Finnish Metal Trio, CABALLERO, To Release S/T Debut Album on Gates of Hell Records

Oulu (FI) – Get ready for some true, underground classic Finnish metal! Gates of Hell Records are proud to announce the forthcoming release of Caballero’s self-titled debut album on March 7 in North America (Feb. 21 in Europe). The album will be available on cassette, vinyl, and digital formats.

The eponymous title track is streaming now at youtu.be/fjhhCo9GCXs. The song is also available on Bandcamp.

Caballero’s triumphant debut blends old-school metal mastery with timeless power metal, reminiscent of early Jag Panzer, Judas Priest and Omen! 

The origins of Finland’s Caballero trace back to 2009 when vocalist/guitarist Aguirre and drummer Pizarro teamed up to play metal in the vein of Brocas Helm, Manilla Road and Cirith Ungol. However, their first iteration was short-lived. After writing a handful of songs and playing one gig, Caballero was placed in hibernation mode until Aguirre got the urge to resurrect his compositions and properly record them. Bassist Alvarado joined the fold, a full-length album was written and a deal with Gates of Hell Records was summoned. Now, in 2025, Caballero makes its proper entrance into the metal underground with their self-titled debut album.  

Recorded in July 2024 at Soundmix Studios in Oulu, Finland and produced by Mika Pohjola, Caballero, with the exception of the majority of the vocals, was tracked during a single weekend. Furthermore, the songs were played live in the studio, except for solos and one additional track of rhythm guitars. Also adding to the album’s luster, the vocals and the mixing were done during a number of sessions that usually started around midnight and finished in the early morning hours, nearly causing some of the band members to die of sleep deprivation in the process. (No members of Caballero were harmed while making this album!) 

Caballero does indeed feature songs that stretch back to 2009 and 2010, including “Caballero,” “The Moor-Slayer,” and roughly half of “Lightning Conquest.” Yet the bulk of the album features material from the current formation of Caballero composed from 2020 to 2023, which helps account for its dark, obscure brand of power metal that capably blends the likes of early Jag Panzer, Tyrant and Omen with the aforementioned trio of Brocas Helm, Manilla Road and Cirith Ungol. 

The album’s seven cuts conceptually tie together the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire, drawing from that exact point in history as well as Aztec mythology. Ultimately, though, the songs are about warfare, which can be seen as a divine calling and a route to immortality for the brutal warriors on both sides of the conflict. Engla Jansson created the artwork. The central figure is Mictlantecuhtli, the Aztec God of Death, looming over the two sides of the conflict, which captures an essential part of what the album is about. 

Over 15 years in the making, Caballero instantly places Caballero in league with fellow Finnish classic metal underground heroes Chevalier, Emissary and Lord Fist. And, if this description from Aguirre doesn’t whet your appetite, nothing will: This album sounds like a battlefield, smells of blood and sweat and torments you with terrors both physical and metaphysical.

Track Listing:

1. The Moor-Slayer
2. Caballero
3. Sorcery Above the Lake of the Water Dog
4. Lightning Conquest
5/ Mortally Wounded, Counting the Galaxies
6. La Noche Triste
7. The Lord of the Day and the Winds

Pre-order:

Vinyl LP: https://tinyurl.com/yc4vsfs2
Cassette: https://tinyurl.com/5xsbaaay
BC: caballerometal.bandcamp.com/album/caballero