I’m a simple man. If you come at me with a phrase like “death metal plus flamenco,” chances are, you’ll earn some stock dividends from my personal mercado de valores. In 2017, Impureza struck it rich doing just that with their exhilarating full-length, La Caída de Tonatiuh, which landed on multiple Best-of lists here at Nine Circles. Now, eight years later, they’re back to test the theory again. And though it does raise some questions about how much juice their sonic formula will have, long-term, the band’s latest album, Alcázares, still unearths enough tesoros to be a solid listen.

An important note before we jump in: “death metal plus flamenco” rarely translates to “death metal plus flamenco together” for Impureza. With some notable exceptions — the electric, rasgueado-style strumming at the beginning of “Bajo Las Tizonas de Toledo”; the rhythmic, hand-drummed groove that introduces “Reconquistar Al-Ándalus”— Alcázares generally serves up its core sonic components independently of one another. The band serves up plenty of exotic-sounding, Phrygian dominant scale melodies to bridge and unite their ideas, but for the most part, the death metal dominates and the flamenco adds color through brief interludes.

To be clear, that’s not necessarily a bad thing! The guys in Impureza are adept enough at both genres to hold our interest throughout Alcázares’ eleven tracks. Their handling of moodier, acoustic moments like “Murallas,” or “Ruina del Alcázar” — or even sections of otherwise heavy tracks like “Pestilencia” — makes the heavy parts ever more devastating. The band’s been compared to the likes of Nile, and the juxtaposition lends a ton of credence to that. It’s all good! You just, sometimes, might wish they’d been a bit more fluid in melding their influences throughout.

A further point in Alcázares’ favor is that it, wisely, gives each band member a multitude of chances to shine. Drummer Guilhem Auge spends much of the album conjuring feverish, technical tornados — the intro to early album track, “Covadonga,” might be the best example — but also combines wonderfully with guest percussionist Xavier Hamon on tracks like “Castigos Eclesiásticos” or the aforementioned “Reconquistar Al-Ándalus” to add rhythmic color. Bassist Florian Saillard impresses with his virtuosity throughout; he’s equally able to rhythmically “fall in line” on the album’s heavier parts, and trade melodic leads with guitarist Lionel Cano Muñoz during its acoustic excursions.

And while we’re at it, let’s give Muñoz a moment in the spotlight, because much of Alcázares’ success hinges on his guitar work. Muñoz flat-out nails anything he tries throughout the album: the rasgueado strumming and lithe leads during its acoustic passages — not to mention his interplay with Saillard throughout those passages, which is never not *chef’s kiss* — the absolute havoc his riffs wreak on listeners during its heavier moments, and the exotic melodies he sprinkles throughout to keep us captivated. On Alcázares, Muñoz is a total monster, in the best possible way.

I do wonder if (and how) the band might try to further their alchemy in the future. Is there a way to properly unite the death metal and flamenco sounds in their songs, rather than the still-good, but-pretty-segmented approach they’ve taken here on Alcázares? They handle both elements well as-is, but how much better might a more complete fusion be?

For now, if the worst I can say about an album is that it feels a bit like La Caída de Tonatiuh, Part Two, I can’t complain too much. At this point, the Impureza we get on Alcázares still scratches the itch well enough. Here’s hoping they avoid stagnating and keep pushing themselves going forward.

Keep it heavy,
—Dan

---

Alcázares is available now via Season of Mist. For more information on Impureza, visit the band’s official website.