A legion of Latin metalheads descended upon Blackthorn 51 for a night of blistering rock en espanol.  A trio of heavy bands of varied styles performed to a raucous crowd that showed the diversity of the hard rock scene.

First up was Elefantkiller. The group of crazy luchador mask-wearing freaks have been blowing audiences away as of late with their obscene onstage antics and extreme loud musical style they refer to as speed punk. Singer Enrique Nazario adapted to the mostly Hispanic crowd by bantering in Spanish. Any non-Spanish speakers in the audience still got the gist of what he meant when he licked a suggestive postcard featuring our favorite pin-up Sin Dee. The band’s heavy metal sound and trashy, punk lyricism assaulted the ears, in the best way possible and was a fitting beginning to the night.

The show continued, switching from the raw sound of Elefantkiller to the polished musical virtuosity of Arka. The Ecuadorian band were greeted by a loyal fanbase who came in support of their fusion of power metal and progressive rock.  Wilmer Tapia’s vocals were crisp, and he wowed the audience with his range. The band itself was tight and the solos by Danny Villa were impressive.

Anticipation grew throughout the night for the headlining act. Hecho en Mexico, the death metal band Introtyl has garnered attention primarily for the fact they are an all-woman band, but don’t let that fool you into thinking they are a novelty. Introtyl are more than pretty faces are in fact a powerful group of no-nonsense women. Kary Ramos’ guttural vocals are as intense as any man’s. Rose Contreras’ distorted guitar shredding had heads banging.  A pit opened as the thundering rhythm of Mayra Pantoja’s drums and  Sariux Rivera’s bass provided the right beat to mosh to.

The show had been a great success for all bands on the bill, but even more so for Introtyl. Their rare NY appearance introduced them to new fans while more than pleasing their original ones. Introtyl thanked the fans by sticking around long after the show was over to sign autographs and pose for pics. The continuing influence of Hispanics on the metal scene was on full display that night and will no doubt continue if bands such as Elefantkiller, Arka and Introtyl continue to decimate stereotypes and blast away eardrums with their stellar performances.

*BONUS CLIP*

Check out Enrique, front man for Elefantkiller interview the chicas from Introtyl for Rockeros.net Facebook Live (aired before the show):