Less than a minute into last night’s performance, it was obvious the members of the all-instrumental acoustic guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela (pictured right), Mexican natives now based in Ireland, care more about Metallica than Manitas de Plata. We can see why listeners mis-label their music as flamenco — it has a rhythmic precision and intensity that are also found in that style. After seeing all the headbanging and devil horns coming from the crowd, it’s clear that their music has little to do with flamenco. We might go so far as to call Rod and Gab the first acoustic metal gods in rock n’ roll history. This description of the duo’s sound might make the music seem like a gimmick, but a gimmick will rarely deliver such a genuine and passionate performance, totally devoid of extraneous bells and whistles, while selling out the 9:30 Club. Rodrigo y Gabriela did both last night.

Rodrigo Sanchez and Gabriela Quintero work so well as a duo because they have similar musical influences, but at the same time they have disparate playing styles that are still complementary. He provides the melodies while she provides the rhythms. Rodrigo is the more traditional of the two guitarists and is also the more melodic. His playing is tasteful and technically sound, but also fairly orthodox. Gabriela, on the other hand, is the acoustic guitar’s answer to a Tom Morello or Victor Wooten. Her percussive technique makes her more than just a rhythm guitarist as she not only plays the chord changes, but also transforms her instrument into a bass and drumset. While her playing is not as versatile as that of her bandmate, her approach is unique and she is the band’s engine.