In their latest offering, the Villarreal sisters claimed their seat at the table of modern hard rock figureheads.
“Heavy” music can be thought of as an acquired taste — and for good reason: downtrend, thunderous guitar riffs, fast-paced punching percussion and growling, exasperated vocals are often appreciated by a specific audience. Despite this — some artists residing in heavier genres are able to achieve massive commercial success. Nirvana seemingly killed hair metal overnight with the release of Nevermind, Slipknot has continued to dominate heavy metal from their debut to today, while relatively newer artists such as Sleep Token are reaching widely diverse audiences through their mix of metal, pop, electronica and funk. Although there’s hardly a formula to achieving the success of these aforementioned groups, they have all effectively combined the elements of heavy music with catchy, or even daresay poppy vocal melodies and hooks. This trend of melodic heaviness continues as the family affair of The Warning’s fourth album releases a barrage of slamming riffs weaved into unforgettable choruses fit for the radio or mosh-pit alike.
Hailing from Monterrey, Mexico, sisters Daniela (lead vocals, guitar, piano), Paulina (drums, piano, vocals), and Alejandra (bass, piano, backing vocals) Villarreal quickly found recognition for their cover of Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” in 2014 as reported by Loudwire and subsequently self-released their debut, XXI Century Blood in 2017 and Queen of the Murder Scene in 2018 before signing with Lava Records in 2020.
Maintaining a consistent sound that is a mash of hard rock, metal and punk merged with arena ready choruses — highlights of The Warning’s latest offering include the opening two tracks. Daniela delivers a percussive guitar riff that even includes a brief breakdown at the halfway point on “Six Feet Deep,” before changing directions to a punk influenced tone accented by Paulina’s percussion on “S!CK.” “Burnout” delivers The Warning’s hard rock edge through Alejandra’s syncopated, fuzzed-out bass line accompanied by Daniela’s well crafted lead guitar work. While songwriting is never limited to any language, nor is this the band’s first non-English piece, i.e., “MARTIRIO” featured on 2022’s ERROR. As Daniela proves throughout Keep Me Fed that she is both a talented songwriter and vocalist, The Warning’s most recent Spanish track “Qué Más Quieres” (What More Do You Want) displays the band’s ability to craft hits regardless of dialect.
While The Warning allows their music to speak for themselves, they ultimately represent an all-female, Mexican-born hard rock band finding success in a genre that has long been dominated by white men. As displayed in the artwork of Keep Me Fed, the trio presides over a lavish dining table, making their own space in the room. Fittingly, the album not only provides greater representation within rock music, but additionally breaks down barriers for future generations of musicians. Keep Me Fed proves the Villarreal sisters have claimed their seat at the table of modern hard rock figureheads.
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