In Crust We Trust: Vol 33

Kia ora, crüe. I recommend gathering a few provisions before starting this month’s edition of ICWT. I’ve gone long-form (real long), and I’d strongly advise you to stock up on food and water if you hope to make it through.

The thing is, I got overexcited listening to the latest release from PDX comrades-in-crust Rigorous Institution. As a result, Vol. 33 of ICWT begins with a lengthy account of the band’s recent Tormentor EP.

There is plenty of other great music below, too, including first-rate releases from the likes of Yellowcake, Eulogy, Traumatizer, Mecht Mensch, Kisser, and G.A.Z.E. Before you get to any of that, though, I wanted to say thanks to everyone who sent a supportive message or left an encouraging comment about ICWT’s return. Honestly, it warms my rotten little heart to know that ICWT still has an audience after all this time. Cheers for tuning in, big time.

Next month’s ICWT will be an end-of-year special. I haven’t decided whether to write a two-parter yet, but knowing my predilection for overwriting to the nth degree, I’ll no doubt end up with a colossal double-feature anyway.

I currently have 37 LPs – and a similar number of EPs, demos, and reissues – listed as potential EOY candidates. (And seemingly every other day, I stumble over another year-end contender.) I’ll need to make some hard choices and ruthless cuts in the next few weeks. I’m not looking forward to either prospect. Judicious editing is obviously not my forte.

As always, thanks for stopping by. Fingers crossed, some of the raucous bands below will help to purge the stresses and strains of the current shitgeist. Be well. Take care. And, of course, kia kaha.

PS: Relapse Records recently announced they were delving back into the depths of classic Japanese punk. This time round, the label is reissuing the bulk of legendary Tokyo outfit Lip Cream’s discography. Copies of original Lip Cream LPs cost an arm and a fuckin’ leg these days, so easier access to landmark JPNHC releases sounds like fantastic news to me.

All of the reissues are band-approved, and if you’re feeling wealthy, there’s even a maxed-out box set of everything (and more) that’ll make you very happy. That box set is outside of my budget range, but I won’t begrudge you the thrill of overindulging on Lip Cream. Get in quick, btw, the first official Lip Cream reissues are sure to sell out. (FYI: Keep an eye out for ICWT’s upcoming Lip Cream primer, too!)

Rigorous Institution – Tormentor

Gather near, ye weary travellers. Huddle close, around the fire, for I hath news to share with thee. Somewhere out there, in the pitch-black night, stenchcrust ne’er-do-wells, Rigorous Institution, doth ply their dark arts. Hear ye, urchins and waifs, take heed, for the warriors of the wasteland doth slither and shake once again. Rigorous Institution are here to spread their corruption. Be on your guard, lest your soul be perverted. Or something like that…

Since day one, Rigorous Institution’s murky aesthetic has conjured the quaffing of mead and huffing of glue in some dystopian land filled with plague pits, magick, and nightmarish scenes. That land could be a long-forgotten, mist-shrouded kingdom (think Excalibur soundtracked by Amebix) or a dust-choked, post-apocalyptic Earth (think Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, with Axegrinder handling the OST). The point is, Rigorous Institution inhabit a grim reality, and their music is a perfect fit for orcs, ogres, mutants, and rebellious peasants alike.

(I like to imagine Rigorous Institution as a troupe of psilocybin-smashed musicians wandering a landscape born from the fusion of cult flicks Krull and 1990: The Bronx Warriors. But that’s just me. You do you.)

On the one hand, Rigorous Institution’s latest release, the 7-track maxi-EP Tormentor, simply delivers more of the band’s signature, bone-breaking stenchcore. In fact, you can skip the rest of this review and rest assured that Rigorous Institution have served up another stinking pile of top-tier stench-stonk. But that’s only half the story, and digging deeper unearths more rewards.

As I’ve said before, Rigorous Institution’s real genius lies in the band’s deft mixing of paranoiac and psychedelic elements in a boiling cauldron of Hawkwindian atmospherics and hell-hammering primitivism. All of that is front and centre on Tormentor, too.

Songs like “Hidden Ruler (Kang Sheng)” and “Twilight of the Authorities” explode with the fist-raising prowess of peak-era Deviated Instinct and all the muck and might of the aforementioned Amebix and Axegrinder. Elsewhere, Rigorous Institution’s foreboding ambience wraps itself around the thrashing and gnashing “Regime Forces”, and even a gentler, bird-song-backed instrumental like “P.B.T.D.” still tweaks your nerves a tad.

