INTERVIEW: Javi of Dramatic Battle: Spanish Scene (Part 1 of 2)

05/29/09 we conducted an interview with Javi from the band Dramatic Battle of Spain. Javi was kind enough to share an in depth history / update on the scene in Espania. Because of this length, due to the in depth sharing regarding their national scene, the interview will be broken into two parts.

Later this week we will share the second half of the interview which share specifically with his band Dramatic Battle. [Part one of two.]

It is not often we hear of the Spanish scene, or get the chance to speak with someone about it, what is the nationalist music scene like in Spanish can you give us some history? And share some incite into up and coming acts?
Right now there are several active bands with talented musicians. Probably the most important one is Estirpe Imperial (Imperial Breed), from Madrid, who started playing in 1991 after another RAC band called Producto Nacional (National Product) split-up. Their sound is a mix of RAC, hard rock, metal and classic ballads. However the band had several line-up problems through the years and only recorded studio albums. They had 5 albums and some participation in international RAC compilations, but no live performances. However, about 3 years ago, they started to play acoustic guitar sets and some time later got a permanent line-up which let them play regular gigs. After some successful concerts in Spain they played in the Verona Summer Fest ’07 with Endstufe, Gesta Bellica, Zetazeroalfa, Fear rains Down, Sleipnir.

On may 2008, they played another great gig in a mainstream concert hall from Madrid together with La Compagnia dell’Anello (70’s Italian nationalist rock band) with about 600 strong in attendance. Recently they played in Sweden for a nationalist group's party and in most recently on May the 16th ’09 in Rome with Zetazeroalfa, Ultima Frontiera, SPQR and Hate For Breakfast, in the nationalist squat Area 19. Now they have plans to play in Slovakia and some other European places.

Also in Madrid there are several disbanded groups, such as Batallon de Castigo (Punishment Battalion) which was a raw death metal nationalist band formed in prison about 1991 or so. After some poor demo tapes the founder and singer-guitarist were able to record the debut CD in 1998; with the help of several old and new members. They were a very good live band and all the people loved their songs and live performance. They recorded 3 albums and split-up, but recently they announced a reunion gig which unfortunately was banned by authorities. Another band formed in prison sharing members with BdC was Zetme 88 (Zetme is the Spanish army weapon) which only recorded a good Oi!-RAC demo tape.

Post Mortem is a new hardcore / metal band from Madrid which after some live shows have recorded their debut album, though they had some problems with line-up, supposedly they will be releasing the CD pretty soon.

Odal played many gigs in Spain and abroad and have released 4 full length CDs, and also participated in some international compilations, Krasny Bor 1943 (named after a bloody battle in Soviet Russia were many Spanish volunteers from Blau Division died fighting the reds), was a very good band which released 2 albums of fast melodic RAC; before they split-up they turned into a hooligan band. Falkata (named after a ancient Spanish sword) recorded an excellent self-produced 2 track-CD but vanished soon after.

3ª Via (3rd Way), Alea Jacta Est and Hispanic Centuria only recorded a couple of songs for a national compilation and then disappeared. Desorden (Disorder) recorded a self-produced CD but later split-up; they had shared members from Odal who then went on later to form another band called Rebeldes (Rebels).

Nowadays you can find some other bands such as ours, Dramatic Battle, Asedio (Siege) a rock band which played some gigs and it’s said is preparing the debut CD, and Kasus Belli, a very active young RAC band.

Barcelona, which is the 2nd biggest Spanish city, has always had some good bands such as: Torquemada 1488 (after a XVI century inquisitor), Patria, Estandarte 88 who split-up some time ago; (rumors are they will reunite), Tormenta (Storm) an RAC / metal project with members from Patria and some metal bands, Legado (Legacy) which is a ballad side-project from Patria’s singer, Sangre y Oro (Blood and Gold, after the colors of Spanish flag), who share members with Estirpe Imperial, Patria and Tormenta.

Tercios (Corps) who released a very good melodic RAC CD some years ago are preparing their come back. Including members of Tercios is Retaguardia (Rearguard), a very young and talented nationalist metalcore band. They have an excellent CD out and will be recording the 2nd one soon.

