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'Rodrigo y Gabriela' CD (Rubyworks)
As most reviews of Rodrigo y Gabriela must start I will begin by admitting the album is as hard to define as it is a joy to listen to. This is an album by a pair of ex-heavy metal band-mates. It is an album by classical guitarists. It is an album by flamenco players, and it is an album by self-exiled Mexico City citizens, who wrote the album after deciding to travel around Europe. The trickiest thing about this album though is that it is all of this, and more, at the same time.
Rodrigo y Gabriela dislike their music being referred to as flamenco, although such influences are clear. The simple fact is that to focus on this musical style solely would do a great disservice to the genius of the album. Throughout the album's nine tracks there are influences from heavy metal, tango, jazz, flamenco and blues, to name a few. 'Ixtapa' and 'Vikingman' both demonstrate the pair's ability to alter time signatures long after the song has developed, to give any track a new life. 'Satori' owns the broody, dark themes of only the greatest heavy metal acts, while the opener, 'Tamacun' is pure, fluent flamenco.
There are some stunning novelties on this album too; a cover of Metallica's
'Orion' should not be taken too lightly, as nor should a magnificent version of 'Stairway to Heaven'. The magnificence of this particular track however comes not from Page and Plant being heard through new ears but from hearing an almost entirely new track. The timing, influences and execution of the song has been varied like no other artist has ever dared to do so, and can only be listened to in order to appreciate fully.
These novelties shouldn't detract from the simple fact that this is an album
that provides a feast for the ears as well as the mind. This record is truly, work of two superb artists. The pair have managed not only to offer a new take on myriad existing musical styles but have set a new yardstick for anybody who is familiar with the musics this record incorporates. If you are a fan of honest music you need to listen to this album.

The Fly
Rodrigo y Gabriela
10 Jan 2006
Kicking off with some superb Flamenco rolls and running headlong into high octane Jazz/Flamenco/Rock guitar, Rodrigo y Gabriela's third and Eponymous album picks up from where Live in Manchester and Dublin left off, with a live feel that leads the listener to expect well-deserved applause following each number.
The album's space is inhabited by the two guitarists alone, with a brief visit from gypsy violinist Roby Lakotos, who delivers a singular storming solo on 'Ixtapa' and leaves as mysteriously as he arrives.
The virtuosity and character with which the duo play, the furious speeds, energetic, percussive battering of the guitar bodies, and their distinctive but equally passionate playing styles lend themselves most fully to live performance, but producer John Leckie does a sterling job of capturing the spontaneity of their performances. The velocity and ferocity of the playing and the hardcore of metaller fans are not the only bizzarities which accompany Rodrigo y Gabriela, and one must pose the question of why their unholy allegiance to Metallica? Live in Manchester and Dublin sported two nods to Metallica's One.
The limited edition album comes with a DVD which really gives vent to the energy of the hyperactive pair with live tracks (watch the fingers fly), interviews, footage of their previous incarnation as Mexican metallers, stories of their arrival in Ireland and footage of their adventures in Mexico when they were supposed to be recording the new album.
Rodrigo y Gabriela is released on 13 March

Lavibra.com review of new album
La portada de este disco puede llevar a pensar que se trata del trabajo de una banda 'metalera', aunque el nombre de sus intérpretes no parezca adoptar dicho rumbo. Lo que ocurre en realidad es que Rodrigo y Gabriela son dos músicos mexicanos radicados en Irlanda que, si bien practican un estilo instrumental de guitarras acústicas, formaron parte de una banda de thrash metal, subgénero que parecen llevar aún en la médula de los huesos, aunque lo suyo pase por flamenco o hasta música clásica. Y la prueba no se encuentra sólo en su muy atractiva versión de Orion (una recordada pieza de Metallica) y en su elegante recreación de Stairway to Heaven (el clásico de Led Zeppelin), sino en el modo en el que "atacan" sus instrumentos en sus propias composiciones, ampliamente disfrutables para quienes no soporten la distorsión del rock pesado, pero dueños aún de una contundencia difícil de encontrar dentro de la música "desenchufada".
By Sergio Burstein.

IGN.com
You may never look at instrumental albums the same again.
by Chad Grischow
If you are one of those music fans that look at instrumental albums as dinner party fodder, you are in for a shock on Rodrigo & Gabriela's self-titled debut album. It is the kind of holy sh*t listening experience that would kill all conversation as your guests sit with mouths agape, plotting to steal the album when you are in the other room. It is a breathtaking album full of captivating sound created with just two acoustic guitars; so rich you wonder whether Rodrigo and Gabriela are actually octopi.
The incredible sounds created would take a room full of mariachis to match the fury the two manufactures. The invigorating album is a shot of adrenaline you would never expect from the description 'instrumental acoustic guitar duo'. The Mexican duo create dense compositions that will boggle your mind, crafting killer rock and folk sounds fuelled by the Latin heart pumping at the center of each track, adding southwestern flair to each exciting cut.

Percussive play by Gabriela serves as the rhythm for each song, as she bangs out some impressive backing beats for Rodrigo's stunning fingerpicked acoustic wonderment. The entire album flows together like one gigantic guitar opera, of sorts, making it difficult to pick one out song from the next. Whether the rapid-fire picked melodies of "Ixtapa" or the restrained "Satori", the two never fail to amaze.
The best starting point may be the Led Zeppelin cover, "Stairway To Heaven". The legendary classic rock song may not have needed a facelift, but Rodrigo Y Gabriela freshen it up regardless. It is safe to say that you have never heard the song quite like this. Hearing the two rifle through the iconic song with grace and a touch of Latin flair is among the many high points on the album. The tribal rhythms under furious picking on the moody "Diablo Rojo" and acoustic-metal tone of the sprawling seven-minute "Orion" add depth of the brilliant album.
Rodrigo Y Gabriela is a staggeringly great example of just how far two artists can stretch themselves to create an incredibly beautiful sound that will blow your ears and mind away. Oh, and just when you have wrapped your mind around the killer sound these two dished out on their debut, one more nugget; this was recorded live. Chew on that for a while.
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