Hez

Reviews

Hez Detrimento LP

There’s a determination to Panama’s HEZ that I really respect. Their extensive touring means putting in the work, carrying this music across borders and making actual connections along the way. I got to meet their singer Rodolfo here in Argentina, and we spent part of the day buying records and talking hardcore punk. That kind of exchange stays with you: meeting somebody from another scene and immediately having plenty to talk about. Detrimento brings that commitment into focus with ten compact tracks of raw hardcore punk, noise, and a dark, oppressive edge. Titles like “Mierda de Vida,” “Jaula Personal,” and “Perdiendo el Tiempo” fit the mood perfectly. What I want to underline is the persistence behind this band, the willingness to keep moving and take Panamanian punk well beyond home. Sharing records and conversation with Rodolfo made that connection personal. Much respect for HEZ and all the miles behind them. Recommended.

Hay una determinación en HEZ, desde Panamá, que respeto muchísimo. Su extenso recorrido de giras implica poner el cuerpo, llevar esta música a través de las fronteras y generar vínculos en el camino. Tuve la oportunidad de conocer a Rodolfo, su cantante, acá en Argentina, y pasamos parte del día comprando discos y charlando sobre hardcore punk. Esos encuentros quedan: conocer a alguien de otra escena y tener, de entrada, un montón de cosas para conversar. Detrimento pone ese compromiso en primer plano con diez temas compactos de hardcore punk crudo, ruido y un costado oscuro y opresivo. Títulos como “Mierda de Vida,” “Jaula Personal,” y “Perdiendo el Tiempo” encajan perfectamente en ese clima. Quiero destacar la constancia detrás de esta banda, las ganas de seguir moviéndose y llevar el punk panameño mucho más allá de casa. Compartir discos y conversación con Rodolfo volvió personal ese vínculo. Mucho respeto por HEZ y todos esos kilómetros recorridos. Recomendado.

Hez Panamaniacs LP

HEZ has been around for ten years now and I have kept checking for their releases, which concluded with a demo, two 7”s and a mini-LP. I liked them, but always saw more potential than what they actually showed. Finally, Panamaniacs arrived, and it is great, overwhelming hardcore. Great riffs and hectic guitar playing varied with effects scattered around tastefully that sound like a malfunctioning computer. A bunch of plays with tempo usually introduce tense, mid-tempo stompers that also include pedal-manipulated guitars, and also a lot of echo/delay on the vocals. It did remind me of the great DESTINO FINAL, and Panamaniacs could be put next to Atrapados. It’s that good, and it’s that different from the current overload of new releases. HEZ also has their references, but finally they have their own form—it’s hard to achieve quality and features which distinguish you from the others. Even if punk was born from a “live fast, die young” ethos, I welcome when bands take their time, remain together, and craft more releases rather than throwing out a couple 7”s, taking a vacation in Europe disguised as a tour, and then breaking up. If you stick together with your friends in a band and focus on writing sicker songs, it will pay off—at least, I am super happy that HEZ did so, and now I can blast Panamaniacs.

Hez Guerra Interior EP

This is a real blast of mutant matter. Noisy, with pissed-off vocals full of echo and delay, dirty guitar, the bass like a constant drone, and a drum kit that invites to a crazed slam—you can almost feel at certain times that the violent inertia of the music is about to derive in absolute chaos, specifically in the subsequent disintegration of the songs, which you could argue happens in a couple of occasions. These guys from Panama deliver a short and sweet EP with an absolutely beautiful cover. After listening to legions of limited imitators, I think we finally have a band that extends the legacy of classic Mexican bands like RATAS DEL VATICANO or INSERVIBLES.

 

Hez Problemas EP

Oh fuck yeah! Dark, atmospheric punk from Panama that doesn’t rely on bullshit deathrock and goth tropes to carry their songs. And this is one of few bands to successfully use delayed vocals to aid mood instead of as a crutch. Nothing here ever goes faster than mid-tempo, but each song still maintains an intensity that most punk bands would die to have.