Rigorous Institution’s sound thrums with the darkness and madness of early Killing Joke – and some of Filth-era Swans’ unhinged rage, too. Both of those elements come into play on the barrelling “Preach to the Converted”, and while there’s no shortage of gruesome noise eruptions on Tormentor, Rigorous Institution always weave subtler details into their songs, like the brilliant creeping-synth vs pounding-riff interplay on “Passion Play”.

It’s those trippier subtleties that stamp Rigorous Institution’s songs with a stronger sense of eccentricity (and, if it’s not too grand a word, a keener sense of experimentalism, too.) That’s more than evident on Tormentor’s final brain-frying track, “H.D.IV. – Laika’s Lament”, which sees Rigorous Institution rocketing into the Oort cloud via a cosmic synth-scape.

Most of Tormentor sees Rigorous Institution traversing similar sonic terrain to their oft-praised 2022 LP, Cainsmarsh. That said, “H.D.IV. – Laika’s Lament” underscores that Rigorous Institution could drop a great K-holed-Tangerine Dream LP if they ever fancied it.

All the cranium-cracking music here hits hard, and production-wise, Tormentor is as heavy and as filthy as you’d hope for. Gravel-gargled vocals are spat out as battering bass and percussion collide with swirling synths and hulking riffs. It all sounds great, but of course, none of those instruments or the accompanying descriptors are unique, per se.

The real reason Rigorous Institution’s stenchcrust stands out is because of all the additional influences and ingredients sprinkled into their creative potion. Anarcho-punk, cranked psychedelia, and bleak post-punk add extra dimensions to Rigorous Institution’s fearsome sound. Even better, while Rigorous Institution are more artistically adventurous than some of their peers, they always hold fast to those feral fundamentals that make stenchcore such a pummelling treat.

The world is full of untold horrors, and Rigorous Institution’s latest tracks aren’t a whirlwind of joie de vie either. But then, that’s kind of the point. Grim songs proffer catharsis, and it feels good to turn up the volume on Tormentor; listening to Rigorous Institution’s dark tales helps to exorcise our own.

Like Rigorous Institution’s previous releases, Tormentor explores shadowy artistic avenues while probing the recesses of your mind. That’s Rigorous Institution’s signature style, of course: bludgeoning stenchcrust laced with sinister sonic sorcery. It’s an eldritch and esoteric blend, like a crazed druid incanting wildly, while cleaving your skull in two. Tormentor proves, once again, that Rigorous Institution’s music is as creative as it is crushing.

Beware, my friends, something wicked this way comes.

(Roachleg Records)

Kisser – This World Swallows People Whole

Kisser are a four-piece hardcore band from Ōtautahi (Christchurch), the largest city in the South Island of Aotearoa New Zealand. Ōtautahi has a long and storied history of pumping out noisy bands, and Kisser caught my ear because the band’s members have played in several other action-packed groups, including Nervous Jerk, HÖG, The Tacks, Zhukov, and the (highly recommended) Radium.

Musically, those bands above cover a lot of stylistic ground – in the punk rock milieu – and Kisser throw something interesting into the mix, too. The band’s This World Swallows People Whole debut is built from hardcore’s building blocks: Black Flag’s punch, Poison Idea’s growl, etc. However, interludes – influenced by “Berlin rave and 90s Gabber techno” – appear between tracks on This World Swallows People Whole.

Those interludes offer a counterpoint to This World Swallows People Whole’s toughest-sounding tracks, and they also ensure there are no pauses between songs. That means This World Swallows People Whole essentially plays like a live set; hot, fast, sweaty, and mean. Dance while the world burns, my friend!

There’s no mistaking This World Swallows People Whole’s message. It’s right there in the release’s title, of course, as well as in the lyrical focus of urgent tracks like “Again, Again, and Again”, “Nothing”, and “Silver Spoon Club”. Kisser unpack the struggles, frustrations, and hopelessness of late-stage capitalism, spotlighting the isolation and desperation waiting at the end of the hyper-individualist roadmap.

Kisser’s singer Nalita howls atop a bedrock of distortion-lashed hardcore on This World Swallows People Whole, and there’s a self-destructive tenor to both the vocals and instrumentation here. Guitars cut ragged shapes and fuzzy electronics erode the edges of bass-heavy tracks, and there’s an live-wire anxiousness here, too. Raw melodies jut and jab on the post-punk-ish “Deviant Contagion” and “Everybody’s Smiling”, injecting nervous energy into both tracks.

Mixing electronic interludes and hardcore happenings is obviously going to appeal to some and not to others. On the plus side, Kisser’s approach feels instinctive and organic, with the two musical forces focusing on a single goal: ecstatic release in the age of panic.

Kisser’s debut leaves you wanting to hear more, and you can’t ask for a better start than that. Pucker up, my friend, Kisser are set to lay one on ya!

