Sugako – Advance 2021

Coming from projects like A Sad Bada, Colectivo No, La Golden Acapulco, Esconder Micara, Teogonía, and many more, this Chilean fourtet hailing from the capital city of Santiago might just catch your ear with the energy they project in their work and the political (back)ground in which they stand.

I first heard of them at last year’s Virtual Mutante festival, which celebrated the 23rd anniversary of Productora Mutante, a stronghold of Chilean underground music. I haven’t had the chance to see them live yet, but I was interested in their mixture of elements of so-called alternative music (a meaningless category that at least helps us create an image about them) and decided to check out their only recording so far.

Recorded and released in September of last year, this two-track demo shows the mixture of slow, heavy and evocative constructions central to the post-metal anatomy, with a vocal delivery and rumbling approach akin to the emotionality of post-hardcore, and some rhythms and ideas from groove metal and sludge. It’s the sound of alternative metal in a classic combination very reminiscent of the overly nostalgic ’90s, with thick and strong, but not too tight, instrumentation. This kind of sound still persists in various micro-scenes of the country, with groups very often trying to portray their own version of it through the years.

The lyrics deal with the group’s namesake, Kanno Sugako, a Japanese anarchist journalist interested in the liberation of women and humanity as a whole. She was executed by hanging on January 25, 1911 by the Japanese government for her involvement in the High Treason Incident, a plot by a group of socialists and anarchists to assassinate Emperor Meiji. 26 people were arrested, twelve of whom were hanged despite the lack of direct evidence. Two others were sentenced to eight and eleven years in prison, and the remaining twelve were sentenced to life imprisonment. Sugako was the last to be executed. She had previously been tried for her participation in the demonstration known as the Red Flag Incident, a celebration for the release from prison of anarchist Koken Yamaguchi, but was found not guilty. Of course, these cases were used as an excuse for political repression.

“Nublado (18 enero 1911)” begins with a trembling, melancholic guitar arpeggio, supported by a droning low note and a ringing high noise that joins their restless dance shortly after the piece begins. As the title might suggest, it has a cloudy vibe. It’s kind of foggy, but only just, until the echoing drums suddenly come in, slowly and firmly pounding, building up to a rough riff that enters the scene, kicking, repeating, affirming itself. Then we enter the verse with screaming vocals, telling part of the High Treason Incident. The date on the title refers to the day the sentences were pronounced. The track itself avoids a typical verse-chorus-verse structure and builds one part after the other in a seamless way.

“Testamento”, the second and last song, slow and hypnotic, continues in the same style. The pulse of the overdriven bass pulls you along with the ambience of the half-sung vocals, something between a plaintive spoken word and a restrained scream. Overall, the song is more dynamic than the first, with a nice use of contrast and volume changes. The highs are stronger, the lows more dense and the electronic details shine through much more while still remaining in the background as a subtle but important accompaniment. Of course, all of this takes into account the rehearsal-like quality of the recording, which can either enhance or detract from the release, depending on your taste.

As far as it goes, we get a general idea of Sugako’s intentions in these ten minutes. Despite the subtlety the band offers, they are still very direct and confrontational, like many groups within the genre. Not quite atmospheric and too dependent on the post-rock side of post-metal and its build-up clichés, but still concerned with creating sonic environments and emotions that fully embrace the lyrical and historical concepts behind the band. It will be interesting to see if they experiment more with the use of textures, noises and other techniques in the future, as well as continue to try out different vocal styles and ways of combining different parts in their songs while still being coherent.