Originally recorded in 1977, Los 4 Jinetes del Apocalipsis, the debut album by Zarpa (AKA Zarpa Rock), an early Spanish heavy metal group, is a window-rattling blast of monster riffs and acid-induced darkness.

Reissued onto vinyl for the first time by the great Guerssen Records, Los 4 Jinetes del Apocalipsis is an in the red blown-out concept album (translated to The Four Horsemen of Apocalypse) filled with doom, nightmarish psychedelic atmospheres and buzzsaw guitar solos.

Despite not being recorded until ’77, the music here has more in common with the proto-metal bands of the late ’60s and early ’70s (especially Black Sabbath and Sir Lord Baltimore) than their popular metal contemporaries. This is likely due to budget constraints, which led to the album being supposedly cut from a single long live studio take. This lack of time, money and isolated tracking lead to a rougher and more primal sound than what was probably originally intended.

However, it’s this raw and primeval quality that absolutely makes this album. A single listen will tell you that this record is on par with all of the stoner rock/stoner metal classics that came before and after it. It’s a shame that this LP was initially shelved due to Zarpa’s label at the time going bankrupt, because this could otherwise be as well regarded today as say LPs by Leaf Hound, Josefus or Lucifer’s Friend.

Get your copy from Guerssen Records today on red or black vinyl and start melting your mind away now.

-KH

If you like what you’re reading, please help keep RCU thriving. You can show your support by becoming a Patron at our Patreon account or you can make a donation to our PayPal account below.

As always, please also consider donating to any of these sites to help fight racial injustice.