For those of us outside Peru, ‘Sesión de Estudio’ is the release that introduced us to the element that made Hamadría an amazing band rather than “just” a great one: the hyper-expressive voice of Ingrid Castro. Her predecessors were all fine singers, but Castro’s clearer timbre, power, subtle vibrato and all-round fantastic control really lifts Hamadría’s melodic metal sings to a higher level. Originally released as a five-track EP, the full release of ‘Sesión de Estudio’ captured all but two of the songs from the band’s 2018 debut album ‘Reina Azul’ with the current Hamadría line-up.

Of course, Castro’s voice being as good as it is would be almost meaningless if the songs didn’t allow her to shine. Fortunately, Hamadría excels at writing melodic metal songs that are catchy and memorable, but never predictable. The gothic overtones of the band’s earliest work have made way for a mildly symphonic power metal sound with a prominent role for heroic-sounding melodic themes. Most of the heavy lifting for those themes is done by guitarists Miguel Cantuta and Cristian Gamboa, making the symphonic elements a pleasant productional extra, but the songs would not lose any of their impact without them.

Despite the excellent metal songs on display here, it was actually one of the ballads that sold me on ‘Sesión de Estudio’. ‘Sonata Soledad’ is a masterclass on how to construct a power ballad. The drums and distorted guitars enter much later than usual for that type of song, but until then, Castro squeezes all the dynamic possibilities out of the vocal melodies, with her performance in the chorus being particularly powerful. Gamboa’s heart-wrenching guitar solo is incredible as well. The other two ballads, ‘Susurro’ in particular, technically qualify as semi-ballads, as their climaxes feature fairly intricate guitar arrangements accompanied by Hector Ilizarbe Sulca‘s rolling double bass drums.

There is plenty to enjoy on the metal side of the spectrum though, ‘Locura Natural’ being my favorite of the bunch. It opens with an exuberant guitar harmony, the vocal melodies have an uplifting quality to them and the chorus is supremely catchy. The epic, bombastic ‘Reina Azul’ serves as Hamadría’s mission statement and has some of the most expertly written vocal lines in how they build up tension. ‘Puertas al Sol’ is somewhat reminiscent of Helloween in how dense instrumental sections and more open vocal sections enhance each other, while ‘Gritos’ might be the most dynamic track here.

It doesn’t happen very often, but sometimes re-recording tracks reinvents the music of a band. ‘Sesión de Estudio’ does just that. And it’s not just because of Castro’s incredible vocals. Many of the songs here were well over a decade old when the titular studio session took place, but Hamadría plays them with a fresh energy and enthusiasm that makes them sound like they were just written a week prior. The captivating melodies and interesting song structures, that deviate just enough from European power metal norms to remain surprising over repeated spins, do the rest. A recommendation of the highest order.

Recommended tracks: ‘Sonata Soledad’, ‘Locura Natural’, ‘Reina Azul’, ‘Puertas al Sol’