Desposseït

Music recommendations February 2026

2026-02-09T15:52:49.022752+00:00

The occidental world is so fucked up that it's making the president of Spain seem like a good president. Even if the decisions of this government are pure opportunism, and if it fuels the game of polarization that all right-wing politicians started, the (leftist) international opinion seems pretty good about Pedro Sánchez and his government. But that's what happens when everyone reads the headlines instead of the whole article.

Let me say this loud and clear: Spain is not an oasis of the left, and one of the reasons is the existence of the party that is in power nowadays. But that's a long story that I can't explain here. I'll let the next elections show you a totally different face of this territory.

Anyways, Spain sucks, and PSOE (the so-called "socialist" party of Spain) sucks too. With this party in power, we had:

Several massacres on the borders or in the sea to not let migrant people enter the country while rich people get in through planes. Amnesty International is still asking for some answers for 30 dead and 70 disappeared (in the border??) on June 24th of 2022.
Prosecution of alternative leftist or anarchist political projects with several cases of infiltrated cops inside social movements. These cases were defended by a minister that has been accused SIX times by the European Court of Human Rights for not investigating tortures of police while he was a judge. This is the same guy that defends the previously commented massacres. Suspicious, right?
In the middle of a housing crisis, they gave LOTS of money to be able to pay the rents, and what happened? Oh, the miracle: landlords increased prices, and the result: rich people getting richer. It's impossible they didn't know, specially when so many of the known faces of the party are landlords. In general terms there's a really bad management of the housing crisis just to protect landlords.
Corruption. Corruption is everywhere. All kinds of cases appear around the president, and yes, maybe many are created by a toxic political environment that lies to get votes, but many aren't.
Spain gave all the power to Morocco to do anything they want with Western-Sahara, leaving the Sahrawi people totally abandoned (even more than before). Even worse, this was used to improve relationships between the two countries and make Morocco control the border so Spain does not have to do the dirty work. Colonialism and racism from a "socialist" government.
More externalized dirty work: they opened jails for migrants in Mauritania. These jails were paid for by the government, yes. And they will hold minors inside too, yes, something that can’t happen here (but it’s done in another type of prison for migrants called CIEs). So poor racialized migrants can’t enter our border, or they will be killed, prosecuted, brutally assaulted and/or raped, and if they survive, they will work like slaves for people that don’t want to pay taxes and won’t ever be held as criminals. The same government that allows this also goes to other countries to create cages so fewer people cross two borders and/or get in a boat that is a nearly certified death in the Mediterranean.
Bought military technology to Israel after advertising an arms embargo on that country. Also, a few years before, they sold a lot of military stuff to Saudi Arabia that was used to bomb Yemen.
Etc.

I could continue writing about this, but I just don't want to. Spain sucks. PSOE sucks. Many think they are nice because they aren't horrible fascists, but they do a lot of shit. And now let me show you some punk music from this country that promotes anarchy instead of lame social democrats. If Eskorbuto can't be voted for, let me show you who should be the ones I would vote for.

LAMPREA EXPLOSIVA - Anarquía de Montaña

From the mountains of remote Galiza, here you have a band that I really love and that I have been following and known since we (them and me) were kids. We met after so many years of some Internet relationship in Galiza, in a squat in a very, very small town (it has... 10 houses?) in the middle of a natural paradise. I always had a special love for duos (PIÑÉN or CIEMO, for example), and LAMPREA EXPLOSIVA, with their already long history and their parallel duo band with the same two people that change instruments (GIUSSEPPE), was always a special one. They also manage their own label, Caracol Negro!

LAMPREA EXPLOSIVA are for punks that love Thoreau, Emerson and Walt Whitman, but also Emma Goldman, Quico Sabaté and Kropotkin. Not many anarchists understand the secret words of the beating heart of the forest, its natural processes, and the art of waiting and letting things grow. I always hoped they were a seed for more Galician youngsters to get their instruments and make noise until their ears bleed, but as far as I know, only they did something like this beautiful eco-anarchist project in the last few years. Maybe the other ones are so hidden in their mountains that their sounds are unreachable for me.

