot I have with music is when I listen to a concept album that's well executed, almost making the listening experience feel more like a journey. Dillom's sophomore album, "Por cesárea", manages to achieve both in flying colors.
When I first came across this album, it was like a happy accident. I had never heard of Dillom's music, but the front cover and genre tags were enough to give it a listen. I was very much blown away, and I grew to love this album even more on repeat listens. I even pulled up Genius and read along as the songs played.
The idea of having an album play out a man's mental deterioration is nothing new, but the way Dillom explores this track-by-track feels incredibly fresh. And while this isn't even close to the harshest exploration of this concept, this album is very concise, straightforward, and attention grabbing. It does a really great balancing act of having genuinely catchy moments, as well as not fucking around once things get intense.
To go over some of the highlights, "Últimamente" is an amazing tone setter, establishing its dark tones and unpredictable directions, while also building intrigue, allowing the listener to explore further. "Mi peor enemigo" and "Muñecas" are effectively bleak tracks. "Buenos tiempos" is a wild ride and gets me pumped up whenever I hear it. And "Cirugía" is for sure a standout, being simultaneously beautiful and foreboding (especially once you see where the album heads afterwards).
However, this album truly shines around the third act. "(Irreversible)" is a fantastic instrumental with fantastic progression that brings me back to the early sounds of Nine Inch Nails. And going from the hectic "Coyote" to the hopeless "Reiki y yoga" and concluding with the surprisingly blissful "Ciudad de la Paz" brings a complex splash of emotion.
All in all, "Por cesárea" is a dark listening experience with touches of beauty that feels incredibly fresh and well thought out compared to its contemporaries. It's blend of hip hop, rock, punk, and horrorcore feels very unique, especially when paired with Dillom's expressive vocals. I would recommend this to someone who's just getting into challenging, pessimistic music, because this ruled!