Welcome to the latest edition of In Crust We Trust. Below you’ll find a bunch of ear-wrecking noise to help you process and/or drown out the 24/7 horror show currently occupying our screens. Wherever you are, and whatever your sitch, I hope you’re able to find some time to crank the volume and shake your thang. Here’s to grunts, growls, and screaming guitars continuing to soothe our trauma(s).

Apologies in advance for such a lengthy column. Honestly, I have no idea how to pitch this shit in an age of dying, human-scripted media. I know I should write shorter and punchier columns, but there’s always so much great music to chat about. I did attempt to curtail my tendencies by deleting a half-dozen blurbs before submitting this month’s column. But now I just feel fucking awful about leaving all those bands behind. I’m too nice. That’s my problem. Ol’ Mr Cuddle-Bunny’s not cut out for the ruthless world of third-tier punk rock journalism.

As always, cheers for tuning in to this non-AI slop. I appreciate you carving out some space in your schedule to read my over-excited blurbage. The audience for ICWT is über-niche and ever-shrinking, so thanks for hanging in there. You rule!

Go easy on yourself. Cyber-hugs all round.

Kia kaha

C

Hasta la vista, Gabba y Phil.

In March, two figures who had a significant impact on the music featured in ICWT exited this plane of existence. Long-time Chaos UK guitarist Gabba passed away early in the month, and there’s no question that Chaos UK’s early LPs (and the band’s much-loved split with Extreme Noise Terror) influenced countless hardcore punk musicians. Gabba was a bona fide rebel, through and through. RIPower, kid.

The death of long-time Motörhead guitarist Phil Campbell was also a huge loss. Motörhead’s influence on hardcore punk has reverberated across the ages, and Campbell’s long tenure with the band spawned plenty of high-octane releases. (I’d argue that albums like 1916, Bastards, Inferno, and Sacrifice feature some of Motörhead’s toughest-sounding tracks. I’ll throw Orgasmatron into the mix, too. Orgasmatron slaps.)

Campbell’s loss was deeply felt in both the metal and punk communities, a testament to his muscular riffing, scruffy charisma, and rock-solid work ethic. Everything louder than everything else – forever. RIPower, sir.

Massacre System – S/T

Raleigh, NC, label Bunker Punks has released a bunch of gnashing ‘n’ smashing music over the years, including 2023’s instant-classic Screaming Death split, which features roaring tracks from Destruct, Scarecrow, Dissekerad, and Rat Cage.

Bunker Punks’ latest release is the four-song, self-titled debut from Richmond, VA, outfit Massacre System. The band’s EP kicks off with a screech of static, before Massacre System get down to business, dispensing grim-toned hardcore inspired by Stoke-on-Trent’s finest.

Everything here is super-abrasive, and much like the aforementioned Destruct, Massacre System use the visceral rawness of their production as a weapon. At points, the band redline their engine, pushing tracks into full-blown, wall-of-noise territory. But in the main, Massacre System remain locked into relentless, sledgehammering d-beat.

Rough, tough, and brutal as a battleaxe, Massacre System’s debut ramps up expectations for the band’s next bout of audio carnage. Pro tip: Don’t sleep on Bunker Punks’ next drop. Hit the ‘follow’ button on the label’s Bandcamp page forthwith.

(Bunker Punks)

Heretgia – En un món en guerra, l’heretgia és la pau

Heretgia’s formidable debut, En un món en guerra, l’heretgia és la pau, will definitely feature on plenty of year-end lists this coming December. The Barcelona-based band’s four-song EP injects bone-rattling bass into growling stenchcore, and chug-heavy guitars power colossal-sounding tracks like “Dansa de la mort” and “La selva culpa”.

Heretgia stretch things out on the synth-laden “Ombres del no-res” and bring the industrial-sized crusher down on “L’esperança ofegada”. All the makings of a first-class trampling crust are here, but that’s not wholly surprising, given Heretgia’s singer and guitarist, Francesco, also features in the ranks of crustcore behemoth Terminal Filth.

Fans of the Amebix school of stench-crust will love this stuff. But Heretgia aren’t necessarily looking to the past for inspiration. The band’s debut is clearly influenced by the horrific things happening right outside your door, and, like the best stenchcore bands, Heretgia bring the weight of the world to bear on their bleak and bruising tracks.

Staggeringly good. Highly recommended.

(Self-released)

(Thanks to DIY Conspiracy guv’nor Mittens XVX for pointing this one out to me.)

D.S.B. – Substitute

Originally released on CD in 2004, Substitute is the second full-length album from Japanese hardcore band D.S.B. (Or the third if you want to include the band’s One Shot One Kill split with Warhead, Extinct Government, and Zone.) Much like D.S.B.’s classic Blood Sucker Records debut, Wings Continue To Strive With Unchanged Mind, Substitute is crammed to the gunnels with blistering hardcore that’ll hit home for fans of Death Side, Nightmare, Judgement, and the aforementioned Warhead.

Substitute features brand new and re-recorded tracks (plucked from earlier in D.S.B.’s career). The band recorded the bulk of Substitute after returning home from a successful tour offshore, and it’s clear D.S.B. were firing on all cylinders when they stepped into the studio, because Substitute’s volatile tracks are honed to the fucking edge.

Substitute is getting a long-overdue vinyl release thanks to go-to Philadelphia label General Speech; the label’s well-earned rep for spotlighting explosive Japanese punk continues at pace right here. Much like previous General Speech reissues from Frigöra and Excrement, Substitute is an absolute must. Doubly so for bona fide fans of classic Japanese hardcore.

D.S.B. aren’t often mentioned in the same hushed tones as other legendary Japanese noise-makers, but Substitute makes an excellent case for why they should be. Incendiary hardcore, guaranteed.

(General Speech)

Catastrophe – Cries From The Gutter

Catastrophe’s Cries From The Gutter LP captures the distrust, disillusionment, and desperation that define classic anarcho punk*. Even better, Catastrophe channel their grim missives through a heavier-than-usual filter, adding darker, weightier, and crustier elements to their A+ vinyl debut.

(*See also: Cries From The Gutter’s striking cover art, which screams definitive anarcho punk.)

Of course, the concerns of 80s anarcho punk are all the rage once again: economic devastation, societal collapse, maniacal leaders, and the spectre of nuclear annihilation. Lyrically, Catastrophe dig into all of that, with tracks like “Fear Of Death”, “Cries from the Gutter”, and “Blind Led To Slaughter” matching gravelly metallic riffage to gruff-yet-passionate messaging. (Album closer “World In Decay”, is an absolute death-punch, btw.)

Cries from the Gutter explores hopelessness and a long list of contemporary horrors. But there’s more than enough ‘fuck the system’ defiance within to get you through another grey day and/or another underpaid shift. Cries from the Gutter is purpose-built to bolster your resilience, with Catastrophe’s guttural anthems lighting a bonfire under the ruins of capitalism.

(Symphony of Destruction)

Spiritual Law – S/T

I’d advise affixing a neck brace before dropping the needle on Spiritual Law’s self-titled, full-length debut. This one’s a real bone-breaker. The kind of LP that’ll make you want to throw bricks through cop car windows. Even if Spiritual Law are, in fact, a friendly bunch of German/Austrian lads.

I’d not heard of Spiritual Law before pressing play on their recent, 10-track LP. The band hail from Bavaria (“from the banks of the Inn, Salzach, and Danube rivers”), and I don’t know what they’re putting in the water over there, but Spiritual Law’s super-dark “Hinterland Hardcore” is annihilating. Tracks like “Pressure Stomp”, “Deliverance” and “Live, Lie, Laugh” feature jawbreaking d-beat, metal-armoured hardcore, and enough high-pressure tension and release to reshape your entire psychological framework.

Spiritual Law combine mid-tempo and mosh-heavy breakdowns with ultra-fast explosions, and the band’s tracks are like a carefully calculated form of torture, ratcheting up to incendiary finales. Spiritual Law’s full-length debut is an absolute beast; hard, fast, and meaner-than-mean. Killer album cover, too. Das ist fantastisch.

(Discos Enfermos, Human Future Records, Broken Skull Records)

Poison Ruïn – Hymns From the Hills

Poison Ruïn are real ‘critics darlings’. Drowning in adulation, the band receive untold media coverage, and the lengthy press release unpacking Poison Ruïn’s new album, Hymns From the Hills, reads like The Canterbury Tales. There’s so much hype orbiting Poison Ruïn’s scything music-making that it’s almost painful to find yourself caught in its glare, and this time round, it feels totally justified.

Hymns From the Hills is Poison Ruïn’s most diverse-sounding recording yet, seeing the band stepping out from under the shadow of the castle portcullis. Poison Ruïn’s mix of anarcho punk, lo-fi metal, post-punk, and oi! is fleshed out with a Killing Joke-esque stomp on “Pilgrimage” and “Puzzle Box”, a New Model Army-worthy* tone and tempo on “Lily Of The Valley”, “Serpent’s Curse”, and “Hymn From The Hills”, and even the latter-era experimentalism of Talk Talk makes an appearance on “Howls From The Citadel”.

Poison Ruïn are clearly a talented bunch, and Hymns From the Hills sees them broadening their creative palette in more interesting and inviting ways. Mixed by Jonah Falco (Fucked Up, Career Suicide) and mastered by Arthur Rizk (Power Trip, Trapped Under Ice, Integrity), Hymns From the Hills sounds sublime; crisp, warm, and still thruming with Poison Ruïn’s usual self-recorded liveliness. With bigger hooks, more memorable songs, and plenty of guts and gusto, Hymns From the Hills is well worth the hype.

(Relapse Records)

Dente Canino – Guerra Mundial

Brazilian band Dente Canino’s Guerra Mundial debut is hot, loud, and concussive. Dente Canino’s evil, primitive punk boils the raw anger (and untamed energy) of early South American hardcore, and you can’t avoid the influence of 80s Scandicore on such a corrosive-sounding album, either.

Dente Canino paint a grim picture of life in Brazil as your existence unravels, the stink of cordite fills the air, and society fractures beyond repair. If you’re hungry for guttural hardcore that channels the collapse of capitalism and the Mad Max world that awaits survivors, then Guerra Mundial’s chaotic tracks will satisfy your hunger. Brutal, barbaric, and battering; hard hardcore.

(Self-released)

Φορμόλη – Tombs Of Hell

Φορμόλη hail from the sun-baked clines of Akraifnio, Greece. Not that there’s anything remotely clement about the trio’s second album, Tombs Of Hell. A rabid mix of grindcore and crust is the name of the game here, with Φορμόλη’s high-speed tracks scooping up the dirt of Doom and Disrupt while delivering bad news at Terrorizer speeds. There’s a thick odour of stenchcore here, too, a layer of scabrous filth, and with the number of DIY labels involved, it’s clear that Φορμόλη have a solid rep in Greece’s subterranean punk scene.

(Septic Aroma Of Reeking Stench, Nothing To Harvest Records, Extreme Earslaughter, Aspects Of Noise, Gore Kitty, Self-released)

Klonns / Zenocide – Split

Next month, I look forward to writing about the Japanese band Klonns’s G.A.M.E.S LP, which is released on May 1st (via US label Iron Lung and Japanese label Black Hole). In the meantime, Klonns’s split with fellow Tokyo citizens Zenocide serves as a very tasty entree.

Zenocide are one of those bands that throw everything into the mix – black metal, sludge, hardcore, anarcho punk, crust, post-punk, doom, whatever – yet somehow Zenocide still have a coherent, and increasingly raging, sound. Klonns also mix and match subgenres, adding the throat-punch of NYHC to the raw rage of classic, and often crusty, Japanese hardcore. (Think Lip Cream covering Agnostic Front-ish.)

The two bands’ split serves as a great introduction to Klonns and Zenocide if you’ve not sampled their wares before. For long(er)-time listeners, Klonn’s tracks are heavy-hitters, featuring more crossover hardcore than ever before. Zenocide’s two contributions are great, too; they’re both heavyweight, percussive tracks that stick to the path the band carved out on their 2025 EP, GASpels.

All up, a solid split release offering two distinct yet tempting slices of Japanese underground music; the discographies of both Klonns and Zenocide are well worth exploring.

(No Sanctuary)

Faucheuse – Comme Un Poignard

Bonjour, mon ami. Faucheuse’s Comme Un Poignard LP is obviously going to pop up on the radar of many punk fans. The French band’s second full-length has enjoyed plenty of press coverage, and it’s easy to hear why. The Bordeaux-based Faucheuse features current and former members of d-beat stars Bombardement, and, like the aforementioned, Faucheuse tracks like “Avalanche”, “Comme Un Poignard”, and “Mon Ombre” combine hardcore punk’s urgency and rock’n’roll’s hooks.

Faucheuse move further into rockier territory on “Mon Ombre”, “Étincelle” and “Pacte De Feu”, and much of Comme Un Poignard is extremely listener-friendly, which isn’t a criticism by any means. In fact, it’s arguably a bold move, and Faucheuse’s vocalist Émilie Bresson has certainly never sounded catchier. Comme Un Poignard has a lot to offer for fans of seeking hook-heavy, electrifying punk. Much like Bombardement’s recent work, Faucheuse explore the creative boundaries of hardcore while keeping one foot firmly in the d-beat camp.

(Symphony of Destruction)

Yambag – The Psycho

Like every one of Cleveland band Yambag’s previous releases, The Psycho features faster-than-a-speeding-bullet hardcore. If supersonic fastcore isn’t your thing, there’s really nothing here to recommend. Yambag’s tracks are genuine mind-scramblers; all crashing instrumentation and spitting vocals delivered at breakneck speeds. There’s nothing much else to say about The Psycho, which isn’t to suggest the EP’s lacking. It’s certainly aptly titled, and all you really need to know is that Yambag’s style of whirlwind music-making is like getting smacked in the choppers with a baseball bat. In-fucking-tense.

(Convulse Records)

Synaptic Isolation Syndrome – Consuming Mental Isolation
Egide – Demo

I wrote an article recently about a bunch of the best submissions from Demo Fest ’25 (the fund-raising project launched by anti-corporate punk portal The Counterforce). Demo Fest ’25 featured 70+ bands, and there were fair few demos that fell into ICWT’s orbit of interests. I can’t include all of those right here, but here are two of my Demo Fest ’25 favs.

Synaptic Isolation Syndrome’s Consuming Mental Isolation demo features A+ crasher crust – noxious d-beat and raw punk dunked in torrents of putrid noise. With current and ex-members of Warkrusher, Portal Tomb, and Eulogy in the band, it wasn’t a huge surprise that Synaptic Isolation Syndrome’s demo was so strong (or so stinky). It’s a dead cert if you enjoy the wall-of-noise approach of Gloom, Abraham Cross, Doom, or Physique. (Word is, Consuming Mental Isolation cassettes will be available soon via go-to label SoreMind.)

Egide’s demo was another out-of-nowhere knockout. The band’s four-track release is fueled by stench-drenched crustcore, and Egide display an astute sense of balance, mixing crushing metalpunk and blackened crust with atmospheric passges summoning visions of untamed wilderness. Highly recommended heavyweight crust that combines grim mindscapes with expansive landscapes. (Egide has close ties to Québec City crusties Anéantix; their demo is well worth a listen to.)

There are no Bandcamp embeds for Synaptic Isolation Syndrome’s or Egide’s demos. I would wholeheartedly encourage you to click those Demo Fest ’25 links below instead.

Synaptic Isolation Syndrome – Consuming Mental Isolation.

Egide – Demo.

Esperanza – Freedom and Equality

Japanese punks Esperanza have been kicking around the Hiroshima punk scene for a dozen or so years, and Freedom and Equality is the band’s first 12” release. Many of the expected adornments of Japanese punk are entirely absent on Freedom and Equality. There are no Burning Spirits-like guitars, no wild Kansai-inspired hardcore, and there’s no feral crasher crust or Disclose-styled raw punk, either.

Instead, on Freedom and Equality, Esperanza tear through eight tracks of scorched-earth, UK82-driven punk. Like the most authentic corners of the Japanese punk scene, there is a searing, blue-collar honesty at work here. Esperanza have zero time for fineries, fripperies, or showboating. This is the sound of the daily grind; ugly and tough, a life forged through struggle and strife.

Press play, and bands like GBH, The Varukers, and One Way System will spring to mind; as will everyone’s go-to inspiration, Discharge. There’s a fierce d-beat directness to Freedom and Equality, ensuring the album buzzes with an uncompromising attitude. Whether you can decipher Esperanza’s lyrics or not, there’s no mistaking the band’s commitment to the cause. If you’re looking for something fresh yet familiar – and something that features plenty of raw instrumentation as well as dirty, melodic hooks – then Freedom and Equality awaits.

(Metadona Records)

Death Knell – Another Life Consumed in Undiluted Hell

There are only a couple of songs available to stream off Death Knell’s second LP, Another Life Consumed in Undiluted Hell. Thus, I’m basing this assessment on roughly four minutes of music. Not that that matters, per se. From the sounds of it, Death Knell’s latest release sticks to the band’s usual crusty recipe, which is heavy enough and features enough crossover thrash to have earned the band their own Metal Archives page.

Essentially, Death Knell sound muscle-bound and taut as a wire. Some crust bands ply the ultra-raw/ragged route, but Death Knell maximise their sonic mass and tensile strength, sounding both mammoth and tight-as-a-drum. There’s still plenty of buzzing distortion and gruff vocals to enjoy. Plus, you don’t title your album Another Life Consumed in Undiluted Hell and affix Dante’s Inferno-style artwork (and Celtic knotwork framing) without matching that to fittingly dark and grim music.

I presume the rest of Another Life Consumed in Undiluted Hell doesn’t deviate from the formula above, which makes it a hard rec for fans of big, burly, and brutal crust.

(Self-released)

Warthodox – Anathema

Anathema is the first full-length release from Serbian crusties Warthodox. The band’s self-described “d-beat apocalypse” unpacks bleak topics like systematic torture, political oppression, media indoctrination, and senseless slaughter. It’s all grim-toned stuff, and with a couple of guitarists on board, Warthodox’s sound is heavy as a dump truck. (Think Disfear and Wolfbrigade’s beefiest eras.)

With gruff-as-fuck vocals, pounding drums, and armour-plated songs, Anathema ticks all the steel-clad, crustcore boxes. There’s nothing groundbreaking here, but that’s not Warthodox’s game plan anyway. The band zero in on hammering their messages home with maximum focus and maximum brutality. Bulldozing stuff, as you’d expect.

(Self-released)

Drönraid – Who Killed Disfucker?
Disease / Disappoint – Split
Crow Noise – Live in GBG Sweden

US-based label/distro Distorted Sedition are one of those subterranean imprints you can implicitly trust to release the most abrasive crust and the gruesomest raw punk. Distorted Sedition releases like Knotwork’s all-fire 2025 Demo, Anomaly’s Collapse Of Industrial Civilization, Spirokete’s Song Of Spirokete, and Culture Shaping Violence’s Echoes From The Dark are all prime examples of the label’s skill when it comes to highlighting hideous underground noise. Here are three more magnificently dissonant releases from Distorted Sedition’s roster.

Drönraid’s Who Killed Disfucker? EP was recorded and mixed at Cult Ritual Audio, and then mastered by legendary studio wiz Shinge at Tokyo’s famed Noise Room. Unsurprisingly, Who Killed Disfucker? sounds awesome. Everything here, from Drönraid’s corrosive guitars to d-beat(ing) percussion and disembowelling bass, slams into you like a runaway truck. Drönraid’s “shit-licking raw punk” is as ugly as a festering ulcer, but that’s also what the band were aiming for. As such, the Narrm (Melbourne), Australian band’s debut is rip-roaring success. (Pummeling Disclose cover, too.) 10/10 for style and substance. A def rec for raw punk nerdz.

Disease and Disappoint’s split cassette is the kind of ear-fucking collaboration that über-raw-punk fans slather over for good reason. Macedonian band Disease have been pumping out gruesome noise since 2012-ish, and at no point have they updated, polished, or significantly beefed up their lo-fi sound. Disease’s three tracks feature the usual caustic insanity, which pays due tribute, of course, to the masters of such madness, Disclose. Disappoint hail from Jyväskylä, Finland, and their raw punk is a little heavier than Disease’s tooth-aching noise. Disappoint’s songs are lashed by feedback and harsh static, and while there’s a percussive hook or three to hang on to, the band’s shitnoise essentially burns like battery acid. I love this stuff, but admittedly, red-raw cacophonies like this have a limited audience.

Crow Noise are a raucous crust band from Kuantan, Malaysia, and their Live in GBG Sweden cassette was recorded in Göteborg on June 12th, 2025. Kicking their set off with a rousing cover of Deviated Instinct’s “Scarecrow”, Crow Noise tear through half a dozen savage-sounding original songs before finishing with a battering cover of Doom’s “Lifelock”. Live in GBG Sweden sounds fierce, and while the recording isn’t hi-fi, it still features plenty of power and punch. Crow Noise sound fired-up and on-form.

(Distorted Sedition)

Röt – The Harvest

I stumbled on London band Röt’s The Harvest release on Bandcamp, and I’m surprised I’ve not heard rumblings about it before. The Harvest tears out of the gate on the fittingly pummeling “The Cudgel Swings”, and from thereon in, it’s all chugging anarcho crust and red-raw metalpunk on clobbering tracks.

There’s plenty of weight to Röt’s threshing/thrashing sound, both sonically and thematically. Mixed and mastered by Chris Corry (Lifeless Dark, Magic Circle, Mind Eraser, and more), The Harvest sounds hard-as-nails musically. Lyrically, Röt paint scenes of dispirited souls wandering boarded-up streets; their hopes collapsed, their dreams shattered. Anyone with a fondness for the classics (see Amebix, Deviated Instinct, and Antisect, etc) will enjoy the forbidding crust that fuels The Harvest‘s creative engine.

