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Since the earliest days of hardcore punk, the city of Austin, TX has been known for producing some of the best in the genre. The notoriety of this particular scene has grown exponentially over the past few years with a deluge of stellar bands coming out and capturing the adoration of those in search of “that good shit.” Out of them all, VAASKA would have to be the longest running and most abrasive of the bunch. After a five year break from the format the boys have delivered yet another 12” platter of the raging D-Beat that they initially made themselves known for and have been perfecting over the years. And the aforementioned half a decade break between the 12”s was in no way an indication of them slowing down, seeing the release of a 7” on Germany’s Heart First Records and the recording of a session with their latest and greatest lineup (featuring the addition of Chris Ulsh on the kit) that yielded a split 7” with fellow ATX goons THE IMPALERS and another with Japan’s SKIZOPHRENIA on Beach Impediment and 540 / Todo Destruido respectively. “TODOS CONTRA TODOS” features 11 tracks of blown out hard punk pounders that will continue to capture the attention of those who admire the art of crafting urgent and seething songs.
Our take: The 3rd LP from Austin's Vaaska, and it's actually a little bit different than the band's previous records. While the differences are fairly subtle, it's actually really surprising when one of these bands doesn't do what you'd expect because they're all such pros and know exactly what they're going for and how to execute it. However, I guess what Vaaska are going for has changed just a little bit since their last record. There's still a lot of the catchiness that defined their sound before, but the focus is no longer on the blazing lead guitar so much as the groove laid down by the rhythm section. Thanks to the density and the catchiness of the guitar-playing on those previous records I always wanted to compare Vaaska to Articles of Faith, but I wouldn't make that comparison at all here... the inspiration seems to be much more from Discharge and/or metal. It actually sounds quite a lot like the Impalers (which is unsurprising since the bands share members) in that the mid-paced riffs and songs are certified pit-clearers, but the total in-the-pocket rhythms are infused with the catchiness that has always been Vaaska's forte. I've pretty much been a Vaaska super-fan since the band first started, but I was honestly blown away by how great this LP... my expectations were super high and Todos Contra Todos obliterates them. Highest possible recommendation!