RATAS DEL VATICANO "Mocosos Pateticos" LP

Ratas Del Vaticano ("Rats of the Vatican") are a quartet hailing from Monterrey, Mexico, who assail ears with a most excellent assemblage of punk spew that can best be pitched as "KBD-like." Some of the slicker dicks out there will be familiar with Mocosos Pateticos ("Pathetic Kids") already, as it was available for a short time in 2008 as a download on David Serrano's Nene label. But for those unconcerned with being the emperors of ice cream, Siltbreeze put their money where your mouth is and are making this fantastic release available on the much-in-vogue LP format. Originally formed as a drunken joke (where have you heard that one before?), Ratas Del Vaticano quickly realized they were onto something. With the addition of Violeta on bass (fresh from a quick stint as second guitarist for Los Llamarada), the band felt solidified enough to cut some tracks. And, man, can these guys slice 'n' dice! Guttural, sneering, cynical, sarcastic, Ratas Del Vaticano dish it out in buckets like rancid pozole. Tack on the crude, fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants recording quality, and you've got a monster to rival the likes of Sods, Mentally Ill, Guilty Razors, Sperma, or Tampax in the pantheon of Killed By Death's greatest scuzz gladiators. Pressed in an edition of 700; look for Ratas Del Vaticano to play the Siltbreeze showcase at the forthcoming 2009 SXSW in Austin, and maybe even a US tour later in the year. (Siltbreeze)