Saratoga

by Evan C. Gutierrez Spanish group Saratoga formed in 1992 and won a reputation as Madrid's premier heavy metal act, earning notoriety throughout Europe and Japan. The group spent three years after forming writing and preparing for their debut album, Saratoga, released in 1995. Only moderately successful at the time, the record would go on to become something of a Euro-metal classic, popular all over the continent and throughout Japan. The band's next outing was a collection of covers entitled Tributo. The album documented the group's favorite selections from local authors including Antonio Flores and Ángeles del Infierno. The disc that followed, Mi Ciudad, would be what brought Saratoga the public's attention. The project landed a spot on national pop charts like Lista de Afive, one of few heavy metal acts to do so. Inspired to reach beyond the borders of their genre, Saratoga followed with the release of Veintos de Guerra, a record pitched at mainstream audiences. Attempts to break into the international heavy metal market with the English-language release Heaven's Gate fell short of the mark. A return to pleasing their European and Japanese fan base with Las Puertas del Cielo and the DVD A Morir followed shortly thereafter. The group's next major accomplishment came with their biographical DVD, 1992-2004, which went on to achieve gold status for sales. Their subsequent record, Tierra de Lobos, experienced similar success, opening doors for the group to tour across Europe. Recent records like El Clan de la Lucha and VII consistently found a favorable place on European sales and airplay charts.