For veteran heavy metal acts, there isn’t much incentive to release something that is better than good enough to keep them touring for a couple more years. Not sure if it works quite the same in Horcas’ native Argentina, but it seems like it does. That is exactly why any band that rises above that “good enough” moniker and releases something actually good deserves attention. ‘El Diablo’ is the best Horcas album since the passing of founding guitarist Osvaldo Civile twenty-five years ago. It doesn’t do anything radically different than their previous two albums, it just simply is better.

After Civile passed away, Horcas was searching for the right sound for a while. They tried to adapt to modern groove metal trends for a while with varying degrees of success – 2008’s ‘Reviviendo Huestes’ is actually quite good – before settling on a mix of contemporary hard rock and traditional heavy metal, with the occasional touch of thrash metal. Horcas’ current sound doesn’t sound too dissimilar from what Metallica is doing these days. Unlike Metallica, however, Horcas knows when their songs are supposed to be over, and their rhythm section is considerably tighter. All of this benefits ‘El Diablo’.

‘Ciego Para Ver’ was the perfect choice both to open the album and be its first single. Its uptempo, but not overly fast thrash rhythm allows for maximum impact and appeal, and its more open chorus is excellent in its catchy simplicity. The dynamic ‘Veneno’ expertly follows a similar formula, while ‘Malos Tiempos’ has that awesome rebellious traditional heavy metal spirit that is so typical for Latin American metal. ‘Días Oscuros’ starts off with a few riffs bordering on death metal, but quickly evolves into a powerful mid-tempo heavy metal stomper. Nothing unprecedented, just heavy metal done very well.

The songs that deviate from the established Horcas sound are quite good as well. Three ballads might be a bit much for a 37-minute album, but the instrumental ‘Adiós’ is under two minutes long, and especially the darker ‘El Infierno Que Inventás’ is surprisingly good. ‘Espiral’ has a dark, doomy vibe, some of its riffs bringing Black Sabbath to mind, but still sounding like Horcas’ typical blend of heavy and thrash metal. My favorite, however, is the ripping thrasher ‘Padre Nuestro’. It’s got the most intense riffs and a fantastic chorus that doesn’t clash with the aggressive nature of the song.

Ultimately, my only real issue with ‘El Diablo’ is that I wish there was more of it, especially given the fact that its predecessor was released six years ago. On the other hand, I’ll take a great 37-minute album over an hour-long one crammed with filler any day. Everything else about ‘El Diablo’ is exactly what one would want from the band. The riffs are powerful and memorable, Walter Meza still has a great voice, and having the rhythm section tightened up a bit benefits the band as a whole. Some European and North American metal veterans can learn a lesson or two from ‘El Diablo’.

Recommended tracks: ‘Padre Nuestro’, ‘Ciego Para Ver’, ‘Veneno’