Por Encima

Reseña de álbum

DLD established themselves as one of the most promising new bands on the Mexican rock scene with their third album, Ventura (2007), and the follow-up effort, Por Encima, is similarly impressive and boasts quite a few great songs. The band has a refined alternative rock sound reminiscent of the mid-'90s Seattle bands Pearl Jam and Soundgarden. In fact, the resemblance to Pearl Jam is uncanny, especially the vocals of Paco Familiar, who is a dead ringer for Eddie Vedder. Also worthy of special mention is guitarist Erik Neville, whose full-throttle riffs are slightly distorted, heavy, and angular. Though Por Encima is the fourth album by DLD (formerly known as Dildo), it feels as if the band is just now hitting its stride with this album and its predecessor, the aforementioned mainstream breakthrough effort Ventura. DLD aren't an especially creative band, yet that's perfectly fine because they're good at making straight-ahead alternative rock that's radio-friendly without forsaking any of its edge. Like Pearl Jam, they're not trying to reinvent the wheel. They don't need to. They make impassioned rock with memorable hooks and exhilarating riffs. It's really that simple. It helps, of course, that they have quite a few great songs here on Por Encima. In addition to the lead single "Por Siempre," which opens with a fantastic dual-guitar riff and is graced with a soaring chorus, the album is front-loaded with a run of three straight standouts, "La Llamada," "1 de Octubre," and "Se Va." While there's nothing revolutionary about Por Encima, if DLD can continue to crank out albums like this one and Ventura, they're likely to stay at the forefront of the Mexican rock band for years to come.