de la tierra

De La Tierra may be the most famous heavy metal band you’ve never heard of—comprised of members of some of South America’s more popular rock groups, including A.N.I.M.A.L., Sepultura, Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, and Maná. And though each player’s primary band sounds drastically different, on their sophomore offering, simply titled II, these musicians are united in the common goal of creating heavy and aggressive music. That, and lyrics sung in Spanish and Portuguese, with more than a little Latin musical influence in the mix, has shaped De La Tierra into an international force to be reckoned with.

The seeds of the band were planted in 2008 when Maná drummer Alex González and A.N.I.M.A.L. vocalist Andrés Giménez first discussed coming together for the simple joy of playing heavy music. That quickly snowballed into creating a new band with Sepultura axeman Andreas Kisser and Los Fabulosos Cadillacs bassist Sr. Flavio. Although De La Tierra is comprised of high-profile musicians, they’re quick to point out that they weren’t pieced together with a lot of money on the table. “We’re not a supergroup or anything,” Kisser says. “We’re basically a garage band.”