ARTIST: Escuadron De La Muerte
TITLE: Hic, Inquit, Debes Habitare
CATALOG #: MNT105
ARTIST LINK: www.myspace.com/escuadronmuerte
ARTIST COUNTRY: Mexico CABRONES!
LABEL: Maquinaria
LABEL LINK: www.myspace.com/maquinarianet
GENRE: Power Electronics/Noise
TRACKLIST:
1_ ...El horror... El horror... (6:52)
2_ 26 de Diciembre de 1914 (7:04)
3_ Días De Destrucción y Gloria (5:52)
4_ El Principio Del Final (6:23)
5_ Atravez De La Ventana De Mi Junker87 (4:38)
6_ Pasaje Mental 1 | La Casa Arafna (5:33)
7_ Genocidio (8:23)
Though technically a demo, there is nothing about this album that suggests a lack of, well, anything. Matter of fact, this has to be one of the most aggressive and sharp demo releases I've ever heard. Though this work has been cleaned up and been released officially by the Order Of Wolves label based in the UK [www.myspace.com/orderofwolves], this first version should definitely NOT be dismissed or ignored.
The main themes that run through this piece primarily allude to the incitement of industrialized warfare, AKA, World War I. The sound itself specializes in harsh high-end distorted frequencies, with a surprisingly focused array of waveforms that give the album movement on account of the different shapes of the tracks. There are gradual build ups of mood and sound, a very strong feature of the opening track, as well as of the second, which has the album’s best example of Zihr Alphil’s talent with low-end, a shaky bass frequency-oriented arpeggio. As the album progresses, a different strength possessed by the track that proceeded it is included in the next, which then gives you another surprise, then placed ahead.
The two most brutal tracks have to be “El Principio Del Final” [The Beginning of the End], and “Genocidio”, while my favorites have to be the opener and “Atravez De La Ventana De Mi Junker87” [Through the Window of my Junker87], which despite not having harsh noise walls like tracks 3, 4, and 7, shows strong compositional skill, and a more prominent use of synth sounds via loops and a distorted piano sequence.
“Pasaje Mental 1 | La Casa Arafna” carries the more subtle and eerie characteristics of the track before, only with some piercing screeches thrown in which prepares you for the upcoming “Genocide”. There are a good number of Nationalistic European music samples in this album, but not to excess, and about the same quantity of samples that are of voice and single-instrument orientation. Most are heavily distorted, sometimes beyond recognition…
All and all, I consider this one of the strongest debuts I’ve been privy to in my two short years in this scene. Anyone else that had noticed potential in this young man’s work knows now that they were right because of how much Zihr has grown and progressed only a couple of releases later.
To close, I would like to thank Mr. Alphil for creating the image that had welcomed you when you got to the site! This collage is representative of what my efforts are with this project: to represent the vanguard of a community that, much like the skeletal and deathly motifs, finds its true place in an underground, in shapeless shapes, infinite in their defiance of material form.
DOWNLOAD LINK: http://www.archive.org/details/mnt105
ARTIST STATEMENT:
"Hic inquit debes habitare" [here is where you'll live] is the name of the demo [and album] where I put my first energies into composing my sounds. It was around the month of September [maybe little before, maybe a little after] that I created my first song "Genocidio", inspired by WWII, having grand tension and violence in it, while I was drinking rum!
This album is in general inspired by some episodes from WWI and WWII. Some of these are based around the fictional creation of history. Of course, it happened, but not as it was told.
It was published by Maquinaria, an Argentinean net label, and afterward was published in physical form by the label Industrial Heritage [a.k.a. s.t.a.u.b., Open Wound, Order of Wolves], the label owned by Trev, member of The Grey Wolves.
The decision of having two different versions, one free and another complete, was made because I know some people don't have money to purchase music, but they want to have something from their favorite bands or artists, or just to listen to it, and later buy it. This is why it is published officially in both places. Of course, if you get the physical version, is good because it shows that you want to have some physical evidence of your beloved music… or sick and destructive music… well, as you wish to consider it. Having the physical album also shows the label that it was a good decision to publish that artist.
Currently, SkullLine will be publishing a split album by
ESCUADRON DE LA MUERTE + SIEGE entitled “Adel”, a split with huge sounds and great, strong force. It cost us, Sergio [Siege, Vintras] and I some blood, sweat, and tears to create it, but it is finished… wait for it…
I have done collaborations and splits with such musical projects as Psychaotic, Eldar, Siege, Argentum, Ordo Larima Christi. I am currently collaborating with Nuevo Ideal Nacional. Many thanks to my people!
I also wish to give thanks to all the people who publish me in their labels… Trev of Industrial Heritage, Peter of L.White records in Germany, Pascal of Zero Tolerance in France, Nicolay from UFA Muzak, Russia, and Team of Maquinaria netlabel in Argentina.
And last but not least to the people that listen to Escuadron De La Muerte and spreads these sacred sounds, and special thanks to Rex for this review, muchas gracias carnal!
The principal basis of this or any of my following albums was, and will always be DEATH as a sacred energy, entity, idea, and the absolute. This inspiration is drawn from murders, crimes, war, natural death… Death as itself is the mysticism of life.
Naturally, it's the reconfirmation of life.
Above it all is Death.
Cheers.
Francisco/ESCUADRON DE LA MUERTE
