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.
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