In this release, LAMPREA EXPLOSIVA has a first track "Unha forza de combate / Guía breve dos mustélidos de Galiza", where they talk about another thing that I didn't mention before about our government. Their support of extractivism in our own land, the elimination of natural spaces for touristic projects, the constant help for fucked up real estate businesses, or any other economic profit from natural resources. Nature battles against these aggressions in so many ways, but also there are many people that do so. Defend your forests, deserts, and seas!

https://caracolnegro.bandcamp.com/album/anarqu-a-de-monta-a

ARREST - Pobre i Perillós

An already classic band from Barcelona. They have been playing since the start of the previous decade, and their music and lyrics are amazing. If you're into early 80s UK punk like the first few No Future Records releases this is for you. The band has members of TOTÄLICKERS, CRUZ, CRIMEN DE ESTADO and SIBERIA. They also have a fake band that is pretty funny called STOICHKOV. Sometimes I can feel like I'm a Barça punk too!

In this EP there's an amazing track, "Mentirán" that summarizes pretty well some things I didn't explain in the text of this column. The rise in the cost of living, evictions, and how it feels to be a poor person in this country. That's why the name of the EP means "poor and dangerous". The lyrics are translated on their Bandcamp page if you're curious.

https://arrest.bandcamp.com/album/ep-7-pobre-i-perill-s

ROTURA - Al otro lado

ROTURA aren't a classic from the city of Barcelona yet, but I hope they will be. Watching them play live is always beautiful, and I loved this project since the beginning. They do a powerful melodic punk, very political, and have really catchy songs that have stayed with me since the first listen.

I wouldn't say that ROTURA reminds me of specific bands, but there's always an easy comparison of the vocals with ELEKTRODUENDES, but don't be fooled by these descriptions and listen to them! They sound very different in general terms. In my opinion, the lyrics of the songs are a big part of this band, and they also have them translated on their Bandcamp page. During the last year I've been listening to them nonstop. Also, they are in the Fediverse! The only band I know from here that has Mastodon and Pixelfed accounts.

https://rotura-punk.bandcamp.com/album/al-otro-lado

KIRATXA - Giza Ustelkeria

From Euskal Herria, this "new" band is bringing the noise to this column. I missed them and the "pomada" that Oscar always carries with him when they came to Barcelona, I hope I have a second opportunity!

Their raw punk sounds spit over nearly everything, from heroin to the military, from the countries that perpetrate a genocide that we all know to the bosses ("who doesn't want to kill their boss?"). In the song "Mare Mortum" they talk about the amount of people who are left to die in the Mediterranean Sea while they are trying to reach the coasts of this horrible country.

https://kiratxa.bandcamp.com/album/giza-ustelkeria

DOLENT - S/T

Let's keep the noisy sounds on; this Valencia band is SO good. One of my favorites from last year. It is a modern-sounding hardcore punk sung in Valencià created by some of the people that helped to release a lot of punk around here in the last decades. They are pretty fast, and I think the guitars have an effect that is too loud for my personal taste, but besides that, I like it a lot. I've played this so many times already! I wish I could have gotten the tape, but I'm always late, and it's sold out now.

The track "Som l'amenaça" says something like "burn the flag, destroy Spain" (this is a free interpretation), which is all I want. In my opinion this band is a little gem produced in this area of the world that has been totally overlooked, but it's worth a listen or two. You will like it, I promise! I hope they keep doing this band for so long.

https://polzedelamort.bandcamp.com/album/dolent-dolent

Bandcamp recommendations November 2025

2025-11-03T17:23:33.641488+00:00

Nurse in Atlanta, 2017.