I’m surprised some onto-it DIY label hasn’t snaffled this up. Fans of Rigorous Institution, Gnostics, Alement, and similar other axe-grinding bands should add the Röt’s debut to their playlists. Thumping stuff.

(Self-released)

Bödel – Dödsbringaren

Dödsbringaren is the first full-length release from Swedish råpunk/kängpunk four-piece Bödel. Wolfbrigade OG, Jocke Rydbjer, produced the LP, and one of the labels involved in Dödsbringaren’s release is Cimex Records, founded by Anti-Cimex drummer Charlie. Bödel clearly have the right support in place, and the band’s drummer, Micke, and guitarist, Arvid, also have plenty of experience in the extreme music trenches, playing in long-running death metallers The Crown.

Bödel’s vocalist, Leya, is also guitarist Arvid’s daughter, and she howls her lungs out on Dödsbringaren as Bödel cram a dozen breathless tracks into the album’s 25-minute runtime. Dödsbringaren finds a good balance between rawness and punchiness. There’s no denying the calibre of musicianship here, and while Bödel aren’t reinventing the wheel, their music is aggressive, barelling, and pretty much pitch-perfect for fans of old-school Scandi-crust.

Note: the CD version of Dödsbringaren also includes all of Bödel’s previous work, bulking the album out to 23 tracks.

(Flyktsoda / Cimex Records)

Ratpiss –Sex/Violence/Death

There’s nothing subtle about Québec band Ratpiss. But that’s not too surprising, right? You don’t name your band Ratpiss and go in for gentle folk balladry, and there’s certainly nothing sweet or nice about the band’s Sex/Violence/Death album.

Sex/Violence/Death is as raw as its primary talking points. Within, Ratpiss’ bassist/vocalist Erin screams, barks, and grunts her throat raw, while drummer Greg and guitarist/co-vocalist Tyler tear into crust(y), grindcore(y), sludge(y), and powerviolence(y) tracks. You could call the resulting filth rotten metalpunk or putrid punkmetal, either works. The main takeaway here is that life is a never-ending struggle from one poverty-ridden plague pit to the next. What is there to be hopeful about, aside from good friends and brief moments of orgasmic ecstasy? Hug your pals, then. Snog your heart out. And listen to Rat-piss(y) records. We’re fucking doomed. Make hay (and noise) while you can.

(Self-released)

Burned Up Bled Dry –Next Stop…Dead Stop…

Arkansas band Burned Up Bled Dry formed in 1996, released a couple of EPs via Slap A Ham Records, and then, like a million young bands, Burned Up Bled Dry disintegrated. Fast forward a decade or three, and with all the band’s members living in Arkansas once again, Burned Up Bled Dry are back with their debut LP, Next Stop…Dead Stop….

Aside from the heftier production values on Next Stop…Dead Stop…, nothing’s much changed for Burned Up Bled Dry. The band continue to feed downtuned powerviolence through a hardcore filter, delivering 25 songs in 26 minutes; you can do the math on that one – this rips. Burned Up Bled Dry also continue the blunt philosophical attack of 80s hardcore, and the band’s “this planet is a fucking train wreck” mantra is howled in anger, time and again.

Next Stop…Dead Stop… is out via Prank Records, and if you’re a fan of the much-loved label’s output – or devotee of Slap A Ham’s heyday – this one’s a dead cert.

(Prank Records)

Gunner –Reality Soldier

A few years back, Western Australian band Semtex 87 released a one-and-done demo that drew heavily on the story of an Australian man who stole an 11-tonne armoured personnel carrier from an army depot, and used it to ram a police car through the walls of a local cop shop. To be fair, the dude had a few legitimate grievances.

Gunner is a new band formed from the ashes of Semtex 87, and Gunner also draw inspiration from psychosocial volatility; in this case, the tortured psyche of a local man that a member of Gunner would regularly run into on their night shift. Gunner’s Reality Soldier 7” is aptly schizophrenic. The ripping negative hardcore here displays tightly controlled intensity one minute, and then unbridled insanity the next. It’s a mirror to our madness, of course; the edge at which we all teeter drawing ever closer. Gunner’s lyrics reveal a fractured mind, but to paraphrase the well-known adage, insanity feels like the only sane response to this increasingly insane world.

Reality Soldier is a deep dive into a world where nothing makes sense aside from the senseless. To quote Gunner, “what separates us is much less than what we might imagine it to be”. Reality Soldier’s deranged hardcore is a reminder of how thin the membrane between the rational and irrational truly is. Some days, it’s hard to decide which is which.

(Helta Skelta Records, Iron Lung Records)

Triste –The Darker the Night – the Brighter the Stars

German band Triste’s sophomore album, The Darker the Night – the Brighter the Stars, sounds massive, crushes all, and features a slew of cross-genre elements that’ll hook dumpster divers and metalheads alike.
Triste cite bands like Bolt Thrower, Meth Drinker, Primitive Man, and His Hero is Gone as inspirations, and while there’s no doubt that heavyweight crust has influenced Triste’s musical journey, that’s not the main focus here.

Death and doom metal play leading roles on The Darker the Night – the Brighter the Stars, but Triste’s onslaught of bone-crushing riffs and growling vocals does feature plenty of stenchcore-friendly (i.e. Bolt Thrower-worthy) elements to lure curious punks in. Musically and lyrically, Triste offer the best of both worlds. The band aren’t breaking new ground, per se, but if you’re a fan of the point where doom, death metal, and stenchcore collide, The Darker the Night – the Brighter the Stars is well worth a visit. Apocalyptic tracks for world-shattering times.

(Self-released)

Disthroat / Necropolítica – Split

I knew diddly-squat about Spanish bands Disthroat and Necropolítica before reading a recent Maximumrocknroll review of their split LP. Disthroat and Necropolítica both feature long-serving members of the punk rock fraternity, and both band’s sound unwashed, authentic, and wholly dedicated to the cause.

Disthroat’s crustcore is rough and gruff, with dual vocals, and several of the band’s tracks on their split with Necropolítica veer into gruesome grindcore territory. Disthroat’s sound is tight and strong, while Necropolítica’s contributions are rawer and more lo-fi. Necropolítica’s more primitive recording style does mean you’ll be cranking the volume a lot more to appreciate the finer detail within their songs. Although, I’d argue the differences in fidelity here are advantageous, offering two different takes on old school crustcore.

Ultimately, I think Necropolítica’s tracks are great, but they’d have definitely benefited from a little more production punch. (Especially for ancient, tinnitus-ridden fans like me.) That said, I’ll take raw and honest punk over the latest batch of painfully calibrated stadium crust every time. If you feel the same, make sure to check out Disthroat and Necropolítica’s split.

(Zaragoza Desorden Records, D.I.Y. Koło Records, Romantic Songs Records, Demons Punk Records, Mal Presagio Records, Victim Records, Hecatombe Records)

AG-3 – Covert Strike

Oslo band AG-3’s recent Covert Strike cassette tears the fucking roof off. Covert Strike is filled with fast, raw, and aggressive songs: “a drone strike on all the senses” – 100% agreed. AG-3 released a great demo a few years back, and Covert Strike’s blistering tracks are harder, heavier, and harsher. (AG-3’s vocalist, Leah, turns in a next-level performance here, too.)

The war drums are deafening, millions are suffering, and I don’t know about you, but my neighbourhood looks like it’s about to implode any second. There’s a lot to be angry about, and there’s a lot to be stressed about, which is where AG-3’s bass-blasting onslaught enters the frame to wipe your worries off the map. Pure, unadulterated raw hardcore. Breathless stuff.

Convicted – Soaring Reality of Nature’s Demise

Göteborg, Sweden, crusties Convicted have a lower-fi sound than the album art adorning their Soaring Reality of Nature’s Demise album might suggest. Recorded in the “freezing cold Högsbos industriområde,” district, Soaring Reality of Nature’s Demise combines metalpunk, stenchcore, and d-beat. The album’s DIY, rehearsal-room production is rough around the edges, and that either underpins Convicted’s DIY mission or squanders their talents – I’ll leave it up to you to decide.

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with squat crust or a cruder vision of stenchcore. Convicted’s raw sound certainly matches the raw anger expressed on their politically charged tracks. Vocalist Eli gives it her all on the band’s songs, and Convicted inject a little grimy death metal into proceedings, adding an extra dose of darkness. Personally, I think Soaring Reality of Nature’s Demise would benefit from better production values. No polish is required, but there are intricate riffs and solos here that would hit a lot harder if supported by a heavier sound.

Still, that’s self-recorded, basement crust for ya. Not everyone wants to sound like a beefed-up beast; additive-free authenticity is more important to some. As it stands, Soaring Reality of Nature’s Demise is a solid release. It’s honest, real, and unashamedly raw.

(US and European presses of Soaring Reality of Nature’s Demise will be available through Primitive Future Records and Drunk Scum Records soon.)

S.A.I.G.O.N. – S/T

I know as much about S.A.I.G.O.N. as you do. In fact, you probably know a lot more, given I live half a world away from S.A.I.G.O.N.’s home base in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

What I do know, for sure, is that S.A.I.G.O.N.’s self-titled debut is as heavy as a tank. The band’s songs arrive thick and fast, with all guns blazing. For a trio, S.A.I.G.O.N. make a hell of a racket, and like many sonically brawny crust bands, S.A.I.G.O.N.’s tracks draw from a crossover-friendly well of inspiration. S.A.I.G.O.N.’s super-aggressive sound channels staunch political statements, too. Tough-as-steel hardcore, through and through.

(Self-released)

Maced – Kaos Blasting Noise

Late last year, I wrote an epic-length article about Aotearoa New Zealand label Razored Raw. Included within was a blurb about the NZ grindcore band, Maced. I love how Maced project filthy grindcore through a punk rock lens on their politically charged songs, and I’m looking forward to Maced’s next studio recording immensely. While we wait, the band recently posted a live rehearsal, Kaos Blasting Noise, recorded on the ol’ Tascam Portastudio, on YouTube. It’s all blown-out, shit-fi stuff, with Maced’s off-the-chain energy on full display.

Maximum ear-fucking noise: FFO Napalm Death, Unholy Grave, ENT, Excruciating Terror, etc.

ICWT Bonus Features

In case you haven’t consumed enough concussive noise, here’s a recent ‘Live on KEXP’ set from Iron Lung. Pretty cool to see the long-lived duo smashing it out with as much gusto as ever. I can hardly wipe my ass these days without needing a rest stop. To see Iron Lung in such great shape is downright inspiring. I need to up my game; 10,000 steps be damned. 20,000, here I come.

Sayōnara, WAYLT?

Last, but not least, I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve referenced the YouTube channel Analog Attack over the past few years. Host Mike Foster’s been a stalwart supporter of the kind of music we all hold dear, and one of AA’s funnest features was the channel’s regular ‘What Are You Listening To?’ videos, which saw Mike and guests chatting about old and new releases with super-engaging, nerd-level energy.

Mike’s recent (and sudden) announcement that WAYLT? was coming to an end was sad. But he also posted a video on his YouTube channel detailing the depression and anxiety challenges he was facing at present. Those issues are infinitely more important than making videos about obscure releases, and while the chances of Mike ever reading this line are slim to none, I wanted to wish him well in his recovery.

Plenty of fans of loud music also battle long-term mental health issues, and like a lot of people, I was first attracted to punk and metal because they were hugely cathartic in that regard. I often find writing about music stressful and have taken breaks when needed. However, I always return to the keyboard because writing about music is a way for me to give back to the bands and the scene that have supported me through tough times.

It’s clear that Mike’s entire AA project is a means for him to give back and pay tribute to the music that matters to all of us. Mike’s videos have brought a whole lot of joy to others, and I’m certain every AA fan would agree that Mike prioritising his health is absolutely the right thing to do.

Mike’s improved our collective wellbeing whether he knows it or not. AA’s in-depth and geek-tastic videos are audiovisual antidepressants and Mike’s channel has provided a warm campfire for many to huddle around while we shelter from the cold reality of life in the Anthropocene. Mike mentioned that WAYLT? could possibly return at some point, and I hope it does, but for now, a nod to Mike – and to everyone who contributes to the noisy music community – for putting in the work, and making the world a better place.

I’m not on social media, and thus, I’ve never interacted with Mike. But he’s absolutely brightened my day, and definitely improved my life. In a time of huge divisions, I love that we can still rely on noisy music to bring us together and remind us of the things that connect and sustain us.

Kia kaha to you, and Mike. Hugs all round, team.

Be well.

The post In Crust We Trust: Vol 37 appeared first on Last Rites.

Ivan March – The Sonic Insurrection pt. 1

Kia ora, crüe.
Welcome to ICWT 36 (or 37, 38, 39 or 40). To be honest, having written a number of year-end and special editions of ICWT over the years, I’ve lost count of where we’re at, numerically speaking. Still, the main point is this: hello, hooray, and welcome back to the nourishing bosom of ICWT.

As you’ve no doubt noticed, the world is awash with anxiety-raising (and/or trauma-inducing) catastrophes, and ICWT’s ongoing mission is to exorcise your fears and frustrations via the medium of deafening shitnoise. Obviously, you could argue that it’s pointless to be hyping bands that give a fuck in a world where giving a fuck has little to no discernible impact. None of the bands I write about will restore your faith in humanity, and all of us are stumbling across a nightmare landscape filled with outrages and atrocities. Life is understandably unbearable for many, and our emotional bandwidths are often overwhelmed. At times like this, the power of music to bolster our resolve can easily be compromised.

In my youth, scores of punk and metal bands spoke of a desperate future filled with post-apocalyptic peril. These days, those forecasts feel factual rather than fictional. To my mind, that means the music that manages to punch through all the doom and gloom and grab hold of my world-weary heart – or kick my fat ass into gear – matters all the more.

Raucous music is ecstatic, and in that transcendent revelry lies the freedom and catharsis we crave. For those fortunate enough to have the time or space to do so, cranking a thumping hardcore or metal track is often a transformative experience – if only for a moment in time. I’d say, grab hold of as many of those moments as you can. Life is short. Pogo while your knees still work.

Clearly, I have to keep listening to new punk, hardcore and metal-punk releases in case my (as-yet-unborn) mutant grandchildren ask me what I did in the Oil Wars 2.0. I look forward to telling them that I served alongside the bravest bloggers, sacrificing our valuable time while pumping out verbal diarrhoea about horrible-sounding bands.

For now, ICWT will continue to highlight passionate bands, many of which scream and shout about advocacy, activism, and the myriad ills of capitalism. I’m one of those pain-in-the-ass ‘everything is politics’ guys, too, and I make no apologies for that. However, the good news is, I’m not here to lecture you about the joys of Anarcho-syndicalism. I promise you this: if all you’re looking for are some ‘fuck everything’ tunes to drown out the stresses and strains of everyday life, ICWT features plenty of nihilistic noise.

I’m not here to judge your reasons for enjoying ear-wrecking music. I’m simply here to help replenish your emotional arsenal with high-octane bangers. (At least until we’re all incinerated in the furnace of nuclear armageddon. Happy days.)

As always, thanks a million for stopping by. I appreciate the time and effort you’ve expended to wade through my barely literate ‘reckons’. I am an old dog, but I’m not ready for the pet cemetery just yet. It remains a pleasure and privilege to throw a cyber-arm around your shoulder and shout about noisy bands and the cultural influences that shape the music we love. (And I swear that this is the only long-winded introduction to ICWT you’ll have to endure all year. Thank you for your continued forbearance.)

Here’s to all the bum-flapped rockers and dumpster-diving rollers who keep our collective blood pumping. And here’s to you and yours, too.

Go easy on yourself, kia kaha, and keep fighting the good fight.

Alright, here we go: ICWT 2026, engage.

xx

Fugazi – Albini Sessions

I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who was thrilled to discover that Dischord Records had uploaded Steven Albini’s In on the Killtaker sessions to the label/Fugazi’s Bandcamp page. The legendary Albini-engineered ‘proto-version’ of In on the Killtaker has been fervently discussed and partially bootlegged for years. Here’s the (very much) abridged story of In on the Killtaker‘s first incarnation, if you’ve not heard it before.

In 1992, while demoing tracks that would eventually appear on In on the Killtaker proper, Fugazi encountered a few stumbling blocks. Deciding to shake things up and try a different recording setup from their usual Inner Ear location, Fugazi decamped to Chicago’s famed Electrical Audio Studio, which was helmed, of course, by renowned studio engineer Steve Albini. Albini had offered Fugazi a free recording session, and the band and Albini hit it off like a house on fire. In less than a week, 12 songs were recorded and mixed.

However, on the drive home from Electrical Audio, the members of Fugazi began to have misgivings about the recording session. Listening to a cassette playback, they felt the session didn’t quite capture the oomph – the livewire energy – the band were after. The good news is that Albini felt exactly the same, so no egos were bruised when Fugazi decided to shelve the Electrical Audio sessions. Over the years, a few tracks from the Electrical Audio sessions leaked online, and they were, as you’d expect, hotly debated. But this is the first time the entire Albini-recorded version of In on the Killtaker has been made available in legit circumstances.

In on the Killtaker was/is a crucial LP in Fugazi’s discography. It was the first Fugazi album to appear on the Billboard charts, marking a breakthrough for the band in commercial terms. Neither of those markers means much to me or, I imagine, many other Fugazi fans. What’s far more important is that In on the Killtaker saw Fugazi pushing past their previous artistic boundaries and delving deeper into post-hardcore.

In creative terms, In on the Killtaker was more adventurous than Fugazi’s previous releases, although everything the band has released – from its early years to Fugazi’s last (and arguably best) studio album, The Argument – has been rightly applauded. In on the Killtaker remains one of my favourite Fugazi releases, and it’s fascinating to hear the Albini sessions in all their rough-and-ready glory. Personally, I think Albini’s In on the Killtaker sessions sound fan-fucking-tastic. What a treat for fans: a magnificent alternate version of an indisputable classic. (Proceeds from the album are being donated to the non-profit Letters Charity organisation.)

(Dischord Records)

Terminal Filth/Axfear – “Trailer”

Italian label Agipunk Records recently posted a very enticing trailer for an upcoming split featuring two absolute crust behemoths: German stenchlords Terminal Filth and Seattle deathcrust crew Axefear. I’m looking forward to this one immensely. Axefear’s 2024 Prophetic End LP was annihilating, and Terminal Filth’s last release, Traces Towards Oblivion, was a certified skull-crusher, too. Not gonna lie; I feel breathless with anticipation for this split.

(Agipunk Records)

Abyecta – Inténtalo o Muere

Life is full of uncertainties, but there is one thing we can all rely on – namely, the recommendations of the contributors to Sorry State’s weekly newsletter. For example, the on-point write-ups of Sorry State staffer (and Public Acid and Scarecrow) member Jeff Young are always worth paying attention to. I spotted Jeff’s name attached to the Bandcamp publicity blurb for Abyecta’s Inténtalo o Muere 7”, which is a sure sign that something (extremely) tasty is on the boil.

The once-Chile, now-US-based Abyecta was formed by the band’s guitarist and vocalist, Carolina, and the Abyecta’s latest two-song release is their most metal-driven yet. Groups like Poison Arts, Gudon, and The Clay are cited as reference points, which makes perfect sense, given the galloping mix of classic Japanese hardcore and metallic riffs powering Abyecta’s latest tracks, “Inténtalo o Muere” and “Amo y Esclavo”. Much like Ayucaba’s Operación Masacre LP, which was 2025’s best punk-metal release by far, Abyecta’s new EP perfectly balances the darker thrust of UK82 with the pyrotechnic riffs of 80s metal and the snarl of fierce mid-80s Japanese hardcore. Abyecta’s latest EP is energetic and anthemic, featuring scores of fist-raising moments. Two songs are not enough, though; bring on an LP, asap.

(Metadona Records)

Rocky & The Sweden – Punk’s Pot Head

Relapse Records’ recent reissuing of Lip Cream’s oeuvre has garnered plenty of attention. However, don’t overlook the work of fellow Tokyo punks Rocky & The Sweden, whose early work, and a brand new album, have also been recently released by Relapse.

Rocky & The Sweden have sporadically released albums since their bong-busting 1998 debut, Total Hard Core. The band’s thematic focus – weed, weed, and a little more weed – has remained fixed throughout their career, as has Rocky & The Sweden’s sound. Rocky & The Sweden’s latest release, Punk’s Pot Head, is another blistering celebration of Sinsemilla and speedy riffs, with the band’s sizzling hardcore as stoner-stonk-worthy as ever. The only real difference between Punk’s Pot Head and Rocky & The Sweden’s earlier releases is the contributions of newer guitarist S-Park Sweden, who, fyi, fucking rips.

Tracks like “Up in Smoke”, “THC”, and “Chain Smoke” explode with blazing riffs and synapse-scorching leads. Elsewhere, “Killer Weed”, “Burning Again (One More Burn), and “R&R Highway” feature rock-solid hooks and technically impressive six-string gymnastics alongside all of the expected rawness and intensity of Japanese hardcore.

One of the greatest strengths of the underground Japanese punk scene is the number of long-lived bands exhibiting righteous staying power. Sure, many of those bands only release new music once in a blue moon. However, as Rocky & The Sweden’s Punk’s Pot Head proves time and again, it’s quality, not quantity, that counts.Smoke ‘em if ya got ‘em.

(Relapse Records)

Hope? – Hell on Planet Earth

Sometimes, punk bands burn through all of their anger, energy, and all of their best material on their very first EP. That’s totally fine, by the way. There’s really nothing better than a stone-cold classic 7” debut. Unfortunately, some bands then follow up a storming 7″ with a 12″ release that feels decidedly undercooked or, even worse, overlong. Thankfully, that’s not the case with Hope?.

