(TheBRHM.com) Cristobal Gallardo is a Chilean guitarist with a background in speed metal and thrash and influences including Carlos Santana, Zakk Wylde, Marty Friedman, Michael Schenker, and Randy Rhoads. In his act Headfist, the focus is more on speed and energy. Also it’s more of a band showcase from release to release, obviously both are right up alley musically.
Cristobal Gallardo – A Puro Corazón (Pure Heart)
However, Gallarado also has a solo project where the focus is on more technical, soulful playing. We’ll be looking at his 2024 release A puro corazón (Pure Heart). It’s a brief listen at just over 31 minutes and packing seven tracks.
Let’s dive in! Also, expect a look at their This New World… EP soon. As always, “*” next to a song is totally worth playing while “**” is one that was added to a playlist.
Side A
Track lists for A puro corazón don’t include sides since it’s a digital release but we’ll make the first four tracks side A, just to keep with our usual reviewing format.
Kicking things off is “Maldita Tentación (Damn Temptation)”. It’s a strong, soulful opener that sets the pace for the album and you definitely want that for an album. That is unless the opener is more of an atmosphere-setting intro.
In the case of “Maldita Tentación” gets right into it but the song doesn’t slam you into the album. It’s not an aggressive piece, it’s soulful piece with varying tempos. Expect this approach for most the album and it actually works. “María Magdalena” is a solid follow-up to the opener and keeps the pace established going.
Things get a shot in the arm with “Carpe Diem” or rather it was more of my pace. I wouldn’t say it was blistering fast. I’ve heard Gallardo rip with Headfist and it’s a mixture of speed and aggression. This track is the other star of the A-side and showcases a mixture of speed and power. He’s not ripping here, he’s shredding.
All that said, the ending was an interesting choice of an edit. This track also feels shorter than it actually is. It clocks in at a little over four minutes but felt like two or three minutes. On my initial listen it actually seemed to bleed into the next track and I didn’t pick up the ending.
Closing out side A is my pick for the best track of the side and the album: “My All”. It’s a cover of one of Mariah Carey’s classic songs from the 1997 album Butterfly. Some track listings don’t include that this is a cover in the title but the song title looked familiar. While listening to it, I instantly picked up the lyrics from Carey’s song and was surprised that it was a cover!
It definitely got a few replays and ended up in a playlist or two. Check this song out if you dig neoclassical metal or a shred cover of songs from another genre. It’s damn good.
Strongest Tracks: Carpe Diem, My All**
Side B
Our fifth track and B-side opener is “A puro corazón (Pure Heart)”. It’s another track that showcases Cristobal Gallarado’s technique very well but it doesn’t exactly have that energy you’ll hear from him in “Carpe Diem” on this album and comes after that performance of “My All”. It’s closer to the opener, “Maldita Tentación” and “María Magdalena”.
Next, we have “Toma Tiempo Sanar… (It Takes Time…)”. This track starts out similar to “A puro corazón” in tempo but business picks up in the second half of the song before closing out strong in the last minute. I’m a track placement nerd and this is definitely a track that could I see earlier in the album. It has heart to it and a bit of the energy that I like.
“Por ti le rezo” or “For you I pray” is a strong closer that starts as a soulful piece but at two minute and forty seconds grows into a riding pounder which surprised me. That ending run of the song is also why I remembered the exact time. I had to run it back to see.
I was expecting a somber ending to A puro corazón but I was pleasantly surprised here. Could it have been placed anywhere else on the album? Probably if you swapped its placement on the album with “My All”, the only other track that could’ve ended this project on a high note.
Strongest Tracks: Por ti le rezo*
Verdict
Neoclassical metal and shred are always harder for me to review when there isn’t a vocalist on the project. In the case of older Yngwei J. Malmsteen albums, he often had a strong vocalist who got some of the spotlight. This is similar to a modern Yngwei album where the spotlight is all on the axeman and their guitar gymnastics.
That aside, this was a fun listen. You have a young guitarist who is dedicated to his craft balancing two projects and this album showcases a serious, passionate approach to playing. Cristobal Gallardo having a cover of a Mimi song was the surprise here for me. The entire project had a lot to dig into if you enjoy hearing players take the starring role as opposed to playing an important role in the band or within other musicians’ focus for an act.
Strongest Track of the Album: My All (Mariah Carey cover)
Staff Writer; James “Metal” Swift Jr.
This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.