While they weren’t one of the first heavy metal bands in Spain, Saratoga certainly is one of the country’s more prolific bands, and they are pioneers in both traditional heavy metal and power metal, releasing a number of excellent albums in either style. It would be difficult to imagine some of the early 2000’s Spanish heavy metal bands doing what they do without Saratoga’s influence. The band is not a relic from days long gone by, though. They are still active, and they recently celebrated their thirtieth anniversary as a band with a surprisingly good collection of re-recordings and a fantastic live album.

Saratoga was founded by bassist Niko del Hierro and guitarist Jeronimo Ramiro after their departure from the influential progressive folk rock band Ñu. Both of them had experience playing with early Spanish heavy metal pioneers; Del Hierro with Barón Rojo, Ramiro with Santa. They are both still in the band, though Ramiro had been absent for nearly a decade before returning in 2014. Their band member roster is a veritable who’s who of prominent Spanish metal musicians. Former singer Leo Jiménez is one of my favorite rock and metal singers of all time, but current singer Tete Novoa is excellent as well.

Once Saratoga found the style they were comfortable with after a few albums, they created a body of work that is highly consistent both in style and in quality. Various band members have contributed to the songwriting, Jiménez and former guitarist Tony Hernando in particular, but main songwriters Del Hierro and Ramiro clearly have a knack for quality control. Saratoga therefore is another band that doesn’t have any albums I would recommend leaving for what they are, although their earliest work does contain a few outliers.

11. VII (2007)

Before ‘VII’ was written and recorded, literally every band member except Del Hierro left Saratoga. While all the newcomers are very talented, singer Tete Novoa in particular, it is audible that the band needed some more time to figure out how to work together. ‘VII’ sounds unsure of what it wants to be, and that is something that is even present in its production job. It literally takes until the eleventh track until there finally is a song on ‘VII’ that I have no complaints about, although admittedly, I can see why the catchy opening track ‘El Vuelo del Halcón’ became the album’s live staple. Not a bad album by any means, and definitely more consistent than the next one on the list, but it lacks truly great material.

Recommended tracks: ‘Semillas de Odio’, ‘El Guardián’, ‘El Vuelo del Halcón’

10. Saratoga (1995)

Those who became familiar with Saratoga through their more recent work may be surprised by how traditional their self-titled debut album sounds. It is as much an eighties-styled hard rock album as it is a heavy metal album, though with a much drier sound than an actual eighties album would have. It is also the only Saratoga album with songs that feature prominent Spanish pop and rock influences, which range from interesting (the highly dynamic ’20 Años’) to absolutely dreadful (‘Tortura’). The most prominent influence is eighties Judas Priest, however, so if you enjoy that, ‘Saratoga’ is worth seeking out. While I’m kind of glad the band didn’t continue with Fortu Sánchez, he has exactly the right voice for this particular batch of songs.

Recommended tracks: ‘Grita’, ‘Ningún Precio por la Paz’, ’20 Años’

9. Secretos y Revelaciones (2009)

‘Secretos y Revelaciones’ might just be the most frustrating Saratoga album for me. The highlights on the album are genuinely among the best songs the band have ever released. But the songs that aren’t try to turn Saratoga into an AOR-tinged band by means of relatively heavy melodic hardrockers and overlong ballads that really only work because Tete Novoa is such a fantastic singer. Take the opening minutes, for example: ‘Después de la Tormenta’ is a stone-cold masterpiece, and then it’s immediately followed by two mediocre AOR tracks that completely ruin the momentum. ‘Secretos y Revelaciones’ is full of such moments, and that really is too bad, because it does have by far the highest peaks of any album recorded with drummer Andy C. and guitarist Tony Hernando.

Recommended tracks: ‘Después de la Tormenta’, ‘Ojos de Ira’, ‘Lágrimas de un Ángel’

8. Morir en el Bien, Vivir en el Mal (2016)

With the return of drummer Dani Pérez and founding guitarist Jero Ramiro, Saratoga quite obviously attempts to reesteablish themselves as a metal band. The AOR-isms of its three predecessors are fortunately completely absent from ‘Morir en el Bien, Vivir en el Mal’. The one who could potentially suffer from that is Tete Novoa, but he sings as convincingly as he ever has here. At times, Saratoga comes across as a little uncertain just how modern or how traditional they should sound, and apart from the supremely catchy, fast-paced ‘Como el Viento’, the album is short on real highlights. But all in all, ‘Morir en el Bien, Vivir en el Mal’ is a welcome return to the heavy/power metal hybrid of Saratoga’s strongest works.

Recommended tracks: ‘Como el Viento’, ‘Etérea’, ‘Vi’

7. Mi Ciudad (1997)

What a difference two years makes. ‘Mi Ciudad’ is heavier and more metallic than the debut, though not quite the heavy/power metal hybrid Saratoga would come to be known for. Due to the combination of the heavy, yet creative riffwork and the vocal performance by Gabriel Boente, another one-time-only singer, the album rather feels like a slightly heavier version of what Loudness was doing on ‘Soldier of Fortune’. ‘Por la Puerta de Atrás’ made me want to say the band hadn’t quite gotten the hang of ballads yet, but then there is ‘Lejos de Ti’, which is one of the best Saratoga ballads to this day. ‘Mi Cuidad’ is a bit long at thirteen songs, and just short of a must-have, but it is highly enjoyable nonetheless.

