Review: Nueva Dirección - s​/​t

Nueva Dirección - s​/​t - Self titled record by Malaga (Spain)-based Nueva Direccion is an unfortunately flawed attempt at old styled hardcore/punk. The self-titled album delivers five tracks that fixate on sound somewhere in the middle between Sick Of It All, First Blood, Terror and so on. While all the usual elements are at play here, with songs going from fast parts to breakdowns, riffs heavier to melodic, no song get close in terms of infectious vitality or catchiness to the bands they try to copy.

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Seeds Of Hate - El Camino Recto

Seeds Of Hate from Barcelona rips through 11 tracks of hardcore that got some crossover feel to it, but is served with a modern twist not unlike First Blood or Kingdom. The album is filled with mostly up-tempo and fast jams with some mid-paced slower parts now and there. Just like the Sin Permiso Sin Perdón a pretty decent track which stands out due to nicely laid groove that culminates in a massive stomping part. This is how it should be done! Other song that kicks ass is Más Fuerte Que Ayer, which has some memorable riffing but I can’t understand why they didn’t finish it after 2-3 minutes, instead of carrying it for over 4 minutes?

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Mercyless - Mundo Enfermo

It seems Hatebreed might have fallen from grace with their recent work but no doubt Satisfaction… still has strong influence on hardcore. Mercyless comes from Asturias region of Spain and been around for couple of years, although I cannot tell you exactly how many. It’s metal/hardcore that’s takes cues from both worlds relying on some heavy riffing shit and deep, heavy-ass vocals. There’s a lot of skills in the band but somehow the delivery falls short. They don’t lack technical proficiency and know how to shelve some nice riffs and their drummer definitely can hit double bass like crazy, but somehow the songs tend to be predictable and uninspired. Most of them just pass by without any hook that would grab your attention and make you push the rewind button again and again.

Instead, a lot of elements here are straight up distracting and many of the moments when the songs are meant to really take off are not executed as powerful as they should. I am never too much demanding when it comes to hardcore, in my world the more ignorantly in-your-face it is, that better. On the other hand, I like to feel real passion behind the band, and I know Mercyless are folks who are really pissed off with the world today and want to make a change. But it doesn’t come across in their music though. Listening to these songs makes me wanna bitch a little about my boring job at the office and idiots I have to work with, while hardcore should make me want to go on riot, rape and pillage spree.

On the positive side, the band sings in Spanish which is a definite winner in my book. I have always been a fan of bands singing in their native language and Mercyless definitely scores for that. Doing my research I have found out they’ve got some socio-political edge in their lyrics, not too much PC, but just commentary about what’s happening right now in Europe and rest of the world. And with unemployment among young people in Spain at around 50% right now, you bet they’re fucking angry.

Ok, I realized I have been too negative in this review and I don’t want you to get an impression that No Hay Paz is totally wasted effort. It has its moments, and if you are longing for that Hatebreed/Born From Pain sound that was such a hype couple of years ago, it might be worth to check it out. Still not as good as Reclaiming The Crown, but how many times have you listen to that album during all those years after it came out? Give that album a break and try something new.

Review by Dloogi
Cruzade Records, 2012

Mercyless - Saca Tu Rabia

From the album Mundo Enfermo!

New Mercyless album out on Cruzade Records

“Mundo Enfermo” is the second album of Mercyless after of the CD called “No Hay Paz” and the split with Officer Down. This CD have 7 tracks of brutal hardcore with trash parts and concious lyrics. Their music is incluenced by bands like Hatebreed and Born From Pain. Out on Cruzade Records!

Memento Mori - Demo 2011

Memento Mori from Lleida, Spain consists of local scene veterans who've been playing in various bands since 1988. I don't know much about Nausea Pause, Diskordia, Totus Pus and their other projects from the past but I guess most of them didn't get much fame outside Catalonia and Zaragoza regions. Anyway, the current band Memento Mori was formed in 2010 and takes influences from classic hardcore bands like Agnostic Front, DRI, 7 Seconds with strong punk rock, and sometimes even rockish feeling. It's worth checking out if you're into that type of stuff, though I think the band would definitely benefit from heavier sound. But, since it's just a demo, I won't hold it against them. Download!

Born To Hate has released new album - “Romper la Baraja" - on Cruzare Records

Born to Hate are back with their second record titled “Romper la Baraja” (“Break the deck”). New 9 songs of furious hardcore with mid-tempo and breakdown parts influenced by bands like Death Threat or Madball. The lyrics are in spanish! You can order it from Cruzade Records!

Pacto De Sangre

Pacto De Sangre has been on the forefront of the beatdown hardcore in Spain. The band has been working hard to spread their music around and they deserve to be heard. With their latest output out (read the review), it's only right that we check what they're all about.

Pacto De Sangre has been on the forefront of the beatdown hardcore in Spain. The band has been working hard to spread their music around and they deserve to be heard. With their latest output out (read the review), it's only right that we check what they're all about.