With members drawn from Minneapolis and Portland, OR, Hope?’s recent Hell on Planet Earth LP follows on from the band’s solid 7”, Your Perception is Not My Reality. Like Hope?’s first EP, the band’s full-length debut is stuffed to the gunwales with the kind of thickset, barrelling crust that’ll hit home for anyone with a fondness for the prime years of Profane Existence and Skuld Releases.

Hell On Planet Earth’s cover art lets you know instantly that classic crust purpose-built for the worst of times awaits within. Nausea, State of Fear, Misery, Doom, and Sacrilege all spring to mind while spinning Hell on Planet Earth, with Hope?’s duelling guttural vocals, hulking d-beat, and fired-up lyrical focus underscoring all of the hallmarks of definitive crustcore.

Releases like Hell on Planet Earth tap into a vital vein of resistance, with Hope? serving up a much-needed emotional release along the way. Crank Hell on Planet Earth while staring at the 24/7 livestream of exploding buildings and boiling oceans and you’ll appreciate that Hope? have constructed a pulverising conduit for our collective rage. As the world falls apart, Hell on Planet Earth gives us something to hold on to. Hope?’s first full-length release is an essential purchase for diehard fans of consummate, crushing crust.

(Desolate Records)

B.O.R.N. – 8 Tracks

Back in 2023, I included Birmingham, Alabama punks B.O.R.N.’s Belligerent Onslaught Relentless Noise debut on my list of the year’s best EPs. The group’s chainsawing raw punk is harsh, dissonant, and abrasive, and much like similarly-minded outfits Disclose or Physique, B.O.R.N.’s sound is primitive but potent.

B.O.R.N.’s new 8 Tracks 12″ mixes crashing crust with sizzling layers of static noise, driving d-beat, and metal-tipped riffs. Blistering tracks like “Powder Shipments”, “The Farm”, and “Local Outsider” maximise their sonic ugliness while ensuring B.O.R.N.’s acidic riffs and piercing solos cut through the onslaught with eviscerating sharpness. It might seem incongruous to compliment intentionally inaccessible raw punk on its technical prowess, but credit where credit’s due: B.O.R.N.’s approach is smarter and a hell of a lot catchier than your bog-standard noise.

B.O.R.N.’s 8 Tracks is a withering blast wave that warrants repeated listens. There’s a lot of scorching raw punk out there, but not much of it is instantly memorable. That’s not an issue for B.O.R.N., though. The band’s visceral tracks burrow straight into your marrow.

(Self-released)

Dissekerad – Väggarna Rasar

Dissekerad frontman Poffen (aka Per-Olof Frimodig) has served time in a host of well-regarded bands, including Exploatör, Krigshot, and, of course, the almighty Totalitär. Dissekerad’s other members are no slouches, either, with ties to groups like Brainbombs, Avskum, and more. The point is, Dissekerad’s members are veteran noise-mongers well acquainted with making a deafening racket.

No surprise, Dissekerad’s fourth album, Väggarna Rasar, is another prime slab of Swedish mangel, and it’s also the band’s best release thus far. All of the raw Scandi hardcore here is stripped of any fripperies, honed to the edge, and then it’s slathered in grit and grime to ensure Väggarna Rasar sounds more noxious than dumpster swill. Bonus points for Väggarna Rasar also being Dissekerad’s heaviest release yet. The band’s steelier elements are beefed up and given more room to swing, and the propulsive bass and gut-punch drums right here will rattle your cage, good and proper. If you loved Exploatör’s 2025 LP, Apokollaps, you’re sure to embrace Väggarna Rasar’s similarly bare-boned approach to full-tilt, pummeling Scandicore.

Väggarna Rasar is reaping a fair amount of applause online. All of it is warranted.

(Desolate Records, Phobia Records)

Hiatus – Sanctus Propaganda Sessions Vol. 6

I loved 2025’s Sanctus Propaganda Sessions Vol. 4, which featured NYC crust bands Flower and State Manufactured Terror tearing through a couple of fired-up live sets. Sanctus Propaganda Sessions Vol. 6 sees Belgium band Hiatus doing the same, although Vol. 6 is also tinged with sadness, given the passing of Hiatus frontman Willy in 2024. Unhinged singer Mirelle guests on the track “Hell Is Near”, and Vol. 6 is very much a tribute to Willy’s time in the crust punk trenches. (It’s also a benefit release, gathering funds for people experiencing homelessness). Hiatus’ well-established gruff-core sound – think Doom-via-Anti Cimex – is raw and abrasive, and it features plenty of bulldozing punch. If you’ve not sampled Hiatus before, check out the band’s 2023 album, Out of Hand, which is as guttural and gristly as any of the band’s well-regarded 90s releases. RIPower Willy.

(Sanctus Propaganda)

Mental Slaughter – Feedback // Warfare

Australian label Televised Suicide and US label Iron Lung have co-released a couple of gnashing/crashing releases from Aussie bands in the past; see Gaoled’s Bestial Hardcore and No Future’s excellent Mirror LP. The two labels’ latest collaborative release, Feedback // Warfare, is from Aussie outfit Mental Slaughter, which is an on-and-off side-project featuring members of the aforementioned Gaoled and No Future. Mental Slaughter’s Feedback // Warfare cassette is labelled thus: “for fans of/by fans of Languid”. I’d count myself as a diehard Languid fan, and while it would be hard work for any band to come close to levelling up to Languid’s mind-melting intensity, Mental Slaughter’s pummelling d-beat rips and rages in all the right places. Expect screaming solos, clobbering riffs, and concussive bass and drums. Crushing Neanderthal noise – kinda perfect.

(Televised Suicide, Iron Lung Records)

Life Expectancy – Sold

Life Expectancy’s Sold cassette is touted label Iron Lung as a surefire recommendation for fans of Physique, Confuse, Gloom, Death Dust Extractor, and Disclose. I’d back that endorsement to the hilt. Life Expectancy’s ultra-harsh crust welds a blown-out industrial cacophony to radioactive riffage; the brutal torrents of noise being pitch-perfect for devotees of max-dissonance and blowtorch-styled d-beat. Poverty, hopelessness, and society’s rack and ruin are apparently unpacked on Life Expectancy’s latest super-harsh ‘songs’. But good luck figuring any of that out without a lyric sheet to peruse. Life Expectancy’s 2023 cassette, Decline, set a high bar for sheer audio obnoxiousness, and the good news is, Sold is grimmer, uglier, and even more listener-unfriendly. Pro tip: Save yourself some time and note Sold down alongside the recent Hope?, Dissekerad, and B.O.R.N releases for your year-end ‘best of ’26’ list now. Sold is highly recommended, of course.

(Iron Lung Records)

Draümar – S/T

Oslo four-piece Draümar released a snarling EP, D’Krig, via Adult Crash back in 2022. The band’s new self-titled full-length is released by always-interesting label Static Shock, and Draümar’s first 12″ feels like a step up from their previous work. Opening (and closing) with brief Carpenter-esque synths, the rest of Draümar’s 12” debut hurls firebrand Norge hardcore at you at a pedal-to-the-metal pace. A cover of early 80s Norwegian punk band Bannlyst (“Herrene”) features original Bannlyst vocalist Finn Erik Tangen, and with murder, prejudice, fascism, and ecological destruction on the rise, there’s plenty for Draümar to rage about throughout their hook-strewn debut. Draümar’s 12″ debut is as punk as punk gets. I’m guessing Draümar smash it out of the park at K-Town.

(Static Shock Records)

Verdict/Nightfeeder – Död Åt Tyranner

Spoilers: Verdict and Nightfeeder’s recent split, Död Åt Tyranner, is a dream-team matchup that hits every mark. In case you missed it, Nightfeeder features members Disrupt, Consume, Deathraid, State Of Fear and more, while Verdict’s members have played in Totalitär, Meanwhile, Exploatör, Warcollapse, 3-Way Cum, and plenty more bands, too. If that line-up intel doesn’t get your motor roaring, you should check your pulse forthwith.

All of Nightfeeder’s previous bulldozing releases have hit home for yours truly, and Verdict’s last LP, 2023’s Rat Race, was an absolute mind-smasher, too. The fact that Verdict and Nightfeeder’s split is out via Phobia Records is, of course, another sign that you should pay close attention, and what Död Åt Tyranner brings to the table in real terms, is veteran musicians creating some of the most propulsive and powerful punk of their lives.

Verdict’s seven tracks are warp-speed, wall-punching triumphs, with “I’m not Built to Last”, “War on the Streets”, and “Mass Hysteria” being some of Verdict’s fastest, tightest, and fiercest songs yet. Even when the band (marginally) slows down on “Narcissistic Piece of Shit?”, it still feels like being trapped under an M1A1’s tracks.

Same-same Nightfeeder. Truth is, Nightfeeder sound better and better with every release. Hammering tracks like “Climbing the Walls”, “Life’s Foul Pit”, and “Shit Filled Paddock” are some of the most bruising songs in Nightfeeders’ already heavyweight arsenal. Nightfeeder throw out hooks and shout-along lyrics galore, and while their colossal d-beat batters and bruises, it’s the catchy detail within their barrelling song’s that’ll snag and hold your attention.

Död Åt Tyranner is an end-times onslaught that channels its raging chaos with merciless accuracy – all killer, no filler; a stone-cold classic split.

(Phobia Records)

Skallar – 2026 EP

Note the Celtic knotwork, and check out the ominous, sci-fi/fantasy black-and-white cover art; you know what you’re getting here. Baltimore, Maryland, band Skallar’s 2026 EP features unrelenting, pitch-black crust. Post-apocalyptic bleakness mind-melds with medieval grimness, and words like brutal and intimidating are apt descriptors of Skallar’s Bolt Thrower-worthy sound and aesthetic.

Skallar’s latest chugging tracks are heavier than funeral rites, and they’re a notable improvement on the rawer songs featured on Skallar’s 2024 demo. Dark and dense songs like “Nuclear Reality”, “Death Rattle”, and “Tranquillizer” are hard-hitting conflagrations of stench-drenched d-beat and growling crustcore. I’m surprised an on-point cassette label hasn’t snapped this one up. Although, obviously, that could still be on the cards. In any case, for now, Skallar’s 2026 EP awaits your eyes and ears on Bandcamp. It’s a full-throated/fist-raised recommendation for fans of Stormcrow, Sanctum, Hellshock, and After the Bombs.

(Self-released)

System Maintains – 3 Song Demo

Richmond, Virginia label Sex Fiend Abomination released a bunch of great demos in 2025, including Pray to be Saved’s 6-song cassette, which was one of last year’s best releases, demo or otherwise. System Maintain’s recent demo is another certified ripper, and it’s sure to go down as one of this year’s most savage demos. The Charlotte, NC, band’s ultra-raw punk-metal (or metal-punk, take your pick) explodes with the blown-out and scuzzy energy of the earliest years of hardcore and speed metal. “The sound of your sketchy uncle’s Metallica and Bathory tapes played through a wrecked boombox” is how Sex Fiend Abomination sums up System Maintain’s sound and vision, and that’s a fitting description of the fuzz-fucked shredding and accompanying cacophony right here. Tune in for migraine-inducing riffs, gruesome af vocals, and pounding drums; street skaters, heshers, and gutter-dwellers rejoice.

(Sex Fiend Abomination)

Culture Shaping Violence – Echoes from the Dark

Another day, another top-tier NYC crust release. Recorded by Joe Nelson at D4MT Labs and released by go-to underground labels Distorted Sedition and R.I.P. Peace Records, Culture Shaping Violence’s Echoes from the Dark demo oozes gloom-drenched, apocalyptic vibes. Pounding stenchcore, anarcho-punk, and a brief burst of dungeon-synth are put to excellent use on aggressive yet atmospheric songs. Fans of Antisect, Nausea, Tower 7, Flower, and State Manufactured Terror will find plenty of juicy crustcore to gnaw on here. Culture Shaping Violence’s reverb-slathered assault hits all the expected marks, but tracks like “Devour Our Sons” and “No Shared Purpose” also offer something grimmer and gruntier than your stock-standard fare.Echoes from the Dark is a first-rate first release; Culture Shaping Violence are a band to keep a close eye on.

(Distorted Sedition, R.I.P. Peace Records)

Terminal – Βόρεια Του Βορρά

Βόρεια Του Βορρά is the second full-length release from Greek hardcore band Terminal. Much like the band’s previous endeavours, Βόρεια Του Βορρά is chock-full of hulking hardcore and barking vocals that unashamedly tip their hat to Finnish-influenced d-beat. Terminal’s tracks hurtle along, and there are passages here that tick the Anti-Cimex or Tragedy boxes as much as hitting the Terveet Kädet, Rattus, or Riistetyt mark. Terminal’s songs wallop as they gallop, and the band’s burly approach is a great fit for fans of globetrotting hardcore.

Arüspex – The Death Instinct

Californian five-piece Arüspex caught the ear of plenty of neo-crust fans with their 2023 full-length Hawthorne & Henbane. The band’s latest LP, The Death Instinct, feels darker than their last. Black metal’s chill plays a large role in the band’s sound, although Arüspex’s neo-crustiness and melodic sensibilities certainly haven’t disappeared. The band mix grim vocals with sweeping instrumental passages, and, expertly recorded by Greg Wilkinson at Earhammer Studios, tracks like “Traitors”, “In the Black”, and lengthier requiem “The Only Constant”, are enveloping and enthralling. Not everyone loves the dramaticism of blackened crust – or the emotiveness of neo-crust – but there’s no denying Arüspex’s latest release is engrossing, smartly arranged, and often heart-gripping. The 12″ version of The Death Instinct also comes with lyric zine full of the band’s political musings, including Arüspex’s thoughts on “the rapid decline of human civilization”.

(Fellowship of Enemies)

Fuckin’ Warheads – S/T

Charlotte, NC, band Fuckin’ Warheads sound like a car crash. The band ram six ultra-punishing songs on their self-titled Bandcamp release, and Fuckin’ Warheads’s Scandinavia-via-Japan-styled raw punk is crusty, crude, and unashamedly boneheaded. There’s no fence-sitting with this one: Fuckin’ Warheads are as lo-fi as a Discharge demo, and you’re either on board and down for the rough-and-ready ride, or you’re more than likely to be fleeing in the other direction. Primitive, challenging noise for those days when all you want to do is headbutt a wall or two.

I loved this one. But I’ll forgive you for thinking otherwise. Like System Maintain above, Fuckin’ Warheads are definitely an acquired taste.

(Hardcore Headache)

Reek Minds – Eternal Reek

Portland band Reek Minds specialise in ‘fast as fuck’ hardcore. All of the band’s previous releases have featured full-bore/red-lining tracks, and unsurprisingly, Reek Minds’ Eternal Reek EP features more of the same. Reek Minds’ 2024 LP, Malignant Existence, was an absolute face-melter, and the band have no problem equaling Malignant Existence’s intensity on Eternal Reek. Sub-minute tracks like “Refuse To Comply” and “Surging Hate” feature lightning-fast shredding, blasting drums, and gruffly spat out vocals. Longer tracks, like “Aesthetic” and “L.O.P.”, stretch things out to the 2-minute mark, with blitz-speed breakdowns and blistering riffs duking it out.
If you’re a fan of Reek Mind’s earlier releases, you can rest assured that Eternal Reek maintains the same punishing pace and features the same impressively violent sound. Breathless, battering, and maniacal; hardcore done right. Absolutely pummeling.

(Black Water Records)

Siphon – Stark Raving Mad
Bleakness – Blurred Visions

Siphon hail from Richmond, Virginia, and the band’s Stark Raving Mad EP is released by much-loved Portland, Oregon, label Black Water Records. Stark Raving Mad features four rapid-fire tracks that’ll suit fans of Stockholm-via-Tokyo hardcore to a T. Stark Raving Mad is an apt title for the madness/mania this epoch has inspired, and Siphon certainly draw from all the ‘war-all-the-time’ insanity right outside your door. The band’s EP is done and dusted in five minutes flat, and it’s a short, sharp, and cathartic blast of straightforward hardcore. It would have been nice to hear a few more tracks. But then, wanting to hear more obviously signals that Siphon are on the right track.

Also out via Black Water Records is Blurred Visions, the latest release from French trio Bleakness. The band blends urgent death rock, gothic rock, and post-punk on brooding, atmospheric songs. There’s certainly plenty of ‘punk’ here, but Bleakness toy with just as many alt-rock motifs. Bleakness cover a lot of ground on Blurred Visions, meaning the album will likely be embraced by a wide swathe of fans of shadowy, melancholic rock. To be honest, I didn’t think Blurred Visions would resonate with me, but Bleakness’ energetic mix of goth rock’s darkness and post-punk’s propulsion swept me up in its thrall. I hit repeat as soon as Blurred Visions finished; call me converted, mon ami.

(Black Water Records)

Unarmed – Gloomy Skies//Screaming Vultures

Black Stormcrow Tapes and Phobia Records released a compilation of Swedish crusties Unarmed’s initial run of recordings (from 1994 to 1999) in 2024. Unarmed’s brand of über-guttural crust ticks all the old-school boxes. There’s nothing groundbreaking about it. But there’s nothing weak or embarrassing about it either. Unarmed simply deliver solid 90s Euro crust.

I hadn’t expected to hear from the band again, but here we are, staring at Unarmed’s brand new Gloomy Skies//Screaming Vultures LP. Unsurprisingly, Unarmed’s latest endeavours will no doubt hit the spot for fans of comparable(-ish) bands like Warcollapse, Doom, Deviated Instinct, or 3-Way Cum. Nothing on Gloomy Skies//Screaming Vultures ventures outside the expected. However, production-wise, things have improved for Unarmed, with their latest tracks sounding heavier and heftier than in the past.

Unarmed are still dishing out the same 90s-inspired caveman crust, and I, for one, have zero problems with that. The ten tracks on Gloomy Skies//Screaming Vultures might not be revolutionary, but they’re delivered with plenty of gusto and grunt. More to the point, Unarmed’s feral primitiveness and Orc-like gruffness are what made – and continue to make – the band. Brand new vintage crust, sounds great to me.

(Phobia Records)

Cross – Human Spirit

New York City band Cross released a breakneck demo, No Beginning, No End, at the tail end of 2023. Like their demo, Cross’s new Human Spirit 12” makes for a pummeling experience. Thrust, momentum, and velocity are the key attributes here. Human Spirit’s super-dark tracks rip, roar, and rage at the top speed, and Cross stamp down hard on the gas to create a pulverising wall of noise throughout. I wouldn’t call Cross a metal band, as such, but there’s an undeniably steel edge to their sound. Human Spirit is the perfect follow-up to Cross’s excellent demo. Yet another hardcore knockout from the Roachleg Records stable.

(Roachleg Records)

Kläpträp – The Infernal Machination…

Kläpträp describe themselves as “drinkers, thinkers, and stinkers”, and that’s a fitting summation of the German/UK band, which includes malodorous luminaries from Doom and Visions of War.

Kläpträp’s The Infernal Machination… LP is chock-a-block with pungent crustcore that’s driven hard by anarcho-punk’s bite. Kläpträp singer Anita howls her head off/heart out, while bassist and co-vocalist Faxe adds barks and grunts into the fierce and festering stew. Doom drummer Stick pounds the tubs, and VOW guitarist Stef dishes out razor-wire riffs. So far so crustcore, right?

There’s really nothing unexpected or novel about The Infernal Machination…, but the LP is filthier than a fatberg, which is always a welcome treat. Even better, Kläpträp maintain their squalid sound on Infernal Machination… while managing to up the band’s heft. Kläpträp’s previous releases were rotten to the core, and The Infernal Machination… isn’t polished in any conventional sense. However, the songs within (many of which are re-recorded demo tracks) sound brawnier and hit harder than Kläpträp’s earlier endeavours.

Kläpträp hold fast to their primal DIY spirit throughout The Infernal Machination…, and if you love slithering around in punk’s dankest sewers, you’ll find plenty of putrid crust to enjoy.

(Phobia Records)

ICWT Recommends

Every so often, Last Rites publishes a long-form feature under the Diamonds & Rust banner, where writers dig deep into the musical (and cultural) aspects surrounding some of their favourite releases. January’s Diamonds & Rust was authored by OG Last Rites scribe Zach Duvall, and Zach dived into Faith No More’s Angel Dust. It’s a gem of a write-up: classic album + enthusiastic writing = win-win.

Youtuber Analog Attack has been on a hot streak recently, releasing a run of great videos, including a series of top-notch vlogs exploring the history of Japanese punk. Videos include: crucial CD-only releases, Mentai Rock classics, A+ Japanese reissues, and a deep dive into the accomplishments and ongoing influence of Hiroyuki Kishida (aka Chelsea), famed guitarist of Death Side, Paintbox, Poison Arts and more. Analog Attack’s regular ‘What are you Listening To’ vlogs also continue to be a source of light in a darkened world, with fun guests and new and classic underground releases being discussed with welcome enthusiasm.

If you’re wondering how popular Japanese punk is nowadays, long-running UK broadsheet The Guardian recently published a lengthy article on Lip Cream (and a few other Japanese punk legends) to coincide with the reissue of Lip Cream’s discography via Relapse Records. That level of bright and shiny coverage would have been unthinkable – or at least extremely curious – a few years ago, but alongside much of Japanese popular culture, the nation’s punk scene is clearly having a moment.

