My heart breaks every time I see an update on the recent police raids in universities, evictions of squats in Exarcheia—the rebellious neighborhood of Athens—and, ultimately, the tense political climate in Greece following the latest parliamentary elections in the country.
Meanwhile, the Greek DIY hardcore scene is thriving with some outstanding bands and releases in recent years. We’re constantly writing about new bands popping up throughout the Balkans, but there are also older bands keeping up and rising the bar for hardcore punk that truly matters.
Antimob is consistently billed amongst the cream of the crop in Athens’ hardcore punk scene ever since their inception in 2007. Besides a handful of demos, EPs and two short split releases (with Χωρίς Οίκτο and Burial), the band has unleashed their debut LP in 2012 showing off a great display of raw power—fierce and demanding, but at the same time groovy and creative.
The new, II LP, was recorded between November 2018 and February 2019 at Ignite Studio in Athens. The ten songs on this vinyl have everything a picky hc/punk listener can choose from. There are moments of straight-up hardcore, fast and in-your-face with a pure sense of urgency, as well as these rocking parts and blood-curdling riffs that remind me of some classic Japanese bands everyone goes wild about. Lyrically, the record deals with social, political and psychological topics presented in a personal manner. All songs in Greek language, but that only makes it more personal and easier for the band to convey their message in a coherent way.
Moreover, the record’s artwork is equally stunning as the music. These 500 pieces of vinyl all come in a heavy cardboard gatefold cover, including 24 page booklet and a poster, all full-color and printed on deluxe paper. The photography depicts dazzling scenes of the island of Gyaros, an arid and unpopulated island nowadays, which used to be a place of exile, forced labor and torture during the military dictatorship of Greece. With its prison complex buildings standing still on a deserted land, to this day the island emanates a strong sense of fear, fascism and complete abandonment of anything humane. It’s our social duty to not let the history repeat itself.
Powerful and interesting hardcore punk at its best, this is definitely among the best Greek releases of the year, as far as I’m concerned. Two more songs were recorded during the same recording session and will be released as a new 7″ EP through Εξωτικός Παροξυσμός on December 1st, 2019. So stay tuned for more Antimob!
