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Regarding the band's background, it can be said that they have traveled a lot, having toured with RAISED FIST, SICK OF IT ALL, and PEARL JAM, but they were new to me. Although, I probably wouldn’t have remembered this band name even if they had played at my own birthday.
This brings us to a standout feature: the consistently Basque lyrics. This is unusual and at the same time a welcome change from the predominantly few languages that the bands I usually listen to sing in. It’s hard for me to assess what kind of radical statement it still means to sing in Basque these days. However, when the band started 20 years ago, the members certainly experienced times of state terrorism and the suppression of their culture, which could be significant for such a decision. Thankfully, I also have an English translation available, allowing me to understand what it’s about through careful parallel reading and listening. In short: social criticism, poetically presented. Big concepts like freedom and solidarity run through the lyrics, which are abstract enough to leave room for personal interpretations.*
But how is the music, then? This can, no, must be answered individually for each CD. So first up is the first round: noisy rock with stoner influences, metal shredding on the guitars, hardcore tempo, and surprising twists in the song structure. Yes, all of that mixed together, and you can tell BERRI TXARRAK is having fun squeezing a little more out of a manic riff. The vocals are a bit of an acquired taste; for what’s offered here, they are too smooth for me, taking away some of the wildness from potential rock bangers.
After that, I recommend taking a little break, as CD number two could be from a different band. An indie rock band. Here, the musicians noticeably hold back regarding guitar walls and instead build unspectacular but pretty melodies and emotional choruses. At this point, it would have certainly been beneficial to understand Basque, as the captivating mood of a choir searching for meaning in a deceitful world cannot be conveyed through the detour of a translation. I didn’t enjoy this CD as much because the band really hits the brakes compared to the other two discs. I do like the moments where BERRI TXARRAK dares to venture into almost power-pop choruses, but these are few in the rather inconsequential songs. This time, at least the vocals fit better into the overall picture.
All good things and so on, in the last production, there is predominantly relatively straightforward punk rock in a modern sound guise. Simple melodies, sometimes driven forward quickly, sometimes on a mid-tempo track. This is somewhat familiar, especially from North American bands; it goes down well and will continue to work well as an opener on tours among dozens of similarly sounding bands. Not spectacular, but still good songs. Especially if you’ve listened carefully up to this point, you’ll enjoy the familiar recipe of four chords. By the way, the last record seems as if the producer simply imposed the sound of one of his other clients onto the Basques – when they didn’t need it.
This triple album is almost like three CDs from different bands. Accordingly, there is something in it for different preferences, and at the same time, it is unlikely that any listener will equally enjoy everything from this mass of music. I find the stylistic balancing act original, daring, but successful. There are more than enough good songs, and it will be particularly interesting to see how the band manages to synthesize their various styles at a concert. And because Ramtatta sees itself committed to the turbo-capitalist performance principle, I’ll conclude with a completely simplistic rating of 7 points. The merits of "Denbora da poligrafo bakarra" can be gleaned from the above text or you can make up your own mind.
*P.S.: So far, the translations are not accessible on the internet, a circumstance that hopefully will be resolved.
