Drei Affen - Seguimos Ciegxs

Labels: Left Hand Label/Moment Of Collapse Records/Pifia Records/Through Love Records/Zegema Beach Records

Formats: Vinyl/CD/Digital

Release Date: 13 Jun 2019

Tracklist:

1. Seguimos Ciegxs

2. Llama Viva

3. Como Un Mar Violento

4. Gritos Sordos

5. El Último Aliento

6. Heridas

I'm currently trying to work out the number of releases I have reviewed that I actually physically own. Maybe it's in vain but there is a compulsiveness inside me that says "I need to have them". I'm getting there slowly but surely. That leads me into this, the latest in my ZBR roster review series (another thing that I'm slowly but surely progressing with) and it just so happens that I do have a copy of this glorious LP from Spanish screamo band Drei Affen.

After being self-released digitally by the band in mid-June 2019, Seguimos Ciegxs was released on both CD and single-sided vinyl later on in that same month. The vinyl pressing came on three different colours (gold, red and natural white) with a screen-printed b-side. My copy is the gold pressing that came from Left Hand Label.

I took some time earlier this week to get out of my four walls (I’m currently on annual leave, re-decorating) and by doing so, I re-connected with somebody I haven’t seen for over ten years. It was pretty wholesome to be honest, even though it was brief. It got me thinking about my relationship with music too and more importably, the physical music that I’m lucky enough to have in my collection. While our relationships with music and people may be detached, they’re not so far apart in reality.

Drei Affen’s 2019 release Seguimos Ciegxs is an embodiment of art and catharsis. The title-track is a case in point. After an ambient intro featuring both a sample and calm guitar tones, things get somewhat heavier. Instrumentation hits with almost Neo-crust/emoviolence intensity while the dual-vocals leave no room for peace.

‘Llama Viva’ continues where that opener left off, albeit with a more melodic approach. That’s not to say that it’s any easier on the ear though, as it isn’t. It shows prominently how beautiful and stark Drei Affen’s sound can be. ‘Como Un Mar Violento’ instantly blasts into life next. There’s no time for breath at all, as Drei Affen tear through space and time in belligerent fashion.

‘Gritos Sordos’ follows the same structure and delivery that has been present so far on Seguimos Ciegxs. That’s no bad thing, especially when the song is as expansive as it is here. I haven’t spun this release as often as I should have in recent times and doing so again has made me realise what I’ve missed.

It’s now the EP’s latter half and 'El Último Aliento’ is brimming with dark atmosphere created in part by Drei Affen’s great guitar work and just the quality of their musicianship as a whole. The Spanish lyrical delivery makes the harsh vocals sound even more emotive too. Ending with ‘Heridas’, you’re treated to one final superb blast of controlled intensity. 

The crustier end of screamo/post-hardcore doesn’t always grab me but when it hits. it hits hard. Seguimos Ciegxs is perfectly formed. It’s long enough to get lost in but also short enough that it doesn’t burn out.

You can stream and purchase the EP digitally below:-

Drei Affen - https://www.facebook.com/dreiaffenband

You can still pick up physical copies (the remaining CD copies) from the link below:-

Moment Of Collapse Records - https://shop.momentofcollapse.com/products/drei-affen-seguimos-ciegxs-cd

Left Hand Label - https://www.facebook.com/lefthandlabel

Moment Of Collapse Records - https://www.facebook.com/momentofcollapse

Pifia Records - https://www.facebook.com/pifiarecords

Through Love Records - https://www.facebook.com/@ThroughLoveRec

Zegema Beach Records - https://www.facebook.com/zegemabeachrecords

Tenue - Arcos, Bóvedas, Pórticos

Labels: Chaina Records/Cintas Juan/Last Time You'll See Me/LongLegsLongArms Records/Pifia Records/Tormentas Records/Zegema Beach Records

Formats: Vinyl/CD/Tape/Digital

Release Date: 01 Aug 2024

Tracklist:

1. Inquietude

2. Letargo

3. Distracción

4. Enfoque

5. Unión

Spanish post hardcore/emo/crust quartet Tenue recently released their newest album Arcos, Bóvedas, Pórticos via the above labels. It follows their 2018 debut Anábasis and their 2021 album Territorios. Tenue have been mentioned in the same breath as bands like Respire, Birds In Row and Infant Island. This should be a great listen!

