Recorded in 1987 and 1988, but not released in their native Peru until deep into the nineties – though it was released on cassette in Venezuela in 1991 – it is safe to say that Masacre’s debut album ‘Sin Piedad’  had a bit of a troubled birth. Given the economic and political circumstances at the time, this is completely understandable. But it did mean the world had to miss out on a classy slab of traditional heavy metal for a while. ‘Sin Piedad’ is a bit naive and underdeveloped at times, but because the musicianship is rock solid, that mostly adds to its charm.

Masacre wears its influences on its sleeve on ‘Sin Piedad’, Iron Maiden most prominently. In fact, the start of ‘Entes del Mal’ is so reminiscent of ’22 Acacia Avenue’ that it cannot be a coincidence. But Masacre is more than a mere Maiden clone. The extensive use of clean guitar passages without going full-on ballad – ‘Rosa y Espina’ is the only song that truly qualifies as a power ballad – brings the song structures of some eighties hard rock bands to mind. However, the muscular riff work of Coqui De Tramontana and Martín Tuestes always keeps Masacre firmly within the heavy metal realm.

‘La Ciudad’ is one of the songs on which the clean guitars and powerful riffs work together so well, and that might actually be why it is one of the more memorable songs on ‘Sin Piedad’. ‘Cuando el Diablo Pisó la Tierra’ initially sounds more traditionally ballad-esque, but soon transforms into a strong epic metal track full of galloping riffs. Songs like ‘El Hechicero’, ‘Sueño y Teror’, ‘Hasta el Final’, ‘Fuego en el Alma’ and the aforementioned ‘Entes del Mal’, on the other hand, prove that you don’t need more than a handful of cool riffs and an excellent melody to create a great heavy metal song.

What elevates ‘Sin Piedad’ above the average metal debut album from the era, however, are the performances. For every clunky or overly abrupt transition, there is a solid riff with powerful rhythms by bassist Miguel Tuestes and drummer Pier Paolo De Bernardi, while the instrumental interplay is exceptionally tight. On top of that, Miguel Ángel ‘El Loco’ Cervantes has one of the most charismatic, expressive voices of the era. His voice is almost squeakily clean and relatively high-pitched, and he has total control over his well-balanced vibrato. Simply put, every element that Masacre had on ‘Sin Piedad’ just works.

Since Masacre – as M.A.S.A.C.R.E – went in a more modern metal direction shortly after reforming around the turn of the century, ‘Sin Piedad’ remains their only work of excellent classic metal. It has also slowly become a bit easier to obtain the album both in and outside Peru. The 2020 cd reissue by Black Legion Records even includes live versions of two excellent songs written around the same time, one of which – ‘Amo del Sueño’ – still stands as my favorite song Masacre ever released. ‘Sin Piedad’ is a justified classic of Latin American metal, so it’s a good thing it eventually came out.

Recommended tracks: ‘El Hechicero’, ‘La Ciudad’, ‘Cuando el Diablo Pisó la Tierra’