Also in Barcelona you can find very active crews who formed bands such as Arma Blanca (Sharp Weapon) a self-proclaimed hate punk band with several productions and a raw sound. Their lyrics are crude and violent and full of irony and humor. The following bands are from the same area and share several members: Sospechosos Habituales (Usual Suspects), a hooligan band in the vein of Kategorie C., Uppercut ,a RAC project now defunct; Prisionero Nº7 (Prisoner nº7, after Rudolf Hess’ inmate number in Spandau), a strong political project; Disciplina Nacional (National Discipline), which is a national Rock project; Los Rockeros de Cristo Rey (King Christ’s Rockers, after a die-hard gang of patriots from the 70’s who used to fight reds on the streets after Franco’s death)... Impertinencia (Impertinence) is a NR rock band, very politically motivated. LRdCR have two CD’s out with very intelligent lyrics.

More recently you can hear new bands such as Resistencia (Resistance), Hijos del Odio (Sons of Hate), Codigo 18 (Code 18), Keltcore (Celtic-core), Irminsul, Odio Urbano (Urban Hate) which includes the former singer from Chile’s Odal Sieg.

In Valencia (Eastern Spain) we had great acts such as Division 250 (named after Spanish Blau Division which fought in Russia against the reds). The legendary RAC band Div. 250 released 4 albums, most recently a "best of" album. The band played some concerts abroad and became one of the best Spanish bands ever. However, the singer then left the skinhead music scene, and became a political activist with an nationalist party. Another legendary band from Valencia was Klan, who released only one album; which is considered one of the best RAC albums here in Spain. The CD included a really famous cover from Böhse Onkelz’s "Wir ham’ noch lange nicht genug" which now is more famous than the original one.

Some other defunct bands are Rebelion (Rebellion), Legion Negra which includs the singer from Patria, Seccion de Asalto (Storm Section) and Iberos Saiti (after their town’s name).
Right now there is a new band called Brigada 1238 (after the conquest of Valencia from the Muslims during the wars on middle ages) , which has released a CD and recently played in VFS-USGI 2009 gig in Italy.

You can find a couple of good bands in Valladolid (Central Spain, near Madrid) Rienzi and Mas Que Palabras (More Than Words). Rienzi’s has released one CD so far and style can be considered as hatecore. After some line-up problems, the band has announced they’re preparing to record their new stuff pretty soon. MQP’s sound is a blend of strong RAC and hints of hardcore and they’ve become a well-known band on the international RAC scene. Now, even though they’re looking for new members, they are still on the frontline. Several MQP members have recently started a new nationalist Oi band called Offenders.

From Asturias (Northern Spain) we’ve got Reconquista (Reconquest), a very good RAC / metal band which recorded a demo CD and 2 albums and played many gigs; unfortunately they split-up several years ago. Later on in Asturias a band called Brigada Totenkopf appeared, who have since released a 3 song demo and 2 full length CDs. Rumors say they’ve split-up, however, it looks like they’re still together. Bastonazos Oi! (Oi! Beatings) is a fun Oi / punk project including members from BT with ironic, brutal with sexually explicit lyrics.

Zaragoza (Northern-Eastern Spain) also owns some RAC bands such as Batallon Ezquerra (Ezquerra’s Battalion, after a Spanish 2nd World War brave soldier), who have played several gigs live but yet to record anything. Also from Zaragoza is Territorio Salduba (Salduba Territory), a brutal hardcore band that has played a few gigs.

From Sevilla (Southern Spain) we had an old-school nationalist Oi band called Primera Linea (First Line or Frontline) which released a very good album on 1996 but later split-up. Some of the members formed Ofensiva 88 but never recorded anything.

Nowadays in Sevilla there is an Oi project under the name of Cruzcampers (after the Spanish beer Cruzcampo), whose sound is quite melodic and classic.

In Malaga (near to Sevilla) there’s a new band called 88 Puñaladas (88 Stabs), playing classic Oi / RAC and with a demo due out soon.

In Extremadura (Western Spain) there’s a classic Oi / RAC band called IX Legion, named after a Roman Legion which fought there during the Roman Empire. Members of this band and 88 Puñaladas formed a new project called Iberian Wolves.

Last but not least, we’ve got our own nationalist songwriters such as Axis Mundi (World Axis), who has released about 4 albums in a Frank Rennicke’s/Italian NR bands' style [folk / ballad]; and Mara Ros, a female singer who recently released a CD. Both artists have also released split albums.

[Part 1 of 2]