Smash The Wall For Freedom

Ladies and gentlemen, we got the artwork of the year. Seriously, we all know that Sugi is one of the best artist out there when it comes to create iconic punk/hc graphics, but this time he has outdone himself. His rabid version of the worldwide most beloved kitten would probably piss off tons of lil'girls but every punk out there will love it. Why hasn't a shirt been printed with this graphic yet?

I would have bought this record solely for the the artwork even it was a Rancid ep. But luckily this is not the case. Here we got indeed the new single "smash the wall for freedom" by Hakodate premier burning spirits band, Crude. Courtesy of two finns label, Kämäset Levyt & Tampere Hardcore Coalition. 100 on yellow wax (mailorder version) and the remaining 400 on black. If you were expecting like me another "just go ahead", you'll be totally disappointed. These two tracks (one of which is an instrumental medley of some of their most well known riffs) indeed were recorded in Finland during their 2012 tour. Not that it's a bad quality recording, but to make burning spirits works, you need top notch powerful, heavy & clean recording. That studio might work perfectly for the classic finnish sound, but I think it's too raw for a band like Crude. Both these tracks are indeed awesome and if they were recorded with a heavier sound, they wouldn't have left me with the feeling that, as much as this record is good, it's missing something to make it another classic in this band's incredible discography. 

 

La Tua Morte Non Aspetta

My first approach with Wretched was with the "libero di vivere, libero di morire" lp that someone taped to me in the mid 90s'. This is one of those unfuckwithable classics that everyone but me seems to have in the highest regards when it comes to euro hardcore from the early days. I can't really stand that record. I don't like the production and Gianmario's vocals irritate me. Plus the uber dramatic lyrics and militant attitude of the band (keep in mind that my first listening happened during the ultra PC nineties glory days) was enough to keep my interest pretty low.

Over the years I gave to the earlier eps a try but the only one I do really love is the "in nome del loro potere tutto è stato fatto". The over the top wall of noise that this ep creates is unbelievable.

That being said, I never gave the later Wretched material a chance. Until last month. While pre-ordering the Diserzione ep, I've noticed that Lovehate80 was also repressing Wretched 12" ep "la tua morte non aspetta". I thought "why not?" and decided to finally give it a try.

What an idiot I've been! I can't believe I missed such a solid record for all these years! Usually people have mixed feelings about this 12" and when it comes to Wretched, "la tua morte non aspetta" is not one of the records that get usually mentioned. How many times have you heard someone tagging later Wretched as "metal"? Well, that's bullshit. Of course compared to the earlier material the main difference is the super clean production and yeah, songwriting is more "mature" compared to the wild days of the band but for sure this ain't metal! Even lyrics got a more personal approach. Just ugly, gloomy, downtuned and dark hardcore way ahead of its time. Perhaps this is why this ep doesn't get the attention it deserves. A record that sweats tons of pessimism, failure and negativity from every single note. Shame on me for waiting so long before checking it.

Limited to 500 copies, this reissue comes with a bonus track on side B, "tanti giorni" which is a more canonical Wretched track. For the rest it's a perfect reproduction of the original since, even aesthetically, this record looks perfect.

Quando Si Sentirà L'ultimo Rimbombo

Just picked up a copy of the freshly made repress of the Diserzione "quando si sentirà l'ultimo rimbombo..." 1982 demo on wax, courtesy again of Lovehate80. I was too slow with the first press that came out two years ago but luckily I was able to pre-order a copy of this press. While first one was 300 copies all on black, this time they did just 200 copies, 100 on clear and 100 on red. It comes with a huge fold out poster with pics, flyers, lyrics etc...

Don't know that much about this band. A 30 years old super obscure demo tape from a small city that luckily has been saved from the fragility of its original magnetic support. Please don't trust the claim on the cover that says "questo disco fà schifo" (this record sucks). Classic rough & dirty 80s' italian hardcore from the countryside that would have fit perfectly in the Chaos Produzioni rooster. Love the "fuck off" attitude of this band. Highly recommended if you're into the good ol'days of our boot shaped stupid peninsula or good hardcore/punk in general.

ZOUO interview 2011

Great in depth interview with japanese legendary band Zouo. Taken from MRR#338, July 2011.

Medellin

In my previous post I've mentioned Medellin. Recently Fuck Yoga Records has repressed two classics from the early 90s' scene outta that town. Unlike the recent Restos De Tragedia and Bastardos Sin Nombre discography lps, here they did the right thing. Perfect reproductions of the originals. Nothing more, nothing less. Yeah, you guessed right. I'm not a big fan of a big vinyl that collect small vinyls.

