Saving Mexican Metal?

I’ve been hearing a lot about The Warning, the band led by the Villarreal sisters. Unlike many heavy bands that emerged from El Chopo, the Arena López Mateos, or Factores Mutuos, The Warning has leveraged the power of the internet, especially YouTube. Their cover of Metallica's "Enter Sandman" catapulted them to fame. This phenomenon is reminiscent of artists like Justin Bieber, who also broke through via YouTube, overturning the traditional ascent model of bars, record labels, physical albums, and tours in rusty vans. Now, musicians can become overnight sensations, focusing on downloads and visiting places where their music is appreciated.

The Warning emerged under this innovative model. Let's not forget that even "revolutionary" bands like Nirvana faced harsh criticism for their "lack of experience" or not having "paid their dues". The Warning's success took time, but the internet was crucial for their rise. However, these digital phenomena can deflate quickly. The internet has allowed these bands to overcome obstacles with ease, enabling The Warning to connect swiftly with bands like Muse or Foo Fighters and share stages with them. This dream was unattainable for many talented musicians just two decades ago.

The metal world is quite conservative, and blending heavy metal with other genres is often frowned upon by "purists". Clearly, The Warning has found success outside of these markets. They have been embraced by a more open audience, receptive to proposals that are familiar to what already exists in the pop music space, such as Metallica's Black Album, Muse, or Smashing Pumpkins. To a heavy metal purist, it's clear—The Warning is not heavy metal.

In my opinion, The Warning is neither heavy metal nor hard rock in the strict sense. Classifying their music leads us to think of bands like Foo Fighters, Muse, Placebo, and Queens of The Stone Age, which have consolidated a subgenre that draws from traditional hard rock and alternative rock. I don’t doubt that the Villarreal sisters have listened to a lot of Metallica, but probably only the Black Album. The Warning offers a second generation of modern alternative rock bands, like Maneskin or Greta Van Fleet. Their music blends glam, pop, and rock, similar to the most commercial aspects of Queens of The Stone Age or the loudest of Garbage.

The state of heavy metal or hard rock in Mexico shows that the rock consumer is still scarce. Extraordinary bands like Toxodeth, Mortuary, Hardware, Bestia, Cenotaph, or Transmetal never found a massive audience in the country. The only hope for many bands was to inhabit the same alternative space that once welcomed Cuca, Coda, Zurdok, or Gusana Ciega. It’s not hard to imagine that The Warning’s sound fit into that space, finding the massive success they are beginning to enjoy today.