‘Queimar o passado, Inflamar o presente, Explodir o futuro, Recriar! Destruir todas as jaulas’ (Jaulas) / ‘Burn the past, Ignite the present, Explode the future, Recreate! Destroy all the cages’ (Cages)

Prisão (Prison) return with their third EP, Nação (Nation), and follow-up to their self-titled 2024 7-inch.  These six tracks see the Stockholm-based band continue to forge catchy, groove-laden hardcore that is free from frippery and all about the power and intensity of the riff.

The rhythm section locks in with a resounding power but resolutely refuses to overplay, giving space for the riffage to fully unfurl.  Meanwhile, the fiercely gruff Brazilian Portuguese vocals eschew any extravagance, their frank directness matching the ferociously honed clarity of the wider onslaught.

Echoing the band’s name, the lyrics tackle themes of social confinement – those we love, where we live – as well as the hypocrisy underpinning the current wave of military escalation.  Personal highlights are the jagged lacerations of Amar Sem Amarras (Love Without Strings) and the stomping brutality of the closer, Jaulas.