format: Mini-LP
year: 1992
country: Spain
label: private
#: VZ-001
info: Folded insert with lyrics & pics
style: Hard Rock, Heavy Metal
Side A:
Side B:
This is yet another of those albums that made the journey from complete obscurity, via deadstock discovery and outrageous pricing, to a slow descent back into collector ignorance and - on the upside - quite an affordable pricetag.
Now, I wouldn't bother reviewing this album if it weren't for the fact it's a considerably better piece of Hard Rocking vinyl than such a history would imply. Frankly it kicks some serious ass!
My aforementioned Hard Rock-tagging might have already scared away the most puritan headbangers but please bear with me coz this is HR at its most catchy and enthralling form and it definitely packs enough NWOHM'y punches to please most Metalheads. Some parallells can be drawn to earlier Spanish hi-energy acts such as Mazo or Evo, possibly with a slightly punkier edge, especially in tracks like "El Músico", "No Sé" and the simplistic yet supercatchy opener "Un Cartucho Más". There's plenty of diversity present though and at their absolute best they produce some of the most spinechilling tunes this side of Slander(!), like "Ejecutivo" for instance, which is built like one of the slower (non-ballad) Scorpions tunes of the early 80's but with even stronger vocal melodies, or the metallic/NWOBHMic "Los Chicos No Saben Qué Hacer" with its superb guitar harmonies. "Mi Vida Es El Rock & Roll" is a deceptive number, going from a slow, semi-ballad part, to some r'n'r in the middle and then ending with a storming Ironmaidenmetal charge. The only real downer is the generic token rocker "Borracho", but since they conveniently stuck it at the tail end of the album, you only really need to suffer through it once on first spin.
I'm sure the d.i.y. sleeve art, the quite metallic looking line-up pic and the year of release
have led many to believe this to be a heavier/Thrash-type album, and maybe that in turn has caused some disappointments. Now that The Corroseum once again has set the record straight you can approach it with open eyes & ears and I'm sure most of you will enjoy it too. You're welcome.