ACERO LETAL
- Metal Militia
- Aug 17, 2025
- 10 min read
// During the initial boom of the NWOTHM movement in the mid-2000s, very few bands would actually leave their mark. Of the few who did, Chilean powerhouse ACERO LETAL is not only one of the most successful, but also one of the most talented bands to appear within the last twenty years. As an avid fan of their small, yet musically monstrous catalog, I had the great honor to speak with composer, lead guitarist, and singer José Antonio García, also known as JAG. //
Hello! Would you mind giving a quick introduction on yourself and your band?
↪ Hello! My name is Jag, I’m a composer and music producer, and play in the Heavy Speed Metal band ACERO LETAL, from Chile, South America.
Early on, you were mainly playing in black/thrash bands like MISERYCORE, GRAVE MALEFICE, and PATECABRA. What made you pivot to the heavy/speed metal sound of ACERO LETAL?
↪ I used to listen to classic rock and heavy rock a lot when I was a child/teen. Then I started to play more extreme genres between my 18-24 years. I still love those bestial styles, but after that I decided to reconnect with my roots in rock music and mix it with Metal, so I started ACERO LETAL.
You've said in past interviews that ACERO LETAL incorporates hints of '70s rock. What bands from that period influenced your sound in ACERO LETAL? Personally, I feel like I hear a little bit of AC/DC and THIN LIZZY in your music.
↪ Oh that’s cool! Thanks, I really love the two of them – yeah those are definitely good examples. There are other influences that aren't so evident, for instance I really like the mood HOWLIN' WOLF and BB KING or SANTANA added to their interpretation – they are all intense in terms of expressing emotions through music. I really wanted to take something of that into this. I also love the way ‘70s progressive bands confronted the mainstream media of their time. There’s something savage about that I think; I also wanted some taste of that in our music.
You've mentioned before that some of the original Iberian/Spanish bands influenced you. I'm a big fan of BARÓN ROJO's "Volumen Brutal" and ANGELES DEL INFIERNO's "Diabolicca." What are some of your favorites from that area?
↪ Oh! Lots of bands coming from there to add: HADES, MURO, BO2, CAID DECEIT, ESTIGIA and many more! Yeah, I’m really passionate about bands singing in their native languages! Eastern European acts blow my mind!
Despite being around since 2007, ACERO LETAL has a fairly small catalog of released music. And yet, you've managed to gain a cult following worldwide. Do you think the key to your success has been only releasing your best material?
↪ Oh that's definitely true. Well, I think the key to our success is being honest to it, in terms of recognizing who you are, what's inside the soul, and then setting a powerful goal – a material goal that comes from the spiritual realm. Energy makes matter stronger. But yeah, the objective… I think your objective should be to grow internally, and then use that force to serve people. When someone does that, it becomes really hard to not achieve what he proposed to himself. In my case, the small catalog is really a reflection of a personal struggle. I mean, it was hard for me to recognize myself as a music composer. I was educated with the fear of being poor if I dedicated myself to music. With adulthood, some responsibilities came for me, and I had to respond fast. So, between the demos and EPs, I had regular jobs and I tried to do different things to keep it up with life. After big amounts of pain and fear confrontation, I decided to go for a bachelor’s degree in music composition. I'm not saying it's mandatory to study music formally to dedicate yourself to it, but that was my way of saying I will absolutely dedicate my life to this, no matter what! Finally, I graduated and since 2021 I'm fully dedicated to music!
How has your music evolved since the "Por la gloria del Metal" single in 2009? Do you have any songs that were left off of your compilations that you wish you had included?
↪ Well in that era, I only wrote about Metal. Today I put some effort into traveling through different topics. Anyway, from time to time, I go back to the old spirit on some songs. In terms of the sounds, we’ve also included the synthesizer sound in some pieces. I’m always experimenting on structures. Sometimes I navigate on the simple structures, but then I want to try some contrast developing some complexity also. Oh yeah, I still have lots of old demos – some of them will be included as complete songs in the upcoming albums!
