If you're a follower of No Echo, you know that there has been a lot of heat coming out of Costa Rica over the past two years, with releases from bands such as Wise Up, Living End, Adiós Cometa, and many others. Now it's time for the newcomers (well, veterans) in Camorra—the Tico's newest band.
Having just released their first material last week, the six-song Guerra Eterna EP clocks in at under 15 minutes and enlists the help of fellow Latin American bands Toma El Riesgo and my fellow Mexicans in Omega. This release couldn't slip by, so I had a chat with my good friend Fernando Garcia about the new project.
Tell us a bit about yourself and your involvement in hardcore, as I know you do a lot for the Costa Rican scene.
Hey man, thanks so much for taking the time to write about us. I really appreciate it. As for me, I've been booking shows here in Costa Rica for about 18 years. I got started with my friend Alejandro from Destiny Recordings and haven't stopped since. Not just hardcore, but punk, metal, and everything in between.
I've always had a great team of friends helping me out, and it's always been about seeing bands we like more than making money. I think those two things are what have kept us going all these years. To me, that's what hardcore is all about: getting involved and giving back.
So, how did Camorra come to be? Who's in the band?
The idea for Camorra began when my old band, Dumah, came to an end. Dumah was very experimental and influenced by bands that were a lot more cinematic and atmospheric. I still love that style of music, but I had an itch to do something straightforward and much more aggressive.
I've known all of these guys forever and have always been a fan of the bands they've played in. Lupi (Wise Up, Trampa) and I had always talked about doing a project together, and everything just kind of fell into place. I hit up John (Liberosis) and Luis (Hez, Juventud Podrida), and they immediately said yes.
The last piece of the puzzle was Santiago (ex-Billy the Kid, Coyote, and a million other bands). At first, I thought he might not be interested in playing something this stripped down, but he was super into the idea. Personally, I think his drumming really took these songs to another level.
I'm not surprised that Camorra relies on its heaviness since the last time I saw you, you were wearing an Until the End shirt (hell yeah). What influences did you guys rely on?
You know, it's funny that you say that because Pete Kowalsky (aka "Mean" Pete) was one of my best friends and a huge influence on me. Bishop was one of the first hardcore bands we ever brought down, I want to say around 2007, maybe? He and I really hit it off and remained close until his passing. I could talk for hours about all the advice and encouragement he gave me throughout the years. I won't bore you with that, but I will say that I probably wouldn't even be doing this if it wasn't for him.
Funnily enough, our EP came out on the same day the last Ether Coven album did three years ago. Totally unplanned, but very cool.
As far as influences, they're all over the place. The main thing we knew we wanted to do from the start was something fast and pissed off. That was going to be the starting point, and from there we would try to add elements of other things we like. I would say the first two Nails records, Superjoint Ritual, Weekend Nachos, Sepultura, and All Pigs Must Die were all in heavy rotation for us as the baseline for our sound. As far as newer bands, Scarab was a huge one, along with stuff like Khasm, Killing Pace, and Missing Link.
There are tons of little things we thought would be fun to add as well. John and I love bands like Internal Bleeding and Pyrexia, so we added a bunch of slam parts where we thought they would fit. Luis comes from more of a crust/punk scene, and there's definitely some of that as well, while Lupi is a total thrash-head. I don't even know where to start with Santiago. Everything from jazz to Converge makes up his sound. He's one of the most talented and prolific musicians I've ever had the pleasure of working with.
What was the recording process like?
I gotta honestly say this is the most fun I've ever had making a record. We spent like six months just hanging out at Lupi's house, coming up with riffs and ideas. Every song we tore up and rearranged like four times before we felt it was what we wanted it to be. I don't think it would have worked out if we all didn't get along so well and have fun hanging out. Everything flowed very well. All our ideas and influences came together very naturally; nothing was forced.
As far as the actual recording, we used three separate studios: drums at Apex Studios, guitars at Stereorat, and vocals at Indiscordia. I think going in, everyone was very clear on how they wanted their parts to sound, so we all chose the studio we felt was most appropriate for us. It was a little unorthodox, but I think it worked out very well in the end.
Mixing was done by Andy Nelson and mastering by Brad Boatright. I'm a huge fan of both of them, and I couldn't be happier with the work they did. Andy was incredibly nice and supportive, and I hope this isn't the last time we work with him.
Also, I see a couple of features on the record—and they're both from Latin American bands. State the obvious: What drew you guys to do this?
Like with everything else, it came about very organically. Both bands have a history with our scene, and they're all people I consider friends. I felt like both of their voices would fit really well in the parts where we wanted to get someone on, and I think both of them absolutely killed it. Definitely check out Toma El Riesgo and Omega if you can!
What's next for Camorra?
We just want to play as many shows in as many places as we can. We have plans to go to Mexico later this year and hopefully play some U.S. shows in 2027. We're already working on new songs, and I'm hopeful we'll have another EP out before long.
We're not trying to make a career out of this, so it's all about having fun and doing cool stuff with friends. That's all we're really focused on with this band. As long as that's the case, we'll keep doing it.
I've been covering the Costa Rican scene any chance I get, but what's your take on the scene? What do you think of its current state?
I truly think the music scene here is something special. There are so many incredible bands in such a small city that it legitimately blows my mind. Hardcore, punk, death metal, black metal, sludge, doom, thrash, grindcore—anything you can think of. It would take at least a couple of pages to write about all the bands I think are doing cool stuff here.
And for the most part, everyone gets along, which was not always the case back in the day. I think times have changed and the mentality is very different now. Most of us support and are rooting for the others to do well—no egos or bullshit competition.
For someone who is new to Costa Rican hardcore, what bands should we check out?
Oh man, where to start?
Currently, my favorite hardcore band is Wise Up. I would say they're in the vein of more groovy hardcore like Mizery or The Beautiful Ones, but they add tons of stuff on top of that. Grungy riffs and Biohazard groove—I really can't recommend them enough.
I gotta throw Inersia in there. They are our version of Merauder and All Out War blended into one. Enough said.
Sideways are the young bucks in the scene right now. They remind me of bands like Expire, Backtrack, and Bent Life.
If you're into stuff like On Broken Wings and early Acacia Strain, check out Crosswords and Terminal Force. Heavy, mosh-friendly shit.
For fans of early Deathwish stuff, check out Cisma. Reminds me of Shipwreck with a little Seven Sisters of Sleep thrown in.
If you like Touché Amoré/Fiddlehead-type stuff, check out Sobre Tormentas. Great guys, great band.
If you're into thrashy hardcore, check out Trampa. Big Cruel Hand, No Warning, Power Trip vibes.
Living End has members of Dumah in it. It's hard to describe their sound, but it reminds me of Advent.
If you're into Oi!/skinhead stuff, check out Wrong Side and Golpe De Estado.
That's all I can think of right now, but I'm sure I'm leaving a bunch out. Like I said, the amount of bands here doing cool shit is wild for how small of a country we are.
Thanks to Isaac for letting me rant for this long and to everyone who has checked us out. We really appreciate it a lot.
Peace!
***
Camorra on social media: Instagram
Tagged: camorra
