Review Summary: Despite its erratic sonwriting and poor sound, "¿Donde estan mis amigos?" is filled with good songs!
During the tumultuous year of 1993, in which Roberto Iniesta settled in Barcelona, the gestation of Extremoduro's fourth album took place, with a pause in between that served for the creation of the Pedra project.
Following the departure of bassist Carlos el Sucio and drummer Luis von Fanta, only Salo remained from the lineup that recorded "Deltoya" (the group's most classic formation) when it came time to start recording this album. However, Salo also soon parted ways with the group, but his contribution was still credited in the album's booklet. In this way, Roberto Iniesta surrounded himself with new musicians along with others already known to him, such as Iñaki Anton, who participated in the guitars for Los Tengo Todos, and Selu on saxophone, coming from his work on "Pedra."
The period during which "¿Donde estan mis amigos?" was composed is also known to Extremoduro fans as the "Epoca del caos" (Epoch of Chaos) due to the erratic and unpredictable nature of the band's concerts during those years. This, coupled with Robe's tumultuous personal situation at the time (separated from his wife and children) and the departure of classic members, resulted in what is perhaps Extremoduro's most chaotic album.
The production is weak, the mix is peculiar, the saxophone sounds out of tune at times... Everything seems like it's about to break and crumble at any moment. But somehow, Extremoduro's magic ends up appearing, giving rise to a unique and special album, full of great songs, departing from the monolithic darkness of Deltoya and the urban rock of "Somos unos Animales" to delve more into singer-songwriter music. Although, make no mistake, songs like El Duende del Parque with its extremely heavy metal chorus remain very powerful.
This album confirmed more than any other that Extremoduro was Robe and the musicians around him, as, in my opinion, it could very well have had his name alone or been recorded with other companions, and it would have been the same result (more or less)
Best songs: El Duende del Parque (one of my favorites from the album, with great lyrics and a beastly chorus), No me Calientes que me Hundo (a song that has become a true classic of the group over time), Pepe Botika (hilarious lyrics and an anthem of my youth), and Bri Bri Bli Bli (somehow reminiscent of Quemando tus Recuerdos from "Somos unos Animales" in theme and the change of rhythm it offers).
Special mentions: Estoy Muy Bien (not a classic of the band, but I've always liked it, especially the excellent bassline) and Historias Prohibidas (a good hard rock song, in line with some similar songs from "Deltoya").
Conclusion: "¿Donde estan mis amigos?" is a poetic, torn, and tumultuous album that reflects the strange situation Robe was going through at that time, and it would begin to calm down from "Agila" onwards. The production is weak, coupled with somewhat more irregular compositional quality, placing this album clearly below "Deltoya," despite the essential nature it holds for any follower of the group and, consequently, Spanish rock.