First of all, how was 2010 for Pacto De Sangre so far? You guys have released a new record so I guess there’s no reason to complain?
It’s been ok, but it could have been better. For personal reasons, we have been separated until August, but in September most of us came to Madrid and we are currently living here so the band is active again. We would have liked to do more gigs than we have actually done, though now our main priority is going to be the band. We are quite focused at the moment; we hope that our jobs and studies allow us to do gigs abroad.

Now that the new album hit the streets, how do you feel about it? Are you satisfied with the outcome?
It seems that the new album is successfully reaching to many places. We have been sending Cds to people and some Record labels have helped us too. We are quite happy about it. The album can be found either in Europe and America.
It took a year to get it fully recorded, but we are content with the result though we would have liked a more kind of aggressive sound as a final result; that’s why it took so long. However, we did our best but it’s quite difficult to get the sound you originally had in your mind.

What has been the response so far?
The response from people has surprisingly overcome our expectations. Most people did not expect that such a band could come up from a southern Andalusian area in Spain, the poorest region of Spain regarding financial and cultural issues involved in Hardcore. We are getting more and more orders not only in Spain but abroad too. We are glad to have more outsiders interested in our music.

How did you come up with that title "Sangre Joven”? What does this name represent to you?
“Sangre Joven” means “young blood”. We chose it because we are one of the youngest HC bands in Spain, We truly believe that we bring a different and fresh sound compare to what we are used to listened to in our region.

What is the main inspiration when writing lyrics and is there a theme or themes behind the writing of this record?
Our lyrics are inspired in many different issues of our lives, we just need to have quick look around and we can realize about the shit we are surrounded by. The main message of our lyrics is strength and courage to face problems in life and never allow anyone to step you; we also talk about the family, friends and values involved in punk and Hc.

I really like the fact that you sing in your native langue. What was the reason for this move and why do you think so few bands do that?
I think the main reason why we chose Spanish is because any of us feel confident enough to sing in English, we wanted to do something really good and we work much better in Spanish. We know that because of that we are somehow closing doors to many people, but we do also know that there are a lot of Spanish native speakers that like fact and we want them to fully get our message. We have also thought about doing some songs in English for future works but, as we have already said, the main reason for English to be used is that it gets to more people.

When you look at the layout of the album, not only the music itself, but also the image of the band seem to be infused with violence. How much of it is real you and how much is just for the shock value?
Lol, this is not the first time we have been told this. We do not consider ourselves a violent band, you have to look further than a simple image, it portraits a fight against unfairness and the rest of the things we have previously mentioned. I’m sure that many people have searched for the album just because of the cover without even listening to it in the first place (lol). Our music is forceful and aggressive so the cover has to match that too.

What are some of the most memorable gigs you played and what is the craziest stuff kids did at your show?
Of course our local gigs with our people that always support us. We also remember good gigs such as the one in Salamanca (middle Spain) and Murcia (southeastern Spain) though people usually mosh and get on it wherever we play.

What would you say to people complaining about violent dancing at hardcore shows?
We believe that each type of music has its own dance, and when it comes to HC mosh pops up. If you don’t like the dance you can either step aside or go to a pop concert instead.

Tell us something about your other bands, Truth Through Fight and Second Division?
‘Truth Through Fight’ are quite influenced by youth crew bands from the late 80’s and mid 90’s. We have been a quite active band since 2005; we’ve got 3LP and one 7”, besides, several European Tours, South American and the United States. ‘Second Division’ is a tribute to NY bands from the 80’s such as Cro-Mags, Warzone, Judge…we only have one EP.


What is hardcore scene in Jerez like? Any other good bands coming from over there?
The HC scene in Jerez is really small, it could be said that we triggered it with ‘la otra opción crew’ (the other option crew). It’s not a big crew and we are pretty much the main members of it. The good thing of the gigs that we organize is that not only HC kids come to them, but also punks, heavies, rockers, etc., However, since most of us are leaving in Madrid, there has been an important loss regarding ‘la otra opción’s issues’ and we do not know if someone is going to carry on with it. Apart from the bands that belong to the crew, there is another deathcore band and one melodic hc one, but they have just started.

What inspired you to become a part of hardcore scene and how long have you been around?
It all began when we were thirteen years old; we all listened to punk and hardcore bands and some kind of metal ones too. We set our first bands at that age too, ‘primeros sintomas’ (anarkopunk/ska) and ‘NHOM’ (HC punk), there were some more aside projects but they remained like that. Little by little, at the same time we grew as a band, we never stopped going to gigs and seeing other bands from the scene, bands from different provinces and towns, the HC feeling took us over and we couldn’t stop it, so we decided to set ‘la otra opción crew’.

What are some of the albums that have made an impression on you in 2010 so far?
Nasty - Give a shit
Alea Jacta Est- Gloria Victus
Kickback - No surrender
First Blood - Silence is betrayal
Six Ft. Dish – Recreational violence
...

How do you feel about the current state of beatdown hardcore music in Europe? What bands do you support?
We would love it if the beatdown scence ever got here. The Eurpean Beatdown Scene ain’t that big either and we live too far from the countries where most important gigs take place. We know people from the European Beatdown Scene such as Germany, France, England and Belgium and we also know for a fact that they are quite active and there are more bands coming up. We would like to be part this European Scene but we believe that we are more part of the African scene (lol).

