Often in the course of my long militancy in listening to crust punk and that primordial soup known as stenchcore, I have come across several bands that use an aesthetic that invokes paganism, an ancestral relationship with nature and theories that oscillate between primitivism and a critique of civilization. One of the bands that impressed me the most a few years ago was the Spanish band Amhra, authors in 2019 of “Mas Alla,” a record that is the perfect example of what they label “barbarian crust punk,” a fierce, savage and warlike sound. I had a chat with them, covering different issues: from the relationship between paganism and crust punk to an in-depth look at the Galician diy punk scene and the connection between their homeland and a certain spiritual approach to the natural environment, all while never losing the focus on the anti-civilization and critical approach to the domestication of humans, animals and nature, which is well rooted deep in Amhra’s music. An intense, in-depth interview dense with food for thought and topics discussed, real notes for a current critique of this existing dominated by the religion of profit and daily oppression and exploitation. So that punk can once again become a radical alternative way of life, here and now!
Hi guys, welcome to Disastro Sonoro! Let’s start in the most classic way: would you like to give us some biographical notes about your band? And what is the meaning behind the name Amhra?
Hey there!!, First of all, our most sincere gratitude for your interest in our band… Amhra started as a project based in the Northwest corner of the Spanish state, in a region of the Atlantic coastline called Galicia, a forested area full of rivers and small fjords, traditionally known for its relationship with nature and its old ways. Amhra is eminently a rural-based project and the result of some of its members relocating from the city to the countryside back in 2012 to lead a more primitive and closer-to-earth lifestyle. These experiences have lead us to Amhra. which comes to mean “of noble spirit” in celtic gaelic language, remnants of which are still visible in the land where we dwell.
Your first full length “Mas Allà” presented a sound strongly rooted in crust punk territories but capable of raiding extreme metal territories (both death and black). You call your music “Barbarian Crust,” would you like to explain this label and what do you mean by it? What are the bands that influence your sound?
As a band our influences are many and we are not constricted by any specific standards, genre, or scene whatsoever. But as you have said, we lean heavily towards Crust Punk and the harsher side of it, weaving into it strands of Black or Death metal and the likes. In any case, we have grown up with many of these styles and also many have been the bands before us blending it. We just offer our own interpretation of it; our contribution to such extreme genres; and a way to pay homage to its forebears.
By Barbarian Crust we are eager to invoke the elemental forces and beings that lie within nature as a whole and the primal spirit inside of us once it is released, something we think more unciviliced societies were more capable of achieving through ritualized practices such as group chanting or dancing; hence the name barbaric/an.
Again, as a living and breathing entity that nourishes its spirit from the fires lit by others, we are also influenced by music, art and literature outside the “extreme” spectrum, but some bands that have shaped our sound, either with their own sound, lyrics or imagery, would be Amebix, Wolfpack, Axegrinder, the first era of Disfear, and classic 90s Black Metal, such as Dodheimsgard, Darkthrone or Taake.
You come from Galicia, an extremely fascinating and mysterious region of Spain, partly because of its cultural history. What can you tell us about the punk-hardcore, DIY and underground scene in your region and in Spain in general? What are the most active realities, positive aspects and negative ones in your opinion of this scene?
Music in Galicia, generally speaking, has always been big and many are the bands that have given rise or contributed to different scenes throughout modern times. In DIY ethos and punk-hardcore, the movement reached its peak with the crust punk explosion of the 2000s, with many existing bands performing often at squatted social centers all around the main cities, being very active organizing shows with lots of touring bands and political activities as well. Although it has somehow decreased now, you can still find a more dispersed and decentralized scene that has shifted towards the outskirts or the countryside. At the same time, and as a side effect, many bands have started experimenting with new sounds and music communities. It has had the positive outcome of widening the scene and creating new scenarios in places where punk-hardcore was seldom heard of.
Musically I only know Galicia and the Galician language through the music of Sangre de Muerdago, who in their neofolk leave ample room for folklore and the naturalistic-mystical component of your land. The cover of Mas Allà has always evoked a similar feeling for me, of something ancestral and pagan. Does this “pagan” and mystical dimension exist in your music?
That mystical or “pagan”, nature influenced component permeates the land we inhabit and our music, of course. It is the output of the different inputs that link the earths´spirit and its animism with what we as human beings perceive and choose to transmit. Its different dimensions and vibrations, moods and changes, that come alive through us all. Furthermore, paganism is embedded within the very roots of Crust Punk, thanks to the likes of Amebix, Deviated Instinct, Zygote… Who, in their music interweaved political and social themes with alternative (pagan, gnostic, esoteric…) forms of spirituality and developed a strongly appealing imagery, based off the countryside and portraits of cultures and ages past. With Sangre de Muerdago we share a common bond and camaraderie, no doubt, since some members of Amhra have had a previous punk band, named Ursus, with SdM mastermind Pablo, before relocating to the countryside up north; back when we were all deeply inmersed in the DIY squat scene we helped create down by the city of Coruña.
