format: LP
year: 1984
country: Argentina
label: PAM
#: R.N. 750
info: Innersleeve w/ lyrics
style: Heavy Metal
Side A:
Side B:
Thinking of old Argentinian Heavy Metal, the same 2 names are likely to pop up in people's heads: V8 and Hermetica. At least that's the case for me, but about one millisecond before those name appear, an image flickers by. An image of a yellow, mentally handicapped batmoster shish-kebab'd by a blue sword. Yes, it really is THAT iconic and it has been etched in my mind as the official flag of Argentino-Steel ever since I first came across it in one of Krukenberg's crates at some WOA Metal Market decades ago. So I might have almost pissed my pants laughing at the cover back then, but after hearing the actual music a few years after, I was thoroughly and rightfully put in my place.
The Argentinian edition of the HELLION-family of bands have some extraordinary traits & quirks that make them stick out from the early 80's HM crowd,
but they are very subtle
and need some proper dissecting, so here we go:
"Panzer" is the very best type of opener. It has the energy to get you on your feet and at the same time it showcases the entire album as a whole. The ghost of 70's Judas Priest
hovers above, but it never entirely possesses the music to the point of making it clone'y, and instead the band find their own unique way of piecing the parts together. The familiar, crystal clear yet warm production and mix of those albums is definitely there in all its glory though. The pounding lead riff of "Explotado" is similar to Motörhead's dito, while the chorus and the rest is your basic Spaniard Baron Rojo/Obus rocker and here's the thing: they totally get away with it since they still feel Heavy. Ending the first side is "Leyes", their closest thing to a NWOBHM-pastiche which would have made Raven real proud.
"Asesino De Metal" kicks off side B, where they enter the most awesome HM-regions of AC/DC-territory without getting lured into the Mordor of classic rock - i.e: It rocks! "Necesitamos Rock And Roll" follows with more AC/DC, only, well... with more AC/DC. "Ojos De Chacal" is a sneaky one, disguised as a semi-ballad, but with words and phrases like "apocalipsis", "infernal" and "luciferi satanas" popping up in the lyrics you know this ain't no sappy love affair but a darkned saga best described as their very own "Beyond The Realms Of Death". Continuing with the Priest-parallells, the closing "Sindrome" could be their "Island Of Domination" - that Special tune with all those twists and surprises, where a healthy dose of progressive rock influences shine through, still without sacrificing speed or epicness.
In conclusion this is a very even and well-compositioned album, with enough surprises and subtle originality to never get boring. The bad news is, it's just as overpriced as most other Argentinian HM albums. You won't have a problem finding a copy for sale, but for some reason - perhaps a high demand on the domestic market? - the prices are unproportionally high even when taking its fair level of rarity into consideration. Let's just cross our fingers that the local dealers will come to their senses within a decade or 2..