Review
Gonzales
Checkmate

Chorus of One (2009) Loren

Gonzales – Checkmate cover artwork
Gonzales – Checkmate — Chorus of One, 2009

It shouldn't take a Johnny Cash song to make a record take off. With Checkmate, from Gonzales, that's exactly the problem. The first hook to really pull you in comes on "Ring of Fire," which sets a positive tone for everything that follows after it. Unfortunately, that's only the final three songs.

At their heart, Gonzales seek to be a big guitar, balls-to-the-wall rock band, the kind that screams macho energy and falls somewhere in the neighborhood of Nashville Pussy, with southern influences and unabashed Lemmy adoration. Unfortunately, the first six songs really aren't that laden with memorable hooks and the vocals are adequate but not gripping. Everything is decent, but it doesn't jump out. On "Fallen" there are some solos that capture attention, and the intro to "Heaven Gone Wrong" continues the trend, but, generally speaking, there's little variety to be gained, and seemingly one tempo until "Ring of Fire" kicks off. Lyrics including "My baby knows how to blow my mind" in the latter are indicative of the record's tone.

After the cover song, the subtle rockabilly of "Go to Hell" is easier to discern, with some serious shredding filling the voids. The latter songs shift the sound a little further from the guitar, utilizing more backing vocals and choruses. This creates a more cohesive sound and the solos feel complementary instead of the driving force. The well-rounded rock'n'roll of "Fiesta" and "My Son," at the record's end, offers potential for a compelling rock record.

It's not so much that Checkmate is a bad record, but it's without focus and ends up rather forgettable.

6.5 / 10Loren • October 20, 2009

Gonzales – Checkmate cover artwork
Gonzales – Checkmate — Chorus of One, 2009

Recently-posted album reviews

Painkiller

The Great God Pan
Tzadik (2025)

Painkiller, the trio of John Zorn, Bill Laswell, and Mick Harris shows no signs of slowing down. The Great God Pan is their third full-length, since their reunion in 2024, and in many ways it is an unexpected offering. In keeping with their interests in the metaphysical realm, Painkiller find inspiration from the famed Arthur Machen horror novella. Here, the … Read more

Painkiller

The Equinox
Tzadik (2025)

Painkiller sees three absolute masters of extreme music join forces. John Zorn of Naked City and a billion other projects, Mick Harris who transcended from Napalm Death drummer to illbient guru with Scorn, and producer extraordinaire Bill Laswell. Their first two records, Guts of a Virgin and Buried Secrets are strange meditations traversing between free-jazz, grindcore and dub. Still hungry … Read more

Dauber

Falling Down
Recess (2025)

The lazy approach would be to call Dauber "ex-Screaming Females," but that barely scratches the surface. If I had to pick one band to namedrop a comparison to, it would be labelmates Night Court. They play a familiar style but with a lot of quirks that set it apart from the genre standard-bearers. It's driving and energetic -- more importantly, … Read more