Eric Grubbs
This Music Video Not Only Serves As A Visual For This Hard & Fast Single, But Honors The Memory Of A Departed Member Of The Hardcore Scene.
Welcome to Song of the Day, where we hip you to all the new local releases you should be caring about. By highlighting one new North Texas-sprung tune every week day, our hope is that you’ll find something new to love about the rich and abundant DFW music scene five days a week.
Guerra Final – “Miseria Terminal”
RIYL: The idea of Max Cavalera singing and Power Trip backing him up
What else you should know: Dallas-based hardcore punk band Guerra Final has a big month this December. A short tour through Mexico, a self-titled EP on Desolate Records and an eye-catching video for the single “Miseria Terminal” all make for plenty of excitement. So let’s discuss this piece of high octane anger with “Miseria Terminal.”
Vocalist Enok Vazquez is all over his microphone with anger and passion in his voice, singing the entire song in Spanish. (The title literally means “Terminal Misery”). He sings like he is not afraid to say exactly what he wants, and bares no shyness when it was time to record.
Guitarists Mark Trevino and YJ Kang, bassist Tae Waters and drummer Dan Granado back the power and intensity of Vazquez’s voice — which reminds this writer of Max Cavalera from Sepultura/Soulfy. The drumming is steady and pulsing as the guitars go up and down the neck on the A-string, all in the brisk, near-two-minute tune.
And if you’re wary of checking out a song when you don’t know a lick of Spanish, ask yourself if that ever stopped you from listening to “La Bamba.”
The song’s video, directed by Diablo Macabre, is dedicated to Olan Martin, a beloved member of the Dallas hardcore scene who sadly left us in the fall of this year. The whole song and tribute are a reminder that the hardcore scene around here is still a vibrant and important thing for teenagers and adults. Spotify and YouTube numbers might tell one story — that “the kids” only care for hip-hop and pop these days — but for those who need something raw, fast and honest, hardcore continues to be a vital form of expression.