INTRANCED Muerte y Metal SLIPCASE [CD]

High Roller Records, slipcase Intranced are one of the hottest newcomers on the current American metal scene. The band originally came together as a three-piece in Los Angeles in 2022, consisting of Fili Bibiano (guitars, also active in Fortress and Gravesword), Ben Richardson (drums) and James-Paul Luna (vocals, ex-White Wizzard). On the day Argentina won the football World Cup in 2022, bass player Nico Staub was added to the line-up. Before signing with High Roller Records, Intranced released one EP and one single (both can be found on the mini-album »Enhanced«). »Muerte Y Metal« is the band’s first full-length studio album. “’Muerte Y Metal’ is a Spanish phrase that translates to ‘Death and Metal”, explains vocalist James-Paul Luna. “Beyond the literal translation, I feel like this title encompasses the album, its themes, and the vibe of the music. The lyrics vary, but the themes are real life, real experiences, ups and downs, grief, fantasy, death, and joy. In a sense, it is heavy metal about life. You could say ‘metal por vida, y metal hasta muerte.’ In English, that means ‘metal for life and metal ‘til death.’ Hence: »Muerte Y Metal«.” Luna himself and Fili Bibiano are of Mexican heritage, whereas Nico Straub is from Argentina. This explains song titles like “Entra La Tormenta” or “Reyes De Las Tinieblas”. “I have always wanted to write and sing songs in Spanish, since that is my family's native tongue,” says Luna. “This would in turn hopefully reach Los Angeles, but also my friends and family in Mexico, Latin America, Europe and anywhere Spanish-speaking metalheads grow their hair long, play on 10, and bang their heads. It is definitely a goal for us to play shows in Spain and South America.” No wonder then that Spanish metal bands have been a huge influence on Intranced: “Oh man... don't even get me started! Aside from the greats – Baron Rojo, Angeles Del Infierno, Obus, Panzer, Muro, etc. – I have to mention bands like Santa, Zeus, Tigres, and Banzai. There's so much amazing Spanish-language metal music, and my roots are strongly grounded in the heavy 70’s Spanish rock and prog bands too. I think we could write a whole separate bio about the awesome heavy music coming out of Spain, Mexico, and Latin America.” Listening to the fantastic vocal delivery on »Muerte Y Metal«, James-Paul Luna and the boys might have spun a few Riot albums on their turntables as well. Have Guy Speranza or Rhett Forrester been an inspiration for the Intranced singer at all? He says: “I love Riot – they are another major influence, combining raw pure heavy and amazing American trad metal. Both Guy and Rhett are influences, as well as Tony Moore from the »Thundersteel« era. Even their new singer Todd Michael Hall is just amazingly talented.” 01 Reyes De Las Tinieblas 02 Switchblade 03 Fantasy 04 I Dunno Nothin' 05 Muerte Y Metal 06 Entra La Tormenta 07 Lady Lightning 08 Intranced - Pulse 09 Passionate Pretender 10 See You on the Other Side