Sangharsha – Bayou

February 8, 2014 • Alerta Antifascista Records

I don't think that, before this week, I'd ever heard any music from Nepal before. It's not a country you really hear much about, especially when it comes to contemporary popular music. But of course it's always good to expand one's horizons. Sangharsha plays modern hardcore, and although there really isn't that much about them that sounds at all Nepalese to me, they're still definitely putting out some quality stuff.

Bayou was actually recorded in the United States with Converge's Kurt Ballou helping out, so the album is definitely Western-sounding and you can definitely feel a bit of the Converge sound in there. But Sangharsha is a band all their own; at its core Bayou probably falls under "crust punk"—they alternate between D-beat, blasting, and heavy, sludgy chugging sections. There isn't a whole lot in the way of technicality, but the riffs are plenty great as it stands; I especially love the breakdown sections like at the end of "Muslo". There is the occasional almost-post-rock-like bridge as well (see the longer tracks "Aseena" and "Kachuli") where their intense sound lets up temporarily, keeping things interesting and diverse, always a good thing.

It's a short album, but I think that is probably best—the quality doesn't let up throughout and I don't feel like there are any moments where the band coasts along on a dull riff or filler track. Short and sweet, like good punk should be. These guys are definitely on the right track with Bayou; I'm looking forward to hearing more from them.