(Self-released)

Flower / State Manufactured Terror – Sanctus Propaganda Sessions Vol. 4: North Atlantic Terror Organization

Sanctus Propaganda Sessions Vol. 4: North Atlantic Terror Organization features a couple of live sessions from two of NYC’s finest raw crust bands, State Manufactured Terror and Flower. State Manufactured Terror released a highly recommended 7” in 2024 (see The US Government is a Kleptocratic Doomsday Cult), and Flower have released several top-tier anarcho-crust recordings, including their excellent Hardly A Dream LP and Heel Of The Next / Physical God 7”. Both bands recorded their sessions at Poland’s Dobra 12 Studio after playing 2024’s Borderline Fest in Bialystok, and all proceeds from Propaganda Sessions Vol. 4 go towards funding aid initiatives in Gaza.

Long story short, Sanctus Propaganda Sessions Vol. 4 fuckin’ rips. As expected, State Manufactured Terror and Flower sound honed to the edge, and the stamina and energy of their respective sets could power a small town through the depths of winter. Even better, the sound here is A-grade, amplifying all the distortion, crustiness, and corrosiveness of both bands. If you’ve enjoyed State Manufactured Terror or Flower before, Sanctus Propaganda Sessions Vol. 4 is an absolute no-brainer; pummeling, pulverising, and powered by an inexhaustible supply of politically-charged anger.

(Sanctus Propaganda)

Traumatizer – Nuclear War Machine

Released by well-regarded labels Neon Taste Records and Discos Enfermos back in 2024, Dutch band Traumatizer’s 7” debut was a rip-roaring success and applauded by many. (If you give a hoot about further accolades, Traumatizer’s debut was also widely celebrated on plenty of end-of-year ‘24 listicles, too.)

The band’s recent follow-up, Nuclear War Machine, is another pedal-to-the-metal triumph. Traumatizer tear through five cyclonic tracks, with the Haarlem-based group’s d-beaten hardcore evoking the thrashier side of bands like Sacrilege or Ripcord. Every song here is da bomb, detonating with maximum audio violence, and gruff-voiced singer Anna delivers a throat-ripping performance on blistering numbers like “Dead End”, “Murder”, and “Hell on Earth”. Jagged metallic riffs and relentless percussion collide on Nuclear War Machine, and there’s enough heat and caustic rawness here to cauterise a wound. With five blown-out tracks in ten breakneck minutes, Nuclear War Machine is a non-stop radioactive riot. Don’t forget to check out Nuclear War Machine’s killer artwork, too, courtesy of Traumatizer members Anna and Randy.

(Discos Enfermos Records)

Yellowcake – Apparitions of War

Arizona four-piece Yellowcake smashed it out of the park with their last release, A Fragmented Truth. The 6-song EP, released by labels Not For The Weak and Total Peace in 2024, featured on plenty of Top Ten lists for a host of good reasons – the main one: Yellowcake’s music is the definition of intense.

Yellowcake’s brand-new EP, Apparitions of War, continues in much the same intense-sounding vein, except for one notable feat of re-engineering. Through audio alchemy and further distillation, Yellowcake’s sound is now a magnitude harsher. As a result, Apparitions of War is even more of an unchained beast.

Apparitions of War sees Yellowcake’s “Sweden by way of Osaka” d-beat roughed up by crasher crust and scorched by raw punk’s insanity. Yellowcake have never sounded so blown-out and yet, simultaneously, tracks like “In the Ashes of”, “The Evil That Men Do” and “Echoes of Despair” are peeled right back to their absolute marrow. Apparitions of War’s lo-fi, battery-acid production ensures Yellowcake have never sounded noisier or more abrasive. Add in the blood-spitting vocals of Yellowcake’s singer, Genesis, and you’ve got a perfect storm of horrible noise.

Label Total Peace has suggested that Discharge’s classic EP, Realities of War, was a key inspiration for Yellowcake’s latest batch of songs. There are obvious musical connections, of course. Like peak-era Discharge (or the Shitlickers, come to mention it), Yellowcake have stripped their latest songs down to their crudest yet fiercest form. Again, like Discharge and Shitlickers, that reduction has only increased the impact of Yellowcake’s songs.

Thematically, there are clear links with Stoke-on-Trent’s finest, too. Forty-five years after Realities of War’s release, the same violence, oppression, and injustice haunt us all. Like Discharge, Yellowcake have found the ideal way to channel and express their rage at the eternal hypocrisies of the human condition. Howling, yelling, and growling are all valid responses to a world bent on self-destruction.

