ACERO
San José, Alajuela, Costa Rica | Established. Jan 01, 1985 | SELF
Music
Press
In this times of death/black/grind metal and even gothic(!!??) metal is nice to hear this CD.Traditional pure heavy metal with great musicians and great vocals.Some friends of mine says that this style of music is boring and lack of originality today,well that is not the case,"En pie de guerra" is a very enjoyable and entertained album.Simply fantastic!
-Alberto Paporello
- CD Baby
Acero are among the pioneers of the hard rock/heavy metal scene in Costa Rica. They managed to record their only album to date in 2002. The aptly-titled "Pasado y Presente" (Past and Present) is made up of songs spawning their 15+ years career. It shows that Acero's style is firmly rooted in traditional heavy metal and influenced by bands like Judas Priest and Iron Maiden.
"Pasa la Raya" is a great opener. Good song that moves between hard rock and heavy metal. "Libertad" and "El Rey del Rock and Roll" are also hard rock/metal songs with catchy choruses.
"Dos Lunas Negras" is one of my fave songs. Groovy metal, a very good main riff and some of the best drumming in the cd. Although "Péndulo" starts off with a very good riff, it kinda breaks down in the verses. "Reencarnación" is heavy metal to headbang to.
"Reina de la Noche" is another Acero flasgship song. The vocals on this one are a stand out on harmonic/melodic work. I didn't like the epic closer, "Luces en el Cielo". The song is too long for my taste and it has nothing really interesting music wise.
Clean production and a good mix wraps up this nice collection of songs
for traditional heavy metal fans.
- Foshuggah - Metal Archives
Es ist mal wieder Exoten-Time: ACERO (was übrigens "Stahl" bedeutet) stammen aus Costa Rica, wo sie schon 1985 ins Leben gerufen wurden. ACERO entstanden damals nach dem Split der Punk/Pop/Rock-Formation CICLOS D und waren die erste Band, die sich in ihrem Heimatland dem Heavy Metal widmete. Zwischen 1991 und '96 hatte man die Band sogar mal zu den Akten gelegt, doch die stählernen Jungs fanden heraus, daß sie ohne Metal nicht leben können. 2002 war es dann endlich an der Zeit, 17 Jahre nach Bandgründung das erste Album aufzunehmen, das sie ihrem ehemaligen Sänger José Capmany gewidmet haben, der 2001 verstarb. Mit dem Titel »Pasado y presente« (="Vergangenheit und Gegenwart") versehen, sind auf dieser Scheibe acht Songs aus allen Phasen der Bandgeschichte vertreten. Dementsprechend kriegt man hier sehr traditionellen Metal zu hören, der einen deutlichen MAIDEN-Beigeschmack hat. Jedoch reicht die Bandbreite von ACERO von dem beschleunigten ›Libertad‹ über das riffgepowerte ›Reina de la noche‹ bis zu der epischen Achtminutennummer ›Dos lunas negras‹. Wer beispielsweise an spanischem Metal den Narren gefressen hat (und demzufolge auch mit spanischsprachigem Gesang keine Probleme hat), wird bei ACERO spielend mitbangen können.
true as acero
- Stefan Glas
A pesar de que Acero practican un heavy metal muy clásico y muchas de las canciones que lo componen no son precisamente nuevas, “Pasado Y Presente” es un disco muy fresco y variado, con mucha rabia contenida, y que no tiene nada que envidiar a otras agrupaciones mucho más internacionales. Podríamos decir que las canciones de Acero son como el buen vino, mientas más añejas, mejor parecen sonar.
Desde el inicial “Pasa La Raya” muy a lo Judas Priest, con unos estupendos guitarrazos de Molina y los absolutamente sorprendentes agudos y gorgoritos de Moya, la banda suena dura y compacta, como si quisieran conquistar el mundo con su música.
“Libertad” está a medio camino entre el hard rock clásico y el mejor heavy metal de la NWOBHM. Un muy buen riff acompañado del feroz baqueteo de Alvarado, interesantes líneas de bajo, una potente voz que cautiva a la primera y unos punteos melódicos majestuosos.
Aunque el riff principal del “El Rey del Rock ‘N Roll” suena demasiado al “Wickerman” de Iron Maiden, el resto del corte sigue su propio y personal camino, haciendo que las semejanzas entre ambos sean menos evidentes.
