format: LP
year: 1984
country: Argentina
label: Umbral
#: 13011
info: Innersleeve w/ lyrics
style: Heavy Metal, Power Metal
Side A:
Side B:
One of the instigators of the early Argentinian Heavy Metal scene and also one of its most cherished icons is this the one and only album by BLOKE. It only takes a few bars of the opening title track to realize that this is exactly as crushing an album as the cover art wants you to believe (opinions seem to differ on weather that front sleeve is genious or silly, but I'm a fan and wouldn't want to change a thing), an immortal headbanging ANTHEM of international class and pretty much your #1 choice for an opening track on that latino-Metal mix-tape you always wanted to make. The explosion sound effects over those flaming power chords is their secret sauce. Does it get even better? Well, no, but it really doesn't have to.
I had the audacity to make a vague reference to Motley Crue's "Live Wire" when reviewing "Antes Del Fin" on the "Aleación" compilantion, and that's probably the niecest thing anyone has ever said about MC and so I regret the comparison - it's Metallica 1982 from South America, plain and simple. It's tempting to keep throwing comparisons of the heavier NWOBHM as well as early US Metal bands around, but Bloke is simply the archetype of crushing, primordial Heavy Metal from the early 80's...and occationally really fast too! Especially in the Oldest Speed Metal-hit and closer "Alma De Chakal", reminding of the most hard-core Exciter tunes, or "Listo A Matar" which sounds comfortably similar to the better Living Death tunes of the day, as well as the aforementioned "Antes Del Fin" and the Savage-tasting "La Fuerza Del Metal.
Tunes like "Identidad Real" and "Bajo El Signo Del Terror" also deserves a special mention. The former shines a pleasent dark light of M.Fate'y rhythms & riffs, while the latter combines Maiden guitar harmonies with Diamond Head vocal melodies quite successfully.
So it might not change your life, but only a complete originality-or-bust bore would be disappointed by this beauty. Pretty much essential want-list material for any fan of the Golden Era of Heavy Metal.