Héroes del Silencio
El espíritu del vino

THE REVIEW

"El Espíritu del Vino" is the third studio album by Spanish band Héroes del Silencio, and as the successor to the successful "Senderos de Traicíon" (released three years earlier), it did not disappoint expectations from both sales and compositional and qualitative perspectives. This album will consolidate their international success, reaching the top of the charts in Spain, Mexico, Germany, and Switzerland. Let's not forget their participation in the important "Rock Am Ring" festival and that MTV also took an interest in them, airing their music videos and live performances.

First of all, it shows differences from the other albums; here, you can notice that the sound becomes harder and more complex. In fact, it moves from the hard rock of "Sangre Hirviendo", to the big riff of "Nuestros Nombres", and the Oriental and ethnic influences of "Flor de Loto" and "Bendecida"; all of this highlights the band's excellent compositional moment and their desire to experiment with new sounds previously unexplored. The album in question was released at the beginning of 1993, crafted under the expert guidance of producer Phil Manzanera, who enhanced the group’s excellent potential.

As already predicted, the album itself is ambitious and lengthy (over 70 minutes); it begins with the powerful "Nuestros Nombres", with Juan Valdivia's masterful initial riff and Bunbury's epic and powerful voice, all accompanied by a splendid and original music video (I still remember when I saw it for the first time on Videomusic 15 years ago! What times!). "Los Placeres de la Pobreza" is a good example of "massive" and fast rock that culminates in a beautiful solo with background choruses. The next two tracks are Spanish rock classics that, beyond the beautiful music, possess wonderful lyrics, referring to "La Herida" and "La Sirena Varada". The first one is, in my opinion, the best track on the album; splendid "Spanish-style" acoustic guitar arpeggios immediately set the mood, then give space to Enrique's poetic and evocative voice, and here too, the excellent solo by guitarist Valdivia and the well-chosen tempo changes make the track quite pleasant to the listener's ears. "La Sirena Varada" is another jewel from Héroes, and its metaphorical lyrics make it quite singular and fascinating; the singer's performance, as well as that of the rest of the band, is once again superb! The short instrumental "Z" introduces "Culpable", where keyboards also appear; after that, we will listen to "El Camino del Exceso" and the Oriental-influenced "Flor de Loto" (I recommend everyone to watch the video!!!), which is dedicated to an Indian girl Enrique sponsored from a distance; here, you can notice the singer's great passion for Indian culture, also detectable in the sounds present in it, such as the sitar sound at the beginning of the track and the "exotic" guitar that characterizes its structure. Another strong piece is "Sangre Hirviendo", a breathtaking hard rock song that the four "matadores" perform perfectly; Pedro Andreu’s performance on the drums is as good as that of the whole band in the sixteen tracks of the album. A slightly negative note is "Tumbas de Sal", inferior compared to the average of the other songs; to be honest, I've never liked it that much, and the lyrics leave a bit to be desired. Of a completely different nature is "Bendecida 2", preceded by a beautiful a cappella chorus, the song is inspired by the band’s travel experience in India and Nepal, and it is no coincidence that the wonderful lakes of Pokhara (the second largest city in Nepal) are mentioned in the lyrics. As a closing track, we have the melancholic ballad "La Alacena", where Enrique's voice reaches "dramatic" and almost "lyrical" nuances. "El Espíritu del Vino" is highly recommended to those who only know "Entre dos Tierras" by Héroes del Silencio and, in general, the tracks from "Senderos de Traicíon". A must-have immediately! HEROES PARA SIEMPRE!