Infekzioa / Reclusión Hau Da Zuen Askatasuna / Futuro Oscuro split LP
These are two bands I have been meaning to check for some time, so to be assigned this split LP for review feels like the perfect opportunity, something I was just destined to do. RECLUSION is from the Basque Country, Lasarte-Oria to be specific, and this is their first vinyl appearance. They play straightforward, pummeling, distorted hardcore punk with a lot of energy and a proper angry vibe, a bit like a date between classic Finnish and Brazilian hardcore at an authentic Spanish raw punk restaurant. The production is similar to a lot of contemporary distorted hardcore bands. I like the furious vocals in Spanish, but there is too much effect for my taste (the same can be said for far too many current bands), and it sounds a little mushy at times. I also think RECLUSION would benefit from a bit of variety in terms of speed and beat to keep the listener alert, as the songs sound a little generic. This is not bad by any means, as their eight songs pack a serious punch. Energetic, rabiozo, and genuine. A good first record. On the flipside, INFEKZIOA, from Barcelona and the Basque Country (the lyrics are in Basque), is an older band formed in 2012, and yet I have never properly listened or paid much attention to them. And what an arse I have been, since I really enjoy them—maybe more correctly, they are really enjoyable. This is radical, primitive, pissed raw punk at its best. Spain has a long tradition of DISCHARGE love, and it is easy to compare INFEKZIOA to bands like DESTRUCCION, FIRMEZA 10, or ’80s pioneers MG15. But I also hear that rough, noise-loving hardcore thrash sound of bands like RAPT, PLASMID, or ASYLUM and early proto-D-beat like UNDERAGE or DIATRIBE, but with a typical raw Spanish vibe like ANTI DOGMATIKSS or HHH. Alright, that’s a lot of name-dropping, but the band is good, and you can tell that they know what they are doing and how to do it. The guitar is very distorted, the bass fuzzy, the singer full of fury and snot, and the drummer beats the shit out of you. Overall, it is really a wonderful time and just simple, fast, raw hardcore music. A good split with one young, promising band and one that has mastered its craft.