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Review: 'Djevara'
'Viva! / Punk is not a Sound'   

-  Album: 'Viva! / Punk is not a Sound' -  Label: 'Genin Records / Djevara Music'
-  Genre: 'Punk/New Wave'

Our Rating:
Djevara are conflicted, and ultimately decided that their latest offering should have two titles, which seemingly reflect two very different aspects of their psyche. Punk, of course, is not a sound, but an attitude and a state of mind, but much of the material here is punk in the vein of Fugazi, Black Flag, Tar. Gritty US hardcore / post hardcore defines the choppy guitars and half-spoken, half-shouted vocals. ‘It’s Friday night, let’s party’ Anté Bassey hollers on ‘Mexico’.

It’s a powerfully sociopolitical work, homing in on issues of racism and injustice (something Anté has experienced first-hand as the son of African immigrants, born in Glasgow and bred in London). As much of this power derives from its sincerity and passion as from the driving guitars.

It’s simultaneously tight but also loose: the rhythm is precision defined, but the guitars and vocals veer off as they please: in short, it captures the energy of old-school hardcore punk, and energy and sentiment take priority over technical detail. Throw in elements of RATM (as much about Anté’s petulant, angry vocal delivery, particularly apparent on ‘Democracy’) and more delicate, expansive musical passages reminiscent of …Trail of the Dead and you’ve got a pretty potent cocktail.

Djevara Online
  author: Christopher Nosnibor

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Djevara - Viva! / Punk is not a Sound