Azeroth: Historias De Ayer, Senderos De Hoy | With Several Stories to Tell
(2024 – Cuervo Records)
The history and experiences of Azeroth may well parallel the path of the metal scene in Argentina, which has always faced all kinds of problems but somehow always manages to move forward. Azeroth’s story in particular can be summed up as a flying start in the early 2000s, followed by defections, various problems, long hiatuses, a new lineup, and the present, which allows Azeroth to maintain a presence on the scene and have several things to say through its music. So, despite everything the band went through, it was only in 2018 that it began to have a much more consistent regularity, with two studio albums released since then (one even with an English version), proving that Azeroth is more alive than ever, and there is no better opportunity to demonstrate the vitality of a band than to capture it on a live album, something the band had never been able to do until now.
Thus, “Historias De Ayer, Senderos De Hoy” arrives, a classic live album that rescues and selects several gems and essentials from Azeroth’s discography, in a kind of compilation that can serve as a basis for attracting new listeners or those who are simply curious to hear how Azeroth sounds on stage. Recorded at the October 8, 2023 show at the Teatro Flores in Buenos Aires, Argentina, as usual, it is not the complete show from that night, but it is still an excellent testimony to what the band delivers live.
Thus, in “Historias De Ayer, Senderos De Hoy” we can find a good selection of songs with the most interesting tracks from Azeroth’s discography, but focused on their latest studio album, “Senderos Del Destino,” and in this way, songs such as “Urd,” “Antigua Senda,” “Senderos Del Destino,” are present. The excellent “Más allá Del Caos” and the unmissable “Y Sus Máscaras Caerán” are also featured, among others. “El Mandato” and “La Promesa” are also included, and the most neolithic moments are delivered, logically, with classics such as “La Salida” and “Campaña Al Desierto,” from their magnificent first album.
Musically, Azeroth has always been labeled within the spectrum of more melodic Power Metal, but live it’s a different story. The current lineup of the band shows a devastating power and a sound much closer to more visceral Metal, mixed with the great vocals of Ignacio Rodriguez, one of the most outstanding voices in Metal in Argentina. The complementarity between the two guitars (Pablo Gamarra and David Zambrana) gives it a much heavier feel, closer to the sound of bands like Blind Guardian or Gammaray. The foundation formed by Daniel Esquivel’s drums, Leonardo Miceli’s keyboard cushion, and, of course, Fernando Ricciardulli’s bass, a true Metal warrior, complement a truly crushing wall of sound.
The album was recorded, mixed, and mastered with the efforts of the band members, achieving in the final result a good sample of what Azeroth is capable of live, highlighting that priority has been given to the sound of the instruments and the band, and not so much to the ambient sound, which in some cases is combined with a bit of demagoguery, which is not the case here.
The artwork is rather modest. The cover is perhaps not the most remarkable, simply showing photographs of the members of Azeroth in full swing. The same tone is followed by the inner sleeve, which logically contains the technical data and many photographs of the band on stage, but lacks the lyrics of the songs included. This is logical and normal for a live album.
The viability of live albums is sometimes debated, mainly because of the sound itself and particularly because they are generally more highly valued by fans of the band that releases them, and are not usually the first choice when it comes to getting to know the band’s material. Well, in this case, I think it’s a good opportunity, not only to get to know the best of Azeroth, but also to see how well they’re doing and, above all, to hear how they sound live. That’s the most remarkable thing about an album that shows Azeroth’s vitality, and best of all, the band still seems to have a lot more to give.
“Historias De Ayer, Senderos De Hoy” was only released on CD and can be purchased through their label at https://www.facebook.com/CuervoRecords. Here’s how to stay in touch with Azeroth and the official video for “Y Sus Máscaras Caerán,” from this album.
https://www.facebook.com/azerothmetal/?locale=es_LA
https://www.instagram.com/azerothmetal/?hl=es
