LA ARMADA: Latino metal/hardcore activists kick off "Songs of the Exiled" series with "Plagued" music video
La Armada has revealed the official music video for new track "Plagued."
Stream "Plagued, " here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSsrOArq1-c
"Plagued" is the first piece of music to be unveiled from the band's Songs of the Exiled series – a series of upcoming digital releases, "each dedicated to one of the places we were born, or have lived in, that have shaped us and our political stances."
"Plagued" will appear on the first of these releases – Songs of the Exiled I: Chicago – a "mini-EP" celebrating the band's current hometown, set to drop on March 27th.
Founded in the Dominican Republic in 2001, La Armada played a major role in building up the hardcore punk scene in its home country in the '00s, before then emigrating to the US – first to Florida, then to Chicago. The band's highly unique story, of having made its mark in the Dominican Republic, then uprooting and starting again in the US, will be expressed and honored through Songs of the Exiled.
A self-described "crossover" band, the quintet's sound blends influences from metal, hardcore punk, and Caribbean music. In La Armada's hands, thrashing hardcore, inspired by bands ranging from Bad Brains to Death, is intensified by traditional Latin rhythms.
Just as its music reflects its background, so does its message. La Armada describes its political stance to be that of "decolonizing and anti-fascist lyrics, which criticize the politics of both the US and the Dominican Republic." Denouncing historical atrocities and also pointing out flaws in modern-day society – racism, police brutality, prisons for profit, to name a few – the band has put its money where its mouth is, with a long history of organizing concerts and events to raise funds for causes such as the American Civil Liberties Union and for grassroots organizations in the Caribbean.
Having honed its sound and its politics over three studio albums, two splits, and three EPs, and having toured with the likes of Sick of It All, Propagandhi, and Death by Stereo, La Armada will pour its experience into Songs of the Exiled and intends to focus on this project for the rest of 2020.
New song "Plagued" features the debut of new vocalist Casper Torres, who was officially announced this month as the successor to founding vocalist Javier "Bruka" Fernandez.
"Over the years, in addition to perfecting a vicious live show, the hardworking quintet developed a unique style of progressive-yet-propulsive punk-inflected metallic hardcore that marries jumpy tempos, driving riffs, sick guitar solos, and muscular technicality, while experimenting with building songs around Latin rhythms."
–VICE
"Crusty hardcore and monolithic metal with a whiff of the rhythms of the Dominican Republic."
–Chicago Reader
Live photo by Furyo State
No comments:
Post a Comment