The Horrid – El demo horrible

From Santiago, Chile comes this horror-filled hardcore punk band, fast, reverberant and lo-fi. From the same place that gave birth to bands like El Antagonista (Tobi Records) and the same label (Misfortune Records) that released stuff from bands like Maldición, Insecurity, and Suicide Club, these three guys release their first tape (and the label’s 7th) into the rotten world. Let’s check it out.

Horror-themed punk and rock has been around in Chile for a while, with acts like Letifer and Don Zata, but not so much in the pure and classic Misfits style. Lyrics about secrets, apathy, anger, nonconformity, the misery that covers us, the decaying corpse of cities and so-called progressive countries, all expressed in an intro track and three punk songs with distorted guitars and an echoing voice.

It should be noted that despite the name of the tape, the lyrics are sung in English, something that is not so common nowadays in Chile, but that was very normal more than 10 years ago and that bands like Remission (a great band by the way) still do.

The intro is a dark instrumental, with strings and synths creating a gothic atmosphere, perfect to introduce us to the world of The Horrid. Then comes the song called “Horrid”, a classic horror punk themed banger, with a constant pulse, galloping, which changes into the more nuanced “He hates”, with more changes in rhythm. The final track is “Nightmare”, a bit more melodic than the rest.

If you love both ’80s and ’90s hardcore and are into the dark side of the mind and the sickness of the world, this might be just the thing for you.

The tape comes with a four-panel card with info, lyrics and more and is spray-painted. A truly beautiful piece of work.