Parëntesis 536 Verdades Que Se Esconden, Mentiras Que Aparecen EP
I have no idea what the number 536 refers to (the total number of showers the members have had collectively in the past 10 years?), and I had never heard of PARËNTESIS 536 before, but this first EP is indeed right up my street. This band from the Basque Country plays ’90s-style gruff crust punk with dual male and female vocals, and even though the genre has been done to death in the ’90s and ’00s (indeed, it is almost synonymous with the era), few bands still ride that horse. I for one am a big sentimental fool and just love ’90s anarcho-crust, meaning that PARËNTESIS 536 hits all the right predetermined keys here. I am reminded of bands like JOBBYKRUST, 3 WAY CUM, AMEN, or HIATUS, and it makes one very happy and in very high spirits. The vocalists complement one another well (furious bear exchanging meaningfully with rabid crow), the music and the production are rather simple and direct, and it just sounds fresh, oddly so since, as I advanced, the band is not exactly experimenting with avant-garde jazz here—indeed, they are just here to play good old political crust for the masses in a spontaneous, selfless fashion that is quite endearing. A big yes for me.