Dirty Wombs – Accursed To Overcome

Dirty Wombs was formed in early 2011 by four university students in Greece’s third largest city, Patras. Hailing from Athens and Volos, the guys came together to form a DIY hardcore punk band as an outlet for their creativity and political frustrations. In Patras, they were also involved in the Prokat 35 squat, which was established in the university area of the city. This anti-authoritarian space organizes DIY life and political events throughout the year. It has been a great place for the youth to build strong bonds with each other and to make sure that Dirty Wombs is more than just a band… that their hearts are fully invested in more than just the music.

Their first demo was released on cassette and featured a unique Death Side cover with Greek lyrics and the use of a bouzouki, a musical instrument popular in Greece that was brought there by Greek immigrants from Turkey in the 1900s. Following the demo, the band released two split vinyl releases, the Opposite Flow (2014), and appeared on several compilations. In 2016, Break The Records released a Dirty Wombs 2011 – 2016 Discography CD in Japan, while in the same year Imminent Destruction (UK) & Desolate Records (US) released their Wrecked Youth EP.

Fast forward to 2018, the band members no longer reside in Patras. And just when you think it’s all over and it’s time for the band to call it quits… They’ve come up with their brand new Accursed To Overcome LP and a US tour on both coasts! (November 2018)

Dirty Wombs have built a solid base in their local Greek cultural and political context, from which they drive their music in the wild and unexpected direction of the Japanese “Burning Spirits” sound. Now, with Accursed To Overcome, they’ve created the most homogeneous and mature record of their career. My personal highlight from the eight tracks is the opener “Ignition”, a driving song full of great riffs, that captures the whole concept of this band and wraps it up in less than three minutes. The idea that society is fucking rotten and its dirty wombs are giving birth to dead people who follow the rules of “normality”. What we have to do is refuse their normality and from there create new ones or widen the cracks that might already exist in this rotting corpse of a capitalist system.

Amidst the darkness we burn, black silhouettes in a gray metropolis
Amidst the darkness we burn, refusing their normality
Amidst the darkness we burn, cracks that deepen on towering walls
Amidst the darkness we burn, still besieging alienation

The title track “Accursed To Overcome” is a great tribute to Japanese bands like Crude, Forward, Judgement and Death Side, while songs like “Years Evaporate” and “A Call To Transcend” are blistering attacks pumped up on the distinct Greek DIY hardcore punk sound. Closing track “Triumph of Imagination” begins with chainsaw-like guitars, dirty bass tones and crude d-beat drumming, only to end with a piano finish. Singing in their native tongue, Dirty Wombs deliver lyrics that are both political and personal, dealing with issues we can all relate to.

Accursed To Overcome is musically as powerful and addictive as the legendary Japanese records it draws influence from, while Dirty Wombs diligently continue to make their own thing, stepping into their own reality. An excellent record that stands on its own.