Guitarist Felix Martin has released ‘Merengue’, out now, a single that fuses rock and metal with merengue, the traditional dance music of the Dominican Republic. Part of a series of Latin metal singles building toward a full-length album, it’s performed on his signature 16-string guitar alongside 10-string bass, drums, brass and percussion. It’s the first time he’s brought brass into his music.
This is the most unique thing we’ve heard in a very long time. Latin metal is awesome, and the musicianship here is clearly top tier. As Felix puts it, he’s always pushing himself to explore new ideas, and his fascination with Latin music led him to merengue, a danceable, fun style that was a joy to write. The artwork takes its cues from Latin American art, the colourful hillside favelas, Dominican beaches, graffiti and vintage robots, while the video, filmed in downtown Los Angeles, features LA musicians Nic Kubes on drums and Joan Torres on 10-string bass.
We always enjoy a genre-melting experiment, and we’re looking forward to hearing where the album takes things.
