Anti-pozitīvs

From Latvia hails the band Kapakmens, meaning Tombstone in the Baltic tongue, and they’ve released their second record digitally. Pounding, sludgy hardcore with a clear metal edge to it. The name has been spreading after a bunch of impressive shows, so time to check them out.

The band started out early 2013 when a bunch of guys who played in thrash metal band Collide wanted to do something else. Drummer Edgars Felkers is also active in hardcore band Kastete and crust/metal outfit Wagars. To be fair, all of them have been active in various punk, hardcore and metal bands. They draw their inspiration from raw punk and hardcore of the past decades, incorporating plenty of metal flavors.

So, how does that work out? Violently, think Bolt Thrower meets All Out War. Some Ringworm and Earth Crisis and the head on vibe of 25 Ta Life can be distinguished as well with a strong negative vibe. Opener ‘Anti-Pozitīvs’ tells enough about the frustration that’s being expressed here. Gritty rhythms are accompanied by a pounding aggression and an old school feeling of punk rock, barked vocals dish out the anger in Latvian. A language that works surprisingly well for this purpose.

The overall feeling is that of a band spitting out sewers full of frustration and hatred on high paced tracks. The lyrics deal with the general hatred of humanity and dislike of the current state of the world. The band takes a different angle on that on pretty much every other song, creating a general grim atmosphere.

Musically the band fits in various genres, ranging from punk rock to grindcore. Using the rattling, dirty feel of the first in combination with the ferocity of the second, the band emphasizes their general message. The high speed and barked vocals are illuminated further by a metallic edge to the sound, giving room for the band to shine musically as well. Kapakmens may not be the most stunningly amazing band you’ll hear, but their purposeful simplified bluntness and gritty sound is definitely entertaining and shows a lot more diversity than heavy hitting debut Kapakmens.