Brujeria: Dammit, We Should Have Paid More Attention In Spanish Class

www.myspace.com/brujeria

A rare piece of Brujeria artwork that does not involve a severed head.

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Have you ever noticed how extreme music with vocals in another language sound way more menacing than they do in boring old English? The English version of Rammstein's single "Du Hast" pales compared to the original German one. In English, it's just another whiney nu-metal love song, but in its own native tongue it's spooky and plays into the whole "Oh no Germans!" schtick. Even Nena's "99 Luftballoons" sounds like Hitler Youth pop after a few spins.

Tijuana natives Brujeria fall into that same category, but they are one of the most humorous and brutal bands to come out of Mexico. Many people might not know that the Dead Kennedy's Jello Biafra was an early member of the band. (That makes two DK references in one day on Rocks Off, by the way.)

The band slips into town tomorrow night at Amnesia Disco (5865 Gessner), headlining a Latin punk and metal show. We might just have to hit this up. We probably shouldn't have slept all the way through Mr. McManus' Spanish 2 class in high school either, because it might be handy. Just saying...

Coupled with their lyrics about Satanism, all manner of illicit drugs and brutal murder, Brujeria has long been one of the most influential grindcore bands the genre has seen, right up there with folks like Napalm Death and Carcass. Lead singer Juan Brujo has one of grindcore's most distinct voices as well. He sings through a bandanna with a hole cut in it, so his face is rarely shown.

We could post a few of the band's album covers, but you would all probably cry and complain about all the severed heads and blood - Brujeria uses real-life crime scene photos for most of their artwork to graphic effect. It's jarring as hell, but also conveys the insanity and strife of the band's lyrics.