Reviewed – 02/19/06

The Elder
[Self Released]

Flamenco influenced Heavy Metal, eh? Now, I'm a Folk Metal fan that is always on the lookout for new forms and variations of traditional Folk music mixed in with Metal, but nothing prepared me for what I was about to hear the first time I heard the debut album "The Elder" from the Californian band Flametal. This album is so damn good, so unique, and so catchy that if I would have listened to it before I had made up my Top Ten Of 2005 list, it definitely would have made that list!

Okay, so what the hell is Flamenco, you may want to know? Being the whitest guy on the planet, I know very little about it, aside from the fact that my Mexican buddy Leroy's mom has talked about it a few times. I don't usually quote things from the internet in my reviews, but in this case, since I'm not to "in the know" on Flamenco , I'll make an exception.

"Flamenco is a song, music and dance style which is strongly influenced by the Gitanos, but which has its deeper roots in Moorish and Jewish musical traditions. Flamenco culture originated in Andalusia (Spain), but has since become one of the icons of Spanish music and even Spanish culture in general. According to Blas Infante in his story "Or?genes de lo flamenco y secreto del cante jondo", Etymologically, the word Flamenco comes from the Arabic word Fellahmengu, "Peasant without Land". This is related to the huge amount of Ethnic Andalusians who decided to stay and mix with the Gypsy newcomers instead abandoning their lands because of their religious beliefs (Moriscos). After the Castilian conquest of Andalusia, the Reconquista, most of the land was expropiated and given to warlords and mercenaries who had helped the Castilian kings enterprise against Al-Andalus. When the Castilians later ordered the expulsion or forceful conversion of the Andalusian Moriscos, they took refuge among the Gypsies, becoming fellahmengu in order to avoid death, persecution, or forced deportation. Posing as Gypsies they managed to return to their cultural practices and ceremonies including the singing".

So yeah, in layman's terms, it's sort of acoustic Spanish Gypsy music, using hand claps, foot stomps and dance moves. This is what you'll find a lot of on "The Elder", and those Flamenco guitar parts played by guitarist Benjamin Woods are absolutely stunning! Honestly, this is some of the most impressive guitar work I've heard in quite some time and it just sounds cool as hell! But don't fret, this album does offer Metal moments as well mixed right in with the Flamenco parts! For lack of a better comparison, the Metal style played on this album sounds a bit like the "guitar god" style Yngwie Malmsteen and similar artists play, though the music does tend to get a bit heavier, even entering the realm of Thrash at times. I thought Marty Friedman (ex-Megadeth) played on this album, but he actually played on their demo. Either way, the Metal guitars on "The Elder" sound a bit like Friedman, so if you were into his work, you may want to note that info. All of this may sound a bit odd to some people at first, but when you hear those Flamenco guitars, Metal guitars, drums, bass and those fast as hell and precise handclaps and footstomps mixed in all together, you won't be able to get enough! It makes me want to watch Zorro for some reason!

There aren't many lyrics or vocals sung on the album, in fact only three songs have any vocals at all! With this band, it seems it's mostly about the music. What vocals there are though are in the Thrash/Death variety for the most part, sometimes there's a clean vocal/narration style used, and once in a great while the vocals have a slight Black Metal edge to them. The lyrics, what little there are, seem to revolve around mystical situations surrounding Southern Spain. Witches, "evil" and similar themes.

The production on "The Elder" is not perfect, but it's pretty damn good considering the band recorded all of the music on this C.D. live in a small studio! I'd like to know how they record the foot stomps. Must be some microphone they put on the floor or something. Either way, the handclaps (Palmas) and footwork (Taconeo) are really brought out to the front in the mix, and it works perfectly this way!

Flametal has scored big points with me for their originality. I guarantee you have no other C.D. in your Metal collection that sounds even remotely like this, so Folk Metal fans looking for something a bit different should put this on their "to buy" list. Put it at the top of the list and make it a priority! I can't wait to see what Flametal has to offer us in the future. With just this one album, they've become one of my favorite new bands.