Reviews

Exabrupto

Accidente Caníbal LP

Tight, melodic, high-energy release from Madrid, Spain, with vocals reminiscent of Agent M from the early TSUNAMI BOMB 7″ singles that were released by Checkmate Records in the late ’90s. That label was run by Hunter Burgan who plays bass for AFI, and we can argue if his band sold out well before the Black Sails in the Sunset album, but the tight guitar/bass interplay with thunderous drumming reminds me of those early albums. Recorded in Madrid, the album was mastered by Mass Giorgini (COMMON RIDER, SQUIRTGUN) at his Sonic Iguana Studios in Lafayette, Indiana…so maybe that’s where all this ’90s/’00s stuff is coming from. Translating the lyrics from Spanish, the songs take a strong rebellious stance, putting the common in the center and fighting back the corporate cannibals. I have a feeling this is the kind of band that will pack out the infamous Wurlitzer Ballroom in Madrid to sweaty spastic crowds after the pandemic is over.

Agonista Embusteros 10″

AGONISTA consists of San Diego and Tijuana scene veterans who in the past 25 years appeared in BUMBKLAATT, SWING KIDS, SOME GIRLS, RUN FOR YOUR FUCKING LIFE and SPANAKORZO, to name a few. In contrast to some of their previous outlets, AGONISTA plays what they themselves might consider a rather “traditional” brand of hardcore: a tight crustcore/’90s Swedish HC approach sung both Spanish and English, something along the lines of DISRUPT, STATE OF FEAR, SEVERED HEAD OF STATE, UNCURBED that was found in the Prank or Distortion Records catalogs a generation back. AGONISTA carries on the tradition particular to the Tijuanese crustcore style that centered around DISCORDIA (members of which went on to BUMBKLAATT and COÄCCION in the ’00s). Being a cross-border band between the US and Mexico, they directly feel and experience the complex reality between the two countries in their daily lives. Their output seems to be the direct friction from the socioeconomic differences spawned from the systematic oppression of people’s lives tangled by racism, drug abuse, financial instability, and violence. Embusteros sounds like a burst of the filthy remnants that have been forcefully hidden underneath the rug by the “America’s Finest City” and the feeling of anger and frustration in order to survive in “Sin City.”

Alerta Roja Punk Rock En Dictadura EP

This is killer. ALERTA ROJA was supposedly the first Argentinian punkers to record punk. Thanks to the do-no-wrong Texas punk label Esos Malditos Punks, we get this reissue of their first wax, along with some extra tunes from the session. This was recorded in 1982, but like other punk bands from the continent, they were still in the ’70s in all the best ways. Along with peers like LOS VIOLADORES, they were kicking out some high-powered, ’77-style punk jams. There’s a lot of EATER and of course the PISTOLS here, much like MUTANTEX if they had better equipment and recording studios. Lengua Armada Discos did another essential reissue some time back, but definitely track this one down or cry later.

Autodestrucción Demo 1988 EP

It’s another demo tape pressed to 7” by the Esos Malditos Punks label, showing a good part of the Mexican hardcore scene that was wild and unique during the late ’80s and early ’90s. AUTODESTRUCCIÓN is another super-tight band. It comes across great because they are raging, with fast-paced, slamming hardcore songs that are furious as hell. Old tape noise gives us what mostly just multiple pedals and editing can accomplish now, but here it is in its rudimentary form. Slight melody creeps in here and there, but it still is an attack tape. The momentum of the tracks does not let me judge the riffs or song structure, but this is a hardcore tape from Mexico 1988, not a painting in a bullshit museum where you are hissed down immediately if you make any noise. This is the loud reality of local craziness. Most of the songs are pretty short, and the longer jams sound very menacing and have the opportunity to transform from a tense mid-tempo to a really hammering rush. When the disco beat came in for a second, they totally got me. If you are interested in early international hardcore where scenes had their own unique sound and bands were forming and not following the borders of hardcore, then this is a great release for you.

Hellmaistroz En El Cielo Está El Infierno LP

I hope you’re ready to go fucking nuts, because this one is some solid-as-fuck crusty hardcore out of Monterrey, Mexico that will have you solo-circle-pitting your bedroom ’till you puke. This is that straight-ahead, heavy-hitting D-beat pummeling that few can deny.  It’s as they say: all killer, no filler. Lyrics are in Spanish, and from my limited understanding of the language I gathered that they think that Nazis and politicians are shit. Features a cover of “Stepping Stone,” the MINOR THREAT version, but they made it about beer …I think. For those that hate to rock: stay well clear. Everyone else, keep an eye out for this one.

Ojo Por Ojo Paroxismo flexi 7″

This is one of those recordings that transports you to the band’s place of origin. You can feel the tension that is living in Mexico City and all its unrest. Unsettling and dark as night, OJO POR OJO delivers a fist full of hate in the form of hardcore punk that sometimes resembles Pain of Mind-era NEUROSIS, when they still played straightforward hardcore, and Italian powerhouse NERORGASMO. Guitarist/singer Yecatl Peña’s previous band INSERVIBLES also serves as a blueprint for this sound that they make. Paroxismo is the two-track follow-up to their 2018 debut LP on La Vida Es Un Mus, and it was recorded by none other than Steve Albini. Shame that it isn’t longer!

Rotura Al Otro Lado LP

The Oi! label is predisposed to a certain musical monotony, despite being formed against the status quo, which infects this LP. While melodic and political, each song on Al Otro Lado is punctuated by nothing, it all sounds the same. Listen to “Al Otro Lado,” followed by “Nadie Escucha” to understand my point. Spain-based ROTURA is idyllic in theory, with fast-paced instrumental pop energy and a powerful vocalist, Silvia, yet they fall flat in practice. The frenetic drums were enjoyable on most tracks, but it’s hard to appreciate them between the guitar’s almost-buzzing quality and the one-note vocals. I applaud the album’s production and creativity and perhaps others will enjoy it, but Al Otro Lado, translating “to the other side,” may just have to stay on that side.

Weak A Guide to Adult Despair LP

This band should be on Fat. Like seriously. I’m not even joking. Why are they not already? Somebody send this to the right people, and if this “review” is the catalyst of that actually happening, I’d like a finders fee. Thank you.