MG 15

MG-15 were one of the earliest and most extreme hardcore punk bands to come out of southern Spain. They formed around 1982 in Nerja, near Málaga, at a time when Spanish punk was still raw, scattered, and mostly undocumented. What made MG-15 stand out immediately was how early they embraced a Discharge-influenced D-beat sound. In fact, they’re often cited as one of the first bands in Spain to fully push that style, which later fed directly into crust punk and heavier forms of hardcore.

 
Musically, MG-15 were loud, primitive, and aggressive from the start. Their early material was pure D-beat hardcore: fast, noisy, and unapologetically ugly in the best possible way. As the years went on, their sound evolved and picked up darker tones and metal influences, especially by the late 80s and early 90s, drifting into crossover and thrash territory without ever losing their punk backbone. Lyrically and visually, they leaned into bleak, confrontational themes that fit perfectly with the global hardcore underground of the time. 

Before MG-15 existed, some of the members played in a punk band called Slips Y Sperma, which already hinted at the abrasive direction they’d later take. The name MG-15 itself comes from “Mortal Gas XV,” a reference to a deadly chemical weapon, which pretty much sums up the band’s obsession with destruction, chaos, and grim imagery. Nothing about MG-15 was meant to be pretty or commercial.

 
Their earliest recordings, like the 1983 demo often referred to as 'Caos Final', are now considered landmarks of Spanish hardcore for how raw and unfiltered they were. In 1984 they released the 7” 'Derecho a la Vida' on the Italian label Attack Punk Records, a release that helped spread their name beyond Spain and into the wider European punk underground. That record, in particular, is frequently mentioned as one of the first Spanish releases to really sound like Discharge rather than just being influenced by punk in a broader sense.

 
Later releases showed how much the band was changing and experimenting. 'Holy Earth', released in 1987, leaned into a darker and heavier sound, while the 1994 LP 'Clon' pushed further into crossover and thrash metal. Even so, MG-15 never fully disappeared; they resurfaced in different forms over the years, and in 2015 a compilation called 'Los Singles 1983–2005' pulled together material from across their long, uneven history.

 
MG-15 also appeared on the influential 'Spanish HC' compilation tape in 1984, which helped introduce them to international listeners and cemented their place in hardcore history. Over time, they earned a reputation outside Spain as well, especially among collectors and fans of early D-beat and crust. Today, MG-15 are remembered less as a polished band and more as true pioneers -one of those groups that showed how extreme punk in Spain could get, long before there was any real infrastructure or scene to support it.

 

O.X. Pow

OX Pow were a Spanish rock band from Madrid active mainly between 1982 and 1987. They came out of the early 80s underground scene and are usually linked to punk, although the band themselves didn’t really like being boxed into that label. They preferred to say they played strong, fast rock, which honestly fits pretty well. Their early stuff leaned heavily toward punk and hardcore, while later recordings showed a bit more new wave influence.

 
The band was formed by a group of friends who were mostly around 18 years old when they started. The lineup was Paul on vocals and guitar, Pedro on guitar and backing vocals, Andrés on bass, and Geli on drums. Geli later became notable as one of the women who were actively involved in the Spanish punk scene, which wasn’t very common at the time.

 
OX Pow played all sorts of underground and sometimes strange venues around Madrid, fully embracing that DIY punk attitude. Musically, they were often compared to bands like Ramones, The Clash, The Damned, or Lords of the New Church, thanks to their fast tempos, sharp guitars, and raw energy. Even though they were around during the Movida Madrileña years, they were much closer to the harder punk underground than to the pop side of that movement.

 
Their recorded output was small but memorable. Early on they released a flexi-disc shared with Derribos Arias and later put out their first EP in 1983, which became their most well-known release. In the mid-80s they released another EP and a mini-LP that showed some evolution in their sound. There were also live recordings circulating among fans, mostly as bootlegs, capturing how intense they were on stage.

 
OX Pow broke up quietly in 1987 without ever becoming a mainstream band. Over time, their early records turned into collector’s items, and later reissues helped introduce them to new listeners. Today they’re remembered as an underrated band from Spain’s early punk scene, especially appreciated by people digging into the less obvious, more underground side of 80s Spanish rock.