Cœur Vaillant – Mercenaire

Combate Brutal

 

Whenever I get a package from either Luís or San (Combate Brutal) I know I am in for a treat – and wow, this time around it ain’t any different! A single sided 12” packed in a thick, glossy sleeve with black flood inside, containing powerful artwork and fantastic graphics that pop right out and both a two-sided insert and custom record sleeve AND a giant poster as the cherry on top?! These guys just seem to outdo themselves with every record they release and once again this 12” just screams top notch quality!

 

But not just the packaging is from supreme quality, the music is as well. Consisting out of Jibé (Crâne De Fer, Toholl’s, West Side Boys) and Dave Rockin (Faction-S, Tchernobyl), Cœur Vaillant is the duo’s latest outfit and delivers a brute and solid, mid-paced sound that is very much inspired by the 80’s, but that sounds fresh and vibrant nonetheless!

 

Though you wouldn’t say so when you hold Combate Brutal’s ‘version’ of “Mercenaire” in your hands, this is indeed the band’s self-released demo from earlier this year. Now literally released in all its glory, the full package is obviously an absolute must-have for fans of French Oi!, and easily one of my favorite (demo-)releases of this year! Because whether it be – the for vinyl promoted title-track - “Mercenaire”, “Croix De Feu” or the fantastic Skin Deep cover “Boots On His Feet” (re-translated to “Porte Tes Docs”), I just can’t get enough of any of these tracks!

 

And I am sure you will feel the same! So yes, Combate Brutal’s releases are notorious for selling out before you even had the chance to get yourself a copy, but I am sure the band and a small selection of befriended mailorders will get some stock as well. So don’t hesitate and secure yourself a copy when you can! Beautiful and brilliant!