Some bands beef themselves up to sound rougher and tougher, but Yellowcake have achieved the exact same result by sublimating their sound. Apparitions of War is an absolute onslaught made all the more deadly by the rawness and authenticity of its contents. Chalk up another home run for Yellowcake.

(PS: also worth tracking down via label Total Peace is Memory Ward’s self-titled debut, which was released as I was finishing the final edit of this edition of ICWT. Here are the album’s core characteristics: “11 tracks of wild, searing hardcore…equal parts the furious years of Italian hardcore, the Touch and Go-era of Midwest punk, and the psychedelic atmosphere of mid to late 80’s Japanese hardcore”. Sound good? Memory Ward’s debut is a guaranteed banger!)

(Total Peace)

Eulogy – Demo ’25

Say hello to one of my favourite demos of the year. (Maybe even my favourite favourite.) Montreal band Eulogy’s Demo ’25 initially caught my eye due to Canadian label Sore Mind’s backing the 5-song release. Sore Mind’s hit rate for releasing the hardest-hitting d-beat and stench-crust around is pretty much 100%, and thus, it was no surprise to find that Eulogy’s first release also features a ten-tonne salvo of crust-caked tracks.

With members from Ballast, After the Bombs, Diskonnected, Warkrusher (and more) in Eulogy’s ranks, it’s all but inevitable that things quickly get heavy and stay heavy throughout Demo ’25. Brusing and belligerent tracks like “Torment”, “Parasites”, and “Ruins” foreground trampling d-beat and brute-force crustcore – all chuggin’/chunky riffage, 50-cal solos, and more rabid than Cujo growls. I’m going to risk my (admittedly non-existent) rep by also suggesting that Demo ’25’s got a little filthy-ass groove, too; at least, the songs within carve deep furrows with their fierce rhythmic attack.

Essentially, the foot-to-the-floor songs here sound like Warkrusher’s formidable mass colliding with After the Bombs’ pulverising impact. And if that doesn’t get you hammering the ‘Buy Digital Album’ button, I don’t know what will. If you’ve enjoyed any of Sore Mind’s previous releases this year – see similarly aggressive releases from Psych-War, Sickness Of Greed, Cascades and co – then Eulogy’s ultra-guttural crust will no doubt prove equally appealing. Demo ’25 delivers a barrage of missile-like missives. Brutal. Ugly. And mean. Perfect, in other words. 10/10/10.

(Sore Mind)

Mecht Mensch – Anthology

I bought my first punk record in 1983. I know, I’m fucking old, kid. I’ve heard and seen a lot of punk since then, and nothing much surprises me in the world of punk rock anymore. That said, I am not the slightest bit jaded by punk, and I don’t consider my knowledge of the genre to be complete or anywhere near comprehensive. Case in point, Mecht Mensch’s fantastic Anthology 12”.

Previously, my sole knowledge of Mecht Mensch comprised of listening to a single track on my copy of Mystic Records’ 1983 compilation We Got Power (Party Or Go Home). I was entirely unaware of the band’s reputation or diehard fanbase. However, a recent ‘record of the week’ blurb in Sorry State Records, hailing No Coast Records’ anthology of Mecht Mensch’s output, encouraged me to dig a little deeper.

Fuck me, I’m glad I did, too.

You probably know this – but I didn’t – but many USHC connoisseurs argue Mecht Mensch’s 1983 EP, Acceptance, is a stone-cold classic. (Agreed, btw, it sounds fan-fucking-tastic). Butch Vig’s production captures the band’s visceral energy perfectly, and four decades later, Acceptance’s songs still sound incredible – punchy, powerful, and meaner-then-mean. Mecht Mensch’s Anthology collects most of the band’s recordings, and while Acceptance’s tracks are the best of the bunch, Mecht Mensch’s other songs are still a lot of fun. Anthology also comes with a booklet full of vintage intel, flyers, photos, and the usual tidbits associated with a carefully/lovingly put-together reissue.

Mecht Mensch’s Anthology is an essential purchase for devotees of 80s USHC. Personally, though, Anthology is also another firm reminder that there’s always incredible music out there just waiting to be discovered (and rediscovered). There’s no need to grow tired or jaded – exciting punk rock lives and breathes forever.

(No Coast Records)

Mortar – Final Victim
Death Rattle – Otherworld

Sometimes, all you need in life is a heavy dose of HM-2-powered hardcore. Something to slay your woes while giving you a fist-raising boost on otherwise grey ol’ day. That’s exactly what London band Mortar provide on their second release, Final Victim. The 8-song album sounds massive – and plenty crusty and crunchy to boot – with Mortar’s distortion-driven MO perfectly pitched for fans of Martyrdöd, Wolfbrigade, Victims, and Relapse-era
Disfear.

