Since long time ago, the city port of Valparaiso is delivering interestant samplers to the national heavy metal scene. If we considerate that ten years ago and until 1998, our mainstream was dominated mainly for thrasher and death metal bands, the thruth is very different today , it which has allowed a gradual establishment of the heavy metal style in our country. And so like in Europe today this musical movement seems never to end , also here in Chile , and in Valparaiso of course , the melodic chords of heavy metal has won a dettached place in our scene. Maybe no exist a super population with groups of this style , such as in Italy , or Sweden, and neither we have the technic and financier resources to get the quality, production and sound of the most of the European bands, but the ideas , intentions and endeavours are very presents in everyone of these new Chilean bands.

Today i’d like to refer just to three groups from Valparaiso: They are Alquimia, Acrosstorm and Ethernia.
At first, about Alquimia, with five years in trayectory and recently the past year 2002 , they has edited their debut album called “Fe contra fe ( Faith against faith ), then of hard work , and now begin to promote themselves recivieng excellent reviews through webzines like www.powermetal.cl and www.metalogia.cl , becoming considerated like the Chileans Iron Maiden due their special kind of classic heavy metal with great influence of the Beast and others such as the olds Ozzy, Accept, Judas Priest and all the 80’s age. His first single “Justo aquí, justo ahora” has been intensivelly kicked out our skulls and in their live gigs the performance is very respected. A couple of months ago has putted on the web www.metalquimia.net (their official website ), the promo video of “Justo aqui, justo ahora” ,with so much further info, pics, news , etc. At end , really a great band ¡¡¡
At seconds terms, Acrosstorm: About them we can say that was born just the last 2002 year by the hand of their guitarist Rafael Araya and the ex Ipso Facto Lalo, playing an intensive crossover of bands like Vision Divine , Rhapsody and Symphony X. Claudio, hsi vocalist, may to remember the powerfull voice of fabio Lione , with a prodigius interpretative technic. Until today just they has recorded 2 incredible demo songs , dettaching the famous “Vision of Oracle”, one of the most popular singles in the radios from Valparaiso and which can be downloaded from his own website www.acrosstorm.cjb.net .
This 2003 year we hope their first live gigs and their debut album . The only thing that we can say you is : A TRUE PROMISE ¡¡¡¡¡

And finally Ethernia, a young band from Viña del Mar , and maybe the most popular at the moment due his succesfull perfromance inthe Metal Sessions organisazed by Radio Valentin Letelier . Their style is a melodic power metal with a virtuos keyboardist like Franco , recalling the Finnish premier act Sonata Arctica . The first demo single “Angel de la Luz “ got for them a good deal for the Chilean metal label Picoroco Records , hoping to consolidate his career and keep winning new and more fans in the Heavy Metal national scene . That song has been included in the Mp3 section of the sites www.metalogia.cl and www.rockaxis.com .

By Miguel Ramirez- february 2003