Reviews

Zaragoza Desorden

Bahia de Kotxinos Bahia Kotxinos LP

This is a strange piece of ephemera; a long-abandoned debut by Euskara band BAHIA DE KOTXINOS, who by all accounts were a leading light in an active scene and had a record ready to go that was left on the shelf, gathering Basque dust for the next 30 years. Now lovingly remastered and released into the world, it’s a peculiar document of a very specific scene. It has the taut, frantic energy of yer DEVOs, yer WIREs, yer ADVERTS of the world. However, it also has the sort of wacky, clever-dick stylings of a kind of proto-egg-punk too, which is unfortunate. It’s certainly a lot more interesting than I was anticipating, and well worth your time, albeit three whole decades later than you should have enjoyed it.

Do It Your Hell Restos Del Kaos EP

The cover features a punk zombie with S.O.B., CARCASS GRINDER, P.L.F., and DENAK patches on its decaying jacket. For any grindcore aficionado, these are some essential influences for a band to have. These dudes don’t joke around! It  sounds as brutal as a freight train going through a crowded mall. Vicious crust-infused grindcore from Madrid with members of a ton of great bands, but especially DENAK, a classic grindcore outfit that started in 1994. Extreme music for extreme people.

Gatzara Un Dels Nostres 12″

Right, first off, how many frigging record labels want to release this? Because truth be told, having given this a spin, the idea that there’d be this many scrambling to put it out is raising an eyebrow to say the very least. Some very average attempts at anthemic melodic street punk from Barcelona, but to its credit, it at least bowls along at a rate of knots and couldn’t be accused of being plodding. Just very boring, unfortunately.

Hilerri Herio Usaia LP

Brutal Spanish guitar-free D-beat. There’s a dark and sinister energy that their sound creates, even though (or specifically because) I am constantly yearning for that guitar. My mind is reaching for the empty space, and there’s nothing there. Because it’s empty. Because there’s no guitar. The songs are absolute shredders—erratic, no-bullshit, shit-fi D-beat mania punctuated by mid-tempo slogs like the title track. The songs are killers, the production and presentation are flawless. HILERRI is evil as fukk and they’ve got me hooked…and still I want those six strings.

Regimiento Spansul Sorpresas en el Barro EP

A short-lived unit out of early 1980s Valencia, REGIMIENTO SPANSUL left only the four tracks on this 7” behind as evidence of their rowdy little run. The sounds here range from spirited first-wave inspiration (“Haciendo Surf en Marte”) to prickly and groovy post-punk (“La Ejecución”). If you’ve been itching for some catchy and obscure Spanish nuggets, pick up this EP and consider yourself scratched.

Troners Troners LP

Hailing from Catalonia, TRONERS come crashing outta the gates on this self-titled debut LP. Speeding, whirlwind chaos with plenty of attitude, inspired by the likes of D.R.I. (there’s a cover of “A Coffin” sung in their native language), HERESY, and HHH. This record is super solid and I’m sure it would make their influences proud. This one is at its best when it’s at its speediest, which luckily is very often. Full of aggression and spirit, I really enjoyed this one!

V/A Somos El Peligro Social: Un Homenaje a Ultimo Resorte LP

Seminal early ’80s act ULTIMO RESORT left a lasting impact on not just their home turf of Barcelona, but on Spanish punk as a whole, which would explain the wide scope of groups united in homage on this sprawling tribute album. During their original run spanning from 1979 to 1984, the band channeled numerous styles, ranging from speedy hardcore to anthemic UK82, and the lineup of groups covering them here is equally diverse. Everybody from the ass-kicking DISTHROAT to technopunk experimenters ECM showed up to drop a track and pay respect. There are 24 tracks in total, packaged with a poster in this fitting follow-up to the retrospective LP that came out in 2023.