Whether you consider that publicity to be a net positive or a very much a negative obviously depends on your level of anxiety around gatekeeping (i.e. who’s allowed to know what), or perhaps you have concerns about the commercial exploitation of underground artists. (It’s worth noting Lip Cream fully supported the reissuing of their discography.) Either way, it always feels strange – and even downright exposing – when corners of the underground that we hold dear are somehow caught in the mainstream spotlight.

I had planned on writing a long-winded feature on Lip Cream to coincide with the band’s reissues, but Bandcamp beat me to the punch, publishing a lengthy primer on the band in January. I saw plenty of other coverage of Lip Cream at the time, too, so I threw in the towel before even getting started. I doubt I would have added anything interesting to the conversation, tbh. (Lip Cream’s classic Kill Shout Ugly LP often gets all the acclaim, but keep in mind that the band’s follow-up, Close to the Edge, is a total riot, and Lip Cream’s 1989 self-titled LP is the band’s real hidden treasure.)

Maximum Rocknroll recently published its year-end ‘25 lists, which are always worth a thorough browse. Don’t forget you can find Terminal Sound Nuisance boss (and crust savant) Romain Basset’s reviews on MRR; Romain’s focus on crustier/heavier bands will be of interest to anyone reading this post. Of course, MRR also has a host of other well-regarded writers on board!

Other interesting sites to explore include: Counterforce – for those inclined to forage in the world of markedly anti-corporate punk, Counterforce is a valuable resource.

Sorry State – the label/record store’s weekly newsletter features always-interesting blurbs and opinions covering brand new releases and much-loved underground classics.

And last but not least, DIY Conspiracy continues to spotlight underground bands and features a host of great interviews; see, for example, G.A.Z.E: Playing Hardcore Without Fear of Breaking Limits. If you’ve not heard it before, G.A.Z.E’s self-titled 2025 LP was one of the year’s best. Highly recommended for fans of Burning Spirits and ripping Finnish hardcore.

The post In Crust We Trust: Vol 36 appeared first on Last Rites.

Kia ora, allies, acquaintances, and soon-to-be nemeses. Welcome to part deux of ICWT’s year-end round-up, which focuses on some of 2025’s standout EPs. If you haven’t checked out the first part of this end-of-year soirée, please do. Part #1 of this punk pageant spotlights my favourite full-length albums from the past 12 months.

Part #1 of ICWT’s year-end coverage also includes a very long-winded introduction, crammed with self-effacing caveats. However, I can sum up those caveats pretty handily in two short sentences:

1. I claim no specialist knowledge or critical expertise when it comes to punk or hardcore.
2. What I provide instead is abundant enthusiasm for the cause.

Essentially, if you want to know what a wizened ol’ hermit who’s allergic to social media thinks are the raddest punk and hardcore releases from 2025, then you’re in the right place. The EPs below are the ones that stood out for me this year and, fingers crossed, some of them will resonate with you, too. Obviously, an EP (vinyl, cassette, or digital) is the perfect format for all punk and hardcore releases. An EP’s compressed running time – and all the creative heat crammed therein – results in many bands delivering their most visceral work. Below, you’ll find ample evidence to support that fact.

If you’ve not visited ICWT before, keep in mind that this column focuses on Discharge fan fiction. Or Disclose fan fiction. Or Shitlickers fan fiction. Or Doom fan fiction. Or Totalitär, Gloom, Framtid, Bolt Thrower, Amebix, or Anti-Cimex fan fiction. The point being, I zero in on the uglier-sounding stuff. I wholeheartedly encourage you to check out plenty more EOY lists for a more comprehensive picture of punk and hardcore in 2025. I’m just here to talk about shitnoise.

I don’t rank my EOY lists these days. But not for any profound reasons. Deciding who’s better or best just doesn’t fit with my idea of punk’s general vibe. But that’s just my view. I’ll (very) happily read every other EOY list, ranked or otherwise.

I included a long list of thank-yous in the introduction to this two-parter, which I won’t repeat in full; I know you’re busy and likely keen to get to all the noise. Suffice to say, cheers to the music-makers, record-slingers, bloggers, vloggers, and podcasters who continue to fight the good fight. And a ‘tip of the hat’ to the Last Rites crew for allowing me to sully this site’s well-earned rep.

Thanks to you, too, of course! I appreciate you taking the time to visit ICWT more than you can imagine. I’m not joking when I say I’m a hermit. I live a very small and insular life. Writing about music offers me a crucial link to a community of fellow fans, which helps me feel less isolated. Here’s to all the deafening bands and tendrils of noise that connect us.

You’ll undoubtedly be familiar with much of the music below. But I hope you discover a couple of previously unheard releases to sink your teeth into.

Whatever you’re up to at this time of year, have a good ’un. Stay safe. Be well. And all the best for ’26.

Kia kaha.

Note:

1. Most years, I write an entirely separate EOY article celebrating noisy music from Down Under. There are a couple of Kiwi and Aussie bands below, but if you’d like to check out all the great NZ and Aus punk from 2025, you can find Down Under(ground): ’25 right here.
2. Regular readers might feel a sense of déjà vu while reading some of the blurbs below. You’re not losing your marbles. Like any ecologically conscious citizen of the Earth, I’m all about reusing, recycling, and repurposing. Ergo, some previously published blurbs have been re-edited and included below.

ICWT: ’25 EPs

Sadly, two of the EPs I wanted to hear most this year – Portal Tomb and Extensive Slaughter’s split cassette, and Asocial Terror Fabrication and Katorga’s 7” split – never got within my reach. At the time of writing, neither is streaming online, and sourcing copies from the Northern Hemisphere is always a bit tricky/pricey for someone (like me) who lives at the ass end of the world. I’m sure both of those splits would have hit home for me big time. But them’s the breaks. I fully support musicians’ decisions about how to distribute their music. If ‘no streaming, cuz’ is their preference, so be it.

There are other glaring omissions below as well. I had to do some hasty re-editing of this post when a few of the EPs I included (like No Fucker’s 2025 EPs) disappeared from view after the YouTube channel they featured on went up in smoke. That was a bummer. But it’s no biggie. There’s still a lengthy list of great EPs to dig into below.

As I said in the intro of my ICWT ’25 LPs post, Discogs reports that approximately 10,500 punk and hardcore records were released this year. Obviously, that doesn’t account for the umpteen releases posted online by DIY bands and labels who don’t give a flying fuck about Discogs. The point is that, out of the thousands of potential candidates, I’ve highlighted 40 EPs below. I look forward to hearing about your favourite EPs from 2025 to see how many excellent releases I’ve egregiously overlooked.

Keep in mind that the following releases are in no particular order.

Rigorous Institution – Tormentor

Rigorous Institution’s 7-track maxi-EP, Tormentor, mixed stenchcrust, anarcho-punk, post-punk, and all manner of paranoiac and psychedelic elements into a boiling cauldron of Hawkwindian atmospherics and hell-hammering primitivism. Tormentor explored shadowy artistic avenues while probing the recesses of your mind. The songs within were laced with sonic sorcery; the eldritch/esoteric adventures evoked a crazed druid incanting wildly, while cleaving your skull in two. Tormentor proved, once again, that Rigorous Institution’s music is as creative as it is crushing.

Label: Roachleg Records
Bandcamp: Tormentor

PERSONⒶ – Perfection “Tour Asia Version”

PERSONⒶ’s 8-song Perfection cassette was the perfect blast of rabble-rousing, anarcho-driven noisecore to end the year on. Recorded at D4MT Labs, Perfection’s tracks thrashed and crashed as PERSONⒶ welded knuckle-dragging punk to mangled electronics, soundbites, samples, and spoken word broadsides. Perfection featured a super-urgent mix of personal and political lyrics, with PERSONⒶ’s energy and passion cranked up to electrifying/exhilarating levels. Also: terrific “Over The Edge” cover.

Label: The Seats Of Piss
Bandcamp: Perfection

Gnostics – Revelation

Honestly, I don’t know if Gnostics’ Revelation debut is technically an EP or a demo. But what I can tell you with the utmost certainty is that Revelation was very much a revelation in and of itself. Gnostics’ first release called to mind bonfires in the darkness, febrile nighterrors, and arcane secrets spilling from the mouths of corpses. Gnostics dripped existential dread as the band mixed stench-heavy guitars, murky atmospherics, and anarcho-punk into primordial crust. Tune in for the folk horror, stick around for the end-times fever dreams.

Label: Roachleg Records
Bandcamp: Revelation

Black Dog – Sewn into Confusion

Canadian group Black Dog describe their music as a “D-BEAT RAW FUKKING NOIZE PUNK ASSAULT”. They also list their hobbies and interests as a “D-BEAT RAW FUKKING NOIZE PUNK ASSAULT” and their most significant accomplishment as… you guessed it… a “D-BEAT RAW FUKKING NOIZE PUNK ASSAULT”. Unsurprisingly, Black Dog’s Sewn into Confusion EP featured a blizzard of head-splitting and fuzz-throttled noisecore. Every track on Sewn into Confusion offered a flamethrowing emotional exorcism, and Black Dog’s savage sonic barrage was an all-consuming firestorm. RAW FUKKING NOIZE PUNK – 1000%.

Label: Iron Lung Records
Bandcamp: Sewn into Confusion

Zyclone – Visions of Impending Death

Reliably on-point label General Speech released Zyclone’s Visions of Impending Death EP. Zyclone’s lineup features members of Guerra Final, Psych-War, and Electrika, and the band put their previous experience making eviscerating music to excellent use on Visions of Impending Death. The EP was akin to diving into a pool of broken glass. D-beat, Scandicore, and TNT-strength hardcore scuffled and tussled, and Zyclone’s bass-driven tracks charged forth at bloodthirsty pace. Smitten with Anti-Cimex and Poison Idea? Say hello to your new crush.

Label: General Speech
Bandcamp: Visions of Impending Death

Fog – Spring

Spring was the third release from Aotearoa New Zealand four-piece Fog, and if you’re a fan of the adventurous bands associated with labels like D4MT Labs or La Vida Es Un Mus, Fog will likely excite your neurons, too. Fog interlace anarcho-punk and peace-punk with icier post-punk, and the band’s political and more intimate tracks are exhilarating, combining the familiar with the new. Spring was another creative coup for Fog, and it’s worth underscoring that the band’s imaginative music is only going from strength to strength.

Label: R.I.P. Peace, Always Never Fun
Bandcamp: Spring

Destruct // Svaveldioxid – Split 7”

Destruct and Svaveldioxid collaborated on one of this year’s most violent and vitriolic split releases. Svaveldioxid served up heavyweight kängpunk, with their aptly chainsawing tracks recorded at the famed Sunlight Studios. Destruct have long perfected the art of sounding utterly massive while delivering blisteringly raw songs, and the band’s signature brand of audio assaultiveness was dialled up to jaw-breaking levels on their contributions. Destruct and Svaveldioxid’s decimating riffs and bombarding percussion were utterly ruthless. A juggernaut, all round.

Label: Prescription, Children of the Grave Records
Bandcamp: Destruct // Svaveldioxid

No Sector – Mercury Poisoning + Peracetic Split

No Sector released two excellent EPs in 2025. The live-wire songs on the Aotearoa New Zealand band’s instant classic Mercury Poisoning 7” blended UK82’s grit and Scandicore’s sizzle with protest punk’s passion. No Sector’s split with Canadian band Peracetic featured more high-energy guitars, with No Sector’s unique vocalist, Caroline, injecting anarcho punk’s eccentricity into the band’s sheet-metal sound. It was great to see No Sector catch the attention of punk scribes from far-flung corners of the world this year, too.

Label: Mercury Poisoning (Razored Raw), Split 7″ (Sewercide Records)
Bandcamp: Mercury Poisoning, Split 7″

Arson – Burning Future

If you consider albums like A Holocaust in Your Head or Noise Attack Devastating Tokyo City to be sacred texts in the crust/noise/raw punk canon, then you’ll no doubt worship Arson’s Burning Future EP, too. The NYC band’s deafening debut dialled up the sonic shrapnel on songs that felt like a dentist’s drill hitting a nerve. Arson’s combination of crasher crust and noisecore featured torrents of ultra-distorted riffs and howling vocals; a carnage-strewn fiesta for fans of top-tier ear-fuckery.

Label: General Speech
Bandcamp: Burning Future

Yellowcake – Apparitions of War

Arizona four-piece Yellowcake’s 2024 EP, A Fragmented Truth, was an absolute knockout. The band’s 2025 follow-up, Apparitions of War, was even better. Apparitions of War saw Yellowcake’s d-beat further abraded by crasher crust and über-discordant raw punk, with the EP’s tracks stripped to their marrow. Apparitions of War’s caustic, lo-fi production meant Yellowcake sounded more abrasive than ever as they detailed the eternal failures of the human condition – a perfect storm of harsh and horrible noise.

Label: Total Peace
Bandcamp: Apparitions of War

Internal Rot / Mutilated Cop – Split EP

Australian “blastasfuk” crew Internal Rot have been serving up hardcore-friendly grindcore since 2010 – see the band’s 2020 LP, Grieving Birth, for a stone-cold genre classic. Best Aussie grind band? Too right, mate! This year, Internal Rot teamed up with Seattle band Mutilated Cop (a side project for a few members of Caustic Wound) for a psyche-shattering split. Every one of Internal Rot’s excoriating songs maximised its hostility while dialling up the velocity, while Mutilated Cop delivered squalls of harsh and haemorrhaging audio violence via ENT-worthy songs. This shit(noise) rules.

Label: Nerve Altar
Bandcamp: Split

Disterror – Revealing Darkness

Cancún, Mexico, band Disterror’s last significant recording, Catharsis, was released a decade ago. The band’s long-gestating follow-up, Revealing Darkness, drew inspiration from the likes of Sacrilege, Voivod, Gastunk, and At the Gates. Disterror sounded even grimmer and colder on Revealing Darkness, with the band’s extreme metal/punk amalgam of thrash, death metal, and crust featuring much icier riffage and more soul-scouring vocals. The longer Disterror exist, the deeper they explore the darkest, most negative-sounding caverns of metalpunk.

Label: Self-released
Bandcamp: Revealing Darkness

Pollute – No Peace for the Peaceful

I really enjoyed Pollute’s high-velocity 2024 album, Microplastics, Massive Profits, and the band’s three-song 2025 EP, No Peace for the Peaceful, was another tour de force. Pollute’s worldview was plugged-in and on-point, and the band’s d-beat and hardcore carried as much musical heft as it did philosophical weight. Like all of Pollute’s releases thus far, No Peace for the Peaceful was catchier than the latest world-ending plague. The band’s pounding drums, stampeding guitars, and guttural growls constructed a blistering wall of noise.

Label: Self-released
Bandcamp: No Peace for the Peaceful

(Thanks to Christopher for pointing me in Pollute’s direction, once again.)

Farce – Sights of War

Sights of War was the fourth album from corrosive-sounding Finnish band Farce. Sights of War was filled with dissonant waves of static, garbage-can percussion, and half-buried, inter-dimensional vocals. D-beat was slammed face-first into broken concrete – and stripped of much of its structure – while lyrically, Farce’s anti-militarist sentiments tore into the ceaseless suffering and unending machinations of war. A total noise assault. Max-aggression. Max-devastation. The end of humanity starts here.

Label: Sistema Mortal
Bandcamp: Sights of War

Condumb – S/T

Philadelphia band Condumb has ties to Sheer Mag, Kinetic Orbital Strike, Poison Ruïn, and Quarantine. That’s a broad spectrum of punk right there, and Condumb slotted into the ‘noise for noise’s sake’ category. The band’s self-titled 7” tipped its hat to Confuse, Disclose, Chaos UK, and like-minded worshippers of manic musical mayhem. D-beat hacked into bitter crust and raw hardcore thrashed and crashed on Condumb’s vitriolic songs. Expect lacerating guitars, pounding drums, and inhuman howls.

Label: Stupid Bag Records, Self-released
Bandcamp: Condumb

Fuckin’ Lovers – Crucifixion of the Masses

Philadelphia noise punks Fuckin’ Lovers came roaring back in 2025 with their Crucifixion of the Masses 7”. Fuckin’ Lovers channelled Confuse, Swankys and Disorder via their buzz-sawing raw punk and ultra-distorted hardcore. Fuckin’ Lovers’ latest tracks were like scorching hot sewage: blistering, filthy, and a disgusting delight to imbibe. Crucifixion of the Masses was recorded at D4MT in NYC, and mixed and mastered by Shige at Noise Room in Tokyo; how much more of a recommendation do you need? Hard noise for harder days.

Label: General Speech, Discos Enfermos
Bandcamp: Crucifixion of the Masses

Cotgrave – Never Believe!

Tokyo band Cotgrave crammed 10 songs onto their first 7”, Never Believe!. Formed by former members of Voĉo Protesta and Crocodile Skink, Cotgrave’s self-produced 2025 EP was stacked with super-primitive hardcore. Nods to Scandi raw punk featured, as did the strapping sound of 90s Japanese crust, and Cotgrave mixed abundant anti-war sentiments with plenty of ‘fuck the system’ attitude. An unrestrained noise assault purpose-built for fans of Life, Framtid, Frigöra, and more.

Label: Self-released, Broken Noise Records
Bandcamp: Never Believe!

Tramadol – S/T

If you love the peak years of Anti-Cimex or Discharge, then prepare to clutch UK band Tramadol to your bosom. The West Yorkshire group’s self-titled 7” featured a formidable blast of the hardest hardcore, with the EP’s four songs blending Motör-charged basslines with six-string salvos, clobbering drums, and barking vocals galore. Hooks? You betcha! Plenty of ‘em; all jagged, bloody, and dripping with venom. Tramadol’s breathless d-beat was withering. Tough as tough gets.

Label: Donor Records
Bandcamp: Tramadol

Total Con – Who Needs the Peace Corps?

Total Con squeezed nine rapid-fire tracks onto their first 7”, Who Needs the Peace Corps?. Every track featured a neck-wrecking display of hardcore’s fundamental strengths – hook-laden anthems, roiling instrumentation, raging lyrics, and warp-speed tracks. (And Who Needs the Peace Corps? also featured the best cover of “Riders on the Storm” you ever heard.) Total Con’s mantra – “MAXIMUM VOLUME. DEATH TO CAPITALIST HARDCORE!!!!” – is one for the ages. Demented, disturbed, dysfunctional; top-notch hardcore.

Label: Static Shock Records, Unlawful Assembly
Bandcamp: Who Needs the Peace Corps?

Bad Breeding – Blood Manifest

Bad Breeding specialise in recordings filled with calls for solidarity and fierce critiques of the exploitative cruelties of late-stage capitalism. The band’s Blood Manifest EP was recorded over a single weekend, and the Stevenage-based anarcho-hardcore crew sounded tanked-up on smash ’n’ grab energy. Blood Manifest featured three face-melting songs plus a 5-minute dirge that was as annihilating as any of the EP’s faster tracks. Full-bore hardcore with insightful and impassioned lyrics; Blood Manifest was another knockout from one of the UK’s most politically and musically astute bands.

Label: Standard Process
Bandcamp: Blood Manifest

Corpse Gas – 4 Track Promo

Los Angeles crasher crust outfit Corpse Gas has ties to similarly strident bands such as Anguished Life, Dust Collector, and End Result. Corpse Gas are very much in the self-described “Kill the Poser! Noise for Scum!!!” camp when it comes to crafting ear-piercing ditties. The band’s 4 Track Promo was a shit-fi funfair, and Corpse Gas’ exceptionally dark (and extremely fuzzed-out) tracks were pitch-perfect, blizzard-like noise nuggets – ideal for masochists and/or fans of Confuse, Shitlickers, Gai, and Gloom.

Label: Self-released, Phonophobia Records
Bandcamp: Corpse Gas

Axon – S/T

Axon’s self-titled 7” featured full-on and full-bore Japanese-inspired hardcore. With a lineup featuring members of Mutant Strain, Reckoning Force, and Homemade Speed, Axon’s take on Nippon hardcore was on-point and riff-tastic. Axon’s shrieking guitars, sizzling leads, and growling vocals displayed the unmistakable influence of groups like Gauze, Death Side and Nightmare. However, Axon also syphoned plenty of creative fuel and rhythmic intensity from the blistering depths of US hardcore. See within for buried hooks and plenty of other bruising attributes.

label: Not for the Weak Records
Bandcamp: Axon

Burning Chrome – S/T

Minneapolis/NYC band Burning Chrome formed after the breakup of Zero, a band heavily influenced by the blazing yet melodic arc of Japanese hardcore. Burning Chrome’s rocketing riffs ticked many of the same boxes, but the band’s self-titled EP was also crustier and rawer. There were still plenty of Burning Spirits-styled guitar gymnastics on display, but Burning Chrome’s lower-fi sound added a welcome layer of grit and gruffness to their debut. Ripping. Raging. All-fire.

Label: Desolate Records
Bandcamp: Burning Chrome

Cascades – Tyrannical Lust

Montréal label Sore Mind has released some phenomenal music over the years, and Cascades’ Tyrannical Lust EP was another prime slab of squalid stonk. Cascades’ bombardments were replete with lo-fi, ultra-guttural crust, and stenchcore’s fetid odour infected every note here. There was a bona fide old-school crawl to Tyrannical Lust; a slow, steady, and deliberate desire to crush all comers – step by mind-mangling step. FFO Amebix, Axegrinder, Zoe, and Filth of Mankind. First-rate noisome noise. Rank. Rotten. Decimating.

Label: Sore Mind, Filth Holocaust Records
Like Weeds: Tyrannical Lust

Sistema Obsoleto – Esmagado Pela Engrenagem Capitalista

Sistema Obsoleto hail from Macedonia, and the band’s lyrics are in Portuguese. You didn’t need to speak Portuguese to understand what Sistema Obsoleto’s debut EP, Esmagado Pela Engrenagem Capitalista (Crushed by the Capitalist Gear), was all about, though. Sistema Obsoleto’s hot-tempered tracks radiated enough anger and energy to power a small city, and the tone and tenor of the band’s chainsawing riffs and spitting vocals spoke to punk’s universal truths. A barrage of Anti-Cimex-worthy hardcore.

