Ruta 197

TREN LOCO – RUTA 197

The riff sharpness of the band’s past albums isn’t quite as present here and also the album relies more in distortion than on fast-paced traditional metal passages but surprisingly that doesn’t hurt the album. The solos are simpler and there’s not as much shredding as before, due to guitarist Manuel Pregler leaving the band and being replaced by “Zombie”, and also the band had gone even deeper developing the modern and more angular sound achieved on “Carne Viva”.

The album kicks off with three goddamn outstanding tracks in a row. “Fuera De La Ley” which is a bright up tempo speed metal assault with a really shrieky vocal work by Cabral and Walter Meza from Horcas as guest vocalist. The lyrics are about poverty and living outlaws. Next is “Pampa Del Infierno” which is a nice and catchy mid-paced tune with a kinda generic riff but a really catchy vocal melody and then we have a proficient melodic solo. The title track “Ruta 197” is another speedster backed by consistent drum work and with catchy verses and a memorable chorus. Then comes “Hoy” which is a bit chunkier and more angular. It starts with a good drum intro and then it moves at a really efficient fast pace. “Rostro Oscuro” is a nice power-ballad about friendship and the death of Dario Santillan in the hands of the police.

There’s a new version of the classic “Sin Destino”, Cabral isn’t as high-pitched here as on the 1992 version but he still delivers the goods and the song itself is pretty good. We have a cover from the legendary band Bloke, “Identidad Real” which is another speed metal attack with a flawless vocal approach by Carlitos Cabral. “Endemoniado” is another emotional and well-executed power ballad with a real dose of heaviness. “Perforando La Noche” is another fast song with tight drumming and a quite catchy chorus. “Rostro Oscuro (Acustico)” is the acoustic version of track number 5, and “Apocalypse (English Version)” is the English version of the song “Apocalipsis” from “Carne Viva”.

This album is the debut album for guitarist “Zombie” and he performs quite well delivering nice riffs and some good solos. Zavala, Fuentes and Cabral are as tight as ever and they certainly know what the fans want to hear on their albums.

Conclusion: another solid album by Tren Loco and if you happen to like or at least enjoy this band, then this album won’t disappoint you at all.