La Armada, “La Armada” LP

cover-la-armadaBeing as most hardcore lyrics are borderline decipherable anyhow, does it really matter that La Armada hails from the Dominican Republic? I can’t understand most modern hardcore when the lyrics are in English. Dominican Spanish only becomes a novelty when you hear the various movies samples in English and you realize that they’re screaming in another language.

Also, is it wrong to refer to an overtly politic hardcore act as “really fun,” simply because there are just enough thrash elements in their music to imagine this as party music? Of course, this might be where the language barrier poses a problem. Reading the translations on the flipside of the lyric sheet clues one in that they’re not singing about beer or horror movies, instead opting for social injustice and corporate slavery.

All language issues aside, this self-titled release on Fat Sandwich is really energetic. The speed and enthusiasm do just a perfect job of bridging the gap between old-school youth crew hardcore and classic thrash. While the political elements certainly bring an element of seriousness to the affair, this is music that tries not to get mired in breakdown after breakdown. Instead, La Armada allows the music to build, getting faster and faster until it just erupts. Then, bang — next song.

Fantastic packaging on this one. The cover art’s classic line drawings of a slave revolt, which matches perfectly to the lyrics. There’s the aforementioned bilingual lyric sheet, as well as a screened poster featuring a track listing and pictures of the band, and the other side featuring the interior of a slave ship, along with lines pulled from the English translation of the first track, “Organic Slavery.” A complete package on black (300) or gold (200) vinyl, with download card included. Snag it in the Fat Sandwich store.