ALAS NEGRAS

Evil Is Fun!!!

I first stumbled upon Alas Negras quite awhile back when I was fortunate to discover their first cd. The music was quite good and tight, but being almost totally done in Spanish (unfortunately not a language I am too familiar with), and the fact that I am really drawn by the lyrics, I moved on in short order. Unfortunately it took me a long time to come back to the band and check out their latest offerings. Bella Morte was a very solid album as well and they did implement more English lyrics in their songs which did help me with my language barrier.

Now lets move on to the subject in question, The Slasher Show. Yeah I know this came out a couple years ago, but there are so many cd's out there and so little time to listen to them all. I really find it difficult to put into words how blown away I am with this disc. As soon as I downloaded it from CD Baby and gave it a test spin, I was hooked! The entire album from beginning to end is just fantastic! The musicianship is incredibly tight and the songs are all solid gold!!

Choosing a favorite track is nearly impossible as there really is no weakness here. Welcome To Crystal Lake, Never Sleep Again, Pumpkin Patch Grave, The Night He Came Home are all incredible. Heck, I could list every track here if I so chose to but you get the point. Being a big fan of the old Hammer Horror type of movies, the little soundbyte of Vincent Price in Master Of Horror are a nice touch and a great homage to one of the all time legendary horror voices.

I have only one problem with this disc - why are they not signed to a major label???

I regret never giving this baby a try sooner (sorry guys!) and I look forward to hearing them perform live in the States in 2013! Heavy metal is alive and well in Puerto Rico! - True Metal Lives

Alas Negras are an outstanding band from the island of Puerto Rico who have an unbelievable ability to combine heavy, power and thrash metal into one unbelievable package in away that will put a smile on your face. Currently the band has three albums out, and as you will read in the reviews below each release shares some similarities but they also feature elements which make them unique from one another.
The bands 2006 debut “ ‘Solo Dos Monedas…’ ” is a great way to start things off for any band. The thing that stands out the most is just about every song on the album is performed in the bands native tongue of Spanish instead of English which is considered to be the universal language of heavy metal. Although unorthodox this is something that I wish more bands did and Alas Negras have pulled off in a fantastic way. Musically the band shows a lot of diversity and bring a vast knowledge of song structure to the table. While listening to some parts of this release it is evident that the band has a strong love of Iron Maiden, but other parts however show the band blazing trails. Through and through this is a metal release, and a damn good one at that, however the band is not afraid to mix it up by throwing some really nice acoustic parts into the album that are down right beautiful and show just how talented these musicians are. All these elements combined equal a great debut album that is a must own for any heavy metal enthusiast.

Overall: 8/10
The bands second effort “Bella Morte” features a much more aggressive sound than the bands previous effort. It is clear the band is inspired more by the thrash metal scene, however the beauty of Alas Negras is that this band isn’t just inspired by one particular genre of metal, you can also hear a very clear power metal influence as well, in particular Iced Earth. Similar to their debut, with this release Alas Negrasjam pack this album with a ton of originality. When this album thrashes it really thrashes, however similar to their debut Alas Negras throw in some really nice melodic elements that take the album into another direction entirely. With this release Alas Negras have rapidly progressed and yet again have released an album that is a must own.
Overall: 8/10
The bands third album “The Slasher Show” may very well be the best of the three albums this band has released thus far. This album will appeal to anyone who loves horror movies and thrash metal, this is because every track on this release is based off a different classic horror flick, Friday The 13th, A Nightmare On Elm Street, Candyman, Hellraiser all the classics and a few others are featured on this mammoth release. The theme is not the only thing that sets this album apart from the other Alas Negras albums, almost immediately the listener can’t help but notice that the production on this release is much more crisp than the production on the bands previous two albums. “The Slasher Show” is a straight up thrash metal release, the band attacks their instruments in a much more aggressive manner, thunderous double bass drums and some killer old-school riffing can be found throughout. This album is a real rager and the theme of the album just adds to its awesomeness. This is not only the bands greatest effort but it is my favorite album from Alas Negrasthus far and simply put this is a must own for not only fans of thrash but good metal in general.
Overall: 9/10
Overall Alas Negras is a band that has done nothing but progress since their formation. With each release the band has become significantly heavier and faster with their approach to heavy metal. If this trend of greatness continues (and I don’t see it stopping any time soon) then Alas Negraswill be a house hold name in the world of heavy metal in no time.
You can purchase all three of the bands albums over on the official Alas Negras Facebook page and make sure you do, this band is nothing short of great. - CHAD ARNOLD

Puerto Rico's Alas Negras is a band that fully embraces the values of thrashy power metal put forth by bands like Iced Earth and Jag Panzer, adhering to the power of the twin-guitar riff and thunderous double-kick with reckless abandon. For their third album, with the October-appropriate title The Slasher Show, Alas Negras pays metallic homage to the season's favorite movie genre - complete with a couple of Vincent Price soundbites thrown in for good measure.

