Asfixia Social – “Mess Bigger”

Asfixia Social has been running around São Paulo for nearly two decades, and their fourth album, Mess Bigger, is a wild ride. If you ever wanted to hear what happens when a group throws hardcore, punk, metal, rap, and Brazilian rhythms into a blender, this is it. The five-piece band features Kaneda Mukhtar on vocals and trumpet, Thiko Garcia on guitar, Leo Oliveira on bass, Jahya on saxophone, and Barba on drums.

The title track hits hard. It is a mix of nu metal and funk that is clearly built for a live crowd, packed with a raw energy that makes you want to get up and move. Then you have a track like “Baião de Dois”, which goes heavy on rock and metal while mixing in traditional baião and soul. It uses intense brass arrangements to talk about the harsh reality of hunger.

Another piece is “Capoeira-Karatê”. This one fuses Rio funk with hardcore and reggae, creating an authentic vibe that fights against labels and repression. On the other end, “Silent Destruction” uses a reggae-metal groove to call out how isolated we all get because of technology.

Pedro Garcia from Planet Hemp produced the record with the band, and they brought in guests like World DJ Champion Erick Jay and multi-instrumentalist Dendê Macedo to add extra layers. You should check out Asfixia Social on social media to keep up with their tour and everything else they are doing this year.