INTRANCED
INTRANCED – “Muerte y Metal”
By Colonel Angus
I saw INTRANCED at this year’s edition of the Hell’s Heroes festival and they left a mark on my metal brain. They played a short set that was full of power, passion, and that awesome early 80’s Sunset Strip sound that certainly won over a number of fans in attendance. When “Muerte y Metal” was given to me for review, I was happy to jump into it right away and write this review after the first run through. I was very curious to see if that same energy I saw on stage would translate to the studio and thankfully, INTRANCED created an album that captures their stage magic while still retaining a production that makes each instrument shine.
The record starts off with a rousing Spanish rocker called “Reyes De Las Tinieblas”. I don’t speak Spanish but that doesn’t mean I can’t rock out to quality metal (It translates as “Kings of the Darkness”--Multilingual Mality). Right off the bat, INTRANCED hit you with a riff-heavy track that doesn’t let up for one second. While things slow down slightly, the swagger and boogie of “Switchblade” keeps the disk moving along in a slightly 70s hard rock style. I sense a little of THIN LIZZY in the track which gives the whole record a nice variety but still within the same genre. That little slow down makes way for another frantic rocker that hints a bit at YNGWIE MALMSTEEN and reminds me of the type of material MALMSTEEN had when he employed a quality singer. “Fantasy” really shows off the band starting with guitarist Fili Bibiano. He captures a number of styles along throughout and here he does a great YNGWIE. Nico Staub and drummer Ben Richardson lay down that chugging rhythm for that neo-classical guitar to layer on top. The final piece to this metal puzzle are the great vocals of James-Paul Luna. He has a voice that is firmly influenced by the 70s and 80s frontmen but still manages to come out unique.
Like a slap to the face, “I Dunno Nothin’” hits full stride without any buildup. That THIN LIZZY vibe comes in again especially with the guitar work and like a lot of the tracks from that era, it is over before the four minute mark. I have been listening to a lot of prog metal lately and the songs on “Muerte y Metal” are a welcome change from long pieces. The material here comes in, gets the job done, and leaves without overstaying its welcome. The title track is next and it has a lyrical mix of Spanish and English. Like the previous tune on this record that was sung in Spanish, I have no idea what they are singing about but that makes no difference because this a slice of pure 80s metal that is equal parts catchy and anthemic. By far, this is one of the strongest tunes on the disk.
A very brief intro (basically the sound of a Thunderstorm) titled “Entra La Tormenta” ushers in “Lady Lightning” which is pure chugging metal. This one counters the anthemic title tune with a faster, almost frantic, track that melds some 70s influences along with 80s and almost power metal sounds to create a concoction that pulls from three decades. After that tour de force, the band venture back to a more traditional 80s vibe with the catchy as hell “Pulse”. The track contains some really great guitar work and the vocals help list this from filler to killer. Even though this tune is towards the end of the record, it is not one to be missed. “Passionate Pretender” rocks out a little heavier than the previous song but has this contagious chugging rhythm that will have you reaching for that “repeat” button on your player.
When listening to this album, I am reminded of the SCORPIONS “Blackout” record. Not that they sound similar but they both end with a great ballad. On the SCORPIONS’ side, we got the phenomenal "When the Smoke Is Going Down" and on “Muerte y Metal”, we get “See You on the Other Side”. It is a risky move in my opinion to end things on a ballad but I think in both cases, it works. “See You on the Other Side” is not a cheezy tune and works wonderfully as the record closer by adding some drama to a record that is filled with more upbeat metal. As the song ends and guitars fade, things seem to take on a somber tone but in a good way.
As I mentioned above, I saw INTRANCED as part of a festival bill not knowing anything about them. I was very impressed with their performance on that day and vowed to keep them on my radar. As luck would have it, I was given “Muerte y Metal” for review and listening to the record brought back to that show. INTRANCED have indeed managed to capture their energetic live performance onto these studio tracks and I can’t wait for their follow up. But until then, I will be spinning “Muerte y Metal” very often and very loud.