Label: Neon Taste Records
Bandcamp: Esmagado Pela Engrenagem Capitalista

End State – Their System Won’t Be Fixed

End State’s Their System Won’t Be Fixed cassette was basically a giant fucking tease. Recorded at NYC’s D4MT Labs, Their System Won’t Be Fixed only featured three songs, each an A1 example of filth-streaked crustcore. If you’re a fan of Tower 7, Flower, or State Manufactured Terror, you’ll love End State’s similarly red-raw, eruptive sound. Their System Won’t Be Fixed was an extremely tasty amuse-bouche. I can’t wait to hear more.

Label: Self-released
Bandcamp: Their System Won’t Be Fixed

Traumatizer – Nuclear War Machine

Traumatizer’s Nuclear War Machine EP was a pedal-to-the-metal triumph. Traumatizer tore through cyclonic tracks, with the Haarlem-based group’s d-beat and hardcore evoking the thrashier side of bands like Sacrilege or Ripcord. Every song on Nuclear War Machine detonated with maximum audio violence, and Traumatizer’s gruff-voiced singer Anna delivered a throat-ripping performance. Metallic riffs and relentless percussion collided throughout Nuclear War Machine, and with five blown-out tracks in 10 breakneck minutes, the EP was a non-stop radioactive riot.

Label: Discos Enfermos Records
Bandcamp: Nuclear War Machine

Hellshock – XXV

Hellshock’s XXV EP saw the band diving deeper into the caverns of end-times metal. Crust punk wasn’t ditched entirely, of course, and XXV still stank of stench-a-tude. Hellshock hacked into all comers with death metal-worthy riffage, and with more portentous passages and XXV’s monolithic production, Hellshock had never sounded heavier. XXV was one of Hellshock’s densest and darkest releases, and it proved that a quarter century in, the band continue to bend metalpunk to their will – as aggro and colossal as ever.

Label: Black Konflik Records, Agipunk, Black Water Records
Bandcamp: XXV

Nagasaki – S/T

Swedish band Nagasaki’s “Evil Neanderthal Råpunk” is, unsurprisingly, raw and primitive, sounding like the Shitlickers wrestling with System Fucker, or Totalitär scrapping it out with Ferocious X. Nagasaki’s self-titled 2025 EP felt tighter and more structured than the band’s first release. But everything within was still akin to a distortion-lashed brawl, and no one in their right mind would call Nagasaki’s ferocious kängpunk listener-friendly. Riffs and percussion rained down like radioactive fragments. Vicious, harsh, obnoxious – shitnoise reigned supreme.

Label: Blown out Media, Fucked Noise Sound
Bandcamp: Nagasaki

Zouka / Sanoa – Split Cassette

Mostly aligned in sound and vision, Japanese bands Sanoa and Zouka joined forces on a ripping six-song split cassette in 2025. Sanoa’s tracks mixed classic 80s Swedish HC with the strength and stamina of contemporary d-beat champs like Physique. Zouka, on the other hand, delivered a harsh noise attack that paid tribute to their prime inspirations, Zouo and Gouka. Paint-stripping hardcore met off-the-chain raw-core. I’m keener than mustard to hear what Zouka and Sanoa do next.

Label: Sistema Mortal
Bandcamp: Zouka / Sanoa

Spirokete – Song of Spirokete

NYC band Spirokete’s 2025 release, Song of Spirokete, was a certified ear-munter. Song of Spirokete wrapped råpunk madness around d-beat mayhem, and then marinated the result in an acid bath. Distortion choked the hell out of Spirokete’s filthy songs, with most tracks dissolving into blistering maelstroms of lo-fi noise that stung like a bladder infection. Song of Spirokete featured tasty blasts of max-fuzz/wildly-fucked riffage; lovers of screaming feedback and crashing crust apply within.

Label: Distorted Sedition
Bandcamp: Song of Spirokete

Hektiks – Obliteration

Hektiks are a four-piece band from Vienna, Austria. The band’s excellent Obliteration featured 60-second-ish screeds of distorted crasher crust, and everything was raw-fi and blown-out – à la Gloom, Disclose, Confuse, and Atrocious Madness. Tinitus-inducing, nerve-shredding, and most definitely challenging, Hektiks’ debut was everything you’d hope for from such a noisenik release. The seven relentless minutes here are about as much as you/I/we could bear. Obliteration should come with a health warning: gruesome stuff.

Label: Ingen Framtid
Bandcamp: Obliteration

Dismay – No Guilt

Phoenix, Arizona band Dismay featured on two gnarly-sounding EPs in 2025. The band’s split with Tacoma, Washington, group Dekrepit felt like soaking in a hot tub filled with hydrochloric acid; rawer-than-raw punk, in other words. Dismay’s No Guilt EP was even better. No Guilt was also blistering-raw, but Dismay’s d-beaten ordnance sounded much heavier. No Guilt’s songs were definitely corrosive, but they’re also markedly concussive. Raw punk with a hefty punch; tip-top noise.

Label: Self-released
Bandcamp: No Guilt

Tormentum – The Wake of the Horde

Tormentum’s The Wake of the Horde EP featured more of the four-piece Mexican band’s apocalyptic stenchcore. Tormentum have never sounded better; heavier than a hydraulic press slowly crushing a cinderblock, and filthier than the depths of a plague pit. Tormentum’s Neanderthal noise nodded to Bolt Thrower, Deviated Instinct, and Stormcrow, with The Wake of the Horde’s gruff and guttural four tracks mixing cavernous crust and gravel-gargling death metal. Squalid and storming metalpunk – so fucking good. Also, KILLER cover art by Nicholas Arjulian. FYI, Tormentum are getting better and better with every release.

Label: Drunk Scum Records
Bandcamp: The Wake of the Horde

Ruined Virtue – A Garden Without Birds

After releasing a promising demo in 2024, Sheffield-based Ruined Virtue returned in 2025 with their A Garden Without Birds EP, which eclipsed that promise and more. A Garden Without Birds’ four tracks featured blazing metalpunk that tipped its hat to UK veterans like Broken Bones and English Dogs, while sounding much heavier, harder, and steelier to boot. Ruined Virtue leaned hard on intensity and aggressiveness, and A Garden Without Birds was the definition of a short, sharp, demolishing EP.

Label: Televised Suicide
Bandcamp: A Garden Without Birds

Angstmäler – 4 Track EP

Angstmäler’s 4 Track EP was released late in the year, but there’s no way I was going to leave it behind. Angstmäler have ties to bands like Traumatizer and Robber, and the Haarlem-based band also deal in lughole-ruining music. Angstmäler’s 4 Track EP was crammed with blown-out and feedback-soaked noise that felt like being trapped inside a turbo-charged concrete mixer. A crude, untamed, and smokin’ storm of contemporary hardcore. As disorienting and driven by rage as the world outside your door.

Label: Brain Rotted Records, Under The Gun Records
Bandcamp: Angstmäler

Laughing Corpse – Beyond Recognition

Label Sorry State released several great LPs and EPs this year, and Laughing Corpse’s Beyond Recognition was my favourite. The dark and demented debut from the Washington, DC, band featured six hardcore tracks that sounded like they could have been unearthed on an alternative-universe version of Dischord’s famed The Faith / Void split. All the hardcore here was rip-roaring and action-packed, which was great, of course, but Laughing Corpse also explored dark and demented avenues, which was even better.

Label: Sorry State
Bandcamp: Beyond Recognition

Laager – Total Paranoia

Canadian band Laager released an excellent self-titled EP back in the pre-pandemic days. Six years later, Laager returned with their Total Paranoia EP, and the band’s bulldozing approach sounded much the same. Blunt and brutal crust smashed into heavily armoured d-beat, and if there was a difference to be noted, it’s that Total Paranoia’s latest tracks sounded more stripped down and indebted to Discharge than Laager’s previous endeavours. Rock-solid, blood-pumping metalpunk from the frozen north.

Label: Self-released
Bandcamp: Total Paranoia

Empart – Extremenoisehardcore

Austin, Texas, band Empart’s 2023 EP was entitled Speedfuckingnoiseattack, and that’s precisely what you’ll find within. Same–same with Empart’s gut-punching 2025 EP, Extremenoisehardcore. The EP’s blowtorch tracks fused d-beat and the most brutal raw punk imaginable in a raging storm of mind-rupturing noise. Monstrous vocals, blown-out everything, and absolute mayhem screamed, howled, and growled throughout. Through chaos we must travel to reach the heights of catharsis, or something like that, right? Extremenoisehardcore was a genuine test of your mettle. Speed freaks, see within.

Label: Self-released, Pogo Till You Drop
Bandcamp: Extremenoisehardcore

Mercy – EP

I don’t mean this as any kind of insult, but Mercy’s 2025 EP featured real meat and potatoes hardcore. Sometimes, that’s all you need. The seven songs on Mercy’s EP were all comprised of unadulterated, rampaging hardcore; the classic kind, fuelled by looking around and feeling justifiably angry at everything. There was no thick-necked, mosh-bro bullshit here. Mercy’s tracks were short, fast, and stripped to their most astringent essentials. All-fire hardcore, for when only the purest rage and aggression will get you through.

Label: Sound Grotesca
Bandcamp: EP

Cervix – Tape #2

Tape #2 was the follow-up to Birmingham, Alabama d-beat band Cervix’s 2024 demo, which also sounded/felt like having your ears reamed out with steel wool. Tape #2’s sandblasting tracks rode the line between static clatter and battering noise, and Cervix’s crudity was one of the band’s best strengths. I don’t know much about Alabama, aside from the usual cliches, but Tape #2’s contents were certainly caked in sweat and baked in brutality. Raw crust, noise, and the grottiest gunk.

Label: Ragdoll Records
Bandcamp: Tape #2

Axe – Il cimitero è dappertutto

For Italian band Axe, “music without politics has no meaning”. As such, the band explicitly aimed to bring anger, war, tension, and suffering to life on their debut EP, Il cimitero è dappertutto. Pitch-black crust and equally dark raw punk were Axe’s primary weapons, and the band’s fevered aesthetic certainly painted vivid scenes of violence and torment. Dual, often-echoing vocals added colour and texture to Axe’s grim audio palette, with the band’s driving songs evoking the passion and punch of classic Italian hardcore.

Label: Sistema Mortal
Bandcamp: Il cimitero è dappertutto

Smog / Krigssystem – Split

Smog and Krigssystem’s split 7” featured two max-distortion tracks from Macedonian noise-monsters Smog, and four assault and battery blasts of d-beat from Greek band Krigssystem. Both bands delivered an absolute noise-punk massacre, heavily indebted to the rawest, most feedback-soaked work of Discharge and Disclose. Smog and Krigssystem’s split was off-putting, confrontational, and unapologetically obnoxious; all excellent qualities to embrace when it comes to delivering the rawest noise around. Fans of toxic static and utterly mutilated punk, dig in.

Label: Phobia Records
Bandcamp: Smog / Krigssystem

Tormented Imp – S/T

As others have pointed out, UK hardcore band Tormented Imp sound like a dream-team mash-up of Totalitär, Poison Idea, and Death Side. Tormented Imp’s 2024 debut was a ripper, and this year’s self-titled 7” was even more whirlwind fun. Tormented Imp’s latest amphetamine-powered tracks threaded Burning Spirits-worthy pandemonium around turbo-charged punk. The band set speed, aggression, and barking vocals front and centre, and Tormented Imp scattered viscera-strewn hooks throughout their brick-wall tracks. Mayhem. Madness. Murderous fun.

Label: Donor Records
Bandcamp: Tormented Imp

Sistema de Muerte – S/T

Montreal band Sistema de Muerte’s first release caught the ear of many this year. Sistema de Muerte’s 5-song EP sounded big, beefy, and barreling, and the band disgorged its Spanish-language lyrics with both gusto and animus. Sistema de Muerte didn’t hide their talents under a bushel or behind a wall of feedback, either. The band’s debut was loud, proud, and powered by ten-tonne riffage and top-speed percussion. Hammering hardcore that comes highly recommended.

Label: A World Divided
Bandcamp: Sistema de Muerte

Visions of War / Phane – Split 7”

Long-lived Eurocrusties Visions of War hooked up with Vancouver-based Phane for a short and snarling split this year. As usual, Visions of War spat out troglodyte crust; all ultra-guttural barks and red-raw, filthy riffage. Phane’s metal-charged UK82 approach ripped, and the band delivered a storming Abrasive Wheels cover to boot. Visions of War and Phane’s split was over and done in less than 10 minutes, but that just meant there was time for another spin. Doom meets G.B.H. or Varukers meets Hiatus. You know the deal. Brothers in arms making an ugly racket.

Label: Phobia Records
Bandcamp: Visions of War / Phane

Thanks for reading ICWT’s year-end coverage. To be honest, I am kind of sad I didn’t get to write about all the demos I loved this year*. Bands like Sayon, The Damage, Dukkha, Aberrate, Exit Ploom, Knotwork, Barren Soil, Bone Geer, and a heap more all deserve a hearty shout-out. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were more lists to come, but we’ll see how it goes. For now, cheers for stopping by and thanks, as always, for supporting DIY music and (my) ramshackle commentary. You rule!

(*I feel the same way about a bunch of great reissues from 2025, too. Maybe they’ll turn up at some stage. Who knows!)

The post Rudimentary Dweebi: ICWT’s Favorite ’25 EPs appeared first on Last Rites.

– Brother J. C. Crawford, “Kick Out the Jams”

Kia ora, friends and frenemies. Welcome to ICWT’s year-end extravaganza. And by extravaganza, I mean welcome to an end-of-year round-up hosted by a pot-bellied, arthritis-riddled dork who is well and truly into his New Balance 860 years. (Shout-out to every other decrepit jackass who requires supportive walking shoes.)

I’m typing this post from the sunny shores of Aotearoa New Zealand. But, obviously, winter will be knocking on many readers’ doors. Wherever you are, and whether you’re huddled round the kitchen stove or strutting about in your microkini or budgie smugglers, I hope you’re up for a lengthy chat about sizzling punk and hardcore.

As usual, ICWT’s year-end action will be a two-part affair. The post you’re reading right now covers LPs, while the second post looks at 2025’s gnarliest EPs. I was going to include lists of 2025’s rowdiest reissues and demos, too, but I didn’t want to test your patience any more than I usually do. I am aware that I am a lot.

I appreciate there’s an argument to be made that EOY list-making is reductive and arbitrary, but honestly, I fucking love reading lists – any list, any time. I also love writing lists. A little too much, as you’ll discover. I am, as the kids say, on the spectrum, so when I get started on a topic I’m jazzed about – like noisy music – then it’s game on, and no timeouts.

I’ve endeavoured to keep all my blurbs short and sweet below, and you’ll note that my EOY lists aren’t ranked. Not ranking my picks from the year is a personal preference; I’m not trying to make a point. Ranking punk records simply feels unnecessarily competitive, and I want to shout about everyone at the same volume. That’s just me, though. You do you, my friend! I’ll be loving every music-related listicle this year, ranked or otherwise.

If you’re a first-time visitor to ICWT, keep in mind that most (but not all) of my EOY picks are plucked from the sewers of d-beat, crust, raw punk, stenchcore, and noise punk (or some other filth-ridden haven). I do enjoy egg punk, post-punk, and anarcho-punk. But chain punk is ICWT’s regular beat.

You should also know that I’m not on social media, and there’s every chance that many releases trending on popular platforms this year will have passed me by, sight unseen. I’d definitely encourage you to check out plenty of other EOY features for a much broader picture of all the great punk and hardcore from 2025.

Obviously, we live in an age of pain and panic. Communities and families – large and small – are being torn apart before our eyes and, like anyone with a shared sense of humanity, I find the current state of the world horrifying. That said, moments like this, where we can collectively gather to celebrate deafening music, bring me a glimmer of hope. Sure, none of the music below is going to heal any intractable divides. But I stand by the proposition that music provides shelter from the storm.

As usual, all kinds of music (loud, soft, tranquil, and electrifying) lifted my spirits in 2025, and I’m eternally grateful for music’s therapeutic and restorative properties. I am also thankful to underground music for providing me with a sense of community. For pathologically shy people like myself, who are often isolated in other areas of life, those connections matter.

It remains a pleasure and a privilege to write about punk and hardcore’s perennial powers, and here’s to shitnoise bolstering our collective well-being, ad infinitum. Thanks to all the DIY bands and labels that served up so much tasty noise this year, and cheers to all the bloggers, journos, podcasters, vloggers, and confidants who recommended so much great music over the past 12 months.

Thanks to the Sorry State Records crew for their excellent newsletter, and cheers to YouTuber Analog Attack; both forums highlighted scores of rad records this year. Ditto Terminal Sound Nuisance, DIY Conspiracy, The Counterforce, and MRR; so much interesting writing, so many great bands.

Cheers to the Last Rites crew for allowing me to pollute this site’s pages, and kudos for tolerating my barely literate musings on obscure strains of ear-fuckery. (In particular, thanks to Cap and Mr Edmunds for stoically enduring my emails. I’m so sorry, guys.)

Which brings me to you, dear reader. Obviously, there are scores of punk-related platforms, portals, and podcasts for you to choose from nowadays. So thanks very much for taking a punt on ICWT. I really appreciate you stopping by. I guarantee you are a lot cooler than I am, and I’m sure you’ll be familiar with most of the music below, but I hope you stumble over a previously unheard release (or two).

Stay safe. Be well. And happy whatever you celebrate – or don’t celebrate – at this time of year.

Keep fighting the good fight, and all the best for ’26.

Kia kaha.

1. Note:
   Most years, I write an entirely separate EOY article celebrating noisy music from Down Under. There are a couple of Kiwi and Aussie bands below, but if you would like to check out some great NZ and Aus punk from 2025, you can find Down Under(ground): 25 right here.
2. Regular readers might feel a sense of deja vu while reading some of the blurbs below. You’re not losing your marbles. Like any ecologically conscious citizen of the Earth, I’m all about reusing, recycling, and repurposing. Ergo, some previously published blurbs have been re-edited and included below.

ICWT: 2025 – LPs

According to Discogs, around 10,500 punk and hardcore records were released in 2025. There’s also a stack of bands and labels that uploaded releases online this year without filling in any Discogs paperwork. I’d say a couple of thousand of those releases would fall into ICWT’s orbit of interest, and I’ve whittled that down to 40-ish LPs below; a sliver of noise in the grand scheme. (I look forward to checking out everyone else’s EOY picks to see what I’ve overlooked or unjustly dismissed.)

Finalising my EOY list meant waving goodbye to some great albums. That was a painful process for me because, as mentioned, I’m neurodiverse, and like a lot of atypical geeks, I want to tell you about everything, not just some things.

Still, I had to make some hard choices, which is why worthy releases from bands like Mujeres Podridas, Ameretat, Retirement, Filth-Kin, Psico Galera, Nisemono (偽者), Haram (and many more) are missing from the list below. C’est la vie, mon ami.

I considered including Vampire’s What Seems Forever Can Be Broken LP and Lifeless Dark’s Forces of Nature’s Transformation 12”, given the popularity of their 2025 vinyl represses. Sadly, both albums were technically released in 2024, so they don’t appear below. (Both LPs are fucking phenomenal, though.)

Other electrifying albums are MIA because they fell outside ICWT’s usual scope; see Punter’s Australienation, AAA Gripper’s We Invented Work for the Common Good, Zig Zags’ Deadbeat at Dawn, Home Front’s Watch It Die, or Nyx Division’s Midnight Lights. I would have included all of those albums if this list had a broader gamut.

Okay, let’s get into it. Don’t forget, the releases below are in no particular order, and this is not a ‘Best Of’ anything list. These are simply the full-length albums I loved this year. I hope you love ’em too.

Svaveldioxid – Misär O.D.

This one’s a cheat. At the time of writing, I’ve yet to hear Svaveldioxid’s Misär O.D. album in full. Misär O.D. was scheduled for a late-year release, but the deadline for this listicle rolled around before the album dropped. Still, Misär O.D.’s not going to disappoint anyone, is it? Svaveldioxid have been pumping out chainsawing kängpunk for a decade now, and the band always find a way to dial it up a notch. The pre-release tracks streaming from Misär O.D. featured crushing riffs and gravelly growls, and Svaveldioxid’s Sunlight Studios-recorded råpunk was armoured with burly death metal. All signs point to Misär O.D. being another violent and volatile victory.

Label: Phobia Records
Bandcamp: Misär O.D.

Dust Collector – S/T

Los Angeles band Dust Collector’s self-titled 2025 LP was an instant noise punk classic. Dust Collector channelled the influence of groups like Chaos UK, Confuse, Disorder, and Gai on pogo-friendly tracks filled with throbbing bass, mega-distorted guitar, and caustic howls. Once again, Dust Collector underscored their ability to tweak tones and tempos, astutely balancing the band’s sharp production with their innate primitivism. Dust Collector’s LP was a contemporary raw punk masterwork, up there with Lebenden Toten’s Mind Parasites.

Label: General Speech
Bandcamp: Dust Collector

Ayucaba – Operación Masacre

Ayucaba’s Operación Masacre LP was one of this year’s finest punk releases – if not the finest. The Barcelona-based Ayucaba mixed the snarl of UK82 with the riff gymnastics of 80s metal and echoes of the fiercest mid-80s Japanese hardcore. Operación Masacre’s anthemic tracks were littered with fist-raising passages, and Ayucaba’s fusion of metal’s primal roar and punk’s instinctive bite felt like a natural fit. Increíble. Fuego máximo. This is what punk rock’s all about.

