Album of the Week#315: Siekiera - Nowa Aleksandria (1986)

Awkay, I already talked about Siekiera on here. But since the post was in German and I'd like to reach a bigger audience on here, somehow, I decided to review their first album.

Well, "Nowa Aleksandria" may be the polish band's first album but it's NOT their first record. Actually, Siekiera started as a hardcore punk band which sounded like a crude, more primitive version of bands like The Exploited. The music was very raw, the vocals really rough. Siekiera sounded like the soundtrack to a bare handed streetfight. Very energetic. You can listen to those sounds if you check out the compilation "Na wszystkich frontach swiata" (2008).

Sadly (or happily), it's common in the punk scene to break-up, kick out members or simply change the line-up. That's what happened with Siekiera (the name means "hatchet" btw and is pronounced cold wave.
Sheh-keh-rah). After a huge line-up changed the band changed their musical direction. Suddenly they came back with a completely different sound, widely known in Europe as

Siekiera were facing a huge backlash by the punk community which accused them of betrayal. But honestly, who cares? "Nowa Aleksandria" is a brilliant, minimalistic piece of work. In it's own way, it's still punk but just different. Cold, apathetic vocals. Keyboards. Very strange and cryptic lyrics. But that was common within the eastern European punk community, at least in Poland. Soundtrack for the sad landscapes of socialist Poland. Sad music to which you can dance to. Fucking majestic. Please please please check them out. And yes, I also think that Killing Joke were a massive influence to them.

Songs you should check out: Nowa Aleksandria, Ludzie wschodu, Idziemy przez las, Bez konca
8,5/10 deposit bottles