Berri Txarrak (''Bad News'' in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

) is a Navarrese

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

power trio A power trio is a rock and roll band format having a lineup of electric guitar, bass guitar and drum kit (drums and cymbals), leaving out a second rhythm guitar or keyboard instrument that are often used in other rock music bands that are quartet ...

whose songs are sung in

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

. It was founded in 1994 in Lekunberri,

Navarre Navarre (; es, Navarra ; eu, Nafarroa ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre ( es, Comunidad Foral de Navarra, links=no ; eu, Nafarroako Foru Komunitatea, links=no ), is a foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

History

Berri Txarrak originated in Lekunberri,

in 1994 as a parallel project of Gorka Urbizu (

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

and

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

) and Aitor Goikoetxea (

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

). In 1997 they began to focus fully on the band, which had two new members: Mikel López ( bass) and Aitor Oreja (guitar). After releasing a six-track

demo Demo, usually short for demonstration, may refer to: Music and film *Demo (music), a song typically recorded for reference rather than release * ''Demo'' (Behind Crimson Eyes), a 2004 recording by the band Behind Crimson Eyes * ''Demo'' (Deafhea ...

, the band landed several awards in different demo and new act contests, which allowed them to record their eponymous album, released in autumn 1997. ''Berri Txarrak'' jumped to success within the Basque rock scene thanks to singles like "Lotsarik gabe", "500 urte ta gero" and "Ardifiziala". According to the band's members, that album was a step forward for their music and it became the base for their later works. In 1999, the band released '' Ikasten''. In this second album, Berri Txarrak's style had also evolved. Tracks such as "Ikusi arte", "Ez" or "Ikasten" allowed the band to offer a lot of live performances. Two years later, in 2001, '' Eskuak/Ukabilak'' was released. It features acclaimed songs such as "Oihu", "Stereo" and "Biziraun", which earned them the Gaztea Saria award for best song of the year. With this album, the band gathered the attention of public and press from outside the Basque Country. 2003 was the year in which the band released their fourth album, '' Libre ©'', to excellent critic acclaim and earning them their first tour on

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

( UK,

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

and

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

). ''Libre ©'' is Berri Txarrak's most

hardcore Hardcore, hard core or hard-core may refer to: Arts and media Film * ''Hardcore'' (1977 film), a British comedy film * ''Hardcore'' (1979 film), an American crime drama film starring George C Scott * ''Hardcore'' (2001 film), a British documen ...

album. The album won the best Spanish album of the year award from the magazine ''Rock Sound'' and ''Euskadi Gaztea''. The album includes interesting songs such as "Denak ez du balio" (which features additional vocals from

Rise Against Rise Against is an American punk rock band from Chicago, formed in 1999. The group's current line-up comprises vocalist/rhythm guitarist Tim McIlrath, lead guitarist Zach Blair, bassist Joe Principe and drummer Brandon Barnes. Rooted in hardcor ...

Tim McIlrath Timothy James McIlrath (born November 3, 1978) is an American rock musician. He is the lead singer, rhythm guitarist, songwriter and co-founder of the punk rock band Rise Against. He is vegan and straight edge. Early and personal life McIlr ...

), "Hil nintzen eguna" and "Izena, izana, ezina". After a long tour, the guitarist Aitor Oreja walked out. In 2005, Gorka, Aitor G and Mikel decided to carry on as a three-member band and focused on what would be Berri Txarrak's fifth album, '' Jaio.Musika.Hil''. The band went on to tour across

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

and

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the cou ...

. That year, Berri Txarrak toured the US. The band supported

on their 2006 European Tour. Currently, they are showing their new songs on tour. Berri Txarrak has worked on many music compilations like ''Nafarroa, Hitza Dantzan'' (GOR, 2001), ''Tributo a Judas Priest'' (Zero Records, 2000) and the successful single "Bisai Berriak", composed in 2002. In late 2008 they announced a new album for September 2009 with

Roadrunner Records Roadrunner Records is an American record label focused on heavy metal and hard rock bands. Founded in the Netherlands in 1980, it is now a division of Warner Music Group and is based in New York City. History The label was launched in 1980 in t ...