Nurse in Atlanta, 2019

The powerful feeling after a good punk show is undeniably one of the best feelings you can have. This previous month I went to some shows that I enjoyed a lot, and I returned home a few times thinking that punk is amazing. Mostly I saw friends live, which is even better, some in projects I didn't know or that are just new.

Life is strange, and maybe even more so in our little punk corner. One day you're meeting some punks for a few hours, maybe staying at their house or playing together somewhere in the world, and after a few years with no knowledge of each other, you meet again and it's like finding some good old friends. This is what happened with NURSE a few days ago. We played together (I believe they even put on our show) in Atlanta in 2017 and stayed with them. Then in 2019 we were so lucky to play again there with them, and finally now, in 2025 they played in Barcelona (in my neighborhood!). I do not need to convince you that the show was amazing, they proved it everywhere over the last nine/ten years!

I was so excited to see NURSE and mildly curious about local bands. It was not the best day for me, I was kinda nervous, and I was ready to stay at the door the whole show. Well, that's exactly the opposite of what happened. Besides seeing all the bands, I was IMPRESSED by SÖT. I love to see people that have been part of many other projects for years doing a band that sounds as big as this one. Their sound was perfect for a melodic punk act, and there was even a MASSHYSTERI cover (and another one of THE CURE I think?), so you know what's the deal.

The next day I went to see the Berliners TERMINAL FILTH and SPEED KOBRA with their heavy crust at Blokes Fantasma, a classic punk squat from Barcelona that is at risk of eviction. They also played with SAYÓN (read review) and OFENSA. I wasn’t able to see OFENSA because I was talking with friends I haven’t seen in a long time, but SAYÓN did an amazing job. I think it was the best show I saw of them. After them, TERMINAL FILTH delivered tons of heavy sounds that smashed our heads. It was magic, I couldn’t believe how good this band was. Then SPEED KOBRA finished the job with another demonstration of musicianship and powerful vocals.

A couple weeks later DISAFFECT also visited our city! Again at Blokes, a perfect place for a punk show. These legends from the 90s still deliver an incredibly powerful anarchopunk, and I would say that more than a hundred punks went to see them on a weekday. It’s beautiful to see how different generations get together to enjoy punk! I left the venue thinking how beautiful this community is, how great it is that someone who started to play in the 90s can still come to Barcelona in a total DIY way, with the same passion after more than 30 years.

As you can see (or read), we had a lot of fun lately over here. I recommend you to listen to all these bands and support them if they come to your city (they will, I’m sure about it)!

SÖT - Crema-ho tot

SÖT is a new band with members of PÖLS and NAFRA, with mostly all the members from Almacelles or Lleida, if I'm not mistaken. You should check Almacelles on Wikipedia and then keep reading this. They have bands there, record their music, started a social center, publish easily the BEST punk fanzine in Spanish/Catalan that exists nowadays (SILENCIO TÓXICO) and are the nicest people on Earth!! These are things you don't expect from a town of around 7000 people.

The Spanish scene had many melodic punk acts like this one in its history. There’s examples like ELEKTRODUENDES and the more recent ACCIDENTE, but the list is so long. As many other punks from Spain I was also influenced by those sounds and lyrics. SÖT is a new take on that style, a bit more darker, sometimes it could be classified as post punk. Their musicianship is excellent, from vocals to drums everything is where it should be.

After a few listens of the LP the melodies of the vocals got stuck in my head, and some lyrics started to come to my mind in random situations. I love the compositions, I feel like every song has new details in every listen, and they put a lot of effort on making this a perfect album. I kinda feel like this band will be big as soon as they start to tour and release more music of this quality!

https://sotpunk.bandcamp.com/album/crema-ho-tot

NURSE - S/T (III)

Referred as III in their own bandcamp page but as "Nurse" in State Laughter Records page, I do not know what's the real name of this release. Anyway, this is a pure NURSE record, very modern sounds, mixing some kind of goth vibe with what I see as a big influence from 00s/10s NYC punk, but I may be totally wrong. NURSE have been doing this kind of sounds for a decade, they probably are writing music in their own style already.

