Fatal State

Reviews

Fatal State Ni Un Paso Atras cassette

If you’re a fan of dual vocals, then you should check out FATAL STATE from Portland. Raging hardcore that ranges from punk-flavored to the more metallic side can be found on their Ni Un Paso Atras recording. The opener “Ojo Por Ojo” is a blazing bullet of hardcore punk, while “Preventable Death” is a chance to catch your breath with its slower chugging. Intensely political lyrics are delivered in English and Spanish, but it’s the work of two vocalists that really create the collective voice of resistance energy that this cassette has. FATAL STATE seems to draw from a vast range of punk and hardcore inspiration while shaping it into a sound that is distinctly their own.

Fatal State Pura Rabia cassette

Maximum-speed political hardcore from Portland. Gruff backups make the high-end crack of the femme lead vocals even more powerful, highlighting a band that has taken the ’00s epic hardcore model and stripped away the bullshit to expose the intensity. Songs are short and to-the-point, just fist-in-the-air defiance in the form of metal-tinged riffs and a relentless anarcho-hardcore assault.

Fatal State Estado Fatal LP

Combustable political hardcore from Portland. This eight song debut twists between mid-tempo metallic hardcore churn and full-tilt hardcore blasting, throwing back to that ’90s style where there’s less of a set template or direct influence, yet enough musical chops to incorporate different approaches and feel to the songs. Energetically raging, the overall impact might pitch towards a less NAUSEA-bent DESTESTATION mixed with the searing rampage of HEALTH HAZARD. Vocals trade off between scathing lead female vocals and brute male back-ups, with pointed lyrics in English and Spanish about gun violence, landlord evictions, immigrant rights, an apolitical punk scene, and more, while blistering leads and solos drop to punctuate the impact. Explosive both musically and in urgent, current message, backed by a collage of recent protest sign slogans on the back of the lyric sheet, and a tempered line drawing cover of a goddess staring downward at discarded ICE helmets. Killer!!!