May 23, 2017
Being more of a grunge and punk aficionado, I cannot speak for
the masses of Metal fans out there and their music, so this is why
we have turned to freelance music journalist and filmmaker Alex De
Moller in the UK today to tap into his ample knowledge on the
subject, in particular the metal groups which sprung up in the mid
1980's in Medellin in rejection of the drug cartels, Pablo Escobar
and the violence being lived in that city.
Earlier this year, Medellin mourned the loss of Elkin Ramírez
Zapata, its first rock superstar. After losing his battle with
brain cancer, Ramírez passed away on January 29th, 2017. His
funeral brought Medellín to a standstill, and for the first time in
its history, the city's Metropolitan Cathedral was packed with
metalheads and punks—fans, friends and well-wishers who shed tears
and sang together as his band Kraken performed their final
concert.
Medellín today is a different picture. It's not perfect, but it's a
far cry from the 1980s. Kraken's music still blares from the
parches and bars frequented by the city's many metaleros and those
who once threw stones now claim to revere the sound of "true" heavy
metal.
So, think of the importance and the role that heavy metal played in
Medellin during the city's darkest moments...