Ka’tzon La’tevach (כצאן לטבח) – Demo

Ka’tzon La’tevach, which translates to “Like Lambs to the Slaughter” in Hebrew, is a brand-new band spanning the cities of Tel Aviv and Madrid. Their self-released, four-track demo dropped seemingly out of nowhere in December 2019, quickly followed by a small Israeli tour to close out the year.

Musically, Ka’tzon La’tevach channels the seething rage of late ’90s and early 2000s hardcore, with no intention of softening their edges. These four tracks are dark, intense, and unapologetically violent. Their sound is rooted in pounding rhythms, raging leads, and bleak crust melodies that recall the likes of Severed Head of State, Tragedy, and Stàte of Feär. It’s hardcore punk stripped down to its most visceral and confrontational elements.

The riffs on this demo are razor-sharp, anchoring the chaos with precision and drive. Meanwhile, the vocals are super desperate, bordering on grating, but that harshness adds to the band’s overall darkness and ferocity. The delivery matches the weight of their lyrics, which are all in Hebrew and tackle the ednless political tensions and violence in the Middle East. Rather than offering solutions, the band channels pure anger and frustration, spitting out their fury about war, atrocities, and the bloody history of the Israeli apartheid state.

This is not an easy record to digest, and it’s not supposed to be. Ka’tzon La’tevach doesn’t aim to provide comfort or resolution; instead, they embody the dark emotion and negativity that hardcore punk excels at expressing. For those who appreciate charged music where the personal is political, this is a demo worth your attention.