Ayucaba Operación Masacre LP
Here’s a searing debut from this Barcelona powerhouse. Featuring members of killer bands like MURO and INYECCION, the bar for this slab is quite high, but goddamn, my expectations were fully exceeded. Not unlike INYECCION, there’s a prominent UK82 backbone, yet AYUCABA eschews the street punk bent for metal leanings in a BROKEN BONES kind of way. Ripping solos, chaotic, thrashy riffage à la BLACK UNIFORMS, Operación Masacre is a behemoth album. Impressive instrumentation is bolstered by straight evil vocals, launching this into a whole other galaxy. This whispered part of the opener “Sistema Siniestro” has Sakevi vibes, and there are nods to Japanese hardcore found throughout the album’s ten tracks. A potent formula executed with deftness and precision. Can’t seem to keep this one off the turntable.