The core of the band's sound is built around the twin-guitar riffing of Javier Diaz and J.C. Agosto, two axeslingers who both have a penchant for delivering some slick leads and interesting harmonies. The production quality on The Slasher Show is fairly primitive, lending a gritty old school sound to the riffs, but Agosto and Diaz nevertheless manage to impress with their abilities. While the early half of the album offers some nice variety, such as the melodic leads on "Never Sleep Again" and the proggy attitude to the riffs on "What Is Your Pleasure?", the latter half of the album tends to stagnate. The guitar work doesn't lessen in quality by any means, but there's a definite lessening of innovation.

Alas Negras
Enhancing the twin-guitar core is the battery of bassist Carlos Maldonado and skinsman Bertito Roman, both of whom provide clear and memorable contributions to The Slasher Show. Maldonado's bass lines generally swirl just below the surface, almost like a shark circling its prey, but at times he stands front and center with a plucky run or two - such as on "Dead By Dawn". This song also features one of Roman's most complex performances, though he's in top form throughout the album.

Rounding out Alas Negras is frontman Giancarlo Martínez, who possesses one of those inflamed voices so synonymous with the thrash of yesteryear. Though mostly a mid-range singer, Martínez occasionally ventures into the higher octaves when appropriate and does an admirable job of keeping it together. From time to time he also adopts a growl that skirts death metal territory, adding yet another dimension to the emotion and appeal that his style brings to the music.

Although The Slasher Show is far from a polished diamond, it's an entertaining little gem that fans of thrashened power metal will certainly appreciate. The Vincent Price homage "Master Of Horror" along with the pleasingly intricate "Dead By Dawn" are just two highlights that make the album worth investigating. - DAVID KNOCH

Alas Negras, hailing from the lesser-known for metal area of Puerto Rico, is one of a newer crop of artists who seek to play a modernized form of traditional heavy metal. The music of Alas Negras is melodic and uptempo with some light progressive elements, but still has more in common with Manowar than anything else. It is done in a more subdued fashion, though; the music is more clearly emotional and the tone more introspective. But the traditional influence is most certainly a large and undeniable part of the music, and the quality of it puts Alas Negras near such great new artists as Black Aurora.

The music on 'Solo Dos Monedas' moves between fairly aggressive, double bass driven sections to slower, rocklike territory without ever losing quality. This is clearly an album that has had a lot of time and care taken with its construction; all the instrumental performances are very tight and the production is essentially flawless. The songs are precisely crafted to be very catchy and memorable, and each track is very unique and enjoyable in its own right. Even the more ballady songs don't feel like a low point for this album; they're kept exciting with dramatic, virtuostic lead guitar and a good sense of songwriting. It is fairly poppy; much of the music here sounds like it could be played on the radio without trouble. But it never once gets to the point where it feels disingenuous or unartistic.

The tracks with pronounced acoustic sections aren't overused, and the album does vary itself considerably throughout. The riffs are very solid, going through thrash, traditional heavy metal, folkish passages, and everything in between. The vocals are also excellent, alternating between an aggressive shout and memorable clean vocals, which work with the considerably talented lead guitar very effectively. Those leads are probably the main focus of the album: each is extremely good, memorable, and beautifully composed in a very dramatic but not cheesy fashion. There's a big Iron Maiden influence on this album, and although the general delivery is gentler, it still carries much of the power and craftsmanship that makes that band so great.

Alas Negras' debut album is a very solid piece of modern heavy metal. All the fans of Black Aurora or similar artists will most certainly want to pick this up, as it's one of the strongest of the underground heavy metal scene today. Hopefully this will bring not only a greater eye to Puerto Rico as a viable metal scene, but to today's strong, vibrant heavy metal scene as a whole. - Noktorn