
Crust/D-beat from Mexico.
Our take: Archaic Records brings us this very limited (150 copies!) 7” from Mexican punks Castigo. Castigo reminds me a lot of Nightfeeder, with fast-but-not-crazy-fast tempos, riffing that’s inventive without being flashy, and playing that’s heavy on groove while keeping all the energy, rawness, and aggression you want from d-beat hardcore. You get the impression from moments like the tight punches in the intro to “Narcoestado” that the band could do something more technical, but they devote their energy to playing their hooky riffs with maximum power and style. I really like the vocals too, which are gruff and soaked in phlegm, but still perfectly comprehensible, which I think is important when you take on political topics like Castigo does. With four originals and a Disrupt cover, there’s no time for fucking around, and Castigo keeps things short and to the point. This might be hard to find given the small press run, but it’s worth the hunt if this is your style.