RATING: 7.5/10
1. Foc
2. Hola
3. One/Take 5
4. Mr Tang
5. Paris
6. Libertango
7. Captain Casanova
8. One
2. Hola
3. One/Take 5
4. Mr Tang
5. Paris
6. Libertango
7. Captain Casanova
8. One
Well I've finally gotten around to ripping my Rodrigo y Gabriela albums and so I thought I'd give this one a review.
For any not familiar with Rodrigo and Gabriela, they are a Mexican duo who play classical guitar. Despite a lot of their work resembling Spanish flamenco etc, their roots actually stem from thrash metal, a fact that doesn’t surprise after just a short listen.
Dublin is where they moved to and eventually got their foot in the door of the music world.
What is so endearing about Rodrigo y Gabriela is not just the fact they are technically both brilliant guitarists, that cannot be denied, but rather the fact that they give a lot of thought into their compositions. Rather than being happy to wow a crowd by their incredibly fast playing, they obviously take a great deal of time thinking about a song’s structure. Indeed, it may all be flamenco/thrash metal on the outside but dig a little deeper and there are very similar elements to classical music and composition. They certainly have a passion for music and a love for expressing their style as each tune is crafted with care and detail, getting the most out of two guitars as one can.
As if anyone were not convinced by their thrash metal influences and background, they are happy to provide covers of songs such as Orion and One by Metallica, the latter of which appears on this album. Once again, even with the covers, they have taken the time to make it sound as good as it can with beautiful arrangements. One doesn’t lose any of its power in the crossover from electric to classical guitar, all of the notes are present, so are the drums in places and the whole thing builds up wonderfully. One is actually performed twice on here; as the last track with a string accompaniment and as the third track which suddenly blends in to the classic tune Take 5. Throughout the recording you will hear snippets of other tunes including Master of Puppets and Seven Nation Army, and as cheesy as it could be, they actually make it work and fit in perfectly.
This entire album is very enjoyable and very accessible, you don’t have to like thrash and you don’t need to be interested in flamenco. Just put it on and enjoy. Also check out their self-titled album and their new album Live in Japan, though I have yet to get this.
For any not familiar with Rodrigo and Gabriela, they are a Mexican duo who play classical guitar. Despite a lot of their work resembling Spanish flamenco etc, their roots actually stem from thrash metal, a fact that doesn’t surprise after just a short listen.
Dublin is where they moved to and eventually got their foot in the door of the music world.
What is so endearing about Rodrigo y Gabriela is not just the fact they are technically both brilliant guitarists, that cannot be denied, but rather the fact that they give a lot of thought into their compositions. Rather than being happy to wow a crowd by their incredibly fast playing, they obviously take a great deal of time thinking about a song’s structure. Indeed, it may all be flamenco/thrash metal on the outside but dig a little deeper and there are very similar elements to classical music and composition. They certainly have a passion for music and a love for expressing their style as each tune is crafted with care and detail, getting the most out of two guitars as one can.
As if anyone were not convinced by their thrash metal influences and background, they are happy to provide covers of songs such as Orion and One by Metallica, the latter of which appears on this album. Once again, even with the covers, they have taken the time to make it sound as good as it can with beautiful arrangements. One doesn’t lose any of its power in the crossover from electric to classical guitar, all of the notes are present, so are the drums in places and the whole thing builds up wonderfully. One is actually performed twice on here; as the last track with a string accompaniment and as the third track which suddenly blends in to the classic tune Take 5. Throughout the recording you will hear snippets of other tunes including Master of Puppets and Seven Nation Army, and as cheesy as it could be, they actually make it work and fit in perfectly.
This entire album is very enjoyable and very accessible, you don’t have to like thrash and you don’t need to be interested in flamenco. Just put it on and enjoy. Also check out their self-titled album and their new album Live in Japan, though I have yet to get this.
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