Band : La Vieja Guardia
Album title : La Vieja Guardia
Label : I Scream
Distributor : Hard Life Promotion - CNR
Release date : 10/10/2008
Release : MCD (5 tracks)

One of the songs that was featured on the Material Subversivo album by Hialeah (a suburb of Miami) based Hardcore act Guajiro (the song concerned was "Delinquente", if you need to know)was co-written by guitarist Harold Bosch (of DNME and Mehkago N.T.) and a singer called Frank Lopez (about whom I have no further info). The cooperation (which was extended by playing along on the album) pleased the two so much, they decided to create a new, somewhat special, project.

Seeing as how Hardcore is a somewhat regional genre, with some of the regions creating their own recognizable sound (think of NY, LA, Boston, who all left a mark on Hardcore history)...they felt it was about time the same happened for Miami. After all, the city had been the home for many a famous Hardcore band dating back to the '80s (just look at the dedication list on the back cover of LVG's debut EP: Anger, Beyond Reason, Brethren, Burning Strong, DNME, Mindframe, Out Of Spite, Powerhouse, The Weapon, Timescape Zero, Trust No One)...but all thóse bands jumped onto existing styles rather than trying to create something that would be regionally identifiable! Now...I don't know if yoù know, but the city of Miami is often considered the gateway to the United States by immigrants coming from Cuba and Puerto Rico...and so the guys decided to have the thoughts and fears of that part of the population in Miami come forth in their lyrics, combining it with the kind of Hardcore they were raised on.

Musically, the guys (backed up by Guajiro comrades David Sontos on guitar and Douglas MacKinnon on the drums, plus William Medina on bass, the seasoned members' resumé includes tenures in such famous bands like Ignite, The Vandals, Anger, DNME, Slapshot, Mehkago N.T., and more, and have therefore more than earned the right to call themselves "The Old Guard" in Spanish) play the kind of furious old school Hardcore as one would be able to hear played by the likes of Warzone, Burn, Judge, and Leeway (to name but a few of the most important ones; a full list can be consulted at the band's MySpace page), expanding on that sound by adding some of the most aggressive elements from the pre-Metalcore '90s! Obviously, if you're gonna express what ails a certain part of a population, you're gonna do that in their own language, in this case the typical street lingo of Cubans (the only song with an English sung passage is the EP closing "Discarga Violenta", and it's brought through the guest appearance of Mehkago N.T.'s P-Dub). Lyrics are said to "...teeter on the brink between the philosophical and utterly brutal while keeping it streetwise...," so, in other words, there's a socio-political touch to the whole. So far, the band has opened shows for some of the biggest bands in the genre, including Madball, Sick Of It All, Killing Time, Bloodclot, Death Before Dishonor, Wisdom In Chains...shows with 25 Ta Life coming up, and tours in Puerto Rico and South America already announced (without details...in fact, there's no dates announced on the band's MySpace page at all!).

You can listen to àll 5 songs on the EP by surfing to myspace.com/thelvg! If you're into the more aggressive kind of '90s Hardcore, are not aversed to getting it presented in a Spanish slang, then you'll find a very nice debut here. One that leaves a hunger in the soul for more...so as far as I'm concerned, I'm eagerly anticipating a full-length release! Meanwhile, I've found out that individual members of the band are indeed actively supporting presidency candidate Barack Obama (Guajiro has posted a live video of the song "Ole (Latinos For Hope)", mixed with footage from the politician during a rally). The world can only hope for him to indeed become president of the US, because at least as a coloured man he has a better understanding of being the underdog. But can we really wànt him to succeed? After all, history learns us that US presidents known for their sensitivity for the enpoveriched people of their country usually end up murdered (remember the Kennedys, or even Lincoln?). Personally, I fear for the man's life in case of success, because "Big Business" is not gonna like the reforms he'll be trying to push through!

90/100

Tony.