Review by Fran on December 20, 2020.

Acero was the first heavy metal band that emerged from Costa Rica back in the mid 80's; it's amazing that they are still around, alive and well. Traditional heavy metal has reached the old age but it looks like our grandfathers still have something to say before it’s too late. Just as Iron Maiden's main concept for "The Final Frontier", talking about a stranded astronaut that analyzes his life in retrospective moments before dying, Antes Que Sea Tarde invites whoever is reading its title to remember life’s fugacity and make the most out of each day. The band’s proposal hasn’t changed over the years, En Pie de Guerra was a little bit more speed/power metalish but besides the fastest track -'Medusa'- this album is like Pasado and Presente Part II: classic heavy metal with simple songwriting, nice solos and catchy choruses.

As you can expect, there isn't anything particularly innovative in terms of pushing the genre's boundaries further composition-wise in this album but it does take you back to the 80's like one of those retro radio stations. There's something about that nostalgia that is inherent to heavy metal itself and kind of fits the band sound, which is very hard-rock, palm muted, mid-paced and riff driven. '¿De qué sirve rezar?' (What’s the point of praying?) is the album's ballad. It features quite clean guitar arpeggios and an attempt to lyrical singing that might not have been sufficient but was still very brave. Diego Acuña's debut on the vocal department was successful though, I don’t feel much difference regarding their last vocalist. I like how their ballads resemble Iron Maiden's most progressive era and my favorite album of all time, "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son". In general the album has a somber tone, unlike the partying and rebellious numbers from their first release.

Maturity is the least you can expect from a band with such a lengthy career and at least that’s reflected on the lyrics and songwriting. The drumming is pretty simple and straightforward rock'and'roll, the double bass drum is used but never at high speed. Fills are super simple and scarce but the tempo is steadily kept... not a stroke more, not a stroke less, the heavy metal version of Ringo Starr's work. Four string tracks recorded by Francisco Pujol the band's longtime bassist, and while they aren't technical at all he manages to pull out witty arrangements to simplify the guitar riffs or anchoring them with the drums. The classy guitar solos were delivered by maestro Jorge Molina and the rhythm guitars were recorded by Christian Chacón, his first recording with Acero.

Rating: 7.3 out of 10