“Dos Lunas Negras” es un medio tiempo bastante más largo de lo habitual, con unos buenísimos teclados de fondo y que muestra una faceta hasta ahora inédita en la banda. El corte sirve para el lucimiento vocal y lírico de Moya, quién con su interpretación echa por tierra cualquier duda sobre su capacidad musical.
Bastante más machacón resulta ser el ejercicio instrumental “Péndulo”, sin ninguna duda el corte más heavy del disco a pesar de la enorme carga melódica que desprenden las guitarras de Molina.
Mucho más emparentado con el power metal contemporáneo resulta ser “Reencarnación”, tema que sigue una línea similar a la impuesta por los asturianos Avalanch.
Con “Reina De La Noche” la banda vuelve a mezclar sabiamente el hard rock con el heavy metal, aunque esta vez el resultado no es tan explosivo como en “Libertad”, sin embargo el solo de guitarra que se marca Molina nuevamente es digno de aplauso.
Y con el claro sabor hard rockero del más extenso “Luces En EL Cielo”, la banda termina magníficamente este excelente disco, lleno de magia, emoción, calidad musical y lirismo.
Sin duda hay algunos pequeños huecos en la producción, me imagino que más por falta de presupuesto que por otra cosa como es habitual en este tipo de casos, pero que no desmerece para nada el excelente resultado final de “Pasado Y Presente”, porque sabemos de lo mucho que cuesta hacer heavy metal en Latinoamérica.
Acero con este disco debut demuestran que son una de las bandas latinas con mayor proyección y que no nos extrañe verlos pronto tocando por todo el continente y España al lado de otras ya consagradas como Rata Blanca, Avalanch, Mägo De Oz, Renacer y Angeles Del Infierno.
Prohibido perderles la pista…!!
- Kike Snake
The tiny Central American nation of Costa Rica doesn't usually come to mind as a producer of heavy metal bands, but Acero proves that metal lives even in this remote region. The band was formed in 1985 by Jorge Molina, Francisco Pujol, and Francisco Paz, all of whom had been playing in a rock cover band known as Cycle D. According to the bands official biography, Acero was the first original heavy/speed metal band in Costa Rica. During the late '80s the band underwent numerous line-up changes and eventually broke up in 1991 after recording only one 4-song demo. During this period their music can best be described as classic '80s metal similar to the likes of Dokken, Judas Priest, and Iron Maiden.
The year 1996 saw the band reunite and begin playing live again, but it wasn't until 2002 that they recorded their first full-length album Pasado y Presente. Their musical direction underwent a change after the reformation and now incorporates many more power metal elements along the lines of Helloween and Blind Guardian. - Dave
ACERO means “steel“, therefore one could assume that the Costa Ricans play traditional Heavy Metal and – tadaa – that is exactly, what they do! Opener “Pasa La Raya“ is most traditional steel of the 80s, so absolutely nothing for modernists and people, who need greatest possible originality, because both ACERO have next to nothing of, because the band does not give a damn about what is “in” at the moment and plays their Metal straight from the heart, as the first song of the band history also shows, “Libertad”, a bit faster, but deeply rooted in the 80s.
“Dos Lunas Negras“ (more than eight minutes of playing time) shows that they also master the a bit more epic department and the almost five-minute instrumental “Pendulo” awakens some memories of older IRON MAIDEN. And towards the end we even get an almost nine-minute semi-ballad titled “Luces En El Cielo“ that also has a certain light epic touch. In between they deliver purest, straight, catchy and a bit keyboard-supported Heavy Metal that should warm every Eighties fans’ heart.
That they sing in Spanish is almost logical, but it fits the very heartfelt songs of ACERO as the production also is pretty good. So who would like to have something from Costa Rica in the collection, the guys are very reliable and the music is good as well!
- Alexander Melzer
Discography
"Pasado y Presente" (2002)
"En Pie de Guerra" (2007)
The latter is on sale at CD Baby where you can listen to sound clips. You may also listen to sound clips for all songs from the CD at our website or listen to some of our songs on this EPK. Video is available now as well!
Photos
Bio
The hard rock/heavy metal band ACERO (STEEL) started in early 1985 from the breakup of CICLOS D -a punk-turn-pop rock group that was primarily a cover band- and in its first stage the band was conformed by Jorge Molina (guitar/vocals), Francisco Pujol (bass/vocals) and Francisco Paz (drums).