Big business and hardcore? As a band that used to release their first recordings DIY, do you feel hardcore scene can benefit from big labels and media hype?
We have never thought that bands that belong to this scene could ever become rich, this is so underground; only in the case that this music went so in fashion for some unknown reason, there might be some big record label interested, but we really like the way it is now.

What are the future plans for the band?
Now that we all live in Madrid, we want to tour around; we are also working on some new stuff and new merch. For next summer, we want to go to America; we would also like to play some gigs in Europe. We are open to any possible offer of someone who is able to set any gig no matter where in Europe.

Any closing comments?
We are really pleased with this interview and thank you guys very much for you interest. We hope that PDS can get into the European HC scene little by little; we are full of hopes about it.

Band's Myspace

Pacto De Sangre - Sangre Joven

Somehow, you don’t hear that much about Spain native Pacto De Sangre as about some other beatdown acts in Europe so for those unfamiliar, here’s a real quick recap: PDS formed back in 2007 on the ashes of a band called No Hay Otra Mejilla. Since then, they’ve been working hard to build a reputation for themselves as top dogs of the beatdown genre in the local scene. This year the band hit the scene with their follow up to Andalusian Beatdown, a demo EP from 2008.

It’s been some time since I’ve listened to their previous output but it seems to me the overall tone of their music hasn’t changed that much. The band doesn’t waste any time with the opening track which is simply two minutes of serious breakdowns, double bass action and deep and heavy vocals with occasional guttural growls and barks. Nothing but a beatdown, baby! The following tracks pick up the pace a little bit and make me think about later Shattered Realm albums. What’s interesting is that they’re one of the few remaining beatdown bands that sing in their native language. It’s kind of surprising that they’re one of the few when you think how good Spanish sound with this type of music. If I had to name what bugs me about this album I would say the lack of variety. They should try to incorporate some more tricks into their song writing cause after the strong first half of the album, the tracks at the end blend in a bit. The album would also definitely benefit from better, by that I mean heavier, production which would allow the band to squeeze more power out of these songs. But these are minor setbacks that ruin the overall good impression.

When it’s all said and done, Pacto De Sangre seems to have what it takes to survive on a recently very crowded scene. Sangre Joven is not the album that will make them international superstars of beatdown, but it proves their status as a respected up-and-comers. All beatdown diehards should find it a worthwhile grab!

Review by Dloogi
Label: Useless Pride (FR) / La Otra Opcion Rec (SP) / Cruzade Records (SP) / Honor Records (MX) / SEHC (SP)
Year: 2009
Band's website

Ressurection Fest 2010

Resurrection Fest is about to start and you can't miss it. This year is our fifth edition so we have wanted to push the boat out to offer you a range of the better current punk, hardcore and metal bands. We only intend everyone can enjoy this great party.

A lot of things have changed since 2005, when we celebrated our first edition with a little more of 6 bands and 2000 people. Today we offer 34 high quality bands distributed in three days of almost continuous performances: Down(with Phil Anselmo and Rex Brown from Pantera), Lagwagon, Sick of it all, No use for a name, Gallows, Converge, Raised Fist, Cro-Mags and so on until complete a vast list of great artists that bring together no less than 15.000 people coming from all over the world.


It isn't necessary to say this event requires a made to measure infrastructure and the organization knows it well. The Viveiro football field is the chosen scenario. You will find there all kind of recreation areas: from the usual merchandising areas where you will find a large range of your favorite bands' merchandise, to food and drink stands where you can get your strength back in reasonable prices. Out of the live performance area, we will offer you some camp sites really green(not a sand desert). And all free of course. If all this seems you not much, this year we will be able to enjoy a spectacular skate exhibition by the Vans pros team. We don't want you miss anything!


An event of this quality would reach astronomical prices in anywhere else, but we don't want that be a problem for you. You will get a pass for all the festival only for 30 euros. Does anyone give more for less?


Now, all we have to do is indicate you how to arrive to us. Viveiro is a coastal town in the province of Lugo. It's famous for its beaches, natural forests, gastronomy and good night life. Depending on your location, you can decide how to arrive. On the one hand, you can arrive by plane to the nearer airports in Santiago de Compostela, A Coruña, Vigo or Avilés and then, traveling a couple of hours by road. On the other hand, you don't have to worry about anything. You can register in one of the many organized trips to our festival as final destination. It's up to you...


So we wait for you on 29th, 30th and 31th of July in Viveiro. We want you to be part of something that born from a boys' dream and became in one of the more important and consolidated musical events of our country. To get your tickets you can go into our website http://www.resurrection-fest.com where you can get more information about the bands, give us your opinion in the forum and many more.

It only remains for us to thank you and wait for you with our open arms in this great family we are: Resurrection Fest.

Enjoy!

Important links:
http://www.resurrection-fest.com
http://www.last.fm/event/1360710
http://www.myspace.com/resurrectionfest
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=490209895787