Of course, despite Amhra sharing some background with all of this, it is not intended to be a spin-off of it all but instead it has become an entity of its own by absorbing much of the knowledge, skills, and creativity that has shaped all of us in a different vital background, much closer to primitive full-force experiences than before; life may have acquired a different meaning, but the same way of channeling it through music and most importantly, attitude, remains.
Speaking instead of the lyrics, what are the themes you want to deal with through your music? What inspired you on a socio-political and personal level in the writing of Mas Allà?
The lyrics of Amhra are a blend of personal (body/mind unity) approaches to pre-civilized myths, legends, spiritual well-being, and vibrational trascendence, plus an apocalyptic post-collapse scenario, that we might just be facing on this plane called Earth, or at least to where we are headed,a long descent happening as we speak, a downward spiral, step by step, towards a polarized, desestructured society, due to material accumulation, and depletion of earth´s joyfully granted riches. Who will survive? Our most primary instincts might come forth and either save us or condenm us depending on the amount of fear certain societies have accumulated during this descending process… So, what lies beyond (más allá) once we have crossed Earth’s last portal? Shall truth be revealed?…
What is your relationship with the more militant and politicized punk/hardcore scene? Do you consider yourselves a “political” band in the sense that you take clear positions such as anti-fascism or with practices such as self-management, occupation and benefits?
We are children of the underground, sons and daughters of the most militant Do It Yourself/Together approach to life. Not just in music-related affairs but also in a more structural and cultural way that relates to our daily duties. Although over time our lyrics might have turned out a bit more complex or apocalyptic, they emerge from our conception of anarchism and social justice and struggle, and Amhra will always reject tyranny in any given form, be it from warring humans, technoindustrial dystopias, AI-led senseless machines, or a mix of it all, as it seems to be the case nowadays in the hornets nest that the West has become. We support human, animal, earth… liberation through joy and cosmic intertwined natural evolution out of holistic cooperation to become a higher planetary self.
Deeply related to the previous question, what does it mean for Amhra to play crust punk today in 2022? What do you think can be the potential of genres such as punk and related in historical times like the one we are living in, dominated by wars, imperialism, profit hunger and environmental devastation?
The current circumstances we are facing must give us wings to place forward our music and content so our voices are heard. It becomes more and more dificult as we are at a loss with all the available tools the market has to make this movement invisible and worthless, as it is not backed by mass media, multinationals, and huge capitalistic festivals that set the pace today for mainstream music. And don’t be mistaken, even the most extreme music can also be predated, marketed, and surrogated to such dark forces if it lacks the proper attitude. A healthy DIY network if well connected and alive could make up for all of this. So it keeps on conspiring against the commercial juggernaut.
Can punk still be a threat to this world dominated by capitalist economics and state repression-oppression?
The only threat to capitalist economics is capitalism itself as it is an idea based on an unending array of resources on a finite plane so the equation cancels itself out. Since states have embraced neoliberalism and are based on a capitalistic welfare state as their foundation, once one thing collapses the other will go down next, on a planetary level thanks to globalization. We are sitting right now at a melting point on this equation where technology is desperately seeking new markets to maintain the profit-based lie , so oppression is at its peak and warmongers run amok wreaking havoc on different hotspots on planet earth, be it for resources, or sheer population control/decimation. A real and organized punk community can at least be an alternative lifestyle, a spearhead that tears through the ouroboros of the neoliberal, standardized lifestyle that has taken hold of the West, and offer shelter to escapees of modern mind control leechers.
Mas Allà has been published now in 2019. When will we be able to hear a new record of yours? Are you already working on it?
As we have undergone difficult times on a planetary level, which has put many beautiful things on hold, we are now back preparing new songs and live performances that is what we really enjoy as a band. Currently, and due to our geographic disparities, the work flow is slow, but the songs may be the most dynamic and meaningful to date, and they are intended to capture best the imagery we want to be associated with and how our live performances have been perceived by others. Amhra is now diving into territories rarely explored by us, throwing in ambient samples, epic black metal atmospheres and head-crushing Crust charges into battle.
What, besides releasing a new record and new music, are Amhra’s future plans? Gigs, tours, etc.?
Well, our plans involve touring so we shall be blessed with visiting interesting places and people to bring our music around, and hopefully releasing new material in the coming year. However, all of our plans have not taken its final shape yet, and at the moment they are just embryos waiting to be birthed.
Guys we have come to the end of this interview and I thank you again so much. I will leave this space for you to add anything else that is on your mind that you think should be written, read, shared and disseminated. Make “barbarian crust” a threat again!
Thank you dearly for your interest. Lets keep the flame alive so it still keeps our paths lit and safe from the constant threats we face in this world. Safe passage to you all, wherever you are!