Gritos de Alerta/Jesus Cröst "split" 7"
[Terrötten]
Gritos de Alerta (Brazil) starts things off with four tracks of raging hardcore/punk with contrasting high/low vocal screams and a good level of speed. The songs are short and to the point, without too many variations. "Aparências" is slightly slower at first, but then blows into some nonstop chord progressions with fast vocal patterns, while "Oportunismo Eleitoral" is the most energetic of the bunch. They've got a nice sound, it's got a rough edge, but it's forceful and the low-end punch really adds to their attack. The guitar tone is kind of dirty, but the bass presence holds it down, and for the most part the mix is even. Lyrically the band covers the mistreatment of people by those in power, generally taking a political slant without getting too specific. Next, Jesus Cröst (Holland) rips through six tracks of grinding hardcore/punk with faster tempos and sneering vocal screams. It's fairly standard, and very aggressive, but it's not really "metal" per se, they just employ a lot of blasting speeds that border on grind. Out of nowhere the last song, "Stereotype Role Models in an Artificial Entertainment Industry", opens with smooth clean guitars that lead into some eerie melodic distorted riffs and spoken vocals - much slower and immediately more memorable. The recording is pretty raw, dominated by vocals and percussion. I wouldn't say I find the actual tones to be problematic, but the mix needs to favor the guitars and bass a lot more. The band's lyrics are mostly about the hardcore/punk scene as a whole, being critical of some of the turns it's taken and pointing out that the true purpose should be to make a change. The 7" is pressed on opaque purple vinyl and comes in a nice sleeve with tons of content. One side of the cover is devoted to each band, inside there are lyrics and some explanatory text from Jesus Cröst and lyrics with English translations from Gritos de Alerta, and the back of the six-panel foldout has an awesome full color illustration. It's also worth noting that Gritos de Alerta's cover art is fucking amazing! This is a good split. I'm more interested in Gritos de Alerta, but with a better recording I believe that Jesus Cröst could do some damage. (6/10)
Running time - 12:00 (approximately), Tracks: 10
[Notable tracks: Oportunismo Eleitoral, Aparências, Struggle, Stereotype Role Models in an Artificial Entertainment Industry]
Terrötten Records - http://www.terrotten.com

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