Jezabel "Legiones Del Sur" CD
[Cruz Del Sur]
After an all too long synth intro this Argentinian band finally gets down to business and starts cranking out the power metal, and I have to say, they've got a nice approach that harnesses more energy than most of these bands, so that's awesome.  Expect a pretty traditional backbone that uses appropriately fast picking patterns as well as chunkier chord progressions that blend a classic 80's metal vibe with a hint of progressive metal, alongside standard singing vocals with plenty of harmonies and catchy arrangements (all sung in Spanish).  There's a lot of variety as far as the tempos go, but for the most part they achieve a really solid balance and I think they write damn good songs.  Sometimes the Spanish lyrics can throw me for a loop, but that's no big deal.  I'm definitely digging the solos, which are all fairly fired up and flashy without being forced or gaudy or anything.  Sometimes the more complex leads that are harmonized present minor performance flaws, but again, it's as songwriters that these guys really shine.  "Sigue un Paso Mas" is the first official song and kicks things off with the shortest and catchiest of the tracks, "Alas de Acero" and "Elegía" are midpaced and have plenty of emphasis on strong choruses and such, etc.  Even slower tracks like "Legiones Del Sur" have a sense of power to the way things play out, be it a midpaced set of power chords or the clean guitars and synths that back the vocals during the verse.  It's also in some of these slower tracks where there's more breathing room that a lot of the dual guitar work is more noticeable, and they definitely have a knack for using quick little harmonies as well as more creative layering techniques that definitely add to the material.  Many of the chord progressions in "Crito de Libertad" even give a nod to Judas Priest, tied in with the band's generally less fist-pumping approach.  There really are no weak tracks here.  Sure, some are obviously better than others, but they tend to carry themselves well from start to finish.  Even the bass instrumental "S.A.F.", while unnecessary, isn't bad - simply because you rarely come across instrumental segues that highlight the bass these days.  "Miro Atrás" is the only composition that feels somewhat lacking, because as more of a power ballad it doesn't suit the vocalist's strengths, so the intro with the soft singing over acoustic guitars definitely seems off, but once the distortion kicks in they redeem themselves.  As far as the production goes the drums are a little too rigid and the snare has a harsh kind of attack, but despite a few minor issues I think it sounds pretty good.  The guitars need more clarity and the bass ought to be more prominent, but the synths are mixed deep in with everything else and the vocals sound pretty fluid.  So for the most part they've got a decent sound that just needs a bit of tweaking here and there to strengthen the foundation.  The layout's not doing much for me since the cover's boring and the band photos are just uninteresting.  It could be worse, but... it's pretty bland to look at.  As mentioned all of the lyrics are in Spanish, so I'm not sure what they're dealing with, but it's cool that the band sings in their own language.  I bet they'd be a little more "popular" if they sang in English just because the songwriting is so damn catchy, but I don't mind that I can't understand the lyrics.  There's a video included for "Sigue un Paso Mas", but for some reason they included it as the first track on the disc, so on a computer there's seven minutes of silence before the real first song starts, and the video's in some format that I can't even view, so... I'm ignoring that.  These guys are damn good songwriters though, I wish all power metal bands had that kind of talent, because this is a genre I'd love to further appreciate if only the songwriting was more consistent!  Check this band out. (7/10)
Running time - 63:04, Tracks: 12
[Notable tracks: Sigue un Paso Mas, Signos (10 X), Fe]
Cruz Del Sur Music - http://www.cruzdelsurmusic.com

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