Published in 1966, In Cold Blood is a best-selling true crime novel by American author Truman Capote. The novel detailed the homicides of a rural Kansas family of four in 1959. The book was an instant best-seller and served as the archetypal true crime novel of the twentieth century, which laid the foundation for the popular genre today.
The commonly used expression of "in cold blood" is of course a reference to cold-blooded animals. Most notably animals like sharks and crocodiles which are generally thought of as emotionless and unconcerning killing machines. The application of the term in reference to the human condition might refer to that killer instinct within the primal, lizard portion of the human brain. The relation describes excessive cruelty and merciless acts of violence or ill will as animalistic or subhuman when compared to the moral qualities that we think of as civilized humanity.
Colombia's A Sangre Fria adopted their name from that commonly used idiom when they formed in Bogotá in 2018. The origins of the band's name is anyone's guess, yet it would soon become morbidly fortuitous. Much like the United States during the pandemic, Colombia was embroiled in political protests and riots in 2020 and 2021. The 2020 death of Javier Ordóñez at the hands of Colombian police officers very much mirrored the death of George Floyd in America earlier that same year. Much like Floyd's death, Ordóñez's death was filmed and the officers' excessive use of force caused widespread outrage. The protests spread throughout Colombia and riots and deaths ensued in their tumultuous aftermath. 2021 saw the country in much the same state with more demonstrations and more deaths. Javier Ordóñez's cold blooded murder and the dozens who died in its wake certainly warranted that animalistic merciless lethal indifference—a sangre fria.
A Sangre Fria's latest EP, Yunque, was forged in the fires of those Colombian riots. After a pair of demos in 2019, a 2021 full-length and a recent lineup change, Yunque marks a new chapter for A Sangre Fria. A chapter rife with political unrest, choked in plumes of tear gas and clotted with blood. Yunque is a nasty mix of hardcore and powerviolence that tends to lean more towards the former. The EP isn't exactly jammed packed with blast beats, but it isn't your general monotone of hardcore either.
A Sangre Fria's vocal disgorge is quite a nice divergence from the typical hardcore rhythmic shouts or the pubescent yelling of youth crew bands. Instead, A Sangre Fria offers all that and more. In addition to the hardcore bouncing barks, the band includes more than a fair amount of those constipated caveman powerviolence yelling and some grindcore mannered gutturals. In addition to some quick snare work, the grindcore and powerviolence comparisons are very blatant in the vocals. I don't know much about the band and its members, but from what I have gathered, the vocal duties are shared between the lead vocalist and guitarist—at least when playing live. Knowing who does what and who ends and begins where is tricky. The vocals spill and pour out in a constant flux. It immediately presents a more aggressive edge over similar hardcore bands. Hardcore is usually pretty intelligible when it comes to the vocals. Sing along choruses and straight vocals are not uncommon. Yet, I would consider A Sangre Fria's vocals more unintelligible. Although, despite the prevalence of Spanish spoken in my family growing up, mi español es bastante mierda, so the vocals are indiscernible to me regardless. But I like my vocals highly political and terribly indecipherable. After all, that's what lyric booklets are for. And A Sangre Fria make the most of their lyrics. Given the political climate, the band's lyrics were mainly influenced by the riots and protests, the anger at the government and police on the other side and the anger at those who haven't quite picked a side yet.
Musically, A Sangre Fria are fairly stripped down. The guitar riffs are mostly chugging hardcore power chords that when triggered ignite into a streak of powerviolence speed. The bass guitar's nimble slinkiness wavers in-and-out of the mix and keeps pace with the guitar's quick sprints. The drumming isn't overly technical, especially when compared to the more pure grindcore bands that have been featured in this blog. Yet, A Sangre Fria still bridge the gap between hardcore and powerviolence. Quick mid tempo beats set the pace for a majority of the songs, but they do slow things down with the obligatory moshing hardcore breakdowns which can turn on a dime and shift into spastic powerviolence seizures. Faster tempos in songs like "Acumulador," "La Revuelta" and, well, most all the songs, are proof of the presence of true blue blast beats. I also appreciated the abundant use of snare rolls on this EP. It reminded me of old Los Crudos songs that were brimmed with snare fills.
The EP mix is pretty decent, definitely when compared to the band's earlier releases. I did get aural flashbacks to live recordings of band rehearsals in the practice space. Something about the accent in the guitar distortion and spacious drum tone took me back to those garage days and the visceral sounds and flavors of playing in a punk band. Paralleling more of that Los Crudos style of hardcore, Yunque is a tad rough-and-ready. There is a rawness to it. The guitar chord changes have a myriad of audible finger slides up and down the fretboard. This is common in records of any genre and might simply fall under being a matter of pickiness, I suppose. But it could become overly distracting to those who would hyperfixate on it.
Overall, A Sangre Fria put their politics where their mouth is in Yunque. What you see is what you get, so to speak. They are exactly what you would think of when you think of a cross between powerviolence and hardcore. The band toggles the genres like rungs on a ladder. And I have to admit that I am a tad rusty on my hardcore, but comparisons can be drawn to most modern day monosyllabic hardcore bands like Spy, Gel or Gulch. The same could be said about the powerviolence influences. Fans of Infest, Capitalist Casualties or Weekend Nachos should find purchase in Yunque. Those expecting overt metal influences or technical grindcore flamboyancy might need to look elsewhere. A Sangre Fria are as straightforward as a brick hitting a cop in the face.
FFO: Violencia, Come Mierda, Coke Bust
Listen to the album: https://asagrefriapv.bandcamp.com/album/yunque
