By the time ‘Éxodo: Un Nuevo Comienzo’ was recorded, Guerra Santa had already left their provincial Venezuelan hometown of San Cristóbal for the Argentinian capital of Buenos Aires, and that relocation is the thread that runs through the album. To write the music for the album, singer and sole remaining original member Marino Vásquez enlisted the help of veteran guitarist Facundo Coral, who had already guested with the band in the past. The result is a dynamic, melodic, and highly entertaining album that should appeal to fans of multiple metal styles.

Describing Guerra Santa’ style beyond just “metal” can be quite tricky, because no genre tag fits perfectly. Traditional heavy metal is probably close enough, but the band’s riff work has always been too modern for that to be a perfect fit. The choruses and song structures will likely appeal to fans of crunchy contemporary power metal, but the overall style is a bit more aggressive than that, though not quite aggressive enough for it to be thrash metal. Fortunately, that intersection of styles is more or less exactly what I love, and Vásquez can handle the different levels of intensity vocally.

Having always been a fan of Coral’s compositions, ‘Éxodo: Un Nuevo Comienzo’ was always going to appeal to me. Working with Vásquez has brought out a slightly different side of his songwriting skills though. There is more acoustic work here than usual, the surprisingly good ballads ‘Camina’ and ‘Sin Decir Adiós’ being the most obvious examples. Also, a lot of ground is covered stylistically – from the dynamic album highlights ‘Shangri-La’ and ‘Con Mi Último Aliento’ to the grinding stomp of opener ‘Mártires: Niños de la Guerra’ and the dark build-up of the title track, it all sounds equally convincing.

Interestingly, Guerra Santa pays tribute to legendary acts from both of their home countries on the album. First, there is the cover of Resistencia classic ‘Muerto en Vida’, which in Guerra Santa’s hands is as fun a simple headbanger as the original. ‘Tu Eres Su Seguridad’ was never one of my favorite Hermética songs, but I will say that the band does the original justice, and it is quite interesting to hear someone with a much cleaner timbre than Claudio O’Connor sing the song. It enhances the song’s melodicism and especially its inherent melancholy.

When bands bring together the best aspects of traditional heavy metal and more modern styles of metal, and do it well, the results are a joy to listen to. That is definitely the case with ‘Éxodo: Un Nuevo Comienzo’. Guerra Santa managed to take the melodic focus of the old heroes of the genre, and give it an edge of modern aggression that enhances both sides of the equation. And as if that wasn’t enough, they do so without getting stuck in the same gear. Also, there are so many great riffs and melodies on the album that it’s nigh-impossible not to enjoy it.

Recommended tracks: ‘Shangri-La’, ‘Con Mi Último Aliento’, ‘Éxodo: Un Nuevo Comienzo’