And another newbie on our pages: Costa Rica! Debuting for this country are ACERO from the capital San Juan. “Pasado Y Presente“ (“Past And Present“), so the title of the album, hints at a best-of compilation, as does the fact that the band was already founded in 1985.

Risen from the ashes of CICLOS D that year, the band back then consisted of Jorge Molina (guitar/vocals), Francisco Pujol (bass/vocals) and Francisco Paz (drums). 1986 former CICLOS D drummer Marcelo Galli replaced Francisco Paz, who moved to the USA to further study his instrument. At the end of 1987 Galli switched to CAFÉ CON LECHE and Johnny Soto took his place. Molina took this opportunity to step down from the microphone and fully concentrate on his guitar, Franklin Umaña rose to the occasion.

1988 the band finally entered a studio, more precisely the CBS Indica Studios, to record for songs, but the demo never was released. Still in 1988 Umaña left ACERO again and Adrián Ortiz was added as keyboarder, just to disappear again shortly after. 1989 the changing game behind the drum kit continued and Juan Carlos Araya followed Soto. He lasted a whole year before Fernando Alvarado took on the challenge and in 1991 the band split up.

Then it took five years until Molina, Pujol and Alvarado re-animated the band and in 1997 Franklin Umaña returned, the band adopting its name ACERO again. In 1999 Umaña left for a second time and with Adrián Moya they found their current singer. Drummer, btw, was still Alvarado… In the year 2000 guitarist and keyboarder Carlos Aguilar was taken up and they had the line-up, in which they entered the Athor Studios in 2002, recording “Pasado Y Presente”, truly the first CD of the 17-year band history, containing material from the first ACERO song ever, “Libertad”, up to brand new stuff.

And ACERO means “steel“, therefore one could assume that the Costa Ricans play traditional Heavy Metal and – tadaa – that is exactly, what they do! Opener “Pasa La Raya“ is most traditional steel of the 80s, so absolutely nothing for modernists and people, who need greatest possible originality, because both ACERO have next to nothing of, because the band does not give a damn about what is “in” at the moment and plays their Metal straight from the heart, as the first song of the band history also shows, “Libertad”, a bit faster, but deeply rooted in the 80s.

“Dos Lunas Negras“ (more than eight minutes of playing time) shows that they also master the a bit more epic department and the almost five-minute instrumental “Pendulo” awakens some memories of older IRON MAIDEN. And towards the end we even get an almost nine-minute semi-ballad titled “Luces En El Cielo“ that also has a certain light epic touch. In between they deliver purest, straight, catchy and a bit keyboard-supported Heavy Metal that should warm every Eighties fans’ heart.

That they sing in Spanish is almost logical, but it fits the very heartfelt songs of ACERO as the production also is pretty good. So who would like to have something from Costa Rica in the collection, the guys are very reliable and the music is good as well! (Online October 1, 2004)