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This is an odd one. Corretja are a band that have apparently been kicking around the underground for like 20 years and I have never heard of them. You look at their album covers and song titles and you would think this was some kind of hardcore or post-rock band, but they are not. I list them as "Melodic Death Metal" because they have death-styled vocals and they are indeed very melodic, but there is so much more going on here than Gothenburg imitation. This is actually a very individual and eclectic album held together by some really good musicianship and songwriting.

This band has a definite style of their own, but it is kind of hard to put a finger on. They play strongly melodic metal with elements from both Death and Doom, highlighted by some very good guitar playing. The vocals are harsh but sometimes mixed with some clean singing that is well done and fits the music when it appears. The songs use strong melodic refrains to provide reprise and an emotional through-line, so the songs are distinct, and never fall into the trap of all sounding alike. There are slower, moody acoustic passages, some narration—a lot of stuff gets thrown in here and it seems like it shouldn't work but it does. This album is an experience unlike that provided by any other band, and the level of talent on display is really impressive.