Flamenco Metal: Rodrigo Y Gabriela

From: Amsterdam Weekly
Rising from the ashes of small-time Mexican metal band Tierra Acida, Rodrigo Y Gabriela are an acoustic guitar duo that may just make your parents interested in the finer works of Slayer and Cannibal Corpse.
Their unique style developed from time as modern day mariachi, busking on the streets of Mexico and Ireland, combine elements of metal, tradition flamenco and elegant classical guitar. In Ireland, with busking peers like Damien Rice, the duo soon went from the streets to cafes and galleries and onwards to the international stages of London’s Hammersmith Apollo and the WOMAD festival circuit.
On stage, the workload between the two is divided equally. Rodrigo noodles through high-speed solos and ethereal yet technical finger picking while Gabriela’s heavily percussive rhythmic style pays as much respect to Latin guitar as to metal’s finest rhythm sections (think of Lars Urlich and Cliff Burton as you listen Rod and Gab’s interpretation of Metallica’s “Orion”).
The composition of originals like “Vikingman” and “Juan Loco” switch from Latin grooves to “Flight Of The Bumblebee” ferocity, while “Tamacun” is like the soundtrack to a Columbian drug lord car chase, but the real crowd-pleasers come from the inventiveness of their covers.
Live, the duo are seated and spotlighted while the crowd, black-clad metal heads with their hair pony-tailed for the occasion, world music hippies and all guitar lovers in between assist in sing-a-longs to Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here” and Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway To Heaven”.
Whether fans knew the duo through their eponymous studio album Rodrigo Y Gabriela or via live recordings, they could rest assured that on the night the meticulous compositions aren’t ruined by ego-ridden improvisation. “Our solos are exactly what’s on the record” the duo insists. “As a metal fan and guitarist you always want to hear the same fucking solo!”