The references could be multiple, but think about weird hardcore. DIE KREUZEN, some CRAZY SPIRIT, certain YDI parts, etc. You know what I mean, right? Well if you don't, just listen to the damn album!

Along the tracks I can hear rugosities, textures, changes and a very great production in the whole album. I love the drums and bass, they give a solid presence to the music with a very specific tone for the second, a flavor with big personality. But what amazes me the most are the guitar licks, that escape of the classic power chords played as fast as possible. Combined with the bass and the dark growled vocals they take you to a very dark place.

I hope this band keeps writing music and touring for so many years, it would be a pleasure to listen to them for another decade (if we are not totally deaf by then).

https://nurseatl.bandcamp.com/album/iii

TERMINAL FILTH - Traces Towards Oblivion

When you listen to TERMINAL FILTH you have to be prepared for long songs. But that kind of songs that are a good trip, with parts that evolve in total different passages. Use this music to take that train, metro or bus in the morning in the way to work: I promise you will want to kill everyone in that shitty workplace without a single drop of coffee. These Berliners are masters of the sounds they deliver, they control precisely the timings and how every sound should be in its correct place. Of course we are talking about a crust band, maybe nearly death metal one, or just a stenchcore band that could be already a classic with their own style.

Traces Towards Oblivion is an amazing release, and since I'm not even close to an expert of these sounds I will let you decide which are the influences. If albums were wine I could recommend you to take this one with a bit of HELLSHOCK, BOLT THROWER and DEVIATED INSTINCT. But that's just my opinion and albums are not wine, so do whatever you want to. Their live show here was incredibly good, making this album be on repeat in my mp3 player. This is a must for anyone into this genre. Really. Listen to it. Please.

https://terminalfilth.bandcamp.com/album/traces-towards-oblivion

Bandcamp recommendations October 2025

2025-10-09T06:54:09.901846+00:00

I don't care about Halloween. It's not part of my culture and I don't want it to be part of anything around me. I openly hate the North American/British culture, which, for some reason, is cooler than our traditional celebrations that are old (very old) and beautiful, normally related to nature. The only good thing about this cultural colonization is that I can speak and write English, so I'm able to communicate with many people that I couldn't otherwise. But why is English the global language and not Catalan? The same thing will be thought by the people of Peru about Spanish, and I totally support them in their defense of Quechua, Aimara, etc. Why do we have to use a colonizer language?

Well, since I'm aware of the good part of speaking an understandable language by many people (I refuse to consider it "common", since, for me, it is a foreign language that I was forced to learn in order to be able to study, work and be an average citizen), and I'll keep writing using it, but I'm going to invite you, dear reader, to learn new languages that do not represent the capitalism and colonizers of the world. Learning a language may sound challenging, but it actually takes an hour per day to understand the basic things in about a month or two. You probably have that time! If you're a native English speaker, you can consider it this way: many of those who speak English had that time to learn so we could communicate with you. Why are you not making that effort?

Okay, let's make it easier. There's a perfect language for those who don't have much time and speak languages that come from Europe: it's called Esperanto. Yes! It still exists! It's a beautiful language with a beautiful community, a bit similar to punk in many ways. For example, people travel through the world visiting esperantists because they know they will have a lot in common, so they trust each other. Sounds a lot like punk, to be honest. Also, esperantists hold events constantly so they all meet there, and if you attend one they will love to find new people into this language and values. Very punk, isn't it?

The values and political context where Esperanto is developed can be found in many places, I recommend you to check it. But since it's the start of the month and I'm actually recommending you some music from Bandcamp, I decided to add some esperantists that make music :) I hope you enjoy them and try to translate their lyrics and titles. That's how I learnt English when I was 10: translating Green Day lyrics!

