Lucta come from Milan, IT and play heavy, fast hardcore that sounds straight out of 1984. It’s aggressive, while also feeling unpredictable and a little bit unstable, like it could break into pure chaos at any moment. There are some metallic flourishes, kicking off with a minute-plus heavy atmospheric instrumental lead in the intro track, “Sacrificio,” but then it shifts gears toward manic energy and catharsis. It’s anxious music, where I can envision the vocalist pacing constantly from the stage during a live set.
It hits heavy like metal, but has the anxiety and anger of punk. While it’s mostly straight-forward rippers, the band layers in atmospherics. “Distane,” “Non Esisto,” and “Incubus” are classic high-strung punk, a little like Neighborhood Brats with bigger riffage. But then they add that metal to the mix. “Il Peso di Leri” is a head nodding slow burner. “Oltre” is rhythmically on the punk side, but with some guitar flashes neatly mixed in. “Tutto Scompare” shifts back and forth between styles incredibly effectively, and closer, “Eterna Lotta” is one of those songs with an underlying doomy atmosphere with forward-driving punk over the top -- which seems to be the band’s favored way to make things a bit heavier without losing the mood. Their 2018 demo was called Black Magic Punk, which is a perfect description.
