Written by Dave Garcia
The diy punk movement has produced many great offerings in music, but none quite so memorable as Barcelona post-punkers Belgrado. Their sophomore offering Siglo XXI is the equivalent of the aftermath of an improvised explosive devise. This isn’t music for a harrowing journey; it’s instead a reminder of survival and the affliction that follows.
Siglo XXI lacks the frenetic abrasiveness of the band’s self-titled debut, but this isn’t a complaint. The music is tightly produced, slightly progressive and is teeming with the kinetic energy of an oncoming blizzard. You will be forced to move from the start as I was when the guitars started screeching in opening track “Sombra De La Cruz.”
These tracks have been compared to Killing Joke, but a more apt comparison would be evoking the desolate sounds heard from Belgian coldwave artists Siglo XX, Germany’s Xmal Deutschland, or Spain’s Parálisis Permanente. Patrycia’s mellifluous vocals are the lynchpin of this sound; she is more divergent as she shrieks, wails, and laments with harrowing bleakness.
While the punk song structures remain conventional, there is an expansion in melody, harmonics and reverberation that was alluded to in the cacophony of Belgrado’s previous releases. The album isn’t overwhelming, and there is restraint in the mix. The result is an icy sound with an evanescent gloss that creates a tense atmosphere and better complements Patrycia’s vocals. Just listen to “Automatyczny Świat,” “Jeszcze Raz,” or “Nie”; these are the sounds of progression, albeit a progression into some post-apocalyptic world.
Understand this isn’t the ferocious Belgrado you’ve heard earlier, nor are they some morose goths prone to musical sulking. Siglo XXI will carry you into a foreboding place that was blasted by their previous release. It may at times take patience, but you will be well rewarded in exploring this newly ravaged landscape.
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