The Argentine heavy metal is a heavy metal music movement that originated in

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

in the 1980s. The first popular artist was Pappo, who created the band

Riff A riff is a repeated chord progression or refrain in music (also known as an ostinato figure in classical music); it is a pattern, or melody, often played by the rhythm section instruments or solo instrument, that forms the basis or acc ...

influenced by the contemporary

new wave of British heavy metal The new wave of British heavy metal (commonly abbreviated as NWOBHM) was a nationwide musical movement that started in England in the mid-1970s and achieved international attention by the early 1980s. Journalist Geoff Barton coined the term i ...

. V8 was formed at that time as well, and most of its members created notable bands after their respective departures from the band:

Ricardo Iorio Ricardo Iorio (born 25 June 1962) is an Argentine heavy metal singer and bassist who participated in various of the most important metal bands of the nation. He was one of the founders of V8 (1979–1987) and later founded the successful band ...

and

Walter Giardino Héctor Walter Giardino (born 6 March 1960) is an Argentine guitarist and the leader of the heavy metal and hard rock band Rata Blanca. Career Early years and V8 (1981–1985) In 1981 Walter Giardino as a guitarist and vocalist founded Pun ...

, currently in Almafuerte and

Rata Blanca Rata Blanca ("White Rat" in English) is an Argentine heavy metal band, formed in 1986. History Beginnings The guitarist Walter Giardino replaced Osvaldo Civile in V8 for a little time, and left the band when his songs were rejected. His ...

, are still popular. The second half of the 1980s saw the success of hard rock bands such as

Kamikaze , officially , were a part of the Japanese Special Attack Units of military aviators who flew suicide attacks for the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, intending t ...

, Alakran and

, with an aesthetic similar to the contemporary

glam metal Glam metal (also known as hair metal or pop metal) is a subgenre of heavy metal that features pop-influenced hooks and guitar riffs, upbeat rock anthems, and slow power ballads. It borrows heavily from the fashion and image of 1970s glam ...

Thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and often fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, 2007, . ...

bands, such as

Hermética Hermética was an Argentine thrash metal band from San Martín, Buenos Aires. It was formed by bassist Ricardo Iorio in 1987 after his previous band, V8, disbanded. Hermética was signed to the independent record label Radio Trípoli Discos ...

, Horcas and

Lethal Lethality (also called deadliness or perniciousness) is how capable something is of causing death. Most often it is used when referring to diseases, chemical weapons, biological weapons, or their toxic chemical components. The use of this ter ...

, appeared in the late 80s and early 90s. Rata Blanca declined its popularity in the 1990s and eventually broke up. Hermética became more popular than V8 during its short existence, and broke up in a controversy between the leader

and the other members. Iorio created a new band, Almafuerte, and the former members of Hermética stayed together for some time as

Malón ''Malón'' (from the Mapudungun ''maleu,'' to inflict damage to the enemy) is the name given to plunder raids carried out by Mapuche warriors, who rode horses into Spanish, Chilean and Argentine territories from the 17th to the 19th centuries, a ...

. Rata Blanca had a revival later, and the band was rejoined.

History

The

Argentine Rock Argentine rock (known locally as ''rock nacional'' , "national rock" in the sense of "local", "not international") is rock music composed or performed by Argentine bands or artists mostly in Spanish. Argentine rock began by recycling hits of Engl ...

of the late 1970s included bands such as

Pappo's Blues Norberto Aníbal Napolitano (March 10, 1950 – February 25, 2005), popularly known as Pappo, was an Argentine rock musician, guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was and is one of the most influential figures in Argentine music, and in additio ...

El Reloj "El reloj" () is a song of the bolero genre, with music and lyrics by Mexican composer and singer Roberto Cantoral, then a member of the Los Tres Caballeros trio. History Cantoral composed the song in 1956, in Washington D.C., in front of the ...

, Vox Dei and

Pescado Rabioso Pescado Rabioso (Rabid Fish) were an Argentinian rock band led by Argentine musician Luis Alberto Spinetta from 1971 to 1973. Initially a trio accompanied by drummer Black Amaya and bassist Osvaldo "Bocón" Frascino, they became a quartet with the ...

. The fans of those bands would eventually create the first heavy metal bands. There was no specialized press at the time, and bands and concerts were scarce. Pappo, who was already a famous musician and had been in Europe for some time, created a band influenced by the

. V8, a band with less popularity, mixed heavy metal and punk rock, and became notable during an incident at the "Buenos Aires Rock" concert. The end of the national reorganization process in 1983 allowed an increased activity. ''

Metal A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...