Final Victim’s bristling metallic riffs and barking vocals are propelled by pounding percussion throughout. Mortar aren’t breaking new ground, as such, on ripping tracks like “Special Military Operation”, “Living in the Shadow of Nuclear War”, or “History Distortion”. Still, there’s plenty of death metal’s heaviness and hardcore’s aggression in every song, and there’s plenty to feast on here for both punks and metallers alike. If the roughest, toughest, and burliest outfits on Phobia Records’ roster appeal, you’re likely to dig Mortar’s visceral hardcore, too.

Belgium-born outfit Death Rattle aren’t reinventing the crust punk wheel on their recent Otherworld EP, either. That said, Death Rattle does include members from Hiatus and Disaffect, so there’s plenty of hard-worn experience and passion on display. Musically, Otherworld’s rough-edged crust and dirtier d-beat calls to mind Hiatus’ signature output, which is no bad thing. Disaffect’s vocalist, Lynne, howls politically-charged lyrics over the ruckus/racket, with Otherworld’s six songs fuelled by rage and driven hard by forthright punk – a solid 3/5.

(Mortar: DIY Kolo Records. Phobia Records. Urgency Disk Records, Deathtrap Records. Urinal Vinyl Records)

(Death Rattle: Loner Cult)

Enzyme – Demo 2025

Enzyme’s 2023 LP, Golden Dystopian Age, drew a fair amount of praise; not least because it was both wholly primitive and utterly ingenious. The Naarm-based noiseniks combine buzzsawing psych-punk and knuckle-dragging noise-punk – as I’ve said before, imagine Confuse swallowing 90s Hawkwind, and then gargling with Disorder. Enzyme’s Demo 2025 features two live-wire songs – “State Funded Genocide” and “Death From Above” – and both feature plenty of hot-guitar static and incomprehensible vocals mangled by glitchy shards of electronics.

Demo 2025 is a limited-edition release – which was only available on Enzyme’s 2025 tour of Japan and South Korea. You and I would be very lucky to secure a copy at this point, but that’s not going to stop me from dropping in a YouTube rip. Once again, Enzyme’s shattered songs reflect the world’s shell-shocked state. Demo 2025‘s short/fast/ugly songs are a perfect fit for distortion addicts and diehard masochists.

(Hardcore Victim, Fuzzed Atrocities)

G.A.Z.E – S/T

Helsinki band G.A.Z.E have been compared to Japanese legends Paintbox. That makes perfect sense, given that G.A.Z.E are also very happy to paint outside of hardcore’s usual borders. G.A.Z.E have described their dynamic sound as “SUPER DIMENSIONAL HARD CORE!!!!!!”, which is an accurate all-caps summation of their uninhibited music-making. (Super Dimensional Hardcore is also the title of a zippy compilation from Japanese hyper-hardcore band Manbiki Chocolate – no doubt another high-speed/high-fun influence on G.A.Z.E.)

In some ways, G.A.Z.E’s recent self-titled LP upends what you might expect from a Finnish hardcore release. The renowned intensity of Suomi hardcore is all there, for sure. Still, alongside the standard array of hardcore equipment, G.A.Z.E’s self-titled LP also makes space – on a few songs, at least – for saxophone, violin, and double bass. Intoxicating (and 100% Burning Spirits-worthy) songs hurtle along at top speed, and G.A.Z.E’s ultra-melodic and always-exhilarating approach sounds and feels hugely dramatic.

It’s an absolute joy to get swept up by G.A.Z.E’s latest heart-gripping tracks. If you’re hungry for hardcore that’s artistically ambitious and wildly intense, this is the one: G.A.Z.E’s super-fun full-length debut demands to be heard. FFO Poison Arts, Judgement, Forward, Death Side and, as mentioned, Paintbox.

(D-takt & Råpunk)

Spirokete – Song of Spirokete

NYC raw punk band Spirokete’s latest release, Song of Spirokete, is a certified ear-wrecker. Like the band’s previous releases, Song of Spirokete wraps madness around mayhem, and slathers the lot in an extra-filthy crust. Distortion chokes the hell out of the six maelstrom songs here, and most dissolve into blistering screeds of lo-fi noise that sting like a bladder infection and will send some listeners fleeing for the hills. (That’s all a net positive, btw.)

Like a lot of apocalyptic d-beat/råpunk, the devil’s in the details here. Song of Spirokete tracks like “Irresponsible Power” and “Total Collapse” feature terrific blasts of max-fuzz/wildly-fucked riffage, and the half-buried yet searing solo on “Grain” is an absolute gem. If you enjoy songs marinated in vats of boiling acid, you’ll love this hot mess. Song of Spirokete’s caustic contents will suit fans of Dust Noise, Confuse, Death Dust Extractor, and Gloom. Lovers of screaming feedback and ruinous tinnitus, apply within.

