Arraigo – Nehuen (Fuego del Alma) – Video Official!

Fuego Del Alma translates into “Soul Fire”

Origin: Argentina

Themes: Argentinian Folk Lore

Genre: Heavy/Folk Metal

Gotta love it when bands sing in their original language. More bands definitely need to do this. I looked up the meaning of the word “Arraigo” itself and found out that it means “hold.” Why would a band name themselves “hold?” My translation may be shoddy, but I have a guess. My theory is that “hold” is related to an effort to hold onto traditional practices and lore. Perhaps the connotation of the word may have a more suggestive meaning that Gringos like myself don’t know about.

I used to work at a restaurant and learned enough Spanish to trade banter with the kitchen staff and ask where they kept hiding the juice. Yet when it comes to the subtleties of lyric and metaphor in music – I’m completely lost. I still hold to my original claim though, that I prefer music in the original tongue. It sounds more passionate and organic. Spanish itself is a beautiful language when sung to music, it has a flow that is romantic, warm and lilting like a gentle stream. English by contrast, with its hard sounds and many consonants, reminds me of glass shards jangling about on a tambourine.

“Que amar deje de ser necesitarse”  is a passionate line with internal rhyming. It flows like cigar smoke on a summer breeze. Compare this to the translation, “That love is no longer needed.” This sounds about as dry and detached as a warning on the back of an airline safety pamphlet. You may now understand it, but some of the original magic is gone.

As to the band itself, Arriago does well to balance technical finesse and passion in their song writing. Fuego Del Alma is a fitting name for a song that truly ignites the soul.