ACERO was the first band in Costa Rica to play heavy and speed metal music; however its original repertoire was scarce so the band also played covers from bands like Black Sabbath, AC/DC, Judas Priest and Iron Maiden among others. In this period the songs like “Libertad” (Liberty) and “Corre Libre” (Run Free) were composed.
It was very hard for the band to get places to play and much less to obtain a recording contract as the genre was completely underground and the latin/pop orientation of A&R depts. in record companies and the radio made it impossible for the band to record or have any airplay at all. Nevertheless, the band kept playing live whenever and wherever it could to a small but growing legion of fans.
By 1986, Francisco Paz decides to study his instrument further in USA so Marcelo Galli (ex-Ciclos D) is called to fill in the drumming chores. The band starts to project itself outside the capital and makes its first shows in provinces.
At the end of 1987, Galli joins Café con Leche and its replacement is Johnny Soto. Coinciding with this, Molina steps down from lead vocals and Franklin Umaña becomes the new frontman for the band.
In 1988, the band gets to record a demo at CBS Indica studios (today, Sony Music) Even though that work was never published, the 4 songs that comprise the demo (“Camino a la Oscuridad” [Route to Darkness], “Mueren de Hambre” [Die from Hunger], “Muerte al Inquisidor” [Death to the Inquisitor] and “Pasa la Raya” [Cross the Line] ), starts to circulate in the underground and soon become band standards.
Before the year ends, Umaña leaves the band and Adrián Ortiz joins in keyboards but his contribution to the band is very brief. In 1989, after participating in various outdoor festivals, drummer Soto calls it quits and the band calls upon skin beater Juan Carlos Araya.
Araya is replaced in 1990 by Fernando Alvarado for various club dates. In 1991 the band plays for the last time in club Terranova and splits indefinitely thereafter.
Following a 5 year hiatus -in 1996- the band reforms with the last known line-up (Molina, Alvarado y Pujol) and do some dates but not under the Acero moniker as they do only “jam session” style shows.
By the next year the reincorporation of Franklin Umaña as vocalist brings the official comeback of the band. The rock scene had changed dramatically during the break but the group is web received by fans old and new, as if had never been gone.
In 1999, Umaña leaves the band again and the vacancy is filled by Adrián Moya who is the lead singer up to date. Moya, who is much younger than his counterparts, is part of the new rock movement and incorporates a freshness to the sound of the band as well as to the live performances due mainly to his unique stage presence. The year 2000 brings a new talent to the band as web in the person of Carlos Aguilar (rhythm guitar and keyboards).
For 2001 the band is dedicated to making “tribute” concerts to its most significative influences such as Angeles del Infierno, Iron Maiden, Metallica and Black Sabbath/Ozzy Osbourne.
In 2002, the band enters Athor studio (co-owned by Aguilar) to record what becomes their first CD in 17 years of musical carreer (and endless struggle). The CD is appropriately titled “Pasado y Presente” (Past and Present), since the songs that comprise the disc are all from different stages in the bands´ evolution –from the first (like “Libertad”) to the most recent (“El Rey del Rock n Roll” [The King of Rock´n´Roll] dedicated to José Capmany, fellow musician, ex-Ciclos D that passed away in Oct. 2001)Carlos Aguilar joins in as ryhthm/lead guitar.
2003, Acero promotes the CD in local radio stations in programs such as "Rock Sin Fronteras" and "Punto de Garage" in Radio U as well as in "Factor Rock" in 103, "After Midnight" in Radio 2.. After the CD´s official release at Bar Sand in Dec. 2002 the band does some shows in the local circuit and does manage to open a very successful concert for Spanish renowned band Mago de Oz at Planet Mall. After this Carlos Aguilar quits the band leaving the slot for Alonso Aguilar in guitar.
The band then goes full force promoting the CD to both local and international press and websites. Many well known publications review the CD favourably; among those are Germany´s "Heavy Oder Was" and "Heavy Rock", "Kerrang" and "Rock Hard" in Spain.
Radio specials with the band are also broadcasted in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, United States, Mexico, Venezuela, Germany and Spain. Later that same year two promotional visits take place to Panama and El Salvador.
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