From the Vaults: FERTIL MISERIA
Cadenas EP
FERTIL MISERIA — Cadenas EP (Discos Fuentes, 1994)
Last month a few of us watched a cool documentary at the compound about the early hardcore/punk scene in Medellin, Colombia, called Mas alla del No Futuro. It featured a series of interviews with old punks who had survived the rampant violence throughout the ’80s and ’90s in Colombia, and paints a vivid picture of how so many Medellin punks used hardcore as an avenue to escape the violence burning through the city at the time. Medellin was the center of Pablo Escobar’s infamous drug cartel, and many folks fell into the lure of killing for money or other dangerous work in the drug war. Many of the punks on this documentary testified that punk was their life and they spent all of their time making bands and having “punk parties.” Otherwise they would more than likely have been sucked into the violence on the streets. Punks also (much like everywhere else) were targeted by police, and more than 3,000 of the youth were killed during these years. So the punks in this documentary are true survivors.
A shaved-headed Viki Castro, one of the very few women interviewed in the film, really grabbed our attention. Her testimony to those years was positive, strong, coherent, and confident, as was her presence on the screen. And then comes footage of her fronting a band! Enter FERTIL MISERIA, a four-piece — 3 women and a male drummer — seriously fucking shit up at a house show! Then they flash some record cover art that seriously blows our minds! So with thousands of punk records from all over the world at our fingertips, I rushed to the MRR shelves and pulled out this ripper (along with 7″s by I.R.A., B.S.N., IMAGEN, RASIX, the La Ciudad Podrida comp…) and became instantly obsessed! Look at that fucking cover! The Spanish lyrics promote peace and are smart and thoughtful. The music is raw hardcore punk, comprised of equal parts aggression and bounciness. Perfect blend, in my book.
It appears that FERTIL MISERIA is still active, and even did some dates in Europe this year. There is plenty of fun stuff to discover about this band on the web and a couple other releases to track down as well. So what are you waiting for?!
FERTIL MESERIA – “Actividad”
FERTIL MESERIA – “Cofraternidad Interplanetaria”
FERTIL MESERIA – “Cadenas”
FERTIL MESERIA – “Cerebros Castrados”
FERTIL MESERIA – “Inteligencias Muertas”
