Spain. Great for football, great for holidays, great for hotties. Not the first place you think of, however, when you consider heavy metal music. For a long time, the only band I ever knew that came off the Iberian peninsula was Baron Rojo, and I only really ever marked them for the novelty value of the fact that they sang in their native language. Imagine! But ask me to name a well-known metal band from most countries, I could do so. Spain, not so much. There has been some movement that direction on my behalf recently, it should be noted, with my discovery of Cain's Dinasty, but great as they are, they sing in English, and so although they're undeniably Spanish I tend not to think of them in the same terms as the ol' Red Baron.
Of course, I'm sure there are many good metal bands based in Spain these days: a cursory search through
Encyclopadeia Metallum for same gives over two thousand results, but some of those are defunct and many are small bands, probably unknown outside of their native region. There are, however, some extremely inventive and downright funny names. Spaniards seem to have the best sense of humour (whether it's intentional or not) when it comes to naming their bands. Just look at some of these that turned up in my quick search for the intro to this piece: PussyWorm. **** Off. Timeless Necrotears(?). Trollfastheart (my favourite, for obvious reasons). Vaginal Kebab. [In mute]. Aversion to Mankind. Some of these name are just brilliant!
But it is of course doing a disservice to Spain to suggest they have no famous metal bands, as I eventually found out. War Cry have been doing the rounds since 2001 and have won numerous awards in their home country and in other Latin American climes. Dark Moor, of course, are another, and then there's the aforementioned Cain's Dinasty. But in general, it would seem that the state of heavy metal in Spain is, shall we say, fluid? I'm sure someone who lives in Spain or knows Spanish metal far better than I do may comment on how stupid and ill-informed I am, and I readily accept that: my search for Spanish metal bands was, after all, a quick and not at all intensive one, using just one website, though apparently one of the more respected ones for heavy metal.
Nemesis --- Saratoga --- 2012 (Calle Underground)
All of which leads me to Saratoga, who have been together since 1992 but released their first, self-titled album in 1995 and have had ten since, this being their eleventh, and most recent. I've waxed lyrical about Cain's Dinasty, and I do love that band, but these guys are in a class all of their own. Looking for the Spanish Iron Maiden? They might not thank me for that label, but I really feel that's what you find in this band from Madrid. They're obviously heavily influenced by Bruce and the boys, yet manage to have their own distinctive sound. They sing in Spanish, but luckily at least the titles of the songs on this album are all easily translatable, or at worst you can guess what songs like “Despues del silencio” and “La ultima frontera” are likely to mean. Doesn't mean I have a clue what they're singing about, but at least there's some idea as to what the songs are meant to be called.
They're only a four-piece --- which makes it all the more amazing how they manage to get that Maiden “twin-guitar-attack” sound with just one guitarist --- the classic metal band: bass, guitar, drums, vocals. No keyboards in this band! They seem to have had something of a changing lineup, with only bassist and founder member Niko del Hiero remaining from the original Saratoga, the others currently in the band looking to have joined between 2005 and 2007, but seeing as this is their third album with this lineup it would appear to be stable for the time being.
It blasts right off with a Dickinsonesque “Woh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh!” and we're into “Juicio final” (final justice?) with a big heavy growling guitar sound and a thunderous drumbeat, vocalist Tete Novoa's delivery flawless and powerful, and even though he's singing in Spanish you can't help but get caught up in the song, and foolishly I try singing along with it: we all know how
that's going to end! But it's infectious stuff, and there's a fine guitar solo from Tony Hernando which even Adrian Smith would be proud of, and we power on into “Hasta el dia mas oscuro”, which actually pulls things back a little, with some nice restrained guitar and something that I must admit sounds like piano, though there's no keyboard player mentioned at any point.
