The city of Bordeaux is best known for its its vineyards, legendary chateau and wine, but in the secret world of DIY punk and hardcore, Bordeaux is also the undisputed French capital of wall-shaking hardcore with strangling riffs, intense vocals and stampeding d-beats at breakneck tempos.

The debut five-song tape release from Bordeaux’s Faucheuse follows the same throttling direction as its members’ past and present bands, but with a twist. Featuring local heroes Bombardement’s former singer Emilie, bassist Stephane (Bombardement, ex-Monarch), drummer Luc (Bombardement, ex-Gasmask Terrör) and guitarist Shiran (Year of No Light, ex-Gasmask Terrör, ex-Monarch), Faucheuse dispense clobbering hardcore punk with raucous d-beat mayhem and rock’n’roll sensibilities.

Beginning with feedback reminiscent of a rehearsal demo recording on “Pyromancie,” the band fires up the grill with a d-beat infused frenzy that calls to mind the best works of Black Panda. The second track, “Detonation,” is an explosive continuation of Faucheuse’s combustible style, it’s the fastest and shortest track on the record fyi. “Ville Interdite” and “Possession” are cut from the same scathing kängpunk cloth and hard-rocking riffs, but feature a vigorous pub-rock vibe and unique melodic edge, reminiscent of bands like Amyl and the Sniffers or the brilliant chanson-punk of La Fraction. The title track “Faucheuse” closes the record with nearly three minutes of repetitive bass and d-beat driven instrumentation over a quirky vocal style that I bet you won’t hear in any other raw punk or d-beat band outside of France. By the way, the name “Faucheuse” is the feminine word for the Grim Reaper, as my French pals explained.

In conclusion, Faucheuse’s debut is an excellent d-beat punk’n’roll reaper front to back. I’m usually very suspicious of the whole d-beat’n’roll thing, as very few bands can do it as good as Spain’s Black Panda, and I think most of the rest are just plain boring. Faucheuse not only update the style in a fresh and exciting way, but also add tons of their own elements, especially the feminist vibe and the distinct French punk twist. If you haven’t already done so, hit the play button above and get the tape from Symphony of Destruction while you still have the chance!


Our take: Debut EP from this new band from Bordeaux, France, featuring several people who play or used to play in Bombardement, including the band’s first vocalist. My first reaction when I heard Faucheuse’s tape was that they sound like a d-beat version of Denmark’s Night Fever. Like Night Fever, Faucheuse has the chops to play music way more complex and demanding than punk, but rather than using their music to escape into a land of warriors and wizards, they channel their skills into making the most precise and ripping hardcore punk they can muster. The guitarist takes the manic style of Swedish groups like Herätys and sprinkles it with glittering shards of rock riffage, the bass player walks up and down the neck like they’re pacing a padded cell on a fistful of Adderall, the singer screams their way through several octaves, and the drummer keeps it grounded with a steady, pounding d-beat. The energy is infectious… this tape lifts you off the ground with the first track and doesn’t let you down until it’s over. Seriously, just give this a listen and fall in love.