Aiming at becoming a reference in the Spanish underground scene, this up-and-coming “Flamencore hate crew” returns with their most ambitious release to date.

Born in 2009 as a side project based on Heavy Metal and Hardcore with electronic music and flamenco influences, to the point their music can also be labeled as “Flamencore”, Spanish quartet Bolu2 Death has been making a name for themselves in their homeland since the release of their 2011 debut album, titled Aviate, becoming a reference in the Spanish underground scene. Following the success of Aviate, the band continued to pave their path with a series of steady releases, those being Mastica Tus Dientes in 2013, Dualitas in 2016 (which by the way was elected “Album Of The Year” by Metal Nacional, a Spanish written metal webzine), and their brand new album Spiral now in 2018, their most ambitious release to date which aims at establishing this “Flamencore hate crew” comprised of Mario Lérida on vocals, Jose Luis Corrales on the guitar, Juan Miguel Ramírez on bass and Francisco Llévenes on drums as one of the most important bands in modern-day Spanish Metal.

The alternative, futuristic intro (0) sets up the stage to the electrifying Nace, Crece y Muere (which would translate from Spanish as “all is born, grows and dies”), a high-end Alternative and Nu Metal tune made in Spain where the demented growls and distorted noises blasted by the band will darken your mind and inspire you to break your neck headbanging, with Francisco simply crushing his drums. We Bleed, We Fight is a rebellious anthem of Alternative Metal, showcasing rumbling and metallic sounds extracted by Juan Miguel from his bass while Mario delivers some truly enraged words (“No, I don´t wanna be like you, never / I don´t wanna be like you / We must look at the past but never look back / We bleed, we fight / Create the path of your life / We will try again, come on, come on”); whereas Smells Like 90´s Spirit is a tribute to all bands from the 90’s that helped shape up the band’s musicality (“It´s the time when we grew up / Music came into our lives / We will never forget the smell / Que nos hizo amar / Nothing will ever be the same / But it in my heart the world doesn’t change / I give thanks for all”) in the form of another feast of extreme and modernized sounds, this time led by the sharp guitar lines by Jose Luis.

Todo y Nada could easily be used as the soundtrack to a wicked underground movie, where the band turns their instruments into noise-making machines and with Mario shaping his vocals in an inhuman, eerie way, being perfect for fans of both modern Industrial Metal and the Nu Metal played by bands like Korn. Then we have Forgiveness, a slower and more introspective creation by Bolu2 Death that sounds too “30 Seconds to Mars” to me, lacking the band’s usual violence and speed, and the whimsical instrumental bridge (vortice), warming up our senses for  the low-tuned, thunderous Korn-inspired chant I Am Doomed, where the entire band brings forward a high level of aggressiveness, dementia and heaviness, especially Jose Luis and Juan Manuel with their strings, while Mario vociferates sheer insanity from start to finish.

I like how they mix English and Spanish throughout the entire album, and they do it in great fashion in what’s perhaps the best depiction of what they call “Flamencore”, the fun and fresh Los De Arriba, followed by Statues, less belligerent but still very melodic and modern, becoming a great choice for banging your head together with the band and displaying a strong performance by Mario with both his clean and harsh vocals. Bury Yourself is another introspective composition by the Spanish quartet led by the thunderous riffs and bass lines by their stringed duo, losing its grip after a while despite their solid job done to keep it heavy and vibrant; while A.R.R. is a melancholic, cinematic bridge with a dark narration guiding us to the obscurity and rage blasted in the title-track Spiral, featuring guest vocalist Juan A. Soler “Kantz” (Tenpel, De la Cuna a la Tumba, Delobos, The Holy), presenting a fantastic balance between clean vocals during the darkest parts and harsh gnarls during the heaviest and most visceral moments, offering the listener over six minutes of modern and thrilling metal music that flows into a wicked downward spiral ending.

In summary, Bolu2 Death, who can be found on Facebook and on YouTube, sounds more mature, modern and experimental than ever in Spiral, proving the band is not exaggerating when they say they want to become a reference in contemporary metal in their homeland. And if you want to show your true support to such distinct group, go buy your copy of Spiral from their own BandCamp or webstore, as well as from the Necromance Records’ BandCamp or webstore, and from iTunes. Bolu2 Death offer music that inspires us to bang our heads and dance at the same time in Spiral, and they do it in such great fashion they truly deserve the recognition they’ve been gaining in Spain and in the rest of the world.

Best moments of the album: Nace, Crece y Muere, We Bleed, We Fight, I Am Doomed and Spiral.

Worst moments of the album: Forgiveness and Bury Yourself.

Released in 2018 Necromance Records

Track listing
1. (0) 0:52
2. Nace, Crece y Muere 3:58
3. We Bleed, We Fight 3:57
4. Smells Like 90´s Spirit 4:34
5. Todo y Nada 4:41
6. Forgiveness 4:12
7. (vortice) 2:00
8. I Am Doomed 3:19
9. Los De Arriba 3:43
10. Statues 4:07
11. Bury Yourself 4:02
12. A.R.R. 2:10
13. Spiral (feat. Kantz) 6:21

Band members
Mario Lérida – vocals
Jose Luis Corrales – guitar
Juan Miguel Ramírez – bass
Francisco Llévenes – drums 

Guest musician
Juan A. Soler “Kantz” – vocals on “Spiral”