Your debut EP "Legiones" came out at the beginning of this year. I fell in love instantly, and it's become one of my favorite metal EPs ever. Do you have any plans for a full album in the future?
↪ Thank you, that’s so nice to read! I'm still processing all that happened to us thanks to "Legiones." It was a hard time to produce it! I risked it all on the production of "Legiones." We had been playing live, releasing compilations, re-releasing classic stuff, and I had invested the funds in my studio. But now we needed something new to be fresh, so I started the production of "Legiones." Full time for a year.
The thing is, because I was in my studio full time – no other job, only “Legiones” – I went bankrupt. And I had some debts I had piled up over a few months, and I ran into serious problems. First, they took away my driver's license, then they froze my accounts. If someone bought a CD or anything from me, the money would immediately disappear from my account. Then they imposed a national hold on me, meaning I couldn’t leave the country. We had our first tour in the USA in a few months, and immediately after, we had our first shows in Europe. As if that weren’t enough, the tour manager who had offered to take us to Europe, decided not to do it two months before we were supposed to depart for Germany. At some point, everybody around me had lost faith in my work. I don’t know why I never lost it. I was so convinced this would be solved. It was an incredible feeling when we released “Legiones” in February 2024, all the problems were solved in the first day of presales! On the first day of “Legiones” I was able to pay all and solve all the troubles.
“Legiones”’ effect has been awesome for the band and the way we share it with our audience – they made this EP successful, and the band is ready to begin the process of the next. And yeah, it's gonna be a full-length for 2025. Today it's so different than just a year ago – thanks to “Legiones,” I’m stable now economically, and with tremendous confidence and hope on the journey as a musician. I know that if I keep working in my studio, never stop doing new stuff, things like what happened in 2023 should never happen again. It was a big risk but we survived. I really love to see my bandmates and their friends and family so proud of them.
Sorry for the long story, but it’s super important for me to let the audience know these things! I'm not calling people to do crazy stuff, but I'm trying to say everything is possible and don’t lose your faith even through the worst times. Yeah, the plan now is to release one album per year, at least for the 3 upcoming years. We are full of energy to make it happen.
The cover art for "Legiones" is quite striking! The character on the front reminds me of the Aztec god Xolotl or perhaps Huehuecoyotl. Was this resemblance intentional, and do you have any interest in Pre-Columbian art or history?
↪ Yeah, it is intentional. I remember I was randomly watching a video from a chef cooking. I wasn’t even paying so much attention, but suddenly he says, “The best chefs around the world search for ingredients from where they are living to make their best recipes.” That’s what I have to do in the conceptual side for this EP, I thought. And so I started to set my imagination on Pre-Columbian cultures and their cosmologies. The character comes from a celebration that’s called “La Tirana,” that’s shared among the people living around the Andes mountains.
ACERO LETAL has played in the United States multiple times this year! I saw you guys at Hell's Heroes in Texas and was sad to see your set cut short due to weather delays. How did that situation make you feel?
↪ In terms of mindset, I'm pretty strong. After the set, I knew that we hadn't played all of the songs, and did not experience the best sound as well. But it was still so epic to play under the rain. Hearing the people scream. Watching those fists in the air. We had played cool shows in California that same week. For me it was a celebration to play for the first time in the USA, it’s a special place for me. Thanks to all that, we ended up returning to the United States later this year – this time to Wisconsin. We spent some time in Illinois also. We made a strong connection with the USA rockers, and that was awesome. America is still resonating inside ourselves.
Similarly, you played the warmup show for the legendary Keep it True festival in Germany. How did it feel playing at such an important festival like that? Did you interact with any of the other bands playing?
↪ Keep it True was a surprise, there were hundreds of people shouting our name, singing even louder than us sometimes. German people singing in Spanish – that was shocking. I remember hanging with DOLMEN'S GATE, BLACK MASK, the guys from TAROT also had purchased our album but we didn’t catch them. They didn’t play, but I hung out with Mirko de Domenico from BUNKER 66. We had an incredible response in Europe!
