Rata Blanca
La Llave De La Puerta Secreta

The great Rata Blanca, a true institution for the Argentine metal people, who, as mentioned on other occasions, have proven over the years their ability to build a strong reputation even outside their country's borders, offering class and compositional ability thanks to a series of albums with a strong artistic appeal which, as in the case of the best sellers "Magos, Espadas y Rosas" and "Guerrero del Arco Iris", have garnered unanimous acclaim from critics and audiences.

A band that returns to be heard with a studio album a full two years after the previous, and sensational, "El camino del fuego", an album which, thanks also to the Italian press run by the ever-active Underground Symphony of Novi Ligure, has reached good accessibility in our regions among the aficionados of certain noble and refined sounds. But above all, it marked the return of the prodigal son Adrian Barillari, considered by many as one of the few vocalists capable of holding his own against the various sacred monsters in the history of intercontinental hard n' heavy, and who, after a good solo album a while back, once again takes on the role of eternal alter ego that many have pre-packaged for him, returning to join once more the now-deus ex machina of the Argentine combo, namely the guitar player Walter Giardino, who, thanks especially to a renewed guitar verve, engages in a continuous series of guitar solos and harmonic scales so much that the often-repeated refrain of the South American Blackmore seems almost really made to fit him like a glove.

As with the previous studio album, also for this new episode with the resounding title ‘La llave de la puerta secreta’, it remains a concept album whose lyrics seem nearly inspired by fantasy themes à la Tolkien, the band in question returns to offer us a trio of splendid musical compositions, in which they skillfully bring to life, condensing them masterfully, all those influences that since their beginnings have always characterized their record releases, in other words, a sound mix in which the most purely mainstream hard rock of DEEP PURPLE and WHITESNAKE, the typically epic sumptuous influences of RAINBOW during the R.J Dio era, and a healthy touch of hard blues of typically American extraction coexist, which as never before, manages to give certain tracks that distinctly stars and stripes cut.
Topped by an artwork of which calling exceptional seems almost reductive, an astonishing package with a lead key at the center of an elegant digipack that opens on four pages, something to make your skin goosebumps, believe me, the eleven captivating compositions that the album comprises retrace in an undeniable way almost twenty years of the "blanco y celeste" combo's career, emphasizing where possible, the effective technical/qualitative aspect of the six musicians starting from the initial heavy rock of the title track ‘La llave de la puerta secreta’, through the lively rhythms of "Indigo", the hard blues of "Guitarra spagnola", up to the heart-wrenching notes of the concluding "Mamma", Rata Blanca offers us the best of their repertoire emphasized by sublime vocal harmonization, indisputable neoclassical guitar licks, all from a sonic texture enriched by Hugo Bistolfi's never overwhelming Hammond, which manages to weave authentic rhythmic carpets that, even if to a minimal extent, manage to characterize much of the songs contained herein.

A further piece embedded in the ever-varied discographic mosaic of the South American band which, although published for the Hispanic circuit only, should not be missing from the discography of any self-respecting metal fan...