siLLy puPPy Wow. The band name HYDRA is a popular one with at least 14 metal bands that have chosen the multi-headed monster as a moniker as well as tons of other non-metal bands. Well here’s one more. This HYDRA comes from Tapachula, Mexico which is the southernmost city in Mexico perched on a little enclave next to Guatemala. The last place many of us would think of for a retro classic heavy metal band imitating the early 80s but lo and behold, here one is!

This is one of those put out one tiny EP and call it a day types of bands. Because no info is available about this band that consists of Federico Nuñez (vocals, guitar), Julio Rueda (drums) and Nicolas Culebro (guitar), it’s impossible to know why HYDRA has released this tiny 27 minute EP of eight tracks titled EXTINCIÓN and then disappeared into the forests of Chiapas. Lost interest in metal? Got kidnapped by a band of monkeys? Too much tequila? Your guess is as good as mine.

Despite this sole specimen of this band’s existence, EXTINCIÓN is a fairly competent retro metal release that sounds like classic Motorhead mixed with a bit of early Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, especially in the twin guitar attacks. Nuñez performs a Lemmy like vocal growl with just a tad more roughness that sounds like it’s on the verge of entering death metal territory. Lyrics are completely in Spanish and the production is really good. The band is actually quite creative in how it juxtaposes obvious influences together without sacrificing the zeitgeist of the early 80s heavy metal thunder.

It’s amazing that HYDRA truly pulled off a classic heavy metal style that sounds as if it really could’ve emerged from the early 80s timeline without sounding like a complete derivative of the bigwigs of the era. Given the proto-thrash leanings here i’d say this would’ve fit in perfect around 1984, modern day production sheen as the exception. While not innovative in the least bit as far as bringing the classic heavy metal sound into the 21st century, this band called HYDRA certainly succeeded in crafting an interesting modern retro take on that particular era. In fact i like this better than certain Motorhead albums! Easy to track down on Bandcamp.