'' was the first heavy metal magazine in Argentina, edited in 1983, and "Cuero Pesado" ( es, Heavy leather) the first radio program. Many bands, like V8, could release their first long plays. However, activity decreased a short time later. Riff broke up when a concert at the Ferrocarril Oeste stadium ended with huge vandalism, and V8 tried to emigrate to Brazil. Riff returned in 1985, and V8 returned as well with a new line-up. The international success of

Glam metal Glam metal (also known as hair metal or pop metal) is a subgenre of heavy metal that features pop-influenced hooks and guitar riffs, upbeat rock anthems, and slow power ballads. It borrows heavily from the fashion and image of 1970s glam ...

increased the interest in heavy metal music as well. A new magazine appears, ''

Riff Raff Riff Raff, Riffraff, or Riff-Raff, a term for the common people but with negative connotations, may refer to: In music * Riff Raff (rapper), from Texas * Riff Raff (band), a UK progressive rock band * Riff Raff, a band formed by Billy Bragg * ...

'', and the discos

Halley Halley may refer to: Science * Halley's Comet, officially designated 1P/Halley, a comet that becomes visible from Earth every 75-76 years * Halley (lunar crater), a lunar crater named after Edmond Halley * Halley (Martian crater), a Martian cra ...

and

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became important venues for concerts. The activity decreased again in 1989, during a national economic crisis caused by an hyperinflation. Glam metal itself never caught on in Argentina, but some hard rock bands used the glam visual style, such as Alakran,

and Escocia. The most successful of those bands was

, who made a concert at the

José Amalfitani Stadium The José Amalfitani Stadium is a stadium located in the Liniers neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina, near Liniers railway station. The venue is the home of the Argentine Primera División club Vélez Sarsfield and is also known as ''El Fort ...

, the highest attended concert of an Argentine heavy metal band to date. Those bands appeared in Argentina in the late eighties and the initial nineties, some years after the international boom of glam metal; and so did the first

thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and often fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, 2007, . ...

bands as well. Some of those bands were Horcas,

and

Nepal Nepal (; ne, :ne:नेपाल, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in S ...

; the most popular one was

, led by ex-V8 bass player

. The Argentine Currency Board established in 1991 eased the imports of foreign albums and the tours of international bands. As of 1995, the popularity of Rata Blanca had declined, and Hermética broke up, with their members starting the rival bands Almafuerte (with Iorio) and

(the rest of the band). A.N.I.M.A.L. was popular among the fans of 1990s heavy metal, and Horcas increased their popularity with singer Walter Meza. The number of thrash metal bands declined, and the number of

power metal Power metal is a subgenre of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional heavy metal with speed metal, often within symphonic context. Generally, power metal is characterized by a faster, lighter, and more uplifting sound, in contra ...

bands increased; with Imperio being the most popular in the genre. Malón broke up years later, and Almafuerte regained and increased the popularity of Hermética. The genre had a huge drawback in the early 2000s, first with the 2001 economic crisis, which forced many small bands to break up. The República Cromañón nightclub fire forced most nightclubs to increase their security; most of them had to close and the remaining ones became too expensive for heavy metal bands. The genre had a slow recovery since then. As of 2014, the most popular bands are Rata Blanca and Almafuerte.

External links

Blog: ''"Los Libros Del Rock Argentino"''

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20130422072208/http://www.documentalsyd.com.ar/ Portal: "''Sucio y Desprolijo, El Heavy Metal En Argentina"''
Joaquín Amat: ''"Canalcero es la memoria de mi viaje"''. Registros en videotape de ''V8'', ''Hermética'', ''Almafuerte'', etc.''

FB: ''"Armada De Los Inmortales"''

FB: ''"Autentica Cultura Black Metal - Sentid Mortales"''

FB: ''"La Historia Del Metal Extremo En Argentina"''

FB: ''"Circulo Folk-Pagan-Viking Metal Argentina"''

FB: ''"Truenos Metálicos"''

FB: ''"Metal Extremo Argentino"''

* ttp://armadadelosinmortales.blogspot.com.ar/ Blog: ''"Armada De Los Inmortales, La Banda De Sonido De Mi Vida"''
Ezine -''"Fanz Rev Rebelion Rock"''

Webzine: ''"Hazlo tu mismx, Historias del Hardcore-Punk en Argentina"''

Podcast: ''"Combativos"''

Portal: ''"Map Of Metal"''

Melissa Cross:''"Técnicas de Screaming"''

History

External links

See also