Mendozza – “White Rhino”

When I was a kid I had a rhino collection on top of my dresser. I thought rhinos were one of the coolest animals ever. Now I have shot glasses, guitar pics and music on my dresser. One disc that has a place up there is Mendozza’s album White Rhino. This is the closest thing I have to my childhood rhinos.

The art on this album has a total of 5 rhinoceroses. The body of one of them has the three Mendozza members’ faces photoshopped onto it. Either this rhino loved the band enough to get them tattooed on itself or it’s one sacred creature with three talented people on its side. Take that, Jesus-shaped Cheeto. The booklet also features a promo picture of the trio. This artwork was done by Antiarch.

Dirty, sludgy, gross, grimy music is what Mendozza delivers on White Rhino. Their sound is as if heavy metal decided to take a roll around in the mud. The behemothly distorted rhythms and the slow tempos create a grimy/dissonant sound. Overlaying are some shouting vocals which help make each track even more aggressive.

My favourite song is “Halo Of Crows”. The instruments are simple and slow pace but the riff is catchy. The verses have the usual shouting and are backed by female vocals. This blend creates a great song. Another special treat is heard a few minutes into “Outro”, which is a cover of “Hooch” by The Melvins. An ode to the pioneers of the genre.

After listening to White Rhino it’s no surprise as to why they were asked to perform a song for the ‘Underworld II’ soundtrack. Fans of Kowloon Walled City, Metz, Kylesa and Cult Of Luna will be into this dirty trio. Now to hear the crushing sounds of this record, again!

Track Listing:

01. Intro
02. Illuminairus
03. Otzi The Wanderer
04. White Rhino
05. The Rise Of The Piscean
06. Interlude
07. Pink Slips
08. Halo Of Crows
09. The Hounding
10. Outro

Run Time: 50:58
Release Date: 08.21.2007

Check out the song: “Otzi The Wanderer”