The Elder

When I first heard a few tracks off the album entitled "The Elder" by a Californian band named Flametal, I thought to myself "Wow, how unique!" I decided to send the Youtube video link to all my friends, and they were all thinking the same thing as me. I then downloaded the few songs I had heard, just to make sure I liked them enough; and boy, did I ever. A week later, I was opening a package that had came in the mail with the album in it. It was just THAT good.

Flametal's style is one that is quite different from most bands. They fuse together the perfect amount of metal and flamenco styled guitars. The flamenco guitars, done by Ben P. Woods, are excellent, which is probably why he is able to mix them with the electric 'metal' guitars. There is a bassist, a drummer, and an electric guitarist added to the mix. In some of the songs, instead of drums, 'clappers' are used to keep beat and add their own feel to the music.

The album is kicked off with a very catchy, Spanish-influenced guitar riff, slowly building up to a song that is bound to be epic. It is probably my most favourite track on the album, and it is called 'The Elder' as well. The next track is instrumental, which consists of Benjamin Woods on guitar and someone doing the 'claps'. It is an interesting song, and very well executed.

There is, however, a single complaint I have with 'The Elder'. The third track, called Red Cobblestone reminds me a little of Black Sabbath, which is not bad, but also is not the kind of feel they should be going for. They are best at mixing Flamenco and Metal, and should stick more to that.

After Red Cobblestone, Flametal packs in 4 more instrumental songs, and one more with vocals. Usually stuff without vocals (in my opinion) is not as interesting as material with them, but this band manages to keep me completely engulfed in the music. My favourite instrumental track would have to be "Bruja Tortura", the 4th track. It is a very nice mix of flamenco guitar solos, and electric guitar solos, with clever drum beats that will keep you interested the whole way through.

Although this album is not perfect, it is still an album that will be played by me over and over again, as it adds a very different feeling to anyone's playlist. If you are in the mood for something that will get you moving, this album is perfect for you. They have perfected the sound that they created, and now that they have the hard part done, they need to work on consistency, and continue to releasing their magnificent material.

Highlights: The Elder, Bruja Tortura, P'alla Al Infierno Vas, and Cuatro Caballeros