Hailing from Puerto Rico, Mattador combined the slick, hook-driven sound of bands like Dokken and Firehouse. Initially during the first chapter of Mattador, which ran from 1988 to 1995 they built a loyal following both on the island and beyond,thanks to their electrifying live shows and emotionally charged song writing.During this period Mattador also caught the attention of the European rock scene,which lead to them featuring in various music rock charts & magazines in the UK,Italy,France and Belgium and further afield.After a decade long hiatus the original band members reunited in 2022 reigniting that creative fire from before,which then ignited into an artistic  rebirth.Their return caught the attention of Frontiers Music,known for a roster of Melodic Rock acts.In anticipation of the release of new material for the first time the 1994 Osama Records and independently European released  release "Save Us From Ourselves" is available digitally for the first time. 

The intro for this album is the thumping heartbeat,church organ style dramatics before the guitars and drums kick in leading into the current relevance of "Fear (H.I.V.)" with all the recent epidemics is relevant to the world today, which has strong guitar riffs and a tight rhythm with a strong vocal with the anchorman voice overs a poignant touch."Lost Souls" also has a lyrical significance,again deals with ongoing world issues,melodic but at the same time has a classic rock feel.Mattador's niche is writing mid tempo & ballad style tracks "If You're Gone" is a mellow west coast AOR style track which features a lot of piano & keys,"Tired" which is a melodic rock with acoustic guitar led ballad,atmospheric key touches with a well controlled & emotionally delivered vocal,the title track has such beautiful key touches,musical arrangements with an emotionally charged vocal performance.But also Mattador deliver some strong Melodic Rock tracks "All Behind Me" has some strong guitar riffs, with some solid harmonies in the chorus,"Live Your Life Not Mine" is a rebellious groovy rocker,plenty of swagger & attitude,"I Don't Know Why" is a heavier rockier with some infectious guitar work,"Hear Me Calling" is a change in tempo which is a bass driven melodic number which has a catchy chorus."In And Out Of Trouble" which closes the album has a funky led in,with more infectious guitar licks,a soulful melody which has a Extreme influence style to the track which ends the album strongly.

"Save Us From Ourselves" is a solid album, which is a welcome reissue.The tracks on this album are solid,maybe one too many ballads for me personally.but the more upbeat rockers more than made up for it which satisfied my musical preference.Definately an album I will play on a regular basis,looking forward to hearing the new material when released.