Barräkas / Progrecidio – Split CD-r

Artists: Barräkas / Progrecidio

Title: Split CD-r

Release: CD-r

Year: 2013

Label: Keardan!, Ediciones Piratas, Punk y Anarkia, Logica Ciega, Beneficio Interno, Cryptas Records, Dias Mas Oscuros, Anarcopunk Distro

The latest EPs from two crust-as-fuck Latin American crust bands are combined on this split release, which I got on a CD-r version thanks to a friend from Argentina. There’s also a tape edition floating around if that’s more your style.

First up is Barräkas, an anarcho-punk/crust outfit from Costa Rica. Their six tracks, pulled from the En Duelo a Muerte con lo Existente EP, deliver crude anarchist punk with relentless d-beat drumming and some truly grim production quality. The lyrics rage against nationalism, inequality, and existential despair while championing DIY ethics. It’s rough around the edges, but there’s an undeniable charm to their stripped-down approach that brings to mind early Resist And Exist.

On the other side, Progrecidio from Argentina brings six tracks from their Hacia el Colapso de la Humanidad EP. If Barräkas is raw, Progrecidio is utterly primal, leaning into a darker, more desperate sound. Their brand of crust punk recalls the gloomy chaos of Greek acts like Xaotiko Telos, with shades of Hiatus, early Warcollapse, and even Misery or Nausea in their suffocatingly heavy riffs and unrelenting tempos. It’s some of the most primitive and furious crust I’ve encountered in a while.

Both bands stick to lyrics in Spanish, though English and French translations are thoughtfully included in the lyric sheet. The rehearsal-room quality production and hardcore political message are exactly what you’d expect from South American punks—brimming with anger, frustration, and a fierce commitment to dismantling systemic oppression and the bloodthirsty capitalist machine. A must-hear for anyone craving rrrraw shit from the global south.