Detësto

Reviews

Detësto Horrendous Reality of War EP

I have seen the name of this Brazilian band floating around the internet for a while but never actually bothered giving them a proper chance, so this review feels a little karmic. This EP is called Horrendous Reality of War, the band did a cover of DISCHANGE in the past, and it is DETËSTO’s second collaboration with the noise-loving label SPHC, all clear indications that the listener will be dealing with some impactful dis-punk material here, a pleasing perspective that I am always ready to embrace. To be honest, I did not expect the record to be that good. If I hadn’t known they were from Brazil, I would have thought they were from some dark corner of Sweden. This band is an incarnation of heavy and gruff direct Scandicore done well. They remind me of the mighty SVAVELDIOXID, as they share the same sort of thick, aggressive production that makes the music sound like an angry mammoth on a rampage. The songwriting looks lovingly and religiously toward Distortion Records-era hardcore, and if you are looking for old school SKITSYSTEM or late WOLFPACK or just like to be shouted at gratuitously, DETËSTO’s EP will do the trick. There may be a little too much effect on the vocals for me, a common element in contemporary hardcore, but otherwise it is top-shelf.

Detësto Atomdöd EP

Raw and rugged hardcore punk from Brazil. This unassuming slab kicks off solid immediately, and then you realize “holy fuck, they are nailing this Scandi-beat style to a D [sic].” Crunchy, distorted, and echoing, DETËSTO scorches on this debut EP. Mid-tempo D-beat mangel, leveled in the dense Vevarsle zones. Heavy and dark with some metallic breakdown moments that serve more as intros than running throughout their classic structure (and, might I add, classic lyrical content). Yes, some things do need repeating to death! Some wild percussion effects occur that sound like glass bottles or windchimes on the crash. Think DISFEAR, WARCOLLAPSE, AVSKUM, or NUCLEAR DEATH TERROR with groove—a detonating five tracks that take no pause. Some of the sickest Sugi cover art I’ve seen as well, using way more negative space than usual. Contemporary D-beat at its finest.