The band moniker would translate from Spanish to English as "Monkey of the Night", and perhaps sheds a modicum of light upon the curious image which illumines the cover of Balls Deep--- a monkey swathed in angelic garb, that wields an electric guitar, and lifts up the bottom of its holy robe to reveal a luminous occultic seal. Never let it be said that this blowzy rock duo (you read correctly--- a duo) from Washington state are without a healthy comedic sense, in the tradition of the late great Frank Zappa.

The overall effort undertaken with regards to the song writing proves out to navigate the familiar musical waters of the Seattle underground, and it takes but a moment for the listener to accept that the members of this band have shared stages with the likes of Nirvana, as well as alt-metal pioneers The Melvins. What better way to open a release than with a song called "Cans"? Mico de Noche opens their musical can with a lead grooved, mid-tempo stomper. The drums are massive and physical--- great throughout the entire disc, in fact. The effect choices selected for the guitars are certainly cut from garage and hard indie cloth: all grain and wheeze, and non-stop. Pity that this eye-opener lasts for a thin 1:28--- but perhaps the old fashioned aesthetic of punk is still (thankfully) alive and well in some reaches of the world.

"Blues Shoes" blows in second. Here, it is possible that these so called dropouts from the school of grunge may be at their most interesting, from a perspective of style and blend, laying down a well executed track that is a comfortable marriage between alt metal and stoner rock. Listeners are advised to keep their ears peeled for the leading guitar melodies that move in around 1:44, continuing through until the final stop of the song is made. The marriage of alt rock and stoner metal carries into the third track, "Magic Tomorrow", where although the up-tempo feel and howling grit of the vocals are certainly solid, the Melvins' influence here may be a bit much, as is also evident on the song "Clips".

In the fourth slot is "Rancho Ramona", an entertaining and oblique surprise, where dollops of Spanish flavored guitar are grafted over a tale of a Mexican restaurant cook who does crystal methamphetamine off of a toilet lid in the men's room. Here they further solidify the underlying feel of the album; namely, the elusive vein of dark psychedelia that branches throughout much of the recording. To be sure, Balls Deep--- while still maintaining its own identity, manages to brim with the attitude and sound of the late-eighties Seattle (and surrounding area) underground. Songs like "Cannibal Theory", "Hirsute Pursuit", and "Who's Got the Acid" prove as much. The primary approach comes across as a big, visceral sound crammed into a small room--- firm but unpretentious rockers, with meandering melodies which slide over a dense skeleton of basslines and drum work. Song "A100" comes in dark and clean, but shifts into a wobbly, unsure change. Hearing lyrics that tell of coming in from the East, and a great beast who roars across the sand to the promised land, one is distinctly reminded of W.B. Yeats' "The Second Coming" --- "And what rough beast, its hour come round at last, slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?".

The verdict: While not expanding upon any established peripheries from a standpoint of format and structure, Mico de Noche nevertheless offer deep, aggressive energy, subtly dark psychedelia, humor, and above all... grainy, loud-minded alt-metal.

This is a band to watch.