Rocktober '00s Song #20: "Diablo Rojo" by Rodrigo y Gabriela (2006)

Our penultimate Halloweek '00s song comes from Mexican guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela.  Though much of their music is acoustic, they bonded as teenagers over their love of metal, and they were in metal groups before deciding to change musical directions.  The moved to Dublin, began busking, and soon built a following and got the interest of Irish singer-songwriter Damien Rice.

They released their debut album, re-Foc, in 2002, and then in 2006, they released their self-titled sophomore album, which debuted at #1 on the Irish album chart.  You may think the idea of two acoustic guitarist playing instrumentals is boring, but Rodrigo y Gabriela dispel that notion pretty quickly.  Their 2006 album has covers of Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" and Metallica's "Orion," as well as seven original compositions, one of which is "Diablo Rojo," today's selection.  "Diablo Rojo," of course, means "red devil" in Spanish.  It's a torrential acoustic instrumental, where both guitarists use their guitars as percussion instruments just as much as they use the strings.  You can hear the metal influence and virtuosity, and then watching them play in the video is mesmerizing.