“So who do you sound like? is one of the most common questions when it comes to learning about a band. The usual response is something along the lines of “like Metallica meets Jethro Tull”. Daga, well, Daga sounds like Daga. In the best way possible. It is rare for an artist to create and cultivate a sound that is unique and distinguishable. It happens (not for everyone) , over years, mostly naturally. It is clear that Daga knew what they wanted to be early on. They also knew what they didn’t want to be: the same as everyone else. Their debut album is a collection of songs that embodies the band’s ethos in its early years. The band is at its finest on tracks like Denial, the lead single; a surprisingly hook heavy chorus which pleads “for that” (Yo Pido Por Eso). The chorus is so memorable that it's easy to forget you’re listening to hardcore metal (also see Whore, for another memorable chorus). On Pray for Pills, an outstanding piece that encompasses Daga’s knack to walk the line back and forth between head-banging and careful intent listening. The track kicks off with an intense full force onslaught, elements of thrash, only to give in to an intense display of restraint and wading deep into post hardcore alternative, only to stop at something completely new and distinctly Daga. Corriendo En Círculos is one of the spanish language highlights, a critical revision of Bolivia’s tortured multicultural history. Lyrically, Daga is unabashedly political at times (Nada, Damnation), a reflection of the tumultuous period following Cochabamba’s Water Wars in the early 2000’s that ultimately lead to the social and economic revolution that is still ongoing in Bolivia, nearly two decades later. Some of the songs on this album are well known to fans and early supporters. Nevertheless, these tracks were either reworked, or partially re-written(Nada, Corriendo En Circulos, Ruta 8, Sick of the Past). There are items that benefited more and less from this process, but as a whole, Daga succeeds at introducing a brave new sound.Many critics will attempt to simplify the sound as alternative metal or nu metal. This perhaps would apply to certain portions of the album. But this body of work proves to be as diverse as the members of Daga’s original line-up. Ultimately, Daga succeeds at not paying tribute to any particular sub-genre, and paving a road of its own.