, recorded by

Steve Albini Steve Albini (pronounced ; born July 22, 1962) is an American musician, record producer, audio engineer and music journalist. He was a member of Big Black, Rapeman and Flour, and is a member of Shellac. He is the founder, owner and principal en ...

at the Electrical Audio Studios in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

and featuring

. A new single called Dortoken Mendean became available at their Myspace and at Roadrunner Records's official webpage on 29 June 2009. In January 2011, Berri Txarrak was nominated for the 10th Annual Independent Music Awards for Best Punk Song for their song "Folklore." Also in 2011, the band engaged in their latest album, titled Haria (the Thread), with the recognized producer

Ross Robinson Ross Robinson (born February 13, 1967) is an American record producer who discovered acts such as Korn, Glassjaw, The Blood Brothers, Slipknot, and Limp Bizkit. Robinson has also worked with Tech N9ne, The Cure, Sepultura, and many others. ...

( Slipknot,

Korn Korn (stylized as KoЯn, or occasionally KoRn) is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The band is notable for pioneering the nu metal genre and bringing it into the mainstream. Originally formed in 1993 ...

). In February 2012, the album was presented and was followed with a tour around various countries. In 2018 Urbizu recorded guest vocals for the all Basque

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier punk ...

band Adrenalized. The song was entitled "Gezurra Ari Du", which translates into English as "It's Raining Lies".

Influences

The band has been influenced by:

Nirvana ( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lampRichard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo.' ...

Rage Against the Machine Rage Against the Machine (often abbreviated as RATM or shortened to simply Rage) is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1991, the group consists of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commerfor ...

Pedro the Lion Pedro the Lion is an American indie rock band from Seattle, Washington, United States. David Bazan formed the band in 1995 and represented its main creative force, backed by a varying rotation of collaborating musicians. In 2006 Pedro the Lion wa ...

Weezer Weezer is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1992. Since 2001, the band has consisted of Rivers Cuomo (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Patrick Wilson (drums, backing vocals), Scott Shriner (bass guitar, keyboards, backing v ...

, New Order,

, and

Neurosis Neurosis is a class of functional mental disorders involving chronic distress, but neither delusions nor hallucinations. The term is no longer used by the professional psychiatric community in the United States, having been eliminated from th ...

, among others. In songs like "Aspaldian utzitako Zelda" or "Mundua begiratzeko leihoak", they interpret poems and writings of

Joseba Sarrionandia Joseba Sarrionandia Uribelarrea (Iurreta, Biscay, April 13, 1958) is a Basque people, Basque writer who has published a large number of books of poetry and short stories, as well as novels. He has been awarded on numerous occasions for his work, a ...

. In 2010, they made a version of the poem "Liluraren Kontra", written by the German poet

Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known professionally as Bertolt Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a pl ...

and popularized in Basque thanks to a song by

Mikel Laboa Mikel Laboa Mancisidor (15 June 1934 – 1 December 2008) was one of the Basque Country (greater region), Basque Country's most important singer-songwriters. Considered the patriarch of Basque music, his music has had an influence on younger ge ...

Members

*Gorka Urbizu (

) *Galder Izagirre (

) *David Gonzalez ( bass)

Discography

Albums

*Unreleased demo (1994) *'' Berri Txarrak'' (1997, GOR Diskak) *'' Ikasten'' (1999, GOR Diskak) *'' Eskuak/Ukabilak'' (2001, GOR Diskak) *'' Libre ©'' (2003, GOR Diskak) *'' Jaio.Musika.Hil'' (2005, GOR Diskak) *''Payola'' (2009, Roadrunner Records) *''Haria'' (2011, Roadrunner Records) *''Denbora Da Poligrafo Bakarra'' (2014) *''Infrasoinuak'' (2017)

EPs

*'' Maketa'' (1995)

Compilations

* '' Denak ez du balio (SINGLES 1997-2007)'' (2010, GOR Diskak)

Live albums

*'' Zertarako Amestu'' (2007, GOR Diskak)

External links

Official Website

References

{{Authority control Musical groups established in 1994 Spanish alternative metal musical groups Spanish alternative rock groups Nu metal musical groups 1994 establishments in Spain Basque music bands Musicians from Navarre