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This is the debut by Aura Azul, a band from Puerto Rico who sing all in Spanish. The only other band I know from this part of the world is Dantesco, who are pretty damned cool, so I was willing to give this band a shot. Aura Azul play a very traditional style of Maiden-influenced Heavy Metal. Lots of galloping riffs, doublekick drumming, and some really good leadwork. The production on this is extremely weak, and the mix is a disaster with the different instruments banging into each other and nothing having a real place in the music. Vocalist Hommy is pretty good, and would probably sound better with a decent recording job. He has a strong voice with a lot of charisma, but he doesn't seem to have much range, as the vocal lines are very restricted and don't add much drama. The riffs are decent, but the leads are much better, and are pretty much the only part of this I would call pro-quality.

Aura Azul have obvious talent, but their songwriting is not very memorable, and the recording job isn't helping matters. I would like to see this band get a shot at a real studio job and some more time to cook their songs, then maybe we'll get something worth keeping.