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Review: Yakuza Horror, La VI Extincion (Trabuc, 2005)

Here we have eight tracks of somewhat raw crust punk from Spain with lots of metal riffs thrown in for good measure. For the most part it's a pretty standard dose of driving power chords with vocals that jump from scathing screams to lower growls. "Caer Otra Vez" has a little more of a punk vibe going on with some pulsing melodic basslines and quick lead runs that make it more of a memorable song, but the subtle melodic undercurrents in "Locos" are also pretty promising against the chunky midpaced rhythms. The bass player is definitely pretty awesome and really adds a lot to these otherwise commonplace songwriting tactics, that's for sure. Many of the songs on side B are actually a little more straightforward and consistent in terms of hitting on lots of D-beat staples and sounding pretty similar to one another, but "Jipi Malicioso" adds in a little hint of chunky metal at the start to provide a little spice. The recording's not that bad. There are some minor little dropouts happening at times, but the mix is listenable and I can easily tolerate the rough aesthetic of the tones as well. The professionally duplicated cassette comes in a standard case with a xeroxed cover that has a solid layout and all of the lyrics (which are in Spanish), so... I can't offer any real insight there, but it looks pretty good. Oh, and the band members all seem to be using fake Japanese names as well!? I don't know what that's all about, but this is an okay tape. I'm not blown away or anything, but there are some good songs. I'd just suggest the band push for something a little more creative or diverse in the future as this kind of thing only holds up for so long. Not bad, but there's not much to it, so it can get boring. I wish I could provide more information as to what the band is about, I'm guessing they're kind of a humorous band or something, but who knows!?

[Trabuc]
Running time - 20:00 (approximately), Tracks: 8
[Notable tracks: Caer Otra Vez, Jipi Malicioso]
Trabuc Records - http://www.nodo50.org/trabucrecords/