SOCIO LA DIFEKTA - Kreski

My current favorite esperantist band is SOCIO LA DIFEKTA, a Japanese band that takes the sound of the crust anarchopunk from the 90s/early 00s and brings it back. They share members with another band that also uses Esperanto as a main language, MALIMPLIKI, and also share members with other amazing bands like UNARM and BLISTERING NOISE.

This EP is a little gem for those interested in anarchopunk. Using Esperanto for their lyrics is a big stand against any colonizer culture. Remember that Japan was (and could be argued that it still is) a colonizer nation, and that the US had invaded and controlled them since World War II, changing the country forever. Also, anarchism is not the most popular political option in Japan, not even in punk, so this band is challenging in many ways all that they have around.

The music is a non-stop hardcore attack, with brilliant musicianship and the amazing effect of two vocals that turn this noisy punk act into a ferocious stance. "Polico Fikas Aĉulon" (Police Fucking Bastard ?) is an amazing starting track, and now my favorite Esperanto phrase since I even wear a badge with it. It sounds way better than in English!

I would like to reference this music with other bands that you might like, but it's just a perfect example of Japanese uniqueness brutal hardcore, an experiment with sound that doesn't feel like an experiment at all, but a very well-prepared punk act. Do you like DISRUPT, DOOM, LIFE, even some DISCLOSE? I know, they sound different, but then you will like SOCIO LA DIFEKTA. Kreski is not the only release of this band, they later released a promo recorded in their practice rooms only for their Japanese tour with SUBDUED.

https://beachimpedimentrecords.bandcamp.com/album/kreski

VOĈO PROTESTA - Neniam Konfidu Al La Stato

Japan, Japan, Japan! Fuck Japan and every state! Fuck borders! But when we talk about Esperantist punk, I think the best we can do is not get far from this territory and their amazing scene. VOĈO PROTESTA are one of the first bands I learnt that were still using this language. We played with them in Tokyo in 2018 after MALIMPLIKI and I couldn't believe what I was seeing (or hearing). That night was probably the one when I finally started to have that feared chronic tinnitus. It can be a kind of punk baptism, or the start of a punk retirement, it depends on how you want to see it. Here I am seven years later, so I guess I chose my path for the rest of my life: being deaf and lying to myself making me think I like a lot of bands that sound like white noise.

Anyway, we are here to talk about music (not noise hehe). I decided to choose this VOĈO PROTESTA release because it sounds amazing, and I feel like it's a bit overlooked compared with their previous LP Vojo Al Libereco. "Never trust the state" is the title of these songs of classic sound passed through a Japanese crasher crust filter, but very subtle compared with their other recordings. Actually, it sounds more "hardcore" than their previous releases, but they still are pretty extreme in a good way. I'm talking here as if we were friends in a bar having some beers, so don't mind my vague descriptions, this is not a scientific investigation.

Neniam Konfidu Al La Stato is a powerful album, with incredible references like the one to "Historia de un sucio policía" by IV REICH. Soldida Policia is a perfect cover and interpretation that made me jump in excitement once I listened to the first riff, a classic of Iberian punk. It amazes me to see the different sound and style VOĈO PROTESTA used here. I'm not going to lie, I love IV REICH so much, but I wish they would have sounded like this. The rest of the album continues with this reinterpretation of 80s classics that I guess are from all over Europe, especially from the Scandinavian countries. The songs are short but not too short, the mix is, in my honest opinion, perfect. And the album cover, like the previous LP is made by Teodoro Hernández: if you don't know him, you better start to check OTAN and the zines that produced over the last 20-30 years.

