Puñal: Buscando La Muerte 12"

PUÑAL is back with their debut LP seven years after their demo. Hailing from Mallorca, their punk sounds angry, dirty and very prickly. The 10 tracks of the LP are rooted in the classic Iberian punk sound while sounding current. Powered by the classic 1-2 drum beat, with a bass driven sound that is both sharp and dirgy at the same time, and sets the tone for their raging anti-social message. Nihilistic street thug lyrics which bring to mind CICATRIZ or ESKORBUTO but sonically are closer to UK82 and Latin American 80’s aggro, with hints of So-Cal punk at times.The entire record is dedicated to PUÑAL former drummer Martí (ORDEN MUNDIAL,TRAU and a million other bands), a stalwart of Mallorca punk scene who tragically died in a motorbike accident in 2019.

Our take: I was just writing about how Lifeless Dark’s debut vinyl arrived so long after their demo, but Mallorca’s Puñal took even longer, waiting seven years between their tape and their first wax. However, I imagine most of you, like me, will hear Puñal for the first time on Buscando La Muerte (“Searching for Death”). What you’ll find is a stripped-down punk record with a lean, vicious approach and a crystalline recording that hits with maximum impact. I’m reminded of the mid-period records from higher-profile bands like G.B.H. and the Exploited who, as they grew in popularity, developed as players and saw their studio budgets rise, yet never wavered from their desire to make punk rock that’s as simple and direct as possible. Certainly if you love records like Troops of Tomorrow and Let’s Start a War, then tracks like “J****o Personaje” and “Carrera Criminal” are going to be right in your sweet spot. While most of Buscando La Muerte is in this vein, Puñal spreads out a little on the two tracks that bookend the record, with opener “Odio” bringing a more anthemic sound that has shades of Eskorbuto, while the closer “Jipis” incorporates some hard rock riffage and a longer, slow-burn intro. I should also mention Puñal’s vocalist is super charismatic, his tone an evil-sounding snarl with a side of Johnny Rotten sneer. There’s no reinventing the wheel here, but there’s more than enough power and passion here to elevate Puñal well above the also-rans.