‘La mercancía devora la carne, la esencia devasta, Capitalismo es gore’ (Morbo y Fascinación) ‘The commodity devours the flesh, the essence devastates, Capitalism is gore’ (Morbidity And Fascination)

Gótico Tropical (Tropical Gothic) is X2000’s debut full-length following on from their 2020 self-titled debut 7-inch.  It plunges the listener into the bloodied history of the Colombian vocalist’s home country, ‘the land of tropical gothic’ as evoked by the band’s liner notes.  Exploring the notion of ‘gore capitalism’, the Göteborg-based band plunge the listener into a web of violence that spans state sanctioned murder to criminal cartels, and from colonial legacies to neoliberal economic exploitation.

Rabidly blackened anarcho-punk inspired Spanish vocals are unremittingly urgent, while the primitive drums call back to the classic pounding rhythms of 1980s’ Latin American punk.  Discordant melody flares amid the relentless abrasiveness of the chorus-saturated guitar.  A deeply unsettling atmosphere spectrally unfurls and is, perhaps, best exemplified by the desperation drenched El Linaje (The Lineage) and the primeval anxiety of Azul Culpa (Blue Guilt).  And the meaning of X2000?  A high-speed Swedish railway apparently, but one that is taking you straight to the heart of darkness.