(Distorted Sedition)

Fuckery – Noize-less Society Demo

German raw punk band Fuckery’s Noize-less Society demo basically sells itself. Self-recorded by the Stuttgart-based band (and mastered by Will Killingsworth at Dead Air), Fuckery’s debut is a red-hot chunk of Tragedy-era Disclose worship. Every dumpster-diving song here within sticks to the same dissonant script, but that’s no criticism, my friend. “Cold as I.C.E.”, “Toxication”, and “Final Attack” offer two-minute bursts of ultra-acidic chaos, and there’s always enough crasher crust muscle behind Noize-less Society’s tracks to ensure they hit like a herd of stampeding mammoths.

Skin-shredding abrasiveness and concussive primitiveness are key indicators of top-notch raw punk. Noize-less Society features plenty of both, with the demo’s ear-splitting crudity and corrosiveness being two of its finest attributes. Noize-less Society is a hard (albeit deafening) recommendation from yours truly.

(Self-released)

Filth-Kin – Druid Gutter Crusters

The dirty psychedelic riffs on “RLS”, the opening track of Swedish band Filth-Kin’s Druid Gutter Crusters cassette, wouldn’t sound out of place on a mid-90s Hawkwind CD. Neither would a latter-album track like “Psilocybin Cubensis Psychosis”. Filth-Kin also get well and truly blitzed on “Heavy Smoke”, “Grimhult”, and “Sheep Society”, and the skunk-lords drop some heavyweight lysergic riffs on “Hear The Doomed” and “Cornerstone”, too.

For all Filth-Kin’s narcotic wooziness, it’s best to keep in mind the band has intimate ties to long-running crusties Warcollapse. Thus, tracks like “Confine”, “F.O.A.D”, and “Counterblast” situate bleeding-raw crust and primitive d-beat front and centre. Taken as a whole, Druid Gutter Crusters is filthier than a bum-flapped oik. But its vibe is more ‘waking up in a field covered in strange boils, frogs, and cans of cider’ than ‘waking up in a ditch covered in piss and shit’. Much of Druid Gutter Crusters is mid-paced, which suits its weed-friendly atmosphere, and album is definitely pitched for shredded-jeans crusties to enjoy. However, what keeps things interesting here is Filth-Kin’s desire to wrench open your third eye.

Warcollapse in a wizard’s cape – sound good? Smoke ’em if ya got ’em.

(Phobia Records)

Haram – ليش الجنة بيتبلش في الجهنم؟ / Why Does Paradise Begin in Hell

At this point in time, an album like Haram’s Why Does Paradise Begin in Hell feels even more significant for a host of obvious reasons; a strong sense of political urgency being one of them. Haram’s latest LP features the band’s burliest and sharpest production thus far, which is accompanied by an upward shift in Haram’s songwriting prowess, too.

The band show a greater desire to look beyond hardcore’s usual frontiers, blending Arabic and English lyrics and weaving more traditionally inspired Middle Eastern melodies into otherwise barrelling songs. It’s fair to say that Why Does Paradise Begin in Hell has been on the receiving end of a lot of praise, and listening to tracks like “Sinner – كافر”, “Persecution – اضطهاد,” and The Answer – الجواب”, it’s easy to hear why. Haram’s vocalist Nader is on his best form yet, and the rest of the band serve up scorching songs that often sound novel and enthralling; see em>Why Does Paradise Begin in Hell tracks like “Drone – بدون طيار” or “Battle of the Arab of Today – معركة العرب اليوم”.

Haram sound nothing like fellow hardcore adventurers Straw Man Army or Kalidescope, but, like those bands, Haram show how far hardcore’s creative boundaries are expanding. Why Does Paradise Begin in Hell is a crucial LP. Not just because it represents a voice that’s currently being oppressed and intimidated. But also because Why Does Paradise Begin in Hell is a stunning piece of well-thought-out and perfectly arranged art.

(Toxic State)

Subhumans – Demolition War Demos

Like many Sealed Records releases, the Subhumans’ Demolition War Demos DLP looks fantastic with a fetching gatefold sleeve and an accompanying poster filled with photos and fanzine interviews from the Subhumans’ earliest days. Before the legendary UK anarcho-punk band released their first EP, 1981’s Demolition War, on Spiderleg Records, the Subhumans recorded three demos in a lower-than-lo-fi style at the youth centre in their hometown of Warminster. Demolition War Demos collects those demos (which include a few songs the band never re-recorded), and if you were hoping for buffed-up or remastered tracks, you’re out of luck, pal. Every song here is as raw as the day it was first recorded, and Demolition War Demos sounds all the better for its rough-as-guts authenticity. Another Sealed Records gem.