Label: Metadona Discos, Educación Cínica
Bandcamp: Operación Masacre

Kaleidoscope – Cities of Fear

This year, Kaleidoscope reaffirmed why they’re one of NYC’s most captivating hardcore bands. The group’s Cities of Fear LP was written and recorded at D4MT Labs in a short burst of fevered activity, and the album perfectly captured the spontaneity and chaotic energy of those sessions. Kaleidoscope’s genre-pushing combination of live-wire anarcho-punk and acid-fried hardcore was utterly engrossing, and Cities of Fear delivered an intense musical and emotional experience – pure creative magick.

Label: La Vida Es Un Mus
Bandcamp: Cities of Fear

Ultimate Disaster – For Progress…

Richmond, Virginia band Ultimate Disaster’s For Progress… LP was an annihilating release. The primal cacophony within was an absolute gut-punch; as abrasive and combative as the best work of any Dis-prefixed legends. Ultimate Disaster’s latest bludgeoning tracks sounded huge – and they hit even harder – with the band dropping the d-beat hammer, again and again, in devastatingly heavy fashion. Ultimate Disaster’s modus operandi was ruthless and remorseless, and For Progress… was an utter triumph.

Label: Grave Mistake Records
Bandcamp: For Progress…

Languid – Shove Their System Up Their Ass

The latest full-length from Canadian berserkers Languid was a masterclass in stripped-back, maximum-intensity d-beat. Every feral and ferocious song on Shove Their System Up Their Ass LP felt like a nail gun to your brainpan. Languid didn’t waste a single second on their latest songs; everything was cranked up and dialled in, with every track combining in-your-face belligerence with incandescent rage. Full-throated, brute-force, raw punk – like getting run over by a War Rig.

Label: Desolate Records
Bandcamp: Shove Their System Up Their Ass

Desolacion – S/T

Desolacion’s self-titled full-length foregrounded stenchcore’s fundamental strengths. The Argentinian band’s downtuned blend of super-dark crust and sledgehammering hardcore ticked all the right malodorous, metallic, and monolithic boxes. Desolacion’s songs were prime examples of first-class heavyweight punk, with mammoth riffs and gloomy atmospherics mixing with the sound of a society in freefall. Heavier than an M1A1, rawer than a festering gut wound; Desolacion’s debut was a genuine tour de force.

Label: UP the PUNX, Nothing to Harvest, Tvmbalavalla Discos, Disastro Sonoro
Bandcamp: Desolacion

Necron 9 – People Die

Everything about Necron 9’s People Die LP was perfectly balanced; it was perfectly primitive, perfectly raw, perfectly filthy, perfectly gritty, and, as it happens, perfectly unbalanced, too. People Die was filled with desperate howls, and the LP sounded gritty and dissonant enough to have been recorded back in 1983. People Die’s tracks were rough-hewn and ultra-urgent, with Necron 9’s frenzied sound mirroring the tensions and anxieties of these bewildering times. No question, People Die was one of this year’s fiercest hardcore releases – off-the-fucking-chain.

Label: Unlawful Assembly
Bandcamp: People Die

Electric Chair / Physique – Split

Electric Chair and Physique’s 12” split featured torrents of unrelenting noise from two of hardcore’s gnarliest bands. Electric Chair’s (Poison Idea-worthy) contributions were rough and tough, with the band threading melodic hooks into helter-skelter tracks. Physique served up some of their most strident work yet. The band’s wall-of-noise riffage and percussion constructed a rampart of stentorian d-beat and crasher crust that did Doom, Gloom, and Framtid proud. Mastered by Shige at Noise Room Studios, Electric Chair and Physique’s split was a stone-cold classic.

Label: Iron Lung Records
Bandcamp: Electric Chair / Physique

G.A.Z.E – S/T

Finnish band G.A.Z.E are happy to paint outside of hardcore’s usual borders. The band’s high-energy, self-titled 2025 LP featured plenty of Finnish punk’s renowned intensity, but alongside all of the hyper-hardcore, G.A.Z.E made space (on a few songs) for saxophone, violin, and double bass. G.A.Z.E’s Burning Spirits-esque songs hurtled along at top speed, and if you’re hungry for melodic hardcore that’s artistically ambitious and ceaselessly heart-gripping, this is the one. Exhilarating, uplifting, and utterly intoxicating.

Label: D-takt & Råpunk
Bandcamp: G.A.Z.E

Contrast Attitude – Discharge Your Noise

Contrast Attitude’s Discharge Your Noise LP was the Japanese band’s first full-length release in well over a decade. Any fears that age or fatigue had set in were instantly obliterated by Discharge Your Noise’s chaotic contents. Everything you love about the rawest and noisiest Japanese d-beat and crust (lacerating riffs, searing leads, pounding drums) was situated front and centre. Contrast Attitude’s latest maelstrom attack tore all-comers limb from limb.

Label: D-Takt & Råpunk Records, Desolate Records, WHY Records
Bandcamp: Discharge Your Noise

Sickness of Greed – All That’s Before Us

US band Sickness of Greed lifted their name from one of Japanese behemoth LIFE’s gnarliest tracks. If you’re a devotee of LIFE – or Framtid, Abraham Cross, and ENT – then Sickness of Greed’s first-rate All That’s Before Us album will hit the sweet spot, too. Sickness of Greed’s pedal-to-the-metal blasts of crashing and smashing crustcore showed zero restraint when it came to tempo, temper, or ferocity. Expect super-cruddy noise for super-cruddy times – the perfect prescription.

Label: Sore Mind, F.A.R. Company, Filth Holocaust Records
Bandcamp: All That’s Before Us

Forced Starvation – S/T

Aotearoa New Zealand band Forced Starvation call the far-flung nation’s wind-blasted capital city, Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington), home. The band’s self-titled 12” was pretty much a cyclone in its own right. Forced Starvation fed crust, thrash, death metal and powerviolence into the crushing maw of grindcore, and their debut saw abject filth and lacerating guitars mixing with battery-acid levels of abrasiveness. Expect a barrage of nihilistic ordnance; an onslaught of obnoxious metalpunk. Brutal, bulldozing, bludgeoning – 10/10, all round.

Label: RSR Records
Bandcamp: Forced Starvation

Psych-War – Psychotic Warmonger

Philadelphia-based Psych-War’s first full-length, Psychotic Warmonger, featured a feast of savage riffage and ferocious lyrics, and the pounding punk within definitely underlined Psych-War’s “FUCK IMPERIALISM”, “FUCK GENOCIDE”, and “ANTI-WAR” messaging. Psychotic Warmonger also saw Psych-War add a thicker layer of crust to their already crushing d-beat, beefing up their sound without diluting any of its primal power. Psych-War’s latest sonic salvos ratcheted up the band’s ferocity, maximising their impact.

Label: Agipunk, Archaic Records, Sore Mind
Bandcamp: Psychotic Warmonger

Unidad Ideológica – Choque Asimétrico

Bogotá-based Unidad Ideológica’s latest album, Choque Asimétrico, exploded into life from its very first seconds and leaned hard on the accelerator throughout. Choque Asimétrico revealed a harder, faster, and more intense-sounding band. The drums, bass, vocals, and guitars on Choque Asimétrico landed with more explosive impact, and Unidad Ideológica sounded hungrier, more desperate, and a shit-ton angrier. Choque Asimétrico upped Unidad Ideológica’s heaviness and hardness without sacrificing an ounce of the band’s innate rawness. “A masterpiece of Colombian Ultra-Hardcore Punk” – fvk yea.

Label: La Vida Es Un Mus
Bandcamp: Choque Asimétrico

Tàrrega 91 – Ckaos Total

Much like their prime musical inspiration (peak-era Discharge), Tàrrega 91 don’t waste time or energy on any masturbatory showboating. Nor do Tàrrega 91’s songs feature any unnecessary adornments. The group’s second release, Ckaos Total, stuck to Tàrrega 91’s tried-and-true d-beat recipe, which combined blazing passion and roaring rage on songs distilled to their rawest essence. Ckaos Total’s tracks were all scorching blasts of pure protest punk. Tàrrega 91’s rebellious heart and renegade spirit were writ large.

Label: La Vida Es Un Mus
Bandcamp: Ckaos Total

Alienator – Meat Locker

I took the advice of PNW label Black Water Records and secured a copy of Alienator’s 2025 LP, Meat Locker, toot sweet. As Black Water stated: “If you hear this record and it does not make your top 10 list for 2025, chances are you just don’t like hardcore, period”. Agreed – 1000%. Meat Locker was a non-stop brawl of dive-bombing riffs, neck-snapping drums, and growling vocals all boiled in a vat of thrashin’ hardcore. Sonic slaughter, guaranteed.

Label: Black Water Records
Bandcamp: Meat Locker

Aftermath – The Cutting Begins

Swedish stenchcore outfit Aftermath point to creative inspirations like Cancer Spreading, Swordwielder, and Plague Thirteen. Unsurprisingly, Aftermath’s The Cutting Begins LP was intimidatingly heavy and menacingly grim. Crafted in the darkest caverns of crustville, The Cutting Begins’ songs mixed gravel-gargling vocals and death metal-worthy guitars on dirge-like (and doom-laden) songs. Harsher than shattered dreams. Heavier than a funeral. The Cutting Begins was a colossus.

Label: Phobia Records
Bandcamp: The Cutting Begins

The Massacred – Nightmare Agitators

The Massacred’s Nightmare Agitators LP was about as hardcore as hardcore gets. On one hand, the LP hit like a nail-studded baseball bat. On the other hand, everything felt as focused as a surgical strike. Nightmare Agitators was monumentally heavy, but while The Massacred unleashed hell on every track, they also injected nuance into their songs. Amongst all the audio violence, The Massacred scattered genuine hooks, ensuring Nightmare Agitators rewarded repeated listening. Formidable. Menacing. Staggering.

Label: ACTIVE-8
YouTube: Nightmare Agitators

Deadsky – Reapers Call

If you’re a fan of label Profane Existence’s signature aesthetic, you’ll love Deadsky’s Reapers Call LP. Deadsky went old-school on their first full-length, weaving together the filthiest strains of d-beat, crust, and sub-basement 80s thrash. The heavyweight sonic tonic featured an equally heavy political punch, meaning Reapers Call hit hard on multiple levels. Metal’s might and hardcore’s rage battled it out on apocalyptic tracks, and Reapers Call was dark as the current shitgeist. Classic crushing crust.

Label: Profane Existence
Bandcamp: Reapers Call

Headsplitters – Curse of Life

Headsplitters’ Curse of Life full-length was overflowing with gruesome gronk and grunt. Headsplitters are a raw hardcore band, but super-grimy metal added abundant density to Curse of Life, and all that extra heaviness was a key component of the LP’s success. Curse of Life’s tracks bludgeoned and batoned with homicidal intent. Some raw punk bands focus on sounding as corrosive as possible; Headsplitter focus on battering you into a fucking pulp.

Label: Toxic State Records
Bandcamp: Curse of Life

Destruxion Amerika – Gritos Norteño

Destruxion Amerika’s line-up features members of Nosferatu, Tower 7, Kaleidoscope, and Straw Man Army, and the band’s Gritos Norteño LP was recorded at D4MT Labs. (I mean, what clearer signal do you need to know this ones an all-timer.) Destruxion Amerika play spiky and über-fuzzy hardcore that leans into its eccentricity while still sounding fired up and passionate. Gritos Norteño’s raucous songs were lean, mean, crude, and catchy. Perfectly pitched for those seeking a mix of woozy punk and bass-driven hardcore. Weird and wild. More please!

Label: Unlawful Assembly, Planeta Destrozado
Bandcamp: Gritos Norteño

Pisssniffers – S/T

Listening to Greek band Pisssniffers’ raw punk is like rinsing out your lugholes with hydrochloric acid. The Athens band’s self-titled 2025 LP was acrid and abrasive, with lashings of distortion and feedback adding to the skin-melting miasma. Pisssniffers’ tunes stung worse than a UTI, and they were also heavy and hefty in all the right places. If you’re a devotee of Kawakami – or any of Disclose’s disciples – you’ll lap this noxious noise up, too. Mind-splintering punk – the best kind, innit.

Label: Chaos & Anticonformity Records
Bandcamp: Pisssniffers

Sacrosanta Decadencia Occidental – Danzas No Solpor Do Mundo

Spanish crust band Sacrosanta Decadencia Occidental (SDO) are heavy enough to warrant their own Metal Archives page. That said, the band’s first full-length, Danzas No Solpor Do Mundo, primarily evoked the hulking crust of Contagium, Stormcrow, or After the Bombs. SDO’s muscular songs featured d-beat, blast beats, and sepulchral stenchcore, but also subtler vocal and acoustic passages. SDO offered forward-thinking punk on one hand, and time-honoured stench-crust on the other; the best of both worlds. (Also, that cover art, amazing)

Label: Crust As Fuck, Global Help, Deviance, Hecatombe Records, Svab, Ruido Y Pasión
Bandcamp: Danzas No Solpor Do Mundo

Dishumanitär – S/T

Swedish trio Dishumanitär made an impressive racket on their self-titled debut. The band’s first album was built on a foundation of rock-solid crust, but Dishumanitär also threw stenchcore and neo-crust into the creative concrete mixer. Dishumanitär’s vocalist, Hannah, howled like the possessed, her rage imbuing every song with even more throat-shredding, emotional heft. With its immersive tracks driven hard by formidable instrumentation, Dishumanitär’s debut was engaging and affecting.

Label: Global Help Records, Phobia Records, Loner Cult Records
Bandcamp: Dishumanitär

Acid Casualties – Flags Are False

Acid Casualties’ Flags Are False LP was the definition of blistering. The live-wire tracks within were universally explosive, but for all the album’s unbridled (and notably abrasive) chaos, Flags Are False still felt tight and honed to the edge. There was no roid-rage filler or posturing on Flags Are False, although, if you burst a few veins listening to the album, that’s more than understandable. Acid Casualties held nothing back on Flags Are False’s rampaging tracks. No frills + full fury. Take-no-prisoners punk – straight-for-the-jugular hardcore.

Label: Iron Lung Records
Bandcamp: Flags Are False

Habak – Mil Orquídeas en Medio del Desierto

Habak’s Mil Orquídeas en Medio del Desierto LP caught the ear of many neo-crust fans this year. The poetic music within was deeply emotive, with Habak’s anticapitalist and anti-colonial messaging ringing out loud and clear. Mil Orquídeas en Medio del Desierto was Habak’s most intricate and captivating release to date, blending melodic crust, post-hardcore, and expressive post-metal. Habak’s cultural heritage and musical inspirations were inextricably intertwined on Mil Orquídeas en Medio del Desierto’s dynamic tracks. A breathtaking display of fierce passion and sonic prowess.

Label: Alerta Antifascista, Exabrupto Records, Persistent Vision
Bandcamp: Mil Orquídeas en Medio del Desierto

War//Plague – The Rot Thickens

War//Plague’s The Rot Thickens was heavier than a wake and angrier than a cut snake, but more than anything, the album reeked of War//Plague’s uncompromising integrity. In an age where fleeting trends often govern a band’s next move, it was Rot Thickens’ authenticity that mattered most. It was a huge relief to imbibe War//Plague’s zero-bullshit crust. Here’s to saying you give a shit and meaning it – War//Plague fuckin’ rule.

Label: Phobia Records, Organize And Arise
Bandcamp: The Rot Thickens

Anomaly – Collapse of Industrial Civilization

“Real ass crusty anarcho hardcore” is how Birmingham, Alabama, band Anomaly describe their sound and vision. The band’s Collapse of Industrial Civilization cassette was fuelled by raw energy and rawer instrumentation. Anomaly’s music gnawed like an infected tooth, and the band’s songs reeked of hard truths and infinitely harder personal struggles. Anomaly mixed crust-slathered d-beat with throat-slit hardcore. The result: real-deal punk rock made in the furnace of trauma and strife.

Label: Distorted Sedition
Bandcamp: Collapse of Industrial Civilization

Traidora – Una Mujer Trans Sin País

Traidora’s Una Mujer Trans Sin País LP explored the personal experiences of multi-disciplinary creative and band founder Eva Leblanc, a Latin American immigrant and trans woman currently living in the UK. Una Mujer Trans Sin País’ songs were uncompromising, underscoring that the personal is political. Traidora’s emotional rawness was backed by savage-sounding Spanish-language hard/fastcore, delivered with the same fire and fury as Los Crudos’ most passionate work. A cathartic blast of noise purpose-built for the disinfranchised, alienated, and marginalised – i.e. punk as fuck.

Label: La Vida Es Un Mus
Bandcamp: Una Mujer Trans Sin País

Bombardement – Dans la Fournaise

Dans la Fournaise was the third LP from French d-beat luminaries Bombardement. The band’s been stomping around for a decade and only getting better. Dans la Fournaise ripped from go to whoa, and while the influence of Stoke-on-Trent’s finest rung loud, Bombardement continued to push against artistic boundaries and create music that retains d-beat’s intensity but also shows clear creative ambitions. As expected, Bombardement’s dual guitars roared throughout, and Dans la Fournaise was an absolute fucking blast.

Label:Symphony of Destruction
Bandcamp: Dans la Fournaise

Malaise – S/T

The self-titled cassette from the Olympia band Malaise featured grimmer-than-grim crustcore. Malaise’s sound was super-dark, and with two singers howling their respective heads off, and an excellent gauging of when to step on and off the gas, Malaise offered enough points of difference to stand out from the pack. Blistering guitars powered filth-caked tracks, and all of Malaise’s mangling mayhem was as raw as an oozing abscess. Definitive crust purpose-built for bum-flapped punxs and fans of scabrous hardcore. One of the year’s best, no question.

Label: Desolate Records
Bandcamp: Malaise

Erosion – Invasive Species

Vancouver band Erosion features former members of Baptists, and the aural dimensions and sheer heaviness of Erosion’s Invasive Species LP marked it as one of 2025’s most powerful hardcore releases. Erosion’s saw-edged crust has been compared to Martyrdöd and Skitsystem; similarly, Erosion deliver a punishing assault of barbed-wire riffs, vicious vocals, and head-splitting drums. The mood throughout Invasive Species remained suffocatingly grim and Erosion’s mammoth metallic crust forged a formidable aesthetic.

Label: Mechanized Apparatus Revolt
Bandcamp: Invasive Species

Kürøishi – Egocide of the Warmad

Egocide of the Warmad was the fourth LP from Finnish band Kürøishi. The Oulu-based group matched Burning Spirits guitar harmonics with Tragedy/His Hero Is Gone-style hardcore, and Egocide of the Warmad’s dynamic tracks featured beefy riffs, barking vocals, and sky-rocketing solos (as well as plenty of sizzling pick-slides). Fans of monster-sized d-beat and crust were once again well served by Kürøishi. Bonus points for more Akihiko “Sugi” Sugimoto artwork, too.

Label: Fight Records, Break the Records, SPHC
Bandcamp: Egocide of the Warmad

MEM//BRANE – S/T

MEM//BRANE’s self-titled LP dug into a host of the world’s ills, not least the never-ending assault on trans and queer communities. MEM//BRANE delivered their urgent communiqués at maximum volume, with maximum passion, wrapped in a storm of harsh metallic crust. MEM//BRANE’s crasher crust, stenchcore, and scorched d-beat featured instrumental armaments strong enough to scar and destroy walls of oppression. Rage and resist, rage and resist, ad infinitum.

Label: Fiadh Productions
Bandcamp: MEM//BRANE

Distress – Under Pressure of Reality

Distress are based in St. Petersburg, and the Russian band have been bashing out increasingly heavy crustcore for close to a quarter century now. Distress’s third full-length, Under Pressure of Reality, was, by far, their heaviest release yet. The band’s Swedish-style d-beat and crustcore was liberally slathered with death metal – see hulking guitars, growling vocals, and utterly raging drums. FFO Asocial, Anti-Cimex, Wolfbrigade, etc. Killer, and very apt, album artwork, too.

Label: Selfmadegod Records, Headnoise Records, Totalpunk Records
Bandcamp: Under Pressure of Reality

Death Gasp – S/T

The self-titled LP from Pittsburgh titans Death Gasp foregrounded the kind of distortion-driven and hard-bitten music that fans of Bolt Thrower, Hellshock, Effigy, and Hellbastard would wholeheartedly embrace. Stenchcore was the word, and the word was law; accordingly, Death Gasp’s full-length stank to high heaven. The band’s behemoth tracks within were injected with death metal’s venom and beastly vocals, which helped to hammer home Death Gasp’s malevolent might. An ultra-grim slab of plague-ridden crustcore. Delicious.

Label: Audacious Madness Records, Profane Existence, Final Return Records
Bandcamp: Death Gasp

SOGA – Corrosión

This year, Mexico City band SOGA returned (after six long years) with their first proper full-length, Corrosión. The LP was well worth the wait. SOGA’s latest tracks were ferocious calls to arms, with Corrosión detailing the brutal truths of capitalism, modernity, oppression, gendered violence, and corporate avarice. Corrosión sounded fantastic, and SOGA’s unadulterated approach reaffirmed their authenticity. Corrosión was chock-a-block with passion and brio. Soga said it best: “[Corrosión] is a reminder of our resistance and solidarity.” Bona fide hardcore, through and through.

Label: Iron Lung Records
Bandcamp: Corrosión

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

Sanctus Propaganda Sessions Vol. 4: North Atlantic Terror Organization featured a couple of live sessions from two of NYC’s gnarliest raw crust bands, State Manufactured Terror and Flower. Both bands sounded honed to the edge; their stamina and dexterity powered by an inexhaustible supply of politically-charged anger. The live production here was A-grade, amplifying all the distortion, crustiness, and corrosiveness of both noise-mongers. If you’ve enjoyed State Manufactured Terror or Flower before, this one’s a no-brainer.

