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LP
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OSR 118LP
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Proto-doom metal/stoner/hard-rock by this Mexican band formed in 1972, including their mega-rare early '70s singles plus later material in the same raw vein. Born on Día de los Muertos in 1972, Medusa emerged from Mexico City with a mission: to forge heavy, hard, Spanish-language rock rooted in social awareness and poetic force. Guitarist Luis Antonio "Toño" Urquiza, drummer Víctor Moreno, and bassist/vocalist Javier Plascencia shaped their sound influenced by bands like Blue Cheer and Black Sabbath, as well as the turbulence of the 1968 Student Movement, the 1971 Halconazo, and the creative explosion surrounding the legendary Avándaro Festival. Friends and contemporaries of bands like Peace & Love, the Dug Dug's, and El Ritual, Medusa quickly stood out for their powerful live presence and politically charged energy. They released their mega rare first single in 1973 and then an EP followed in 1974, but their refusal to compromise their artistic direction led to being dropped before completing a full LP -- pushing them into self-produced, underground recordings throughout the following decades. Despite media marginalization, Medusa remained active into the mid-1980s, playing everywhere from stadiums and TV to prisons and "hoyos fonkis." After a decade-long hiatus, they resurfaced in 1994 to a new generation that embraced them as pioneers of heavy metal and early stoner rock in Mexico. Later joined by Jaime García Mares, they reaffirmed their status with a landmark 2006 national TV appearance. In 2015, after more sporadic performances and demos, Medusa were honored by Tianguis del Chopo and recognized by the National Sound Archive as the founders of stoner rock in Mexico, becoming subjects of books and a Rolling Stone special on Mexican rock. Shortly after, the band closed a 43-year chapter and its members moved on to personal projects. Now, thanks to recordings rescued from Víctor Moreno's personal archives, Medusa's early work -- including their four tracks from the '70s and additional raw and unadulterated sessions from the '80s-'90s -- finally appears in long-play format.
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