From Resistance to Revolt

After several attempts over the last years, finally last month I managed to find for download the 2 CDs that make up the whole discography of one of my favorite hardcore bands of the 90's, Manifesto.

One million thanks to this blog for making them both available for download here

• Un mundo que ganar, unas cadenas que perder (A world to be won, some chains to be broken)


• De la Resistencia a la Revolución (From Resistance to Revolt).

Manifesto was a socialist hardcore band from Barcelona, active I think roughly between 1994 and 1999. Most of their work should be classified as what at the time we called New School Hardcore (I've been so cut off from that scene in the last decade that I don't know if this term is still much in use), something in the vein of Earth Crisis, but their best songs (well, at least my total favorites) are some very fast tracks that appeared in their 7 inch "El arte de la insurrección", rather reminiscents of Man Lifting Banner. These songs also have some of their best lyrics.

Some of their uncompromising socialist (of course we're talking about Marxism/Communism..., not about socialdemocracy) statements are now more relevant and up to date than ever, even when I rather disagree with all the "class fight" stuff (just because on the contrary, it seems like a pretty outdated concept in our world of Megacorporations, outsourcings...)

My favorite song in terms of sound is also my favorite one in terms of lyrics, "En este Sistema/In this System"
Here's my broken translation from Spanish:

Free Market, economic anarchy, cut after cut. Accumulate is the new Bible. Production that ignores human needs. Profit is their only sacred law. Health System, Education System, social services. Always questiones, always under attack. We have no control over what we create. We can't decide what to use it for. Judges, parliament, structures designed in this System. Army, Police, created to protect their profits. In this System we ever lose.

As you can see, in our current Europe, where all sort of funding cuts are being conducted, those lyrics seem more relevant than ever, and make us realize how the foundations of our Western civization (universal health system, education system) seem to crumble.



A fun note now, the cover for this CD seems a bit odd for such a political band. I mean,Casa Milá is a superb building, but neither the building nor the architect have any political significance, so how does it match with the Socialist ideology of the band?. Well, it's pretty fun, one of the band members told us back in time that there was a huge demonstration due to pass by the building, so they hired a photographer to take a pic from one of the buildings across the street. The thing is that they got too late and the demonstration had already passed... but anyway they took the picture of the empty street and used it for the cover :-)

Lyrics for "De la Resistencia a la Revolución":