Published on Aug 4, 1999
A confession: I do not speak a word of Spanish. (No, wait,
that’s not completely true; I know a couple of words, including one
or two vulgarities some buddies of mine taught me in high school.)
Having been convinced by my high school guidance counselor that
Latin was the way to go (and, boy, has
that come in handy the last 10 years), I skipped out on a
real chance to become bilingual.
So I might not be the most qualified person to review
Metalo, a compilation of Latin metal bands that was recently
released. But what I lack in comprehension I can make up for in
appreciation of the music – and this collection is pretty good.
The quality occasionally shifts from superb to midrange; one
inclusion, “Pirates” from Armored Saint (featuring the late Dave
Pritchard), sounds like it was an unproduced demo. (I could be
right; this is the first time this song has ever been released.)
But for the most part, it is the playing and the delivery of the
vocals that make this disc one to savor.
Chances are
Metalo will be an introduction to many of these bands. Two
of these bands – Puya and Pissing Razors – have been reviewed here
previously. A third band, Ratos De Porao, I became familiar with
while in college radio, but I admit it’s been some time since I
dusted off any of their cassettes that I own.
Otherwise, I’m willing to bet that this will be the first time
you’ve heard bands like Brujeria (“La Migra (Cruza La Frontera
II)”), Criminal (“Hijos De La Miseria”), Lodo y Astalto (“El
Monstruo”) or Raimundos (“Rapante”). The latter group, according to
the press release, is featured with a song made up of obscenities –
proof positive that I’ve got to learn another language to increase
my vocabulary.
What sets
Metalo apart from a lot of today’s metal isn’t the
intermixing of languages (and there are some English vocals on this
disc), it’s the intensity of the performances. Oh, it’s not that
some bands out there today aren’t putting their all into it, but
it’s that these groups on
Metalo are out not only to entertain their countrymen and
women, but also to be the standard-bearers for a new genre of
metal. And, with almost no exception, it proves to be an
interesting journey.
While I think you’d get more out of
Metalo if you spoke Spanish, even people like me who don’t
know the language can enjoy the music and the vocal rhythms
created.
Metalo proves that there is more to metal than what exists
in the borders of the United States.