Thursday, January 22, 2015

Balcanes on Discos Humeantes Records


It's nice to be reminded there are extreme sounds in other places of the world that might even be as universal as the sludge that Balcanes from Leon, Spain have cut into two sides of this single from Discos Humeantes. Not much to go on except google translations but this is housed in a serious slick textured sleeve and insert with cryptic black and white photos of...a car crash? I'm trying not to look too closely.

A-Side's "Plataforma" opens into a number of different feedback textures, some direct, messy cables right into the box, others mic'd from the squealing amp in this cavernous open room. The drums slowly start to build up force under this constant droning hum of guitars and bass rumbling cabinets. Leading off like Harvey Milk I expected the vocal to let loose like this but not so much in the background or with this kind of echo. Summoning the same kind of force with no time to stop or start those rolling tones, it's too late to get off this thing, they have an impossible momentum. Nightmarish amounts of noise, expertly controlling this chaos and rattling brown notes, adding to the mystery but chest vibrating is universal, we didn't even need the liner notes. I've been obliterated into a million squashed pieces.
B-Side's "Autopista" opens on hum and sustained processed notes already belching. This one bows down to Helmet math and thick distortion and a rock beat. More vocals on this one with massive delay and echo the guitar going to high arty places like early Liars stuff only to quickly return to an extreme barre chord metal place crafted out of deep chasms of riffs. Following the lyric sheet this must be the A-Side track "Plataforma" and the gutter of the disc is wrong? Doesn't really matter in the slightest, you get the idea of what you're going to be in for with these guys.

All black vinyl with blank black center label from from the import source - Discos Humeantes Records



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