Hurricäde - Anachronisms LP

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     My goodness. Today marks an end to one of my longest inactive streaks ever. I couldn't think of a better way to pick up where I left off than by talking a bit about one of the great heavy hitters of the Spanish post-hardcore scene. Hurricäde is a 3-piece band who hail from Girona, a city in the northeastern part of Catalonia. They formed in 2007 and this is their first LP and third release overall after two stellar 10" records prior. Though this record came out in 2014, it's never too late to heap praise on perfection in sound. 

     As most of you know, Spain has long been a fertile breeding ground for some of the harshest, most inventive screamo of the last 15 years. I don't know what combination of ingredients came together to make the area so perfect with regards to birthing such an amazing and vibrant community, nor do I really care to know. The point is, Spanish screamo bands such as Costacurta, Heads And Heads, Ulises Lima, Colchon, OSTENde, Arse Moreira, Under The Waves, Enoch Ardon, Standstill, Gone With The Pain, Viva Belgrado & Hurricäde have all had a hand in creating music that continues to inspire and invoke heartfelt rumination.

     Musically, these guys take the best parts of the bands that came before and blend them to create an interesting amalgam of intense, noisy and claustrophobic screamo/post-hardcore that has certainly been hard to describe. The vocals are appropriately screamed with the occasional off-key singing part or spoken word build-up that brings to mind luminaries such as I, Robot & Yaphet Kotto. The guitars twist and flail around in an almost math-rock fashion which makes me think of Botch at times and June of 44 at others. The rhythm section certainly keeps the backbone strong here, with a heavy low-end and a drummer that can turn on a dime. Sometimes, the band will drop the chaos and settle into a bass-heavy groove where I can also decipher some influence from bands like Slint, Drive Like Jehu & Polvo. Definitely not a bad batch. 

         Saltamarges Records is a label you should definitely give your undivided attention to if you find yourself enjoying the heavier, noisier, post-rockier side of things. I can't recommend them enough. This LP is a perfect place to start.