I heard that some people from VOĈO PROTESTA were at the Esperantist society of Tokyo, but I'm not sure about this. I hope they are still active, but I guess they aren't since I haven't heard of them in the last few years. Please check their whole discography, it's pure gold! And translate the lyrics to find a way to express anger through a non-colonizer language!

https://lavidaesunmus.bandcamp.com/album/neniam-konfidu-al-la-tato-lp

Bandcamp recommendations September 2025

2025-09-02T12:28:40.089920+00:00

Summer is fading slowly on the Mediterranean coast, a beautiful time of the year that will get even better next month when we finally can use leather jackets and long pants. I love to wear clothes that cover my whole body; there's a feeling of protection or being constantly wrapped up in your little heat container that makes me so happy. As you can imagine, I hate the warmest and driest months of the year. Sometimes I think that maybe I was born in the wrong place!

In Barcelona we make fests in each neighborhood once per year. They are popular festivities that involve lots of folklore, music, neighbors getting together to eat, decorating streets, etc. August is the month that has more emblematic fests, the most well-known ones happening in the districts of Gràcia and Sants. I forgot to tell you in my previous column that each year, around the 15th of August, there used to be this show called Caos A Gràcia. That was one of the things that made me want to live in Barcelona so badly, and it was my favorite date of the year for many years. So many people would get together "in the same place of each year", a quiet street in the heart of Gràcia, to jump, drink, and celebrate punk, anarchy and friendship while the bands would discharge all their energy there. The fest was an annual homage to Rugé, a young punk murdered by two neo-Nazis in 2004 around the same dates and area.

Since the person organizing it is not living in Barcelona anymore, Caos A Gràcia is not happening, and this August has been a dry season of punk shows. During this month many people get time off of work and travel somewhere. If someone stays in the city, then the heat makes them not want to go anywhere, and on top of that, most of the squats and venues stop their activity during this month, so there's not much to do. I also get a bit antisocial with this heat, AND we have adopted a little dog that covers all my needs of going out every day. I'm even starting to go to run a few days per week! But my lame physical condition and my attempts to improve it will be covered in another post. All this made me miss also the few things that happened in the city, so no punk for me this August, just a sore body from running.

One of these shows that I missed was in a squat not too far from here (I don't even know what the excuse is for me to not have attended that show) where, among others, a local band played: Ayucaba. They just released an album, and with one of the members being in the Fediverse, I thought it was a MUST to write a little review of this amazing new LP from the Barcelona punk scene. Even if I did miss them on this show, I think I have seen them at least ten or fifteen times, so maybe I even knew the songs before they recorded them!

AYUCABA - Operación Masacre

I still need to get this piece of plastic, but it makes me so happy to see how this group of people got together, in this city, and worked so hard on such a great album. After a demo only released as a tape and not available online on purpose, I thought the LP would also be an obscure punk gem that only "the chosen ones" would be able to listen to, but it seems it has been released everywhere¹, which makes me very happy.

"Operación Masacre" is not the fastest album, but it also doesn't rely on these mid-tempo fashions that we see all over the punk planet. The general vibe is a big love for Japanese hardcore punk; from the vocals to the instrumental melodies, there's an epic vibe normally associated with "burning spirits" bands, while many other riffs are like super fast NWOBHM riffs, in what resembles the style of THE EXECUTE. The guitars are fantastically put together: they did a big step up here from the past, coordinating perfectly the two six-string axe swords with solos, little harmonics here and there, and a beautiful production that also helps a lot on this. When the vocals are not on top, the guitars take the space, and perfect drums and bass fill the whole space.

In my opinion, drums are especially good on these ten tracks, delivering the needed violent feeling for this type of music, but with such a good taste. There's tons of technical stuff, but then there are parts that are more classic fitting perfectly in these songs. On the other hand, the bass is a bit behind the whole mix. You can spot it the whole time, but on a personal level, it would be great to feel it a bit louder or more consistent.

Overall a very good album reflecting the state of punk in Barcelona, where we have amazing bands releasing extreme music.

