ATO Records

Rodrigo Sanchez and Gabriela Quintero arrived here after a long journey. From initially connecting in their native Mexico City more than fifteen years ago and bonding over thrash metal to busking together in Dublin, Ireland, the two have stuck it out to become one of the preeminent guitar duos performing today. R&G return this month with 11:11, and the blueprint is still the same: two virtuosos transposing acoustic guitars with their love of metal and classic rock. Gabriela sustains driving rhythms while Rodrigo shreds the leads aggro-Flamenco style, like Ottmar Liebert became a hesher. This effort is less visceral than their live-sounding, self-titled debut from a few years back, trading up for some additional instruments and studio sophistication from their newly built outpost in Ixtapa. The highlight is the Arab-Spanish direction heard on “Atman”, which comes off like a slice of Andalusia. Refreshing, and a welcome change of pace from whatever you’ve been listening to.

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