A couple of years ago we listened to the fantastic Tar Blood/ Cement Skin (released by the Valencian label Soil) by Spammerheads and loved it at first sight. We really enjoyed their update of EBM spiced with a bit of synth punk and industrial, and their songs got us hooked. Shortly after, our colleague Karl interviewed them and also brought them to Madrid to play on EBM Day. Then we have been able to see them at festivals like Ombra and DarkMad, concerts in which they have shown to have an overwhelming live. And finally, we have in our hands, published again by Soil their new work, a vinyl with six tracks (and two digital bonus) titled Disclaimer. The mastering has been done by the great Thomas P. Heckmann, so a great sound is guaranteed.
For once, I know the songs before listening for the first time to Disclaimer and while the needle goes through the grooves, I recognize the melodies and choruses that had already conquered me live. The duo defines itself as working class electronica and they prove it from the first track, a combative “Right To fight”. This first composition already warns us of what is coming: the band’s trademark penetrating synthesizers, strong basses and David’s aggressive singing.
If you call a track “We the machines”, it’s normal to put a robotic effect on the vocals, and that’s what David does here in this composition with a classic EBM flavor and a great chorus. The next track, “Piggies in the abattoir”, I recognized it right away, as it had caught my attention in its live version thanks to its aggresive sounds and David’s cheeky way of singing. The song also has a nice melody close to new beat. On Side B we have “Human Hysteria”, which I was also familiar with, with David delivering a heartfelt rendition on the chorus, while being tough and sassy on the verses. Musically, they continue with the hard and powerful rhythms that penetrate the brain. The album continues with “Intravenous”, the most frenetic and aggressive track of the six. And finally, although it has a more “romantic” title like “Love Shall Prevail”, it is a composition with powerful synthesizers, a little more danceable, catchy chorus and a great ending with dreamy sounds.
In its digital version we find two tracks: the instrumental “Awakening in Metropolis” and “Crawl, hiss & bite” that would not have been out of place on the album.
