Agonista Grey and Dry LP
I was unaware of AGONISTA before this review, which goes to show that there are still many fish in the sea indeed, and one is never far from a good surprise (or a terrible one, unfortunately). It would be far-fetched to claim that this band, located between Tijuana and San Diego, had a wheel to reinvent, and I think I like the idea of the band more than I do this album. AGONISTA can be said to belong to the long-running Tijuana crust tradition (or “crust mafia,” as COACCION put it), and from this perspective, I understand what they are trying to achieve—a blend of ’90s Scandicrust with some rocking metal influences (the vocal style points in that direction) and a touch of dark post-hardcore. I’m getting a big ’00s vibe here, as the songwriting is clearly more diverse than your average crustcore band in terms of pacing and transitions. Like COP ON FIRE covering STATE OF FEAR and DRILLER KILLER at an ’00s post-hardcore afterparty. The band is really tight, but the production is too clean for my liking, and Grey and Dry’s sound is lacking in raw punk brutality for a Scandicrust album (from my perception of and expectations from the genre, anyway) and doesn’t really do justice to the songs. I’m sure it would appeal to those who prefer a modern hardcore production in their crust, though. The lyrics are both in Spanish and English, which I enjoy as they reflect the band’s in-between-ness and bring some political context.