Combo De La Muerte
Tropical Steel

Can you imagine Tom Araya singing "South Of Heaven" with a garland around his neck and a straw skirt? Accompanied by an ukulele played by Angus Young. Meanwhile, Lemmy is going hard on the double bass. All this while Kerry King is cracking open coconuts by the seaside, creating funny bowls to pour the Piña Colada to drink with his friend(?) Dave Mustaine. Bruce Dickinson, on the other hand, is initiating a superjointritual, assisted by His Majesty Satan In Personam Dave Lombardo, comfortably rocked by a hammock in the shade of enormous palm trees. Ozzy is wandering around naked, looking for some bats. There's also a lot of other people at the beach party... lots of nice people.

This is "Tropical Steel" (2008), the first official CD by Combo De La Muerte, after the debut EP 7'' "La Maledición Del Combo" from 2006. They are Combo De La Muerte, a diverse group composed of 8 musicians split between Cuba, Italy, and Germany. They define their genre as Voodoo Latin Jazz. As for me, I consider them a group of skilled musicians. I hate the classic definitions of genres, let alone if I could explain Voodoo Latin Jazz to you. Naaa! At most, I can only assure you that the basis of their sound is Fusion/Latin Jazz.

The album includes 19 tracks plus a bonus track ("You Suffer", by Napalm Death), and ranges from Slayer-Megadeathian Thrash to the Heavy Metal of bands like the Iron, AC/DC, Black Sabbath y otros non meno blasonati. A lineup devoted to metal in various shades, up to the most extreme ones represented by Death and Dismember. I'll leave the other bands to your curiosity, otherwise, where's the fun in it! In total 15 covers plus 5 of their productions (4 of which are very short).

An album thus placed in a peculiar citational and indefinable limbo. An original album, not to be praised solely for the choice of covers or bands, but neither to be deprecated due to the numerous (or total?!?) upheavals compared to the original tracks. An album that flows smoothly from beginning to end, with some moments a bit subdued and others quite pleasant and worth replaying. A very particular album that will make many people hate it (those with closed and one-way minds, abstain), but that will also earn the esteem of all those who manage to listen to it for what it really is: a project that goes beyond the original tracks. Worthy of note is the video of "South Of Heaven".

If you like good music, well executed by 8 skilled musicians, this album could become a great ally in all those situations where a good soundtrack is indispensable for the evening.

If instead, you're looking for something similar to the above-mentioned bands, forget it. You'd just be wasting your time! This album requires a good dose of EMPATHY.

My advice is to listen to it at least once, without reading the song titles and their respective bands (I seriously doubt anyone can figure out the author and title of each track on the first listen). Advice open to everyone. Then let "de gustibus non disputandum est" do the rest!

The party is open to everyone...