A.N.I.M.A.L.

A.N.I.M.A.L. (Acosados Nuestros Indios Murieron Al Luchar) meaning (Our Harassed Indians Died Fighting) was a metal band from Argentina and one of the most important in Latin America. It was founded by the singer and guitarrist Andrés Giménez in 1992 in Buenos Aires, Argentina with Aníbal Aló on drums and Marcelo Corvalán on bass and backing vocals. They originally formed under the name of "Animal", but due to legal issues the name was quickly changed to the actual version. A.N.I.M.A.L.'s sound is that of heavy metal and most lyrics are in defense and in favor of ethnic minorities and original peoples of Latin America; this can be seen in many song titles like Solo Por Ser Indios ("Only For Being Indian"), Guerra De Razas ("Race War"), Poder Latino ("Latin Power") and Raza Castigada ("Punished Race"). The band's success grew taking it to play in most Latin American countries, the United States and Europe. In 1999, Iongtime bassist Marcelo "Corvata" Corvalan and then drummer Andres Vilanova (who joined the band at age 17, replacing Martín Carrizo) left the band . Marcelo and Andres were replaced by Cristian Lapolla and Marcelo Castro, however around this time the band entered a clear and slow downward spiral as many fans started losing interest in it. After a year or so, Marcelo Castro was replaced by Javier Dorado who had briefly joined the band back in 1993 and was replaced in 2004 by Martín Carrizo who rejoined the band. In 2006 it was announced that the band would take an indefinite break; this resulted in Martín Carrizo's (drummer) leaving the band and Andrés Giménez forming a new band called D'Mente (word play meaning both demente ("lunatic") and devil mente ("devil mind", Andres' nickname). Former members Marcelo "Corvata" Corvalan and Andres Vilanova now play together in the band Carajo.