Just a few words about this new Colombian punk compilation titled
La Masacre Continua: released on the Barcelona based label
Chaos-T Records
in May 2021 (also available on the French label
Symphonie Of Destruction), this tape gathers 21 tracks by 21 bands who decided to react to the
violent repression of which a part of the Colombian people is victim since
the end of April.
It may be time to make a quick recap of what's happening there: since
early 2020 the covid crisis has severely impacted almost the entire global
economy, and Colombia has been particularly hard hit. The extremely strict
and lengthy lockdown measures may have had a favourable health impact, but
they also greatly increased the unemployment rate (from 9% to 16%),
obviously affecting the tourism sector very strongly, but also the entire
informal sector... The government decided early this year to increase
several taxes, including the VAT, "in order to be able to spend and even to maintain vital social programs".
Of course the VAT increase hits hard everyone, especially the working and
middle classes, and is therefore seen as an inequality increasing factor
and is rejected by an important of the population...
Since the beginning of the protests on the 28th of April, the government
has decided to repress all demonstrations extremely violently... a totally
disproportionate and abusive violence (tens of people have been proved to be killed by the police despite the official denials) against which the Colombian punks
could only unite. If you're interested you should watch the two
Vice News videos about the protests and the police violence which
have happened since then (Colombia’s Deadly Fight for Justice
and
Colombia Is Rising Up).
But let's come back to punk music and the compilation:
La Masacre Continua features the cream of the crop of the current Colombian punk scene (but Spanish as well), bands I've already very enthusiastically reviewed here like Ataque Zero, Lumpen and Sublevaciòn but also many bands I've mentioned many times like the super stars of Muro and Primer Regimen but also Alambrada, Trampa or Final. So yes this compilation is mostly composed of killer classic tracks (no unreleased tracks as far as I know) despite a few too grindish or black metallish (or simply of really bad taste) songs that are really not essential. I regret a little the absence of Reacciòn Violenta, Uzi and Abuso but you can't have everything, right?
Oh and of course, as the label bandcamp page says: "If you want to download and give
out a donation, everything will be donated to the people and the
different collectives who are needing our help.
We did this compilation with the intention of giving out all the
donations received in behalf of the strike and the people requiring our
support and solidarity." which is absolutely not a clear description of what all that donation money is going to become but I hope it will be used wisely...
Anyway don't be a rat ass, support the fight of the Colombian people against police brutality and treat yourself with a lot of cool Spanish speaking raw punk: buy this comp!