(Sealed Records)

Slang – Rest in Misery
Confront – Guilty or Not Guilty?

Sapporo, Japan-based Slang’s Rest in Misery LP is the long-running group’s first release in a decade. Slang’s hardcore is direct, determined, and unapologetically political – not unlike one of Slang’s prime inspirations, Discharge. Rest in Misery tracks like “Dirty Rotten LDP” and “Stop Killing Children For Oil” mix a barrage of d-beat into a metal-friendly inferno, and occasionally, Slang conjure NYHC’s stomp and grit on their steel-clad songs. Slang definitely haven’t left the home team behind, though; the band inject plenty of Japanese hardcore’s razor-edged riffage, wild solos, and well-renowned energy into the mix.

If you’re familiar with Mie-based hardcore band Confront these days, it’s probably thanks to their Curtain Of An Intense Attack 7” or their Trace ～ Early Years Selection compilation, which the always-interesting NYC label General Speech released a decade ago. Confront’s long-awaited new release, Guilty or Not Guilty?, features hurtling Burning Spirits hardcore; all blowtorch riffs, lightening solos, and pulverising drums. It’s all throat-gripping stuff, and Confront’s songs roar past at breakneck speed. Guilty or Not Guilty? is taut, tough, and delivered with a deadly degree of focus. FFO Tetsu Arrey, Bastard, and almighty Death Side.

(Slang: Prank Records)

(Confront: Harimau Asia, Chaos Is My Life Records, Believe in Punk)

Entrapped – Světlo Je Mrtvý

Czech trio Entrapped are pretty fucking metal – specifically, death fucking metal. However, like many bands influenced by late-80s/early-90s European death metal, there’s significant crossover appeal to Entrapped’s second LP, Světlo Je Mrtvý.

The album’s chainsawing crustiness is rough enough to rub you raw, and Entrapped’s punk-as-fuck approach is unmistakable, too. Světlo Je Mrtvýtracks like “Rituál insomnie”, “Pustina” and “Poslední vize nekonečna” are locked and loaded with old-school – read: Bolt Thrower-worthy – ordnance. (See also: Světlo Je Mrtvý’s cover art, which mirrors the grimdark Realm of Chaos/Warhammer 40,000 school of imagery.) Every song on Světlo Je Mrtvý is heavy as a sack of bricks and packed with blast-beasts and ye olde mangling breakdowns. Shrouding all, is plenty of end-times gloom.

Entrapped’s worldview is bleak. But while the band are clearly dismayed by humanity’s failings, environmental destruction, and that 24/7 stream of endless atrocities we’re all addicted to, there’s still a sense that Entrapped are keen to fight for a better world.

Entrapped’s first album, 2022’s Pohřebiště popela, didn’t hold my attention for long. But Světlo Je Mrtvý is a lot more memorable and a far more formidable beast. Entrapped have ratcheted everything up here; Světlo Je Mrtvý is harder, louder, and significantly heavier, and as a result, Entrapped’s latest songs are far more impactful. (The band also show greater skill at threading super-dark melodies into their raging songs.)

Entrapped’s music is filthier than a necrothrall’s kecks and the band’s grim tidings are delivered at maximum volume via a decimating barrage of crust-spiked riffs. That’s precisely the kind of death metal that ICWT knows, loves, and wholeheartedly recommends. Světlo Je Mrtvý is a bona fide cranial crusher. Perfect death metal for when you’re starving for a modern take on the classics.

(Phobia Records)

Ameretat – S/T

Ameretat’s lineup features members of the Iranian diaspora, and the band’s cultural background and Middle Eastern musical and literary influences play a strong role in the band’s sound and vision. On their self-titled debut, Ameretat explore love and hope in a time blighted by endless wars and great despair. Songs are sung in Persian, Avestan, Lori, Kurdish, and English, and titles like “Mohnate Digarān (The Hardship of Others)”, “Tanhayee, Khodsouzi (Isolation, Self Immolation)”, and “Deyr-e-kharāb (Broken Monastery/Ruined World)” feature English-language hints to help non-multi-linguists unpack the themes within.

As I’ve said before, many times, punk rock reaches across countless boundaries and borders, and you don’t need to speak Persian, Avestan, Lori, or Kurdish to appreciate the heart and soul that’s poured into Ameretat’s passionate music. (That said, an understanding of those languages would obviously deepen the rewards within.) Ameretat’s powerful debut sees drone-like instrumentation mixing with growling crust, noise rock, and anarcho-punk, and dual male/female vocals howl in a furnace of urgent hardcore. Powerful punk for testing times.

