Nagasaki – Invierno

Valparaíso is the closest region to the capital of Chile, Santiago. Together with Concepción, they are the most populated cities in the country. One of the most vibrant places is Quilpué, from where many punk, electronic and experimental projects emerge. Nagasaki, a droning punk and hardcore band with a taste for metal, also comes from this area. In 2018, they recorded their second album, Invierno, which was released this year. On this record, the band has incorporated more doom and sludge influences without forgetting their punk and crust roots.

And here’s a little history. The band started in 2011 after the breakup of the group A voi pitra, and before Nagasaki they used different names like Ensangre. They recorded their first self-titled album, but went on hiatus in 2015, only to return with a new lineup.

On their sophomore effort Invierno, they return with a more atmospheric but raw vibe, with longer tracks. The tension is built up in the structure of the tracks, like in the first one, “Harakiri”, which starts with a fast beat and explosive instrumentation that abruptly turns into a dark-toned and slow-paced melodic phrase with a melancholic melody, also shared with the second track, similar to the sound of Spanish neocrust bands (Ekkaia, Madame Germen, etc.).

Despite the calm it projects to the listener, it is very thin, as if it could break at any moment, barely holding as the songs progress. As if something is always waiting to burst out.

The change of rhythms, the type of sounds, delays, clean and distorted guitars, feelings and feedbacks, droning bass, pulsating, constant and agitated drums show how the band wanted to do something different than their debut. Maybe it was the change in lineup or the almost five years between the two releases. Whatever it was, it helped a lot. This is a great evolution for the band. The sound is tighter, fresher and more effective.

Despite all this, they still have the classic crust and hardcore punk sound in songs like “Tormentas” (also the shortest of the album) and “Raíces”. Is not a change that feels off or weird, it works naturally in the contest of Nagasaki’s history.

There’s no doubt that this trio can play and knows what they’re doing, but one of the things I didn’t like was the sound quality. The drums feel a bit separated from the rest of the instruments and the volume is a bit unbalanced at times. I think the overall sound could have been stronger and wider. It certainly would have increased the energy of the album. The vocals, which don’t appear much, are great though. Subtle, like a detail in between everything.

For this release, the band was a trio: Sandro Carvajal (drums and vocals), who also mixed the album, Bryan Mura (bass and vocals), Felipe Vásquez (guitar).