LISTEN/BUY

LAME - Lo Que Extrañas Ya No Existe

"What You Miss Does Not Exist Anymore," such a powerful statement is the title of an amazing album by the London - Mallorca - Berlin band that destroys your ears with the new twist of the "Sonido Balear" and the "Extremo Nihilismo". The vocals are an evident distinctive feature of this band, where Sally throws dozens of words per second in a game of symbolic meanings and double intentions that collapses your mind. Wise statements are put in the exact position to trigger different feelings, making you think and ruminate about all the sentences thrown at you.

The performance of words and meanings is improved by the repetitive riffs that are long enough to sound chaotic with constant little variations. Both create a unique atmosphere that is something I haven't listened to before. Every instrument holds an important value in this record, along with the production, but I would like to say the drums are superb. Of course I can't stop thinking about the second LP of ORDEN MUNDIAL (an album I listened to a million times) when listening to this LAME album, but there are some details refined, making the sound of drums unique here.

Delivered by well-known musicians that have been in several acts like ORDEN MUNDIAL, POU, BARRERA, BARCELONA, GLAM, ANTÍDOTO, ENAMORADOS... LAME was a good band that has now turned into an excellent punk act with this album.

LISTEN/BUY

CHAIN RANK - The Grip Demo

If you weren't around in 2013, I'll tell you: Chain Rank was absolutely THE thing. They appeared in a moment when Boston had a big influence in punk, with bands like THE BOSTON STRANGLER and NO TOLERANCE being so well-known, plus new bands like SAVAGEHEADS were appearing on the Internet. At the same time, there was this YouTube channel, “attheboilerroom” (a compilation of videos of a small basement(?) where many shows happened), which was the meeting point for so many of us to discover the US hardcore/punk. I found out about dozens of bands there!

The Grip Demo was an amazing connection between early 80s USHC (Boston and NYHC mainly) and modern sounds, featuring a fast and aggressive sound, short songs, no gimmicks, solos or boring shit. Their intention was to scare your mom when you put this on the speakers of your room in Barcelona, and they were good at it!

The next album they released wasn't that good in my opinion (they re-recorded the demo songs and sounded a bit more tame but was still so good) and was way more celebrated. I think in the two-year span between both albums there was a huge boom of hardcore punk, probably because of the influence of YouTube and other social networks (but this was way before every band and label had an Instagram account!). Also because there were very good bands appearing at that time, and some big reunion shows of 80s bands were happening.

LISTEN/BUY

SLAYER - Hell Awaits

What? SLAYER?? Yes, I know, nobody was expecting Slayer here, but what can I do if they have been one of my favorite bands since I was a kid? What I normally miss in Bandcamp is being able to listen to the classics: MOTÖRHEAD, RAMONES, BLACK SABBATH… you know, the kind of bands you return to from time to time because they are the influence of all the music you like. Well, in this case I'm a bit lucky because some music of SLAYER is published on the platform, and, in the case of Hell Awaits, the price is quite good for a digital album. Not too long ago, also, I saw that MORBID ANGEL had their amazing Altar of Madness published, which is also great to know. :)

So… what can I say about such a revered album? Influenced all the good shit that came after it, perfect sound in my opinion, not that perfect (in a good way) as the following albums, sounds harsher (we like that!!), and has some cave-echo feeling on drums. Jeff Hanneman did the most incredible riffs in metal, and of course this album and Haunting The Chapel were a test for him to prove he was going to change the sound of that genre. Araya's vocals, in the style of a demon trying to get you to join their sect, do an astounding job. Actually, with this music they got a lot of people to join their sect, or the sect of metal.

Doing my job here, I went through the pages of Slayer magazine to find a… yes, Slayer interview. There's one, not very interesting to be honest, and I believe that it's the only one in this magazine. The interviewer starts to ask them about DARK ANGEL copying them (haha!) and other kinds of dumb stuff that it's kind of funny. Besides saying that “Kill Again” is a stupid song, they also say Metal Blade (their previous label) sucks and that's why they signed with Def Jam. “Metal Blade is not for major acts. They are for acts just starting out,” Jeff Hanneman. Now, I invite you to go to their Bandcamp and see their current label!