A slower song, but not quite a cruncher, it takes the level down a notch, but is still as heavy as hell. I loosely attempt the translation of this as “until darker days” or maybe “toward darker days”, but that's purely an educated guess. Great guitar solo again from Hernando, founder member Niko del Hiero on bass and the enigmatic Andy C on drums keeping the rhythm section tight, then as I already mentioned “La ultima frontera” hardly needs any translation, and it racks things back up a bit more, though still not as frenetic as the opener. The guitar here would be more described as growling than howling, but it's still heavy and very welcome. Andy C goes a bit mental (metal?) behind the drumkit, as we hurtle straight into “Revolucion”.
Again, you don't exactly need A-Levels in Spanish to work out what this title means, and it rocks along at a great pace, reminding me in places of the great French band Trust, whose “Repression” I reviewed what seems a long time ago now. It's very melodic, perhaps the most commercial of the tracks on this album so far, which takes nothing away from the metal these guys play. Think the likes of “The Trooper” or “Run to the hills”: it's that kind of commercial, almost radio-friendly metal, and no-one would ever accuse Iron Maiden of wimping or selling out! Del Hiero really has a great voice for metal: it neither screeches nor growls anymore than the song requires, and if I had to compare him to anyone in the metal arena I actually think it might be a more melodic and slightly more balanced Paul Di'Anno. Hmm. I think “Revolucion” is my favourite track so far, with a big powerful ending, and we're not even halfway through the album yet!
It's followed by a chunkier song in the shape of “Perversidad”, which again needs not too much imagination to work out its meaning, and has a nice jangly guitar a little reminscent of “Innocent exile” (sorry for all the Maiden comparisons, but they really do evoke memories of the kings of metal), with del Hiero able to scale back his vocal for the softer parts too, but turn it right back up when required. Versatile, certainly, and surely he must be a big name in Spanish metal circles? “Depues del silencio” (after the silence? Before the silence?) rocks along in a good headshaking way, with a grittier, rougher vocal and strong, tough guitars from Tony Hernando, and is the longest song on the album at just under six minutes, then “Maltratador” has a certain Black Sabbath vibe to the opening, but soon settles down into another Maidenesque rocking groove with some great squealing guitar from Senor Hernando.
There's a somewhat slower, crunchier example in “El ultimo vals”, with Hernando's guitars growling and grunting like rutting beasts, while “Corazon herido” really allows him his head, kicking out the stays in a big, dirty, unapologetic metalfest of a song that rockets along on the steamhammer drums of Andy C. I know “corazon” is Spanish for heart, as for “herido”: who knows? Something heart, anyway, or heart of something. It's a great song, no matter how it translates. Pretty hooky chorus too, that again has me inadvisedly trying to sing it --- “Yo tengo corazon herido...” Yeah, I'll stop now, shall I?
Things keep a-rockin' and a-rollin' for “Condenado” (condemned?) with some really superb guitar work and a big growly bass courtesy of del Hiero, and is in fact the second-longest track on the album, just beaten out by seven paltry seconds by “Depues del silencio”, and I would consider it the better of the two, if only for the clever time signature change halfway through which takes the song in a whole new direction. Okay, it's basically a chance for Tony Hernando to show off on the axe, but hell, it's worth it! We close then on “Angel o demonio” --- a prize to the first one to write in and tell me what that means! What? No, not really: how stupid are you?
It opens on an almost acoustic, picked guitar melody, and I begin to wonder is this the obligatory closing metal ballad? Certainly a nice intro, almost progressive metal in its construction, then Tony stops messing around and turns up the amp, fires up the electric and away we go! No ballads, it would seem, on this album! A power metal anthem, it's full of hooks, solos and great vocal performances, a fine closer to a fine album, which proves --- as if it needed to be --- that just because metal is sung in a language other than English, it doesn't mean it's in any way inferior, nor inaccessible to those of us who don't speak the language. Hell, Baron Rojo tried to teach me this thirty years ago! Wasn't listening then, but man am I hearing it now, loud and clear!
TRACKLISTING
1. Juicio final
2. Hasta el dia mas obscura
3. La ultima frontera
4. Revolucion
5. Perversidad
6. Despues del silencio
7. Maltratador
8. El ultimo vals
9. Corazon herido
10. Condenado
11. Angel o demonio