Bringing a unique flair to their record with the classy trumpet work of Gabriel Saito, Tenue’s opener ‘Inquietude’ on Arcos, Bóvedas, Pórticos starts off in surprisingly bright fashion. That’s not to say that what follows isn’t bright, but you all know about the harshness that’s invoked when anything screamo/hardcore-adjacent takes over. That said though, the melodic and almost anthemic delivery of Tenue’s crust-laden music leaves plenty of reasons to stick with it (as if you needed any anyway!). 

Being over nine-minutes in length, ‘Inquietude’ is not only a fantastically engrossing opening song, but it’s also an impressive intro for anybody who is new to Tenue as a band. It’s fast and slow sections call out other influences from post to black metal, but ultimately sub-genres don’t matter when the music is this good.

‘Letargo’ is much more frenetic right from the off with mathcore-like panic chords and time signatures gracing the song’s first sixty seconds, before Tenue retreats to a more laid-back emo base. It’s performed really well and sounds super uplifting. Even when things get heavier during it’s mid-section and beyond, things don’t stray to far from Tenue’s melodic blueprint. 

‘Distracción’ is where things hit full black/crust on this record, especially in the vocal department. The instrumentation does lean that way too but again, it’s delivered in a more melodic and punk-like fashion. The breadth at which Tenue performs their music is unbelievable really. Even during the song’s first three minutes, there’s more music than most bands can fit on lengthier albums. 

Penultimate song ‘Enfoque’ has a lovely ambient tone nestling in the background as it’s gentle percussion and guitar work builds. Cinematic post-metal envelopes you as Tenue shifts from that gentle intro towards a heavier approach, albeit subtly. When the tempo switches up, so does the heart rate. Naming similar bands at this point is a completely futile exercise, as Tenue forge their own path. 

’Unión’ closes out the album in breathtaking style, switching between so many different sub-genres almost interchangeably. Once again, the pace is insane yet the music itself is controlled and extremely well played. Honestly, I don’t know what else to say about this record. Maybe the gap between this an my last review has given me a clearer head but whatever, listening to this album has been so much fun. Tenue make astounding music that should be heard by a much wider audience for sure.

You can stream and purchase this release vinyl and digital formats below:-

Tenue - https://www.facebook.com/tenuepunx

Physical copies can also be purchased from the labels below:-

LongLegsLongArms Records - http://longlegslongarms.jp/music/index.php

Zegema Beach Records - CAN/INTL - http://www.zegemabeachrecords.com/zegema-beach-releases/tenue / USA - https://zbrusa.com/collections/zbr-releases/products/tenue-1

Chaina Records - https://www.facebook.com/ChainaRecords

LongLegsLongArms Records - https://www.facebook.com/3LAdisc

Pifia Records - https://www.facebook.com/pifia.rcs

Tormentas Records - https://www.facebook.com/tormentasrecords

Zegema Beach Records - https://www.facebook.com/zegemabeachrecords

Balcanes - Decrepita/Decadencia 7"

Labels: Pifia Records/Discos Finu

Formats: Vinyl/Digital

Release Date: 11 Sep 2017

Tracklist:

1. Decrepita

2. Decadencia

Today dragged one-minute and then flew by the next. I was so glad I made it home with my sanity intact. This evening I'm checking out a band that I was e-mailed about back in December of last year. The e-mail itself didn't give a great deal away but it did plug this 7" by Spanish post-punk band Balcanes, whom I'd never heard of before. This two-track single was released via Pifia Records and Discos Finu and it was their third release, following a 7" is early 2014 and an EP in late 2016. Sadly, I'm not able to translate Spanish so I wasn't able to understand many of their social media posts, but I'll let their music do the talking instead.

The screeching feedback at the beginning of Decrepita makes you think that you’re in for some grinding mayhem but in fact what Balcanes deliver is some mid-paced punk with a goth/garage-like twist. It’s full of atmosphere and wallows in subtle misery, with the clean but drawn-out vocals that backed up by brooding musicianship. Definitely darker than I was expecting. 

Decadencia follows with much the same vibe, but with a strange industrial feel. It’s not a comfortable listen and but one that makes sense in the dystopian and cold society that we currently inhabit. There’s a simplistic charm to the music encased in this single and while it may seem too angry for punk fans and not heavy enough for extreme metal fans, that common ground in the middle should endear it to both. There’s plenty to like here.

You can stream the single and purchase it both digitally and in physical form below:-

Balcanes - https://www.facebook.com/balcanismo/

Pifia Records - https://www.facebook.com/pifiarecords/

Discos Finu - https://www.facebook.com/discosfinu/