Smerch / Ultra Razzia – Split EP

Primator Crew / Mangy Little Mut Records

 

Sometimes I love a record so much, I honestly don’t know how to start my review on it. Primator Crew’s and Mangy Little Mut Records’ latest split EP between Smerch and Ultra Razzia is one of those records. So no fancy introduction today – although this is getting awfully close to it anyway… - and time to get straight to the review, so let’s go!

 

First up is Smerch from Russia. The band’s debut “Le Bataillon De Post Skins” was fairly brilliant – to say the least – and its release on vinyl (after a cassette in late 2019) was definitely one of last year’s musical highlights. If you don’t own it – buy it now, and while you’re at it, pick this split up as well! Because just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, the Russians raised the bar even higher with their two brand new songs “Outsider” and “I’m Scared Too”! Who said post-punk and Oi! music couldn’t go hand in hand? Because Smerch’s ‘post-Oi!’ proves it can and with these two tracks full of power, melancholy and finesse they are ready to take over the scene by storm!

 

A band who already took over by storm is the band on the flipside, Ultra Razzia. The French-Canadians released nothing but H-bombs ever since 2017’s “La Demo” and the two new tracks on the band’s third split record (the band released a massive split LP with their Colombian-Canadian friends of Dead Hero in 2020 and earlier this year the aforementioned demo got bundled with Béton Armé’s demo of 2018, making both available on vinyl for the very first time) are most definitely no exception! I even dare to say that “Aimes-Tu La Vie?” (“Do You Like Life?”) and “Aboie” (“Bark”) are some of the band’s best work to date and with a band that releases hit after hit that should say enough!

 

Therefor the final verdict can be nothing but to state that this record is a must-have. Both bands are ridiculously good, even better than before, making this one of my favorite new releases of 2021 so far! So buy now, or cry later!