El Umbral is a punk rock band from Montevideo, Uruguay, established in May of 1999. They're a rather old-school group, with a style similiar to other punk bands around latin america. This trio has to be in my opinion, one of the most underrated punk bands ever. They're decently well known in their scene, but outside of that they have recieved very little attention, or at least not enough which they deserve.
Since 1999, they've released multiple albums, EPs, and have appeared in a couple compilations, and were even able to play in places like Brazil and Argentina. Starting with 2001's debut album Despertando Del Silencio. A fantastic record which I happily own on CD, featuring lots of iconic songs like Pasadizo, Los Filos, or En La Cima, which some were made into music videos too. If you ask me, this is their best album, and one I would 1000% recommend listening to if you're interested in the band.
Even then, every album of theirs has at least one or two amazing tracks. They always have something incredibly catchy alongside some great, deeply thought-provoking lyrics. Like going back to En La Cima, a song about poverty and modern society; is a high-octane punk ballad with smart lyrics and a crazy good guitar that'll leave you with the need to start thrashing about in a mosh pit.
El Umbral does still feature a wide range of music that goes beyond distorted guitars and fast-paced drumming, Songs like Llamando a La Puerta or Una Luz come to mind, utilizing pianos or acousting guitars, or even a harmonica sometimes. You'll find that with a band like theirs with such a big discography, they've had time to experiment a bit with their style.
As of now, they're still active and even released an album last year (which I luckily have a vinyl copy of), plus, this year will mark their 25th anniversary which they'll celebrate with a gig this december. You bet I'll be there. :)
If you're a fan of ska punk and/or latin american rock then this trio should not be overlooked! For such a long standing band, they still know how to make excellent punk, and they deserve much more attention from the world. I'll leave their bandcamp here, as well as a download for my copy of Despertando Del Silencio, so if you wanna see what this trio has to offer, check out the album! Either way, support the band in any way you can! Support indie bands always!!
This band means the world to me, as it ties very heavily with my father, who used to really support them back in the day. Plus, their guitarist/frontman, Alejandro Nuñez, is actually my godfather! He's an awesome guy, trust me, as is usual for people in punk bands, he is a super sweet guy, and his band really got me into punk, so I gotta thank him somehow. If you like this band, be sure to spread this post around, it'd do me a lot of help.