(La Vida Es Un Mus)

DAHTM – Death Throes

Aotearoa New Zealand doom punks DAHTM (aka Death And Hatred To Mankind) emerged from the depths of Turret House, the famed home base for many punk and hardcore projects in NZ’s wind-blasted capital city, Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington).

It’s been a few years since we’ve heard from DAHTM; the band’s full-length, Kurungaituku, was released back in 2021. DAHTM’s latest release, Death Throes, is a short three-song cassette, featuring more rad, Māori-inspired cover art from Aotearoa illustrator Xoe Hall. Opening track, “Death Throes”, sticks to DAHTM’s sludge-trudge style, while follow-up track, a slow-burning cover of Kate Bush’s “Breathing”, features monstrous vocals and riffs. Death Throes’ final song is more upbeat, with a remix of Kurungaituku track “Dawn of our Doom” revealing a brighter side to DAHTM’s usual misanthropic action.

(Self-released)

Zouka / Sanoa – Split Cassette

Japanese raw hardcore band Sanoa recorded their last release – 2023’s Damaging Instinct – at Tokyo’s famed Noise Room studio. Damaging Instinct sounded explosive, mixing classic 80’s Swedish HC – a la Svart Parad and Bombanfall – with the strength and stamina of contemporary/crushing d-beat champs like Physique.

Fellow Japanese outfit Zouka’s moniker tips its hat to two of the band’s formative inspirations, Zouo and Gouka. The mega-harsh noise attack on Zouka’s 2022 demo certainly paid tribute to Zouo and Gouka, but you can throw nods to Kuro and Mob 47 into the mix, too. (Zouka’s demo also sparked enough interest that Black Konflik Records decided to re-release it in 2023.)

Essentially aligned in sound and vision, Sanoa and Zouka joined forces on a recent six-song split cassette from Italian label Sistema Mortal. Sistema Mortal is renowned for releasing paint-stripping raw punk, and Sanoa and Zouka’s split definitely ticks that box. Every song here is off-the-chain and imbued with aural violence. Zouka deliver über-blown-out raw-core, and while Sanoa’s tracks are more structured, they’re still abrasive as hell, too. I’m keener than mustard to hear what both bands do next.

(Sistema Mortal)

ICWT Recommends:

Released by go-to Portland label Black Water Records, Midnight Lights is the latest album from PDX band Nyx Division. Midnight Lights blends goth rock, death rock, and post-punk with good ol’ rock ‘n’ roll. Extremely infectious melodies saturate Nyx Division’s latest anthems, and Midnight Lights is arguably the best punked-up goth-glam LP of 2025. Below is the video for Midnight Lights track, “Soldier of Love”. Prepare to fall head over heels for Nyx Division.

I mentioned a couple of LPs with strong Middle Eastern influences above (see Ameretat and Haram), and if you enjoyed those releases, check out Uzu, too. The Montreal-based band’s Arabic influences are crucial to Uzu’s creative recipe, and the group’s recent À qui la liberté? album has drawn praise. Uzu’s sound falls outside of ICWT’s usual gamut, but DIY Conspiracy recently detailed À qui la liberté? if you’re curious.

Also worth a peek are two recent Bandcamp articles and a Discogs write-up. The first Bandcamp piece (written by Sydney Salk) surveys Greek post-punk, which I knew next to nothing about.

The second Bandcamp article (authored by Tony Rettman) examines the depths of Dischord Records: see Beyond Fugazi: Exploring Dischord’s Hidden Gems right here.

Rettman also wrote a recent article for Discogs – The Forgotten Post-Hardcore Records that Deserve a Reissue – which digs into underground 1990s punk.

La Vida Es Un Mus offshoot Sealed Records is soon to publish its first book, Paul May – Shot From Both Sides – Photos of UK Punk Gigs 1981-86. The crux of the book is this: Paul May was a fanzine author and photographer who documented the second wave of UK punk, including the birth of crust. Shot From Both Sides features scores of photos and remembrances from back in the day, along with flyers, ticket stubs, setlists, and more. (Photos of the book’s contents look super-enticing.) The list of bands and contributors featured is exhaustive, and you can find all of the necessary details on Sealed Records’ Bandcamp page. If you can afford a copy, I suggest pre-ordering Shot From Both Sides right this second.

TL;DR – Shot From Both Sides is an essential purchase.

RIP Spaceman.

Posted by Craig Hayes

Old man from Aotearoa New Zealand. I write about dadcrust for d-beat dorks, raw punk nerds, and metal dweebs.

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