It's funny to me that I didn't realize how much I associated the "Killed By Death" style of punk with South and Central American punk groups until I picked up Regeneracion by Generacion Suicida. Funny, of course, becuase, 1) Generacion Suicida is from LA, and 2) Killed By Death comps mostly cataloged English language, or at least, Western European punk bands. That said, I have good reason (I think) for associating this classic and iconic style with groups like Sapu Punk, and others I've stumbled across on Bandcamp. For whatever reason, I was listening to a lot of that kind of stuff five or so years ago, and I remember it reignited my interest in going back and checking out some raw and underproduced punk comps from decades back. As a result, the two will likely remain entwined in my brain like quarreling lovers until the day I kick the bucket. This isn't a bad thing, mind you. Bands from the Southern Hemisphere tend, on the whole, to be a lot less self-conscious about what they play, and don't seem to care how old or well-trodden the turf they're transgressing might be. They don't tend to get into punk for the clout, is what I'm getting at. And that was true for the original KBD comps, as well; some Swedish dude thought bands like Zero Boys, Subhumans, and Violators sounded cool, and therefore he wanted more people to hear them. Any resulting cache was incidental (and mostly acquired by mistake). But when I think about it even more, my real reference point for this style of punk is probably most aligned with Mujeres Podridas, who I always erroneously thought was from Chile for some reason (Fact Check: they're actually from Texas). Anyway, at some point, a lot of people all came to the same correct conclusion that wiry, rare, and lightly crusted punk sounds best when shouted in Spanish with Southwestern-infused chords filling out the grooves. These elements add a crucial layer of intrigue to the whole affair, and, what's more, ground the sound in a more working-class, salt-of-the-earth orientation. It's not the kind of punk you'll hear in a high-end or legacy sneaker ad, but the kind that you might catch spilling out of a busted-up pick-up truck as it kicks up dust and leaves its owner's current worksite in the rearview mirror for another day, or hopping the fence and catching your ear from across a back alley where your neighbor's BBQ is still going hard at 2 am. While a good deal of Generacion Suicida's early material had that kind of knife-edge-playing, get-it-out or die-trying, Wipers demo vibe to it, Regeneracion rightfully revives and revolutionizes their sound by making a deal with a particularly handsome and skilled devil at the crossroads of desert rock and post-punk, and in the process rejuvenating their darkly critical perspective and aesthetic to make it even more piercing and crucial in its urgency. The band really sound like scrubland partisans planning their next daring raid while on horseback when it comes to tracks like the sidewinding venturer "Todo Es Un Sueno" and the iron-hoved dash of "Jaulas." Elsewhere, "Ilusion" emulates a perfect rendezvous point between prairie punk sensibilities and darkly elusive, neo-noir chord progressions, while later, the punchy "Violencia" plunges and parries in a series of subtle offensives while surviving on a sustained drip of spite and adrenaline. Finally, the band's near limitless determination resolves to an all-to-human demand for certainty and resolution on "Dime Donde Esta," before leaving the listener with the final, fatal echo of "Me Estan Buscando." Regeneracion sounds like the start of a new era for Generacion Suicida, a recommitment to form with added inspiration that leaves them inevitably changed, and for the better.
