ESKAPO / ISTUKAS OVER DISNEYLAND
Split-7″
(Darbouka Records)

Pretty amazing to see old Fred of the ancient Darbouka Records is still putting out good hard-to-get releases after all these years! Just like fellow French label Tian An Men 89, Darbouka is known put out records by bands beyond the usual Europe, UK & the USA axis. I do wonder how many releases has Darbouka done, but this one is highly recommended; not just because it’s Pinoy hardcore-punk (thus a rare sight to have on vinyl), but it’s actually a very enjoyable release pitting two raging Pinoy bands addressing the issues festering in their backyard.

ISTUKAS OVER DISNEYLAND have been going for ages and they have always known to be been dishing out variations of mid-tempo melodic street punk, but not this time. This is like Francis and gang gone full-tilt hardcore-punk Рspitting fast, furious and short songs with the drumming right at the forefront rearranging our faces. I must say this is a huge difference from the IOD I used to know; the only semblance is Francis’ “forever-15-year-old” vocals and the band’s ability to inject tuneful delivery even when they are going much too fast around the bends.

ESKAPO on the other hand is a hell lot more beefed-up, like a manic bulldog on a rampage; a little more on the tough “hardcore” side of things but still keeping it raw, rough and raging. The band is actually from San Francisco but the members are Filipino-Americans who still give a shit about their motherland; singing about the Ampatuan massacre, abducted and tortured activist Melissa Roxas and the continuing foibles of the inept Filipino government in dealing with its own shortcomings.

[audio:https://thericecookershop.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/07-Istukas-Over-Disneyland-Menor-de-edad.mp3|titles=07 – Istukas Over Disneyland – Menor de edad] [audio:https://thericecookershop.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/04-Eskapo-Order-of-battle.mp3|titles=04 – Eskapo – Order of battle]

[Rating:7/10]

Note: you can get this from IOD themselves. Contact Francis: infoimation at gmail dot com

Darbouka: http://darbouka.pagesperso-orange.fr
ISTUKAS: http://www.myspace.com/lovefromhate (IOD)
ESKAPO: http://www.myspace.com/eskapo