Recommended tracks: ‘Basta’, ‘Salvaje’, ‘Perro Traídor’

6. El Clan de la Lucha (2004)

Based on its highlights alone, I would have loved to have ranked ‘El Clan de la Lucha’ a few spots higher. The infectious melodies and barely contained anger in the performances have made ‘Maldito Corazón’ my favorite Saratoga song of all time, probably even my favorite Spanish heavy metal song altogether. Also, the downright gorgeous ‘Si Amaneciera’ is hands-down the best ballad Saratoga has ever recorded. As a full album experience, however, ‘El Clan de la Lucha’ is wildly uneven. While I applaud the band for trying out new approaches here, in song structures especially, the album doesn’t really get into a pleasant flow until a couple of songs before the end. ‘El Clan de la Lucha’ is surprisingly varied for a power metal album, but that variation does come at a cost.

Recommended tracks: ‘Maldito Corazón’, ‘Si Amaneciera’, ‘Buscando el Perdón’

5. Nemesis (2012)

Critical as I have been of the direction Saratoga took on the albums with Tony Hernando and Andy C., ‘Nemesis’ simply does modern power metal meets subtle AOR-isms extremely well. While I can’t rank it higher because I think the songs that are carried primarily by keyboard melodies don’t suit the band, even with a singer as good as Tete Novoa, ‘Nemesis’ is absolutely on fire when it gets going. There is a thick bottom end to the production courtesy of former Helloween guitarist Roland Grapow that suits the song material really well, giving ‘Nemesis’ a sound reminiscent of a latter-day Primal Fear album with more varied songwriting. Hernando and Andy C. ended up leaving after ‘Nemesis’, and the album is a surprisingly powerful farewell.

Recommended tracks: ‘Ángel o Demonio’, ‘Maltratador’, ‘La Última Frontera’

4. Agotaras (2002)

Yes, that is Saragota spelled backwards. ‘Agotaras’ is likely the Saratoga album that spawned the most live staples, and they are all exceptional. It’s also the first album on which the voice of Leo Jiménez reached its full potential, and it elevates some of the more average material. Ultimately, that is why ‘Agotaras’ is not the must-have Spanish heavy metal classic to me that some people claim it to be: its second half has a few too many songs that aren’t bad, but don’t add anything to the album either. As a whole, however, ‘Agotaras’ has a very pleasant flow, while the improved vocals and the slightly more modern production style bring out the best in the material here.

Recommended tracks: ‘Tras las Rejas’, ‘El Gran Cazador’, ‘A Morir’

3. Vientos de Guerra (1999)

Enter a 19-year-old Leo Jiménez and drummer Dani Pérez. While Jiménez’ voice is not yet what it would become here, these two must have lit a fire under Ramiro and Del Hierro, because it gave the band an audible burst of additional energy. That much is clear when the title track that opens the album comes blasting out of the gate. ‘Vientos de Guerra’ is where Saratoga first started adding power metal to their sound, though not yet as prominently as on the albums that would follow. At fourteen songs and sixty-three minutes, it is once again too long, but I wouldn’t know which ones to cut, because the songwriting is great across the board. Also, the greatest song from the same era (‘Lágrimas de Dolor’) isn’t even on the album!

Recommended tracks: ‘Vientos de Guerra’, ‘Sólo un Motivo’, ‘Ruge el Motor’

2. Aeternus (2018)

Since it is their most recent all-original studio album as of writing, ‘Aeternus’ is rarely mentioned as one of Saratoga’s classic releases, but it damn well deserves to be. It packs all of the band’s strengths into a nice little 45-minute package. Apart from the entertainingly heavy ‘Renegado’ and the expertly crafted ballad ‘Acuérdate de Mí’, the entire album focuses on a hybrid of traditional heavy metal and contemporary power metal, which is really how Saratoga sounds best in the first place. ‘Aeturnus’ really doesn’t have any weak moments, maintaining its momentum all the way through, and featuring more cool riffs and strong melodies than any release from a heavy metal band of Saratoga’s vintage would this far into their career. A recommendation of the highest order.

Recommended tracks: ‘Una Vez Fuimos Héroes’, ‘Siempre Hacia el Sol’, ‘De Tierra de Nadie’

1. Tierra de Lobos (2005)

All evidence seems to point towards ‘Tierra de Lobos’ not being among the most beloved Saratoga albums. No songs from the album were on any of the recent anniversary releases, and ‘Ave Fénix’ is the only one that made it to an official live video. And yet, it is my favorite Saratoga album. It is by far their most aggressive album, while firmly remaining in the heavy/power metal niche they carved for themselves since Pérez and Jiménez joined. Perhaps as a result of the increased aggression, ‘Tierra de Lobos’ doesn’t quite feature the amount of hooks the average Saratoga album does, which might explain its relative impopularity, but I would argue the catchiness moved to the guitar riffs here. Besides, there are still wonderfully catchy songs like ‘Quinto Infierno’ and ‘Contigo, Sin Ti’ here. ‘Barcos de Cristal’ is the best opening track Saratoga ever released, and it serves as an introduction to an hour of fantastic metal.

Recommended tracks: ‘Barcos de Cristal’, ‘El Jardín de la Niebla’, ‘Contigo, Sin Ti’