Latin Metal

Whether banging their heads in Spanish, English, or Spanglish, Latinos have been an essential part of hard rock and heavy metal ever since Rudy Sarzo first picked up a bass in the late '70s as a member of Quiet Riot. The Mars Volta hail from El Paso, Texas, and made many Latino hard rock fans proud when the Spanish language single "L'Via L'Viaquez" garnered major airplay on U.S. commercial alternative radio stations. And Rage Against the Machine are fronted by Chicano vocalist Zack de la Rocha, whose concern for the plight of Latin America's indigenous population is reflected on the groove-heavy "People of the Sun." There's more scorching Latin Metal, from Molotov and Soulfly, in Next Steps.

Controversial rap-rock troublemakers Molotov found multi-platinum success on their 1997 debut; the group's extra-bass approach to metal can be heard on the moshpit mainstay "No Manches Mi Vida." New York's Ill Niño were among the leading Latino proponents of nü-metal, and while not groundbreaking in their approach to hard rock, do manage to sneak in some Latin percussion on tracks like "I Am Loco." Soulfly — a spin-off of popular Brazilian metal group Sepultura (also heard here with skin-flaying mega-shredder "Refuse / Resist") — offer a unique headbangers' take on the Jorge Ben Jor classic "Umbabarauma." We span the distance between Spain and Argentina with the unifying force of our Latin Metal Deep Cuts.

Brujeria (the motley crew that includes members of Fear Factory and Faith No More) offer a south-of-the-border take on death metal with "Brujerizmo," the title-track from their third album which comes at your nervous system like a shot-gunned pint of mezcal. The same can be said of most tracks by Argentina's A.N.I.M.A.L. (when translated in English, the acronym reads "Harassed, Our Indians Died While Fighting"), who laced their special brand of groove and thrash metal with a concern for ethnic and minority issues. And Def Con Dos (from Madrid, Spain) supercharge tracks like "Muere en Paz" with an unstoppable rap-rock momentum.

Wander through any Hispanic town or city, from Granada to Guadalajara, Bogota to Buenos Aires, and you'll realize by the T-shirt count that Latin metal is massive . . . and it's here to stay. Groups like the Mars Volta, Sepultura, Molotov, and Puya have found success around the world because their metal transcends cultural differences and language barriers — and bands like the New Jersey-based Ill Niño have also helped bridge the gap between Anglo and Latino fans to give the genre a power and relevance outside its core Spanish-speaking fanbase. If you like your metal fused with heavy percussion, monster grooves, and an undeniable Latino perspective on everything from global politics to flat-out partying (this is a hard rock collection, after all), this Essentials playlist is for you.