Screaming Fist: Santa Plaga 7"

Screaming Fist: Santa Plaga 7” (Convulse Records) Oakland’s Screaming Fist released a 7” on Iron Lung Records back in 2019, and now they’re back 7 years later with five more songs. They’re worth the wait, too! If you don’t remember what Screaming Fist sounds like, I’d call them a straightforward hardcore punk band with low-key virtuosic chops. A good contemporary comparison might be the Faucheuse / Bombardement axis of bands in France—groups that have similarly crazy chops, yet remain committed to the old school hardcore punk style—but what I was really reminded of when I listened to Santa Plaga is Vaaska and Criaturas… and it turns out Screaming Fist guitarist Matt Badenhop is an ex-member of both bands. Like all the aforementioned groups, Screaming Fist tends to hang in the space of deep-in-the-pocket d-beat with riffs that are catchy but not overly technical, reserving their more technical playing for those transitional moments that serve as counterpoint to the hooky main riffs, giving the songs a sense of depth and sophistication. I love the off-time rhythm in the intro to “Está Detrás De Ti” and the brief, almost prog-y part before the breakdown in the closing track “Santa Plaga,” and these forays into the technical make it hit so much hardcore when Screaming Fist drops back into one of their mega-hooky riffs. The vocals are also excellent, much more melodic than your standard hardcore vocals, but not skimping on speed or intensity. I also love the way the recording uses double-tracking on the vocals to create a strong sense of dynamics. Hooky, raging hardcore with airtight execution… what’s not to love?