As with many other of the current crop of Italian HC bands, there’s definite jazziness to their music as well as totally gnarly vocals, tight musicianship, and plenty of emotion and political awareness. Both male and female vocals lead the charge.
Nice pulsating beats in a haunting post-punk harmony with eerie sax effects. Female vocals sounding like SIOUXSIE or Anja of X-MAL that creep along with the flowing rhythms. Sharp, distorted guitar sound with a powerful drum mix. Interesting but jazzy goodies from Italy, with similarities to early X-MAL DEUTSCHLAND.
Jolting, mind-blowing HC in the great Italian tradition which will bowl you over. Tempo changes galore, amazingly great production, and impassioned “us vs. them” lyrics. Brain-shattering music from the heart, get it!
It’s a beautiful thing to get a note from a band member fondly recalling the submission of their demo tape to Tim Yo back in ’84, and then to receive an LP reissue thirty-five years later, and it’s still great! In my experience, KINA hasn’t quite enjoyed the bootleg t-shirt success like their contemporaries WRETCHED or NEGAZIONE, but whenever I revisit this self-recorded debut (or the Irreale RealtÁ LP), it’s evident that they were an equal force in the pantheon of classic ’80s Italian (or even general European) hardcore. This session is KINA at their most primitive, which unlike WRETCHED is slightly more…musical? Their tendency to break the hardcore template reminds me other interesting-while-still-ripping bands like CONTRAZIONE or STINKY RATS. This is a worthwhile reissue in a time when many, arguably, are not.
Hot Italian buzzbomb laced with metallic thrash-paced guitar whines and changes in tempo running to and fro. High-speed stuff that doesn’t get lost in the shuffle, with swift vocals, yet musically it offers a variance like HÜSKER DÜ. Overall production is low, but the music delivers potential goods. KINA are quick and effective, with enough pops to grow into big stuff.
Blues, thrash, HC thrash, fast punk, pop punk, jazz, speedcore… you name it, they do it. For such a variety of influences, KINA seems to pull it off, lending their “sound” to all styles, providing a continuity. Eclectic and yet maintaining an edge.
Three cuts here: the title track being the best of the cuts, an impassioned, melodic, mid-tempo punk number with some acoustic guitar work. On the flip are two powerful, speedcore bashers with complex structures. A good 7″.
Thrash for the most part, but broken up with changes that are a bit jazz-rocky. Several Italian HC bands seem to have these varied influences, some of which I find distracting, however eclectic and broad their tastes. Others may appreciate the variety. When they rely on power, they really wail.
