Here's some unique metallic hardcore from S?o Paulo, Brazil with an overtly political stance. Musically things range from abrasive chord progressions to far more metallic note based riffs (which definitely have a European flare) to clean or acoustic passages, and the vocals are generally throaty high screams with some borderline growls on occasion. This is definitely interesting material. Many of the tracks are fairly long, some running more than eight minutes. "Permissividade" is one such epic, and throws out more changes than one can count. The only downside is that the writing isn't particularly fluid, so the frantic outbursts can really destroy the momentum of the slower, more powerful passages. They are indeed creative and diverse, but I'd like to hear their experimentation take on a bit more of a cohesive flow... at least most of the time. The melody and the range of the disc is great, but they have a tendency to take things too far. "Di?spora (A to I)", for example, ends with an entirely too long sample of some sort of traditional acoustic song with gunshots and screaming and shit over top of it, which really kills the movement of the disc. On the other hand, "Espa?o de Conhecimento" is one of the longer tracks and displays some great arrangements full of backbreaking tempo changes, slick drumming, great bass work, and a writing approach that is a bit more straightforward as a whole. "Por Pedras e Fogo" opens far slower and darker than the other tracks, but as with some of the other songs as soon as the chaotic speeds start to come in things start to break up and become less interesting. Thankfully they tend to keep that to a minimum with this one, so in the end it's redeemed. At the end of the track there is some silence, and then some more samples before the final track begins, which is also an annoying decision that disrupts the listen and makes little sense to me. Then again, the last track is basically random noise with more silence and a bunch of vocal humming nonsense and stuff "hidden" at the end of the CD. No thanks. I would have just left that off of the record entirely. The performance could be tighter, and at times it sounds like the guitars might not be 100% in tune with one another, which can be frustrating, but it doesn't hurt them too badly. I definitely think that these songs would destroy if the performance was completely tight, but it's okay. The production could also use some work, but again it doesn't hurt them too badly. I really like the natural drum sounds and the warmth of the vocals, but I think there needs to be a greater bass presence and smoother guitar tones. Perhaps the ruggedness is necessary to some degree, but I don't find the jangly clean guitars to be especially effective (though the acoustic parts sound excellent), and the guitar distortion could use more of an edge. Upping the bass level would definitely fill in the gaps, though. This thing comes with an enormous booklet, containing lots of illustrations that look like woodcuts and a ton of text. Most of the lyrics and a few of the more important paragraphs of additional text are included in both Portuguese and English, but the song explanations usually only appear in Portuguese, probably due to space constraints. Some of the opening text (translated into English) sort of sums up their intense political messages: "We roam around without a fatherland, without frequenting your cult, Your coins won't buy us, your illusion does not seduce us anymore, Now we wake up, we laugh at your lies, As every dawn makes itself newer..." Lyrically things are far more bleak, "This country is raped by the G7, Your globalization consumes our identity, Imposing only one culture based on profit, exploitation, and machinization of life, Individuals become numbers; their view is cold, inhuman(e), and megalomaniac..." In addition to cleaning up their performances (which shouldn't be much work), I would suggest trimming off a minute or so from most of the tracks, keeping things a bit more concise and preventing the songs from dragging on and losing their impact. This band has a lot to say and a great vehicle with which to say it, and with minor tweaking they could really become a force to be reckoned with.
[Liberation]
Running time - 50:00 (approximately), Tracks: 9
[Notable tracks: Ciclo de Purifica??o, Espa?o de Conhecimento, Por Pedras e Fogo]
Liberation Records - http://www.xliberationx.com
