‘Left right, one two, Marching at the same pace, All within one grave, We will find our place’ (Rzeź)

This is the self-titled debut 7-inch from Warsaw’s Klątwa (The Curse).  Featuring members of Contra La Contra and Government Flu, it sees them draw with an equal relish on mid-1980’s Polish hardcore and classic Scandinavian d-beat influences, before refashioning them through a subtly more metallic lens.  It proves a distinctly powerful blend.

The opener Sam (Alone) closes with a savagely choppy breakdown, while Rzeź (Slaughter) is defined by an absolute brute of a riff.  The flipside kicks off with the frenetic intensity of Zew (The Call), before closing with Symulacja (Simulation), which features guest vocals from Träume’s Dorka deftly woven through the bristling chorus.

Amid the searing riffage, fleetingly flaring solos, and breakneck rhythms, the snarled Polish vocals contemplate their sense of isolation in a world once again teetering on the edge of mass militarised bloodshed.