Label: Sanctus Propaganda
Bandcamp: Sanctus Propaganda Sessions Vol. 4

Moribund Scum: First Cold Days in Hell

Moribund Scum have been battling it out in underground trenches for 15 years, and their First Cold Days in Hell LP proved the German band still had plenty of fight in ’em. Moribund Scum’s mega-gruff music mixed sewage-streaked crustcore with chest-pounding deathcrust (or rabble-rousing stenchcore, if you prefer). First Cold Days in Hell demonstrated that the creative fire in Moribund Scum’s belly was still roaring, and the band’s bombarding tracks howled with resilience and resistance.

Label: Bomb-All Records, Up The Punx
Bandcamp: First Cold Days in Hell

Plasma – Mua Et Voi Omistaa

Mua Et Voi Omistaa was the debut vinyl release from Finnish band Plasma. If you love fast and furious Finnish groups like Kohti Tuhoa or Kovaa Rasvaa, you’ll love Mua Et Voi Omistaa. Plasma channelled their volcanic energy into melodic yet untamed songs that featured vitriolic vocals, catchy riffs, and bass-heavy hooks aplenty. Mua Et Voi Omistaa was spiky, snappy, and always snarling, but most of all, it was super-fucking-fun.

Label: Nunchakapunk Records, Little Jan’s Hammer Records, Sorry State Records
Bandcamp: Mua Et Voi Omistaa

Kato – Ihmiskulttuuri

Everything you need to know about the Missouri band Kato can be found on Hardcore ’83, the famed Finnish hardcore compilation released by label Propaganda Records. That comp, and every other revered Suomi punk release from the early 80s, provided much of the creative fuel for Kato’s first full-length, Ihmiskulttuuri. Ihmiskulttuuri was simultaneously ice-cold and red-hot, with Kato feeding d-beat and raw punk into a screaming wood chipper. Ihmiskulttuuri featured a blizzard of top-tier, Finnish-inspired hardcore; classic, rampaging punk.

Label: Feral Kid Records
Bandcamp: Ihmiskulttuuri

Dispyt – Från Melankoli till Meningslöshet

Finnish trio Dispyt specialise in shades-on, studded-jacketed, über-blackened crustcore. The three-piece’s 2025 album, Från Melankoli till Meningslöshet, started out mean and nasty, remained heavy and horrible throughout, and the 10” release ended with a knockout Shitlickers cover. Dispyt’s scorched-earth game plan was blistering in intensity; the band’s dissonant music bristling with spikes, grime, and grimness. Från Melankoli till Meningslöshet’s aggressive combo of d-beat, Scandicore, and ultra-dark metal was a perfect fit for mohawked and mulleted fans alike.

Label: Elitbolaget
Bandcamp: Från Melankoli till Meningslöshet

Trampa – Pesadilla

Colombian band Trampa’s second album, Pesadilla, was conceived, recorded, and mastered at Bogotá’s famed Rat Trap Studios (always a sure sign of something interesting on the boil). Trampa’s snarling songs highlighted devastating societal issues like bigotry, despair, poverty, political corruption, and State violence. Like most Latin American punk, Trampa’s creative MO was explosive. Riffs, vocals, and driving drums combined in a frenzy of sizzling hardcore, which ticked a fair few 80s-inspired boxes with its primitive authenticity.

Label: Self-released
Bandcamp: Pesadilla

Victim of Fire – The Old Lie

Victim of Fire’s full-length, The Old Lie, was mentioned on plenty of metal blogs this year. Reason(s) being: The Old Lie’s heft and heaviness. Victim of Fire explored the horrors of war and humanity’s collective cruelties while blending blackened crust, neo-crust, melodic death metal, and a heap of NWOBHM-worthy harmonies. (Think Tragedy via In Flames via Disfear – and check out the ripping cover of “Aces High” on The Old Lie, too.) The Old Lie was fist-raising, rip-roaring, and creatively ambitious to boot.

Label: Human Future Records
Bandcamp: The Old Lie

Industry – S/T

Industry’s self-titled 2025 LP featured several recurring motifs that evoked the peak years of Amebix and Killing Joke. Industry’s heavyweight percussion and chugging/churning riffage constructed sombre scenes as the band critiqued capitalism, colonialism, and exploitation on shadowy and often engulfing songs. Industry’s music was unquestionably gloomy, but it was also deeply cathartic, and even ecstatic. Industry’s latest LP was filled with ‘dance while the world burns’ moments; an especially relevant record for these tense times.

Label: La Vida Es Un Mus
Bandcamp: Industry

The Dissidents / D.O.V.E. – A Better World Split

The Dissidents and D.O.V.E.’s split LP, A Better World, was dedicated to the sad loss of musicians Bill Chamberlain and Daryl Hardcastle. The Dissidents and D.O.V.E.’s like-minded anarcho-punk felt especially relevant in a world seemingly hellbent on self-destruction. A Better World’s catchy tracks featured heartfelt pleas and angry tirades, and The Dissidents and D.O.V.E.’s songs were equally passionate and profound. Fans of classic anarcho/peace punk will find much to enjoy as The Dissidents and D.O.V.E. speak truth to power.

Label: Grow Your Own Records
Bandcamp: A Better World

Profit and Murder – Doomed to Fail

Profit and Murder celebrated their 25th anniversary this year, and the heavyweight crust featured on the German band’s third full-length, Doomed to Fail, definitely harked back to the good ol’ days. Profit and Murder’s barking vocals, galloping riffs and pounding percussion were unaffected by the passage of time, which is to say, if you like Doom, Hiatus, and similar merchants of 90s mayhem, you’ll very much vibe with Profit and Murder’s worldview. Profit and Murder’s old-school, shredded-pants crustcore was stubbornly unevolved and crafted by lifers – win-win, my friend.

Label: Bomb-All Records, Wild Wild East, Uwaga レコード
Bandcamp: Doomed to Fail

The post Behind The Realms Of Dorkness: ICWT’s Favorite ‘25 LPs appeared first on Last Rites.

It’s always the way, innit!?! You spend weeks writing a War and Peace-length round-up of recent punk releases, and then 30 seconds after you submit the damn thing, out of nowhere, a reliably great label drops several more tempting releases on Bandcamp.

Honestly, you’d think the fine-tuned scheduling of an obscure blogger like me means nothing to these people. Luckily, I’m a magnanimous guy, and thus, I forgive NYC’s finest, Roachleg Records, for forcing me to write this rapid-fire addendum.

Seriously, though, I wasn’t actually planning to publish any more ICWT-related content until the year-end list season commences. I could have easily skipped writing about the music below, but Roachleg Records always releases such enticing fare: see Rigorous Institution’s recent Tormentor EP, which I raved about (at length) in the last edition of ICWT.

The following releases are also well worth talking about, so let’s call this post a supplemental chapter – or deafening add-on – to the already-overstuffed ICWT: Vol 33.

That’s it for ICWT until the end-of-year madness begins. Be cool. Take care of each other. I’ll see you soon.

Kia kaha

Gnostics – Revelation

Richmond, Virginia band Gnostics features Rigorous Institution’s original guitarist, Scully, in its ranks. If you’re a fan of Rigorous Institution – and I can’t think of any good reason why you wouldn’t be – then I bring good news. There are strong sonic and psychic connections between Gnostics and Rigorous Institution. In fact, if you, like me, were hooked by the eldritch sorcery on Rigorous Institution’s early EPs – see Survival / Despotism, Penitent, and Cover of The Coming Of The Terror – then I’d strongly advise you to secure a copy of Gnostics’ Revelation debut immediately.

Like Rigorous Institution, Gnostics’ stench-heavy tunes call to mind bonfires in the darkness; fevered night terrors; arcane secrets spilling from the mouths of corpses; and, of course, enough ‘shrooms to turn you inside out. Sound good? Trust me, it’s great.

Revelation tracks like “Crucified Sun” and “Chapel Perilous” are dripping with existential dread and all manner of folk horrors; think The Wicker Man soundtracked by the crustiest and most ominously clad cohort of troubadours you can imagine. Revelation is dark – super-dark – and fans of Amebix, Antisect, and kin will delight in the heavyweight guitars and the murky atmospherics that engulf tracks like “Ill Omens” and “Is Love Lost?”.

What kicks Revelation up a notch, and adds more character to Gnostics’ songs, are veins of anarcho-punk, post-punk, and acoustic instrumentation (see “Children of the Stones”) woven into the band’s primordial crust. Dual vocals—gruff and guttural, and whispered and gothic—add more texture and variety to Gnostics’ tracks. I’m sure some would like to see the band’s guttural songs beefed up (but not buffed up), too. But the rawness here – production-wise – adds a lot to the sinister/esoteric mood saturating Revelation’s tracks.

The world we currently inhabit is, of course, a hellscape. In that sense, the sheer grimness of Gnostics tracks like “The End is Nigh” feels very zeitgeisty, even though the band’s songs often have a rustic, anachronistic feel. Revelation’s bleakness is undeniable. But that’s where our old friend catharsis kicks in; there is comfort to be found in Revelation’s gloom.

So here’s the deal: tune in for the Out From The Void riffage and Death Church weirdness, and stick around for the Killing Joke apocalypticism and Drunks In Rusty Transits filthiness. Revelation is, very much, a revelation, in and of itself. Gnostics’ debut swallows you whole, like a python, squeezing the life out of you. Revelation is a hard recommendation from yours truly.

TL;DR: If you love Rigorous Institution, you’ll love Gnostics, too.

P.S. Not to ruin the doom and gloom that Gnostics have summoned into being, but can I just say, I’m super excited to hear what the band does next. Apologies for being so upbeat amidst a storm of downbeat crust.

Sayón – Demo

Sayón are a self-described “metal, crust, punk, stenchore” trio from Barcelona, Spain. The band’s 4-song demo was originally released in February this year (by labels Disordera Records and Polze De La Mort), and it’s a sure sign that Sayón are doing something right, given that Roachleg Records have stepped in to release the band’s demo stateside.

Sayón’s demo will hit the mark if you’re a fan of the most nihilistic work of stench-crust OGs like Nausea, Amebix, Axegrinder, Deviated Instinct, or Hellbastard. Sayón’s members – Anyela (vox/bass), Esteban (vox/gat), and Xavi (drums) – also play in bands like Haren, Dominación, and Ayucaba (and in case you missed it, Ayucaba released one of the best punk albums of 2025 earlier this year, see the fantastic Operación Masacre). Sayón’s tracks chug and churn at a – mostly – mid-tempo pace, and the band’s thickset, jagged riffs are mixed with martial percussion and bulldozing bass.

Amebix, of course, play a big inspirational role here, especially in Sayón’s more atmospheric moments. However, you can’t mistake the Cybergod grimness, Realm of Chaos: Slaves to Darkness brutality, or the Behind The Realms Of Madness influences thrashin’ in Sayón’s songs. Tracks like “Enemigo” and the utterly raging “Vive, Muere, Arrodillate” have as much NYC gutter-crust fuelling their fire as any UK stench-stonk. But what matters most here is that every song on Sayón’s demo reeks like a sewer.

Sayón rant and rage about the enshittification of virtually every element of our lives, and Anyela and Esteban’s back-and-forth vocals add plenty of classic crust crunch to their demo’s malodorous mix. Sayón’s demo is definitely lo-fi-ish, but its harshness doesn’t detract from the band’s obvious talents. Sure, it would be great to hear these songs bulked out – made heavier and denser – but I’ve got no complaints about how Sayón’s demo sounds as is.

If the point of a demo is to sketch out a few good ideas while hopefully sparking some interest, then Sayón have clearly succeeded on both counts, no matter how abrasive or rough around the edges their demo sounds. More to the point, Sayón’s rawness suits their songs, which are all squat-crust ragers, through and through.

Sayón’s fusion of dark and grimy metalpunk has a lot of potential, and the band’s first recording ramps up expectations for their next batch of barrelling stenchcore. Sayón are well worth keeping a close eye on.

Tardive Dyskinesia – Never Trust a Dream

Tardive dyskinesia is a neurological disorder, characterised by involuntary movements of the face and jaw, often as a result of taking antipsychotic medication. Tardive Dyskinesia is a noise punk band, and their music is also prone to spasmodic tics. Tardive Dyskinesia call the sunny climes of Fresno, California, home, but the band’s Never Trust a Dream cassette – and, for that matter, Tardive Dyskinesia’s equally ugly-sounding Demo 2025, from earlier in the year – don’t exude a bright or sunny disposition.

Never Trust a Dream begins with a guttural growl, and then the rawest-of-raw punk kicks into gear on in-your-face tracks. The crucial fact here is that Tardive Dyskinesia are a two-bass, zero-guitar band. Thus, Never Trust a Dream tracks, like “Weaponized Youth”, “Numb Life”, and “Live Fast Die”, slap, blap, and burp with plenty of low-slung (but high-energy) grunt. Every song sees noise punk’s chaos collide with raw hardcore’s rage, and all the undecipherable barks and pogoing action shit upon compositional sophistication with lo-fi glee.

Like all noise punk, Tardive Dyskinesia’s music is an acquired taste. But there are crude hooks here, and it’s entirely possible to surf the waves of musical mayhem. Never Trust a Dream’s bass-heavy tracks are raw, ragged, and filthier than a gutter punk’s intergluteal cleft. They’re also a hell of a lot of goddamn fun.

ICWT Recommends

Check out Analog Attack’s Best Japanese Punk Compilations video. As per, AA’s Mike sprinkles tasty background info in his videos that’ll tweak the interest of both longtime and fresh-faced Japanese hardcore fans. Best Japanese Punk Compilations is a short but solid introduction to some great comps and great bands. AA also posted a Top 5 D-beat Albums video recently, which also features some raging groups, including Disgust, Disaster, and Disfear. Tune in and feel free to debate who’s missing or who’s wildly overrated.

The post In Crust We Trust: A Roachleg Addendum appeared first on Last Rites.

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.

The post In Crust We Trust: Vol 33 appeared first on Last Rites.

750-ish days later…

How’s things? It’s been a while, huh – something like 23 months, but who’s counting!?! Apologies for the pause in proceedings, but you know how it goes. Life gets busy, the chores begin to stack up, and then, out of nowhere, an existential crisis knocks on your door. Uh-oh.

Anyway, it’s good to be back! I look forward to writing hundreds of thousands more words about virtually indistinguishable bands who are all in desperate need of a shower. If this is your first visit to ICWT’s unwashed shores, here’s the deal: I’m here to recommend music that’ll hopefully bolster your emotional fortitude while exorcising your inner turmoil. Deafening tunes + catharsis = ICWT. Biff, bang, boom. It’s a simple equation. Zero ego, max noise – voila!

Fair warning: if you’re a fan of rigorous taxonomic accuracy, you will find ICWT very frustrating. I don’t pay close attention to pernickety sub-genre delineations, and ICWT is a very broad and welcoming church. Ergo, don’t get hung up on the word crust in the title of this column. Crust is more of a vibe than a pinpoint marker around here, and the line between the sub-genres (or bands) covered is often more semantic than sonic. Think of ICWT as a sewer pipe or a particularly pungent vessel: All I really care about is pouring the filthiest noise into your earholes.

Obviously, the world’s changed a lot since the last edition of ICWT. But don’t panic; I don’t have the physical stamina or mental acuity to delve into an in-depth monologue about the current nightmarescape. (Suffice to say, holy fuck.) I also appreciate that you’re not here to read about political machinations – be they international or domestic – so I’ll cut to the chase.

Many of the bands featured in this column have a socially conscious worldview. If your values align with a progressive or open-minded outlook, then by all means, step this way.

That said, if you favour nihilistic music or enjoy bands with an end-of-days Weltanschauung, ICWT also features plenty of grouchy groups who’ll satisfy all your misanthropic desires. (And listen, I get it, the world’s on fire and Armageddon beckons, who wouldn’t be feeling a little crotchety right now?)

Lastly, I haven’t forgotten anyone who’s looking to escape all of the political and social tensions that surround us. If you’d rather switch off and simply be pounded into dust by heavyweight punk, let me assure you, ICWT highlights untold bands only too happy to oblige.

Point being: if you care about everything that’s happening, or you’re over everything that’s happening, or you’re simply looking to hide from everything that’s happening, ICWT is here to help. Sound good?

This edition of ICWT is longer than I initially planned. Mainly because I’m out of practice when it comes to writing punchy blurbs. I apologise for any rough patches below – I am a little rusty. Although, in my defence, snappy rhetoric and snappier witticisms aren’t my forte; I am a long-winded dirtbag by nature.

These days, you’re spoiled for choice when it comes to reading punk rock round-ups, and I am fully aware that an old hermit like me isn’t the first cab off the rank. All of that means I appreciate you stopping by even more: a hearty cyber-hug to you and yours for (re-)tuning in to ICWT.

As always, thanks to the Last Rites crew for hosting this garbage. (I’d also like to apologise in advance for any and all reputational damage caused by my return.)

Be well. Kia kaha.

PMA – all the way.

Ayucaba – Operación Masacre

Barcelona-based Ayucaba’s members originally hail from Latin America, and the band’s Operación Masacre LP is one of this year’s finest punk releases – if not the finest.

Ayucaba mix the guttural snarl of UK82 with the riff gymnastics of 80s metal, and Broken Bones, English Dogs, and the late-80s work of The Exploited have all been cited as inspirations. Japanese groups like Ghoul, The Clay, and Execute have also been referenced, and it’s the astute blend of all those international influences that makes Operación Masacre such a phenomenal LP.

Ayucaba’s former bassist Cromi steps up to the mic on Operación Masacre, swapping roles with current bassist Mateo, who sang on Ayucaba’s first couple of releases. No offence to Mateo, but Cromi’s voice adds a lot more personality to Operación Masacre’s songs. Cromi’s super-abrasive howls strip skin from bone, and in Operación Masacre’s quieter moments, Cromi’s murmurs will make you feel like someone’s walking over your grave. (See Inyeccion’s 2022 LP, Porqueria, for more of Cromi’s vocal talents.)

The best Latin American punk is often characterised by its stripped-down rawness, both instrumentally and lyrically. Ayucaba’s latest songs feature plenty of raw passion and battery-acid melodies, but there’s also a great deal of songwriting sophistication to Operación Masacre. There’s real depth to the songs here, and repeated listens to Operación Masacre’s anthemic tracks reveal more and more fine-tuned details.

Obviously, punk bands with grander creative ambitions haven’t always delivered engaging releases; sometimes, a more studied release loses punk’s crucial sense of urgency. The good news is that none of Ayucaba’s artistic decisions feel forced, and the band’s fusion of metal’s primal attributes (including some downright scorching speed metal solos) with punk’s instinctive bite feels like a natural fit.

It’s hard to find fault with Operación Masacre; everything here, from songwriting to arranging to recording, right on through to the album’s excellent screen-printed artwork and design, feels carefully considered. That said, for all its creative finesse, Operación Masacre is still fucking feisty and equally ferocious, and it retains all of the immediacy and explosiveness of the best hardcore punk.

Raise your fists, throw a few bricks, or hurl yourself across the room; this is what punk rock’s all about. Operación Masacre es un absoluto tour de force.

(Metadona Discos, Educación Cínica)

Desolacion – S/T

Argentine four-piece Desolacion features a few members of Buenos Aires-based crust outfit Ruinas. If you’ve not heard Ruinas before, I recommend the band’s self-titled 2016 album, which isn’t wildly different in tone or texture to Desolacion’s recent eponymous debut.

Desolacion’s first release is pretty much a dream come true for fans of the heaviest lineages of punk and hardcore. Desolacion’s downtuned coalescence of super-dark stenchcore and crunchy, metallic crust evokes the classics, ticks all right malodorous musical boxes, and lays down a thick slab of monolithic metalpunk. What more could you want?

Is Desolacion’s debut innovative? Not on your nelly, mate. However, all the bulldozing riffage – and gloomy atmosphere shrouding all – is pitch-perfect for fans of vintage or contemporary groups, such as Stormcrow, Amebix, Warcollapse, Cancer Spreading, Swordwielder, Fatum, and more.

Everything here is heavier than a tank but also, crucially, as raw as a gut wound, which brings stenchcore’s fundamental strengths – noise and noisomeness – to the fore. Desolacion offer a solid mix of thrashing riffs and doomier dirges, backed, of course, by the resounding echo of rack and ruin, and society in freefall. In sledgehammering crust terms, Desolacion’s debut is an obvious end-of-year contender. Long-in-the-tooth crust fans will lap this up, but I’d also recommend Desolacion’s debut for anyone looking to dip their toes into stenchcore’s stink for the very first time.

A demolishing debut, if ever there was one.

(UP the PUNX Rec, Nothing to Harvest Records, Tvmbalavalla Discos, Disastro Sonoro)

Destruct // Svaveldioxid – Split 7”
Shitcontrol – Hungriga, Frusna och Lamslagna

North Carolina label Prescription recently (co-)released the 7” split of the year, featuring two of hardcore’s gnarliest bands: Richmond, Virginia’s Destruct and Stockholm, Sweden’s Svaveldioxid. Both bands contribute two new tracks and a cover of one of the other’s songs, and both sides of Destruct and Svaveldioxid’s split are equally violent and vitriolic.

Svaveldioxid are a foot-to-the-floor, Scandicore monster. The prolific band pumps out death metal-heavy kängpunk, and Svaveldioxid’s last couple of LPs, 2023’s Världselände and 2024’s Främmande Samtid Skrämmande Framtid, have featured some of the band’s harshest and heaviest songs yet.