Let's start with the Ataque De Sonido "s/t" ep. 7 outbursts of super raw and primitive noisecore that's deeply rooted in hardcore. This stuff reminds me a lot early 90s' european noise bands that I used to listen to 20 years ago (shit, I'm old). Quite similar also to their townmates Imagen. Indeed it's not a coincidence that they shared the same guitar player. Definitely not on my top 5 when it comes to Colombian hardcore, but nonetheless a totally worth owning record. Weird note: their name came from the spanish translation of an Hawkwind song, "sonic attack".

Great reproduction of the OG, plus it comes with a small insert with liner notes by band members and a couple of rare pics. 100 on clear, 400 on black. As you can see I got the ltd version. While my hunt for an original first press copy continues, I'm fine with this.

The Herpes "medellin" 7". Probably the weirdest record that came out from that scene. We're still in the noisecore territory but more on the metal side of it. If your brain is able to think to an even dirtier version of Parabellum on acid that's trying to cover a Hawkind tune, then you're quite close to Herpes. This is so noisy, heavy and distorted that in the end it sounds like the worst acid trip nightmare you could ever have. Uber brutal and rough stuff that's definitely not for everyone.

Of course it looks exactly like a perfect reproduction of the original. My copy is one the 100 out there on clear wax. The rest of the press it's on good ol'black wax. Now please repress the Rasix ep so I don't have to shell out 100 bucks for it!

Tercer Mundo

Is mexican punk/hardcore still hyped? I'm out of touch with the scene today and I find it hard to keep up with all the new bands/flavour of the month. Although I remember that a few years ago suddenly everyone started to pay attention to all the amazing bands that came out of Mexico. Bands like Inservibles, Ratas Del Vaticano & Los Monjo were mentioned everywhere. A big role in that must be conferred to Cintas Pepe Records and its debut release: the amazing "Brutales Matanzas" compilation lp. I was lucky enough to score a copy directly from the label thanx to the hint of a friend. Otherwise I would have never heard of it. Its a shame that it was a one time limited press of only 300 copies since more people need to hear it. Probably the most solid compilation of all unknown new bands that surfaced out of the hardcore scene in a LONG time. It's not a surprise that it gained immediately a cult status and it's already a sought after collector item.

Last year Cintas Pepe released its third effort: the Tercer Mundo "s/t" 7". I didn't pay enough attention and I've discovered it only a few months ago. Thanx Quetzalcoatl I was able to get a copy from a distro recently for a fair price. Like all the other Cintas Pepe release it's limited to 300 copies and a lots of greedy collectors are lookin' for it. Tercer Mundo are two guys from Monterrey that used to be in Ratas Del Vaticano. This record captures perfectly the anger and the frustration of living in a country devastated by a violent & endless drug war. So in an era where punk/hardcore has become a parody of itself and where almost all modern punk/HC bands are full of careless cynic postmodern types or uber-militant crusty dudes that pretent to be some sort of saviours of the world while in reality they care only about tattoos and doing drugs, a band like Tercer Mundo is a breeze of fresh air. Normal young people that live in a shitty and dangerous environment that forces them to write music to release their rage and dissatisfaction. This sounds so raw and pissed off because it has been recorded in a recent version of what used to be the Medellin hopeless scenario in the early 90s. Indeed the comparsion with bands like BSN or Restos De Tragedia it's too easy to do. If you need more recent reference, think to Otan from Spain. 

As it goes for all the solid records out there, not only it sounds great, but it also looks awesome. Black ink over brown paper with a few hints of red. It comes with a small booklet with lyrics and lots of corpse pictures from the aforementioned drug war that's still not over. Now go party with your punk friends.

La Krudeza No Muere

I can't remember the last time I bought a record based solely on the label's description. I did it all the time during the whole 90s'. Record reviews, endless thanks lists and mail order catalogues were basically my main source of information back in those days. But in the last 10+ years things have dramatically changed and, for the better or worse, it's almost impossible to buy a record without listen to at least one track out of it before getting it. Of course this helps a lot when it comes to avoid to fill your collection with too much crappy records. On the other side, I must admit that I'm missing the surprise factor, if you know what I mean. So, when I got the last LVEUM newsletter where Paco mentioned he just released a LP by a new peruvian band DHK titled "la krudeza no muere", I decided to give it a try based solely on Paco's words. I like his label and I trust his tastes. That was enough for me. And I'm not disappointed at all. Solid, straight forward punk/hc with no frills and lots of energy. Of course it's raw as fuck but don't expect a fuzz fest (even if it has been mastered at the legendary Tokyo's Noise Room). This is raw, simple and direct music like you can expect from a south american punk/hc band. Sincere music played by pissed off normal kids that don't need to dress the typical punk uniform and pretend to be rebels by acting weird & crazy. This is real hardcore played by real people, not bored rich western white kids alternative boring shit.