Toro y pampa

Almafuerte Toro y Pampa, released in 2006 under Ricardo Iorio’s label Dejesu Records, represents the latest studio album to date from this band. Rumors say that in this 2011 they are going to release a new full length but nothing is set in stone.

The eleven songs that comprise this full length respond more or less to the classic recipe of the last Almafuerte period: predominance of heavy metal songs in the traditional vein, some with isolated sparks of speed or thrash riffs, a couple of slow songs, a sort of ballad and --last but not least-- an instrumental song that serves as an outro. While some songs and riffs respond to a typical heavy metal vein, as “Debes saberlo” or “Vencer el Tiempo”, other venture some riffs typical of speed or even thrash metal as “Cosas que Pueden Pasar” or “La Maquina de Picar Carne”. Those paths are mostly forgotten by the band these days having their last good pure speed metal songs in the Piedra Libre album (2001) and a few uninspired ones in Ultimando (2003). However musically speaking the names sounding around here are still Motorhead, Manowar and even some Iron Maiden (as in the great and epic main riff of “El Siglo del Gran Reviente”). But sadly there is a song which --someboy has to say it-- is in its entirety un-metal and forgettable: “Donde esta mi Corazon”. This piece of crap has riffs and a rhythm more reminiscent of a hard rock band ala AC/DC or Guns n’ Roses than metal. I don't know what they were thinking but thank God it’s just the only example in the album.

If we’d only consider the work of the guitar, bass, vocals and the lyrics, this album would be clearly in the highest line of Almafuerte’s albums but for the sake of truth we must not forgive that the drumming here is simply awful. The drumming works of any of the first studio albums are technical death metal compared with one-dimensional and slow drumming here. The absence of double pedal bass drums and fast (or at least good) drum fills is total and too noticeable; many parts, as in the initial riff of “La Maquina de Picar Carne” or the main riffs of “De la Escuelita” (to cite just two cases of the few) the double bass drums is almost mandatory, but the drummer, Bin Valencia, doesn’t play anything, just follows the rhythm with a slow and lifeless drumming, demonstrating that he is a clear failure in the instrument (at least for metal standards).

The lyrics, as is a trademark with the vocalist Ricardo Iorio, are also of the highest quality in the entire Argentinean metal scene. Overall they deal with nationalism and social issues. The song “De la Escuelita” is a great song in vindication of a school in a neighborhood of low class and the chorus claims with deep words how the ignorance is often the only evilness in this world. In the song “El Siglo del Gran Reviente” we find a statement against nowadays politics and pre-fabricated wars, which we had seen sad examples in these times. The sort of metal ballad that is “Toro y Pampa” sings between lines against drug dependency and also brings the memorable neologism of “andar cheguevereando”, a sort of verb that means following leftist political figures just for trend. As always, Ricardo Iorio’s lyrics are very heartfelt and successful in their poetic intentions because they combine the common speech of the average man with enriching reflections and images.

This full length is quite good, even perhaps the band’s best among the last three or four studio albums. But at least 20 points should be subtracted mainly cause’ of the slow and forgettable work of the drummer Bin Valencia (who proved himself the slowest drummer the band had in all its history). And some others points for the horrid rock n’ roll song “Donde esta mi Corazon”.

Overall we’ve here a pretty good album but honestly we can expect a bit more from this historic heavy/speed metal band, which by these times is also the biggest one of the Argentinean metal scene in terms of gigs and sales.

Highlights: "En el Siglo del Gran Reviente", "De la Escuelita", "Pensando en Llegar".