I’m devoting almost all of my posts today to a series of five short releases I discovered since last week, and this is the second of those.
ACERO LETAL
Acero Letal (“lethal steel”) are from Chile, which seems to be a hotbed of speed metal and thrash — and I do mean hot. The band released a demo in 2008, and in February of this year the most excellent Witches Brew released a two-song single from the band on black vinyl, with a download available on Bandcamp. The two tracks on the single are “Veloz Invencible” and “Duro Metal“.
Fairly late in my metal life, I’ve discovered a lust for old-school speed metal — maybe because I wasn’t listening to it when it had its genesis in the ’80s — and these two songs feed that hunger quite nicely, while bringing in other elements of “classic heavy metal”.
The racing riffs and galloping beats are irresistible, the melodic hooks are sharp as hell, and the guitar soloing is really excellent — they mesh beautifully with the songs instead of feeling tacked on. The songs are also dynamic; this isn’t just hell-for-leather racing — there are variations in the riffs and the tempos that produce fully realized songs that don’t wear out their welcome.
In addition, though you know my views on clean singing in metal, the vocals in these songs are definitely one of their strengths. They’ll make you want to sing along and raise those invisible oranges to the sky.
In a word, this little two-song release is a shining gem. If you like it, spend some money at Witches Brew! You can order on vinyl or download the songs via the first link below.
https://witchesbrewthrashes.bandcamp.com/album/veloz-invencible-duro-metal
https://www.facebook.com/AceroLetal