ACERO LETAL seems to shift from being a power trio to a four-piece depending on the situation. Which of these configurations do you prefer?
↪ We are actually a trio, and we’ll stay that way because it's easier for the producers to take us to their countries in terms of logistics. I really enjoy it as a trio. We have managed to sound good that way, and the three of us are longtime friends!
When I think of ACERO LETAL, I think of you fronting the band as a singer and guitarist. But recently, you've been posting clips where you have a singer other than yourself. Who is he, and will he be a permanent part of ACERO LETAL moving forward?
↪ Oh, that was because I had an infection in my vocal cords. So I had to be away from the lead vox for 3 concerts. But now we are back as a trio. The singer that supported us is named Javier and he is from our city – really loved to play with him and we had a great time together.
Since you're from Chile, how would you describe the metal scene down there? As an American, I've always viewed Chile (and South America in general) as being one of the heavy metal Meccas of the world.
↪ Yeah, and it is. The Metal scene is powerful here. We have a strong tradition here in all genres. So many concerts going on all the time, all packed. And the headbangers tend to collect and get every new release; lots of Metal markets. It’s very competitive at the same time!
I've noticed in the past ten years or so, Chile has become a country with some of the strongest metal releases each year. Bands like CRUSHING BRAIN, CRITICAL DEFIANCE, LUCIFER'S HAMMER, MAYHEMIC, and DEMONIAC all come to mind. Do you enjoy any of these bands?
↪ Yeah, I love them all, especially LUCIFER'S HAMMER. I love the music from all the bands you name, and I’m happy to see my mates doing well. But it has turned pretty competitive and not always in a good way. I think we should take it easy and remember we are doing this for the spirit of Metal and not only for ourselves.
Keeping with the theme of Chilean metal, you did some guest vocals on the BUNKER song "Ciudad del Armagedon." How did it feel to be collaborating with one of the original Chilean speed/thrash bands?
↪ I felt honored, they are from the ‘80s and asked me to do a collaboration for one of their classics. Long live BUNKER from Concón, Chile!
I think part of ACERO LETAL's appeal is your strong sense of melody. Is this influenced by any particular band or does everything just come to you as you write new material?
↪ I try to keep the spirit of ACERO LETAL as savage and as passionate as it can be. Melody expresses lots of emotions, and that’s why I really care about it. It can transcend language, when you hear people singing just the music in a solo for instance, it’s incredible. That’s the reason for my interest in the dimension of melody.
You have some of the best guitar riffs in the game; "Duro Metal" comes to mind when I think of great guitar riffs. What's your approach to writing catchy riffs?
↪ Thanks so much for that!! Well yeah, I try to think like classic heavy rock bands. I try to be “kind” with the listener sometimes (I like contrasts so it's not about being kind all the time), and it’s been a good trip. Even at my daughter’s school they sometimes play "Duro Metal" during their recess! I really like KISS, SCORPIONS, RAINBOW – I really think it has something to do with that! Long live rock ‘n’ roll!
What are some new bands or releases you'd recommend for people to check out?
↪ I loved CHALLENGER’s “Force of Nature” LP this year. I also loved:
ICE WAR - “Venom” EP
SATAN (UK) - “Songs in Crimson”
SABÏRE - “Jätt”
2024 was a cool year with lots of excellent releases in my opinion!
What are some old bands or releases you'd recommend for people to check out?
↪ Check out STUDS’ self-titled LP from 1981 & the ABRASIVE WHEELS album “When the Punks Go Marching In.” These are pretty well known, but I like BAD RELIGION's "No Control” and DARKTHRONE’s “A Blaze in the Northern Sky.” For the more super underground stuff, I recommend OPEN FIRE’s unreleased LP “Lwy ognia.” The other day, someone recommended VAS MACSKA’s self-titled EP, it blew my mind!
Thanks for entertaining my questions! Any final words?
↪ Thank you for having us here, Keep the flame alive!!!
Interviewed: December of 2024
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