I feel like I can't say anything else about this album that hasn't been said before. I can just tell you I saw Slayer in 2012-2013 when I was already a young punk, and it was the first sonic experience that I truly found cathartic. Later others like Lebenden Toten at K-Town, Malimpliki in Tokyo, or Cress at Puntala would also make me feel something similar.

LISTEN/BUY

My personal take on this: Of course physical releases tend to be more appreciated because once you buy an album, you listen to at least one complete side. There's a chance that you will play it again, you appreciate more the art, the lyrics… there's a whole experience in listening a vinyl! But this still can happen if you release it in a digital format AND sell the vinyl. Then you allow so many people that do not have the resources (or that want to listen to your music outside home) to access it. Besides that, physical format is just a way to capitalize your project, which can be ok (nobody will get rich with this, and we need it to survive as a punk project), but it's important to have free access to punk. I understand that also putting them on a platform run by a big company can be so fucked up for so many punks. That's why we still need Fedicamp or something similar.↩

Bandcamp recommendations August 2025

2025-08-04T06:08:52.764754+00:00

So I wanted to keep writing about music in English, and since, as far as I know, there aren’t many blogs right now talking about music I like, I will start to recommend music that is in Bandcamp but it is not necessarily new. My broken English doesn’t allow me to bring you the best descriptions, plus I mostly write at night when I’m so tired, so consider these texts a rough idea of what you will listen and experience by yourself.

Los Monjo - La vida que todos envidian LP

Among the dozens of bands that tried to imitate ESKORBUTO, there’s one that stands out over the rest: LOS MONJO. These three brothers and their cousin decided to use their common surname as the name of the band, and formed their already legendary “rock basura” sound from Guadalajara, Mexico.

Their music is passionate, they are not competing to be the fastest ones. They just expose how fucked up everything is, how every city is a pile of trash that should explode but at the same time is our home. Anyone who understands what they are saying will feel the urge to destroy everything around them.

My favorite track from this album is “Decepción”, a refined word to express the anger they put in the lyrics of this song against the state of Mexico. If a song could kill, this one would have cut in half all the government, police, judges and every piece of power a state holds.

https://discosmmm.bandcamp.com/album/la-vida-que-todos-envidian-lp

Atentado - Todo está oscuro EP

A short EP of just 5 songs that sound like a demo (non derogatory). The name (“everything is dark”) is a good description of what can be found in these tracks: cave-sound music featuring members that later would be part of DESTINO FINAL, GLAM, etc. The vocals are harsh and together with the also very dark lyrical themes they create a sensation of oppression, intensified by the mid tempo riffs and their kind of noisy production.

Its important to also recognize the powerful art that comes with the EP! Such a dark composition that continues the concept of the title. Lovely gem from Barcelona that I think you should know.

https://discosenfermospunk.bandcamp.com/album/de-01-atentado-todo-esta-oscuro-7

The Estranged - S/T LP

Probably one of the albums I listened the most in the last two years. My friend Juan mentioned them in a tour we were doing around Europe with IRREAL, because I was really obsessed with WIPERS, but I listened too much ALL their albums and I needed something new. His recommendation was surprisingly spot on, THE ESTRANGED covered all my musical needs with a refreshed take on the Portland trio. With an amazing and consistent rhythmic work (same drummer of HELLSHOCK, LEBENDEN TOTEN… and bassist also from HELLSHOCK, FROM ASHES RISE… legends!) and perfect melodic and dark guitar lines complemented with the amazing vocal work, their music fulfills all my desires of a band of that style.

Their previous albums were super good too, but they sound a bit harsher, and the production is not that polished. This one is an absolute perfection of the mix of punk and rock. In my honest opinion it is a masterpiece and I hope they play again someday.

https://sabotagerecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-estranged-s-t-lp