It is no secret that certain countries, and even more specifically certain regions, or areas within certain countries, get a lot more credit for music than others, especially in the punk rock, hardcore and metal communities. With that being said, I love seeing and hearing bands from all over the world putting their own stamp on our music community. Dumah from Costa Rica are certainly working to distinguish themselves from the pack with their most recent self-titled full length.

Dumah’s new record was produced and engineered by Terror’s Nick Jett and features several guest vocal appearances including one from Xibalba’s vocalist Nate Rebolledo on “Descenso”. Even with the impressive credits, the music alone is enough to stand out. Dumah play aggressive and heavy metallic hardcore that has roots in the Cleveland style, but also incorporates elements of metalcore and melody. The majority of the songs are scathing and fast, with a few contrasting ambient and doom oriented tracks to offset the pace like “Descenso”.

Dumah mix together aspects of death metal, hardcore, doom and metalcore and put it together with punk rock speed and intensity. The easiest, and most obvious influence that comes through on this record is Integrity; the bands style would seem to fit nicely into Dwid Hellion’s legion of Holy Terror affiliates. The record is produced well and is heavy and enjoyable. The songs move between fast d-beat to crushing breakdowns with some atmospheric and droning heaviness, the latter of which make up some of the most interesting parts of this record.

Some of the songs are a bit on the long side, but at no point was I feeling bored. That being said, on repeated listens, I found myself skipping around a little bit more, but that could be chalked up to a short attention span. Dumah have a lot of room to continue growing as they continue, despite a few repetitive moments, the dynamic the band has created with Dumah works to keep the songs from stagnating.

Dumah have done a good job with their self-titled full length, the songs are heavy and well paced and produced. The band should consider themselves proud for flying a strong flag for Costa Rican hardcore. Check this band out you won’t be disappointed.