Habak – Mil Orquídeas en Medio del Desierto

We had been eagerly awaiting the new album from Mexico’s Habak. It has been five years since the Tijuana-based group released their previous full-length, Ningún Muro Consiguió Jamás Contener la Primavera, a record that cemented them as part of the new wave of DIY neocrust bands sweeping the underground. Since then, they’ve put out a remarkable split with California’s Lagrimas and collaborated with them on two tracks last year, to the latter’s crushing debut A Life Of Destruction. The arrival of Habak’s new LP was only a matter of time, given that they also went on extensive tours in the meantime, including one in Europe.

Titled Mil Orquídeas En Medio del Desierto (“A Thousand Orchids in the Middle of the Desert” from Spanish), immediately elevates itself as a stunning display of melodic crust songwriting. Running for 36 minutes, the album feels suffocating, impassioned, hypnotic, furious, melancholic, yet still hopeful. It draws from the legacy of bands like From Ashes Rise, Remains Of The Day, Muga, Ekkaia, Madame Germen, Ictvs, early Fall Of Efrafa, and Dead To A Dying World. It also taps into more emo/post influences reminiscent of the Church of Ra, and even blackgaze elements (as heard in “Notas sobre el olvido”), pointing to the wave of extreme metal innovations that took place about fifteen years ago.

Using key samples, compositions that exceed six and a half minutes, phenomenal drumming, and methodical atmospheric build-ups, Habak is destined to become a crucial band in the scene. Frenzied neocrust assaults like “Alienación y delirio,” the engrossing self-titled opening track that instantly transports you to another realm, and the folk interludes all forge a compelling atmosphere aiming to break away from the depressing, oppressive climate of today’s desolate capitalist societies. The explosive “Desarraigo,” featuring a near-Cascadian post-black riff while retaining Habak’s signature eerie chords, enhanced by the album’s stellar production, sums up the band’s anguished endeavor.

Their sonic identity holds a balanced interplay of cultural and musical heritage. From Spanish-language lyrics and evocative artwork to folk-inspired guitar work, Habak’s approach stands out from the crowd. Like their contemporaries Lagrimas, …But The Shadows Have Foes (also back with a new album), Encierro, Autarch, Svdestada, Tenue, Knivad, Dark Circles, Wreathe (and, by extension, Morrow), Hemiptera, and others, Habak takes a well-defined genre—rooted in antifascist, anticapitalist, and anti-imperialist ideals—and turns it into a source of community power, empathy, and mutual aid.

With every listen, Mil Orquídeas En Medio del Desierto reaffirms Habak’s distinctive style, serving as a sonic manifesto that exemplifies why DIY crust punk still resonates, influences, and remains significant. Habak returns with a record that will become a landmark for this genre. Poetic yet insurgent, gripping yet acutely aware of its themes, this new LP from the Mexican band is a heartfelt offering. An exploration of a unique musical palette that they manage to harness just enough to let it flourish in the concrete, the desert, and the ashes left by war’s devastation. It’s a bright star of hope in nights that never see daylight. Truly, one of the year’s must-hear releases.