Review Summary: An unlikely pairing of the bright and the filthy, Ceremonia de Atadura de Manos is an invigorating, all-teeth crust punk whirlwind.
For an introductory release, particularly within their chosen field, Madrid crust punk outfit Tarsius Tarsier certainly didn’t stick to what was easy; alongside the typical blend of d-beats, grimy guitars, short track lengths and overall general lack of subtlety, a myriad of influences find themselves peppered throughout its 8 tracks. From the shrill blackened punk that characterises opener ‘El Desprecio’ and ‘Espuela’, to the ‘death-surf’ riffs of ‘Mataviudas’ and the throat-stopping panic imbued within ‘El Ruido del Morir’, Tarsius Tarsier use (seemingly) every trick in their arsenal to avoid repeating themselves more than is absolutely necessary – and the result is exhilarating.
For all this stylistic inquisitiveness, however,
Ceremonia de Atadura de Manos is grounded by a couple of determining elements. The first, and most immediately noticeable, are the vocals; shrieked, vitriolic and undeniably punky, what they lack in warmth and range (‘Una Chica Cortada en Dos’ notwithstanding) is more than made up for in sheer volatility. At best, their effect is terrifying; for example, alongside the stabbed chords that punctuate ‘El Ruido del Morir’ a genuine ‘fight-or-flight’ stimulus lodges itself within the brain, such is the urgency that the two elements generate. Throughout, the bass is a perfect antidote to the bright, crisp guitar tone – without the former,
Ceremonia… would be a treble-heavy, sparse affair, although the contrast nulls any feeling of suffocation that could occur. Hence, it’s a peculiarly invigorating listen, and the swift, relentless attack on the ears is more akin to that of the toned martial artist than the super-heavyweight boxer; frenzied, but alarmingly calculated in the clarity of its movements.
Indeed, Tarsius Tarsier’s debut is a well thought-out, exploratory take on crust punk and its many possibilities. At its core though, what
Ceremonia de Atadura de Manos is
truly like is a sequence of exotic spirits: yes, they all have their unique flavours and yes, they can be enjoyed slowed down and analysed, but you know full well they’re going down, one after the other, blowing your head off each and every time. Responsible? To hell with responsible.
