De La Muerte (self-titled)

Italian metal posse De La Muerte has a little South of the border style, and the album cover looks boss.Italy continues to pump out serious metal. It's as if the whole country discovered the genre all over again, cuz they're puttin' out the tunes like nobody's freakin' business. Case in point, the band De La Muerte, who puts a nice southern rock twist on their heavy Adrenaline Mob-style modern sound. This is kind of what I imagine Dangerous Toys might sound like if they made a big comeback.

Inspired by Mexico's widely popular Nuestra Señora de la Santa Muerte cult, this self-titled debut album is packed with tunes loosely threaded together by their spooky narratives. This is another one of the up and coming bands shepherded by the prolific Simone Mularoni (DGM) who recorded, mixed, produced, and mastered this album. Dude, does this guy have Red Bull in his veins or what? Now if there's any complaint at all, the vocals get a little strange sometimes in that they almost sound like the singer is trying to be funny by overdoing it, which I doubt. But this isn't something that happens all the time, and the guitar work is fantastic. So, there you go.

The Bottom Line: This is good old hard rock in the vein of bands like Guns N' Roses, Adrenaline Mob, or Dangerous Toys. If you like a little Southern rock in your metal, this may scratch what itches you.

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- Genghis digs that José Guadalupe Posada style artwork...