Breed 77 – VII
Release Date: 13th November 2026
Label: Self-Released
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Genre: Alternative Metal, Flamenco Metal.
FFO: Skindred, Fozzy, Soil, Ill Niño.
Review By: Paul Cairney
It has been 13 years since London-based self-proclaimed ‘Flamenco Metal’ outfit Breed 77 last released an album. Originally from Gibraltar, VII see’s the boys return in glorious style. The album comes off the back of their 2024 reformation and blistering live shows, including a set at Bloodstock.
Flamenco metal! You would be forgiven for thinking this was a gimmick. But those of us in the ‘know’ are perfectly aware of Breed 77’s ability to blend intricate flamenco guitar work with the most metal of riffs. VII contains all the elements you would expect. This, coupled with the rather fantastic vocals from Paul Isola, deliver an album that is disappointing in the best of ways – you are disappointed you have waited for 13 long years for it!
Opening track, ‘End of the Line’ encapsulates the album in a nutshell. Spanish guitars welcome the listener in, before the riff kicks in and Isola provides some soaring vocals. It is like the guys have never left us. Breed 77 are a band in their own space. Nobody sounds like them, and it is this that is the main selling point.
The lyrics are intelligent as well, built around the theme of not fitting in, resonating with listeners who may feel out of place in today’s society. Some of the tracks on VII feel like they were written specifically for you, especially tracks like ‘Don’t Give me up’. This album will feel personal, it will strike a note with different people. Crucially, however, it will make you nod your head, strike awesome poses as you bang your head and play along to the solos.
It is somewhat ironic that, in 1998, Breed 77 won the best unsigned band in Kerrang! magazine (back when it was readable). VII is, once again, a self-released album. What is all the more impressive, is that you wouldn’t know this didn’t have a label behind it. The production is great. The guitar tone is crisp, blending seamlessly from acoustic flamenco-style guitars into searing riffs and a vocal performance that ranges from gentle timidity to soaring confidence, sometimes in the same song.
The rest of the band hold everything together, without really excelling. The rhythm is controlled, allowing the showpiece aspect of the album to deliver. This is clever. Breed 77 know their qualities. They have a gimmick (sorry, wrong word) that they exercise with utter, unabashed confidence and ability that sets them apart from their late 90s, early 2000s contemporaries.
VII isn’t going to set the heather on fire. Some people may miss it. If they do, shame on them. Breed 77 have returned, and they have returned with a bit of a belter!
(4 / 5)
