Muro - Telón de Acero (1988)
- Will Nachand
- May 9, 2024
- 3 min read
★★★★★
Every once in a while, I decide to go on what I call “metal quests.” What these essentially are is me doing a deep dive into a particular scene or region of the world for weeks at a time and cataloging the good and the bad. Recently, I went on a metal quest to Spain, and of everything I listened to, one album in particular stood out to me: Telón de Acero by MURO. It wasn’t because it was the most amazing thing ever recorded or that it was particularly inventive, but rather because I’d never heard a band playing in this style from a country like Spain. To put it simply, MURO’s whole thing is playing barebones speed metal but with some killer vocal melodies. While that may not sound super enticing at first glance, if you throw this album on, you’d see why I find it so captivating. Even the title – Telón de Acero (Iron Curtain) – is just not something you’d see being talked about in Spain at that time. Sure, other bands in the general area of Europe were writing songs promoting the fall of communist regimes, but for Spanish metal, they were still hooked on stuff that’d been coming out of England – bands like Judas Priest, Angel Witch, Satan, etc. – and those bands focused more on the machismo of heavy metal and fantasy lyrics rather than political topics.
In many ways, MURO flew the flag for Spain moving into the extreme metal movement in the mid-to-late-80s, as both their 1987 live album (Acero y Sangre) and 1988’s Telón de Acero pushed the envelope in terms of speed, edgier lyrics, and an overall more aggressive style of music. Yes, other “extreme” Spanish bands were around – Legion, Caid Deceit, and Fuck Off – but none of them had the same impact as MURO, a band who regularly filled out arenas across Spain and got live performance slots on television programs. But enough about what they did and didn’t do – let’s talk about the music!
The album opens with a simple little bass riff for a few seconds, then BOOM! We’re beaten over the head with the opening riff to the title track, “Telón de Acero.” It’s a sonic assault on the senses, with this blistering riff coming in and then immediately being followed by breakneck double-bass drumming and an absolutely primal scream from vocalist Silver Solorzano. The song carries on, then we get hit with this searing guitar solo – simple, but melodic and fits the song; a theme we’ll see a lot on this record. From here, we get a crazy run of songs, going from the short “Extraño Poder,” “Holocausto,” and “Epílogo” to “Juicio Final,” – one of my favorite songs on here – “Maldición de Kcor,” “No Aguanto Más,” and the brilliantly crushing closing track “Solo en la Oscuridad.” Now, to preface, “Solo en la Oscuridad” is a power ballad. Some of you might find this an odd decision to close out a raging speed metal album with a ballad, but oh boy, how wrong you’d be to think that. It starts soft, with an acoustic intro and the opening lines, but then a smashing riff comes in, forcing the song into a blitz of anguish and depression. Vocalist Silver Solorzano has not one, but two insane raspy screams on this song, and paired with his general intense, vibrato-laden delivery, we get a song that perfectly encapsulates the feeling of losing your partner, transcending language barriers and hitting you straight through the heart. After an already angry album, discussing themes of political resistance, European history, and the horrors of war, putting a bow on it all with one final slashing was a fantastic decision, and by God, the execution of it all is something to marvel at.
In short, if you want some blistering speed metal, look no further – Telón de Acero has you covered.
Originally published in April '24 (Issue No. 3)








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