English / Spanish
One of the joys of working on Alt.Latino is the amount of musical discovery I get to experience. Then along comes the Los Angeles-based band Metalachi and my face almost breaks from smiling so much.
Heavy metal covers by a mariachi band!
Two of my all time favorite genres covered in one very fun concept.
According to Metalachi's website the band's beginnings can be traced back to a fateful night at a Super Ocho Motor Lodge in Veracruz, Mexico back in 1982. We can't get into too many details here on this page.
The band's bio, a mix of fact and fiction, reads like a story penned by the ghost of the great Chicano activist/author/shaman Oscar Zeta Acosta, and goes a long way to explain why anyone would even think about combining the two seemingly disparate styles.
The in-studio tracks and videos on their website offer covers of Judas Priest, Metallica, Iron Maiden and the Oz Man himself, among others. Check out their live cover of Master of Puppets:
As for the music: Mariachi and metal can both be acquired tastes, but for me the music of Metalachi goes down as smooth as of one Zeta's tales of 1970's Chicano political resistance — and a shot of high quality mescal from the Mexican desert.
Viva Ozzy!
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English / Spanish
Metalachi: Los Mariachi Del Heavy Metal
Uno de los placeres más grandes de mi trabajo aquí en Alt.Latino es estar constantemente descubriendo nueva música. Mi más reciente descubrimiento es una banda de Los Ángeles llamada Metalachi.
Mis dos géneros musicales favoritos finalmente se han unido: Música heavy metal y mariachi.
Según el sitio web de Metalachi, la banda nació en 1982, durante una noche en un hotel en Veracruz, México. No puedo contar los detalles aquí en este blog, pero si tienen un momento, les aconsejo que lean la biografía de la banda, una mezcla de hechos y ficciones. Me recuerda a las historias de Oscar Zeta Acosta, el gran activista, autor, y líder espiritual Chicano.
Metalachi se dedica a hacer covers de Judas Priest, Metallica, Iron Maiden y el mismísimo Ozzy Osbourne, entre otros. Vean este cover en vivo de Master of Puppets:
Tanto el mariachi como el heavy metal pueden ser gustos adquiridos, pero para mí la música de Metalachi es tan lógica como los cuentos de resistencia política Chicana que escribía Zeta en los años 70. Un trago tan fuerte y bueno como el mezcal del desierto Mexicano.
¡Viva Ozzy!
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