RODRIGO Y GABRIELA - RODRIGO Y GABRIELA
Just when you think fretboard pyrotechnics are a thing of the past, an acoustic-guitar duo revives the genre with raw energy and endless elan. Mexican-born Rodrigo y Gabriela morph Latin styles and heavy metal into a wild fusion that sounds like the virtuoso work of a headbanging flamenco dancer. On groove-shifting originals like “Diablo Rojo” and “Satori,” Rodrigo Sanchez shows off maniacal scale runs while Gabriela Quintero adds thunderous percussion by drumming on the guitar’s body. “Ixtapa,” a dreamy world-metal ballad, features gypsy violinist Roby Lakatos. The inventive duo, whose career took off in Dublin after busking through Europe, wrap “Stairway to Heaven” in four minutes and follow up with a brain-melting take of Metallica’s “Orion.” One of the best guitar albums in ages; one of the best discs this year. Billboard