Recorded at the famed Sunlight Studios, Svaveldioxid’s chainsawing contributions to their split with Destruct are annihilating. Svaveldioxid waste no time on fripperies or subtleties; they just hammer their latest ferocious tracks home in the most immediate – and old-school – fashion possible. Prepare thee for battering drums from Hell, cut-throat vocals from Hades, and the brutalist kängpunk exploding from the halls of Valhalla.

Destruct are one of the best d-beat/hardcore bands in North America. The group’s full-length releases – Echoes Of Life, Cries The Mocking Mother Nature, and To Stop The Conflict (the latter seeing Destruct pair up with Tokyo crust legends LIFE) – have all been utter triumphs. Why? Because Destruct have perfected the art of sounding utterly massive while delivering blisteringly raw songs.

Destruct recorded their latest tracks at Minimum Wage Studio, where Ultimate Disaster tracked their phenomenal (and similarly pummeling) 2025 LP, For Progress…, which I’ve raved about elsewhere. Destruct’s signature brand of audio assaultiveness – think feral Swedish mangel throttling the crustiest Japanese crust – is once again dialled up to jaw-breaking levels on their split with Svaveldioxid. Anguished howls, decimating riffs, and bombarding percussion strike with ruthless and relentless aplomb. As always, for all Destruct’s primitivism, their latest tracks hit like giant fucking juggernauts. Somehow, Destruct sound more intense with every subsequent release. Scorched earth d-beat par excellence.

(Prescription, Children of the Grave Records)

Prescription also released Hungriga, Frusna och Lamslagna, an eight-song cassette from the Swedish crew Shitcontrol. The tracks on Hungriga, Frusna och Lamslagna were recorded on a 4-channel Portastudio, which adds a nice and raw old-school flavour to the proceedings. Shitcontrol’s Discharge-style approach is about as direct as direct gets – no surprise given Shitcontrol lineup features diehard punxs from Anger Burning and Discontrol – and while nothing here is going to reconfigure the parameters of kängpunk or råpunk, that’s not really the point. Shitcontrol simply deliver classic rage-driven hardcore. It’s full-frenzy noise – wild-ass mayhem set to slay your woes.

(Prescription, Brus Tapes, Mosslik, Misslynt)

Hellshock – XXV

To answer your first question: no, the addition of Tragedy’s Todd Burdette to Hellshock’s line-up has not added a whiff of fist-pumping crust to the Portland veteran’s latest release, XXV. Much like Hellshock’s self-titled 2022 album, XXV sees the band continuing to shed their d-beaten/encrusted epidermis, diving ever deeper into the caverns of end-times metal. Punk isn’t ditched entirely, of course. In much the same way that bands like Stormcrow or Sanctum combined a reverence for Bolt Thrower with crust’s full-throttle aggression, XXV still stinks of stench-a-tude.

Opener “Breathe” starts with a wash of synth and a dash of melodic riffage, but Hellshock are soon hacking into all comers with their death metal-worthy riffage. Tracks like “Dead Hands” and “Complete Outsider” see Hellshock incorporating more stylistic shifts via slower, more portentous passages. And production-wise, Hellshock have never sounded heavier on doom-choked and bass-heavy behemoths like “Oblivion” or “Dead Hands”.

XXV isn’t shiny or clean by any means, but there’s no question that Hellshock have reduced their guttural rawness in favour of amplifying the overall mass of their sound. Whether that works for you is obviously going to be a matter of taste – or down to which era of the band appeals most – but there’s no doubt XXV is one of Hellshock’s densest and darkest releases, both conceptually and sonically.

If you’re hoping for Hellshock to return to the swamps of crust, you’re out of luck, my friend. But if you want to hear Hellshock continuing to bend metalpunk to their will, you’re going to love the bleak and bruising XXV.

A quarter century in, Hellshock sound as aggro as ever.

(Black Konflik Records, Agipunk, Black Water Records)

Exist Enslaved – Path of Esoteric Warfare

Moscow “stenchcore bastards” Exist Enslaved are named after the first track on Cathode Ray Coma, the 1994 LP from dog-on-a-string crusties Excrement of War. Unsurprisingly, Exist Enslaved reproduce the rough, gruff and tough-as-old-boots sound of that era on their sophomore album, Path of Esoteric Warfare.

I imagine it’s an interesting time to be in a punk band in Russia right now, especially for groups like Exist Enslaved, writing songs about the pointlessness of endless wars. Excrement of War aside, Exist Enslaved recall similarly-minded groups like Extinction Of Mankind or Sacrilege, with the band’s chugging guitars and echo-wrecked growls harking back to punk’s early adoption of thrash’s ram-raiding tempos. There’s something almost post-industrial here, too. Not musically, as such, but in the feel, the ice-cold atmosphere, the sound of collapsing factories and communities of survivors barely holding on. Path of Esoteric Warfare is best suited for fans of the rawer and notably bleaker end of the stenchcore spectrum.

(Mournful Bridge Records, Drunk Scum Records)

Psych-War – Psychotic Warmonger

Psych-War’s 2023 demo hit harder than many studio recordings released at the same time. Much like their bludgeoning debut, the Philadelphia-based band’s first full-length, Psychotic Warmonger, features a feast of savage riffery, and the LP defiantly spotlights Psych-War’s “FUCK IMPERIALISM”, “FUCK GENOCIDE”, and “ANTI-WAR” worldview.

Psychotic Warmonger adds a thicker layer of crust on top of Psych-War’s already crushing d-beat. Obviously, beefing up a band’s sound can also cause that band to lose some of its primal power, but that’s definitely not the case here. Tracks like “Lucifer’s Jaw”, “Starving Dogs”, and the aptly titled “Ripping Inferno” feature distortion-drilled hardcore that’ll hit the spot for fans of Anti-Cimex, early Disfear, or Progression/Regression-era Wolfbrigade. A few stench-ridden blasts of Bolt Thrower-styled riffage turn up, too, further highlighting the key components here: mass destruction + max-intensity.

Psych-War’s brutal sound attack smashes minds, once again.

(Agipunk, Archaic Records, Sore Mind)

Nagasaki – S/T

The latest release from the stable of New Mexico label Blown Out Media is the self-titled EP from Swedish band Nagasaki. The Stockholm-based trio are very much vibe-matched to Blown Out Media’s previous array of ferocious audio sadists. Nagasaki’s self-described “Evil Neanderthal Råpunk” is, unsurprisingly, raw and primitive, and the two tracks off their EP that are currently streaming online sound like Shitlickers wrestling with System Fucker. Or Totalitär scrapping it out with Ferocious X. Or Anti-Cimex scuffling with Contrast Attitude. You get the point, right?

Nagasaki’s second release does sound tidier than their first. But everything is still akin to a distortion-lashed melee, and no one in their right mind is going to call Nagasaki’s kängpunk listener-friendly. Riffs and percussion rain down like radioactive fragments, and I think it’s safe to say that Nagasaki’s latest release will be a råpunk riot throughout. Vicious, harsh and horrible – shitnoise reigns supreme.

(Blown out Media, Fucked Noise Sound)

No Sector / Peracetic – Split 7”

It’s great to see Aotearoa New Zealand band No Sector getting more North Hemisphere exposure with their recent 7” split with Canadian outfit Peracetic. No Sector are from my hometown, Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington), and the band’s excellent Mercury Poisoning EP, released earlier this year via stalwart Wellington label Razored Raw, caught the attention of several punk-friendly scribes in Europe and the US.

No Sector’s new split 7” is released by Canadian label Sewercide Records, and it sees the band mixing the volatile energy of UK82 with fuzzed-out Scandicore. No Sector’s idiosyncratically-voiced singer, Caroline, adds a crucial dose of anarcho punk’s unconventionality into proceedings, and with more high-energy guitars matched to No Sector’s signature uniqueness, their side of the split with Peracetic is another solid win for the band.

Peracetic sound nothing like No Sector, and the Canadian band tear through five red-lining songs on their side of the split. Every one of those songs is a raw punk brawl featuring blown-out riffs, crashing percussion, and screaming vocals. Where No Sector go eccentric, Peracetic go berserk; it makes for a fun 7” split featuring differing visions of punk from bands who are nonetheless united in a single mission: spreading the hardcore word. Good times. Great stuff. Guaranteed.

(Sewercide Records)

Moribund Scum – First Cold Days In Hell

Plenty of promising bands only stick around for 10 minutes (i.e. one killer demo or a kick-ass 7”) before they implode. German crusties Moribund Scum deserve a hearty round of applause for (a) hitting the 15-year mark in 2025, and (b) still sounding like they’re up for the fight on their latest LP, First Cold Days In Hell.

Moribund Scum’s mega-gruff music leans hard on the sewage-streaked crustcore angle, rather than the polished stadium crust approach. The band sound as politically charged as ever on First Cold Days In Hell; tracks like “Running On Fumes” and “They Come With Pitchforks” provide chest-pounding deathcrust, while others, like “Fragile Manhood” and “Dismantle”, deliver rabble-rousing stenchcore. No one’s going to accuse Moribund Scum of reinventing the wheel, but First Cold Days In Hell proves that there’s still plenty of creative fire in the band’s belly. First Cold Days in Hell is sure to resonate with fans of bombarding crust à la Fatum, Instinct of Survival, Cancer Spreading, Visions of War, and kin.

(Bomb-All Records, Up The Punx)

Cristø – Fragments Of The Inferno

If you hold Sacrilege’s Behind the Realms of Madness in high regard, or love
Lifeless Dark’s more recent Forces of Nature’s Transformation, then Los Angeles band Cristø’s new 7-song EP, Fragments of the Inferno, is likely to grab your attention, too. With new vocalist Natalie on board, Cristø’s latest release slams metallic d-beat headfirst into old school thrash, and then slathers on a coating of broken glass and a pile smashed-to-fuck hopes and dreams.

Cristø’s hardcore chug-a-thon – and accompanying retro-activity – recalls English Dogs and Broken Bones, which essentially means you can expect blazing solos matched to battering, street-level riffage. It’s worth pointing out that Fragments of the Inferno sounds grittier and a lot heavier than Cristø’s self-titled debut – thus, it’s a more impactful release all round. Take a peek at Fragments of the Inferno’s cover art to reveal all you need to know. A solid 3.5 skulls outta 5. NO GODS / NO MASTERS – for sure.

(Self-released)

Deadsky – Reapers Call

If you’re a fan of label Profane Existence’s signature output, you’re going to love Deadsky’s Reapers Call LP. The Pittsburgh-based band are DIY diehards, and Deadsky go old-school on their first full-length. The band draws inspiration from the weightiest strains of d-beat, crust, and sub-basement 80s thrash. It’s a heavyweight sonic mixture that’s driven hard by an equally heavy political punch, meaning Reapers Call hits home on more than one level.

Reapers Call‘s opening track, “Class War Now”, says it all, really. Within, ruthless crust launches a brutal assault, while speed metal solos pierce the air. From thereon in, Reapers Call sees metal’s might and hardcore’s rage battling it out on apocalyptic-sounding tracks. Reapers Call‘s is dark as the current shitgeist. Genocide, oppressive politics, and capitalism’s myriad ills are all unpacked on Deadsky’s neck-wrecking songs. There’s also an echo of the wasteland here, too; the same vision of broken cityscapes and ruined lives conjured by legendary bands from across the pond – see Amebix, Doom, Axegrinder, and Antisect.

Deadsky’s debut is a ripper, a rager, and a heavyweight death-dealer. Tune in for classic crushing crust.

(Profane Existence)

Sickness of Greed – All That’s Before Us

US band Sickness of Greed lifted their name from one of Japanese behemoth LIFE’s gnarliest tracks. Of course, LIFE are one of the greatest crust bands to have ever walked this shattered earth, and if you’re a devotee of the long-lived Tokyo band’s discography, then Sickness of Greed’s All That’s Before Us cassette is going to hit the spot, too.

LIFE aside, the work of numerous Japanese titans – see Deceiving Society, Framtid, Abraham Cross, or Defector – has likely inspired the visceral creative pursuits of Sickness of Greed. (And you can also throw the max-filth of grot-bags Extreme Noise Terror into the mix, too.) All That’s Before Us sounds thoroughly obnoxious and equally untamed – two big stinkin’ ticks right there. Tracks like “No Sanctuary”, “The Case for Violence”, and “Do We Accept Hell?” are pedal-to-the-metal blasts of crashing/smashing crust that show zero restraint when it comes to tempo, temper, or ferocity. Imagine being run over by a contaminated dump truck; that’s All That’s Before Us in a nutshell. Cruddy noise for cruddier times. The perfect prescription.

(Sore Mind, F.A.R. Company, Filth Holocaust Records)

Sacrosanta Decadencia Occidental – Danzas No Solpor Do Mundo

Sacrosanta Decadencia Occidental (SDO to their friends) are a Spanish crust band that sings in Galician, the language of their homeland in northwestern Spain. SDO are steel-clad enough to have their own Metal Archives page, and while the band’s first full-length, Danzas No Solpor Do Mundo, features more than enough extreme metal to warrant that MA inclusion, SDO’s sound primarily echoes a myriad of colossal crust and stenchcore bands, such as Disrupt, Contagium, Stormcrow, Amebix, Sanctum, and more.

Danzas No Solpor Do Mundo is a muscular album packed with very strong songwriting. D-beat, blast‑beats, and whirlwind guttural crust keep Danzas No Solpor Do Mundo’s tracks barrelling along at top (often grindcore) speeds. However, there are also acoustic passages and subtler vocal moments within, meaning SDO offer a real point of difference among the stench/crust pack.

It’s all that volatility and variance that make Danzas No Solpor Do Mundo a more interesting release. SDO take unexpected turns and mix short, eruptive songs with longer neo-crust-ish tracks. SDO also make time to translate their anarchist critiques of the capitalist system, the war machine, and the unstoppable ecological destruction right outside your door. English and Spanish lyrics are available on SDO’s Bandcamp page, revealing a band fuelled by hate but still deeply concerned about a wide range of issues.

Also worth mentioning is Danzas No Solpor Do Mundo’s detailed artwork, which was hand-drawn by SDO’s singer/lyricist María and guitarist/synthlord Edu, and took more than a year to complete. The intricate illustration deftly captures SDO’s trip across modernity’s hellscape on their first full-length LP.

Danzas No Solpor Do Mundo showcases a lot of artistic ambition, but crucially, SDO hold tight to those key ingredients (and those all-important apocalyptic atmospherics) that crust fans crave. In one sense, SDO serve up forward-thinking stench-punk. In another, they remain firmly rooted in traditional crust. Ultimately, Danzas No Solpor Do Mundo is the best of both worlds.

(Crust As Fuck Records, Global Help Records, Deviance, Hecatombe Records, Svab, Ruido Y Pasión Records)

Kato – Ihmiskulttuuri

Everything you need to know about the St. Louis, Missouri, band Kato is located approximately 5883.42 miles from the band’s home base, and 42 years in the past. That’s when/where Finnish hardcore label Propaganda Records released their famed Hardcore ‘83 compilation. That comp, and every other lauded Finnish punk release from the early 80s, provided all the fuel for Kato’s breakneck 2023 demo (released by the always interesting Roachleg Records).

Kato’s first full-length LP, Ihmiskulttuuri, is out via Feral Kid Records, and much like the band’s demo, Ihmiskulttuuri is simultaneously ice-cold and red-hot. Kato feed d-beat and raw punk into a screaming wood chipper, and the result is a fast/furious avalanche of max-fuzz guitars and howling vocals – i.e. a blizzard top-tier, Finnish-inspired noise. Expect absolute chaos, intensity, and zero pauses for breath: Suomi (via St. Louis) hardcore all the way.

(Feral Kid Records)

Acid Casualties – Flags are False

I’m still trying to shake off my last bad trip, from back in 1999, so mark me down as both an acid casualty and a fan of New Jersey hardcore crew Acid Casualties. The band’s Flags Are False LP is blistering. The live-wire tracks within are universally explosive, but for all the album’s unbridled chaos, Flags Are False still feels tight and honed to the edge.

Flags Are False is über-abrasive – there’s no hi-fi polish here – and like recent releases from bands like Necron 9 or Cicada, Acid Casualties cut through all the posturing and bullshit of hardcore. There’s no unnecessary, roid-rage filler on Flags Are False – although, if you burst a few veins while listening to the album, that’s more than understandable. Acid Casualties shove throat-wrecking howls, concussive drums, and full-force riffs down the neck of 90-second songs, and every in-your-face tune is set to annihilate the stress of hope-crushing days.

Feel free to choose your own idiom for this one; take no prisoners punk, or straight-for-the-jugular hardcore – either works. Acid Casualties don’t hold anything back on Flags Are False’s rampaging tracks; the band’s first full-length is a triumph of no frills, but full-fury, hardcore.

(Iron Lung Records)

Feral State – II

The second full-length album from Leicester, UK band Feral State, II, sounds burlier than the band’s self-titled CD from 2022. The drums hit harder on II, the riffs are weightier, the bass is more jagged, and the vocals are more guttural. All of that is a big plus if you’re searching for thrashing d-beat that draws plenty of sonic darkness from metal and a lot of thematic grimness from crust’s usual roll call of concerns: war, misery, poverty, angst, etc.

Plenty of outwardly brutal tunes on II also have genuine hooks – see “Slow Decay”, “Nuclear”, or “Survival Game” – which adds another layer to several of Feral State’s Discharge-inspired tracks. In fact, it’s highly likely that if you dig the heaviest and catchiest releases from Stoke-On-Trent’s finest, then you’ll be happy to embrace the rowdy hardcore bangers that Feral State deliver.

(Self-released, Noise Merchant)

Contracharge / Drogato – Today’s Empire is Tomorrow’s Ashes

Today’s Empire is Tomorrow’s Ashes is a 10-track split LP featuring Chicago’s Contracharge and New York’s Drogato. Both bands are play crust punk, but as we all know, crust can be dished up in many ways. Some crust is served on a fancy plate, accompanied by numerous studio trimmings. While other kinds of crust sounds like its been tossed out of a garbage can full of writhing maggots and dirty needles. Contracharge and Drogato deal in the latter kind of crust. The sort of noxious noise beloved by patched-ass, broken-toothed, piss-stained, dumpster divers. The best type of crust.

Contracharge’s “d-beat audio terror” is born from the gutters of mangel and råpunk. Their brawling contributions to Today’s Empire is Tomorrow’s Ashes are red-raw – in sound and vision – and Contracharge’s songs are gravelled enough to leave a nasty road rash. Drogato bring rawer “drug-laced anarcho crustcore” to the table on Today’s Empire is Tomorrow’s Ashes. The band deliver gut-punching tracks – sometimes, at a grindcore pace – which ooze as much contagious disease as they do abject wretchedness. Contracharge and Drogato both paint very grisly pictures of modernity, but then, you paint what you see, right?

(Hey Fuck You Records)

Disturd – Vision

Kobe crust colossus Disturd has been kicking around for close to a quarter of a century, and the band’s foreboding music will sound familiar to fans of fabled Japanese label Crust War – see Crust War heavy hitters like Axewield or Zoe. Disturd’s full-throated roar has an old-school accent, heavily influenced by Amebix, Axegrinder and Antisect. (Or, for a more Japanese flavour, think SDS, Acid, or Antiauthorize.) Disturd don’t go in for pointless theatrics or wanky showboating. Instead, the band’s aesthetic choices are plain and simple. Disturd pick the war hammer up, give it a few swings, and then bring it down, again and again, pulverising skulls, smashing bones – a ruthless pummelling.

Disturd’s sound is heavy, gritty, and apocalyptically grim. The band’s latest release, Vision, features six tracks recorded in a single session engineered by Palm guitarist Akira Inada. (A few tracks here are rerecordings of older songs, while others are brand new.) Vision is another mind-mangling release from Disturd, with the band upping the dose of thrashier tracks and seeing their metallic crust chuggin’ along at full steam. As usual, Disturd bring the doom – and plenty of gloom – and Vision maintains a bleak and brooding mood throughout.

Disturd have made a lot of use of the signifiers of vintage crust, but for all their referencing of the past, the band don’t sound like a tribute act. Sure, Disturb are thoroughly old school, but they’re not uninspired. Disturd are traditionalists, in the best sense, finding the perfect way to bludgeon fans with their intimidatingly dark crust.

(Black Water Records, Grind Bird Records)

Alright, so here’s the deal. Vision isn’t streaming online, as yet. I’m one of those dicks recommending an album – or a 10” in this case – that I own a copy of but have no means to share. Apologies for that! Here’s a YouTube rip of Disturd’s recent-ish split with 惡AI意 instead – just to get you in the zone.

Distress – Under Pressure Of Reality

Back in 2006, St. Petersburg band Distress’s Progress/Regress LP caught my ear with its rough-hewn blend of late-80s/early-90s UK crust and booze-fuelled Scandicore. I haven’t kept track of the band over the years – although I did check out Distress’s 2018 split with the Swedish kängpunk outfit Irritation – but it was good to catch up with Distress again via their latest/third full-length, Under Pressure Of Reality.

Musically, Under Pressure Of Reality falls somewhere between Discharge and Anti-Cimex, with a healthy dose of rough-hewn metal added to the mix – think Wolfbrigade. Obviously, plenty of modern crustcore bands aspire to sound like Wolfbrigade, and the addition of more metal – along with beefier production values – means Distress circa ’25 sound like a herd of charging rhinos. Under Pressure Of Reality sees gritty trad-crust crashing into bass-grinding metalpunk, and lyrically, it’s all about the struggle; the philosophical and physical challenges of surviving the current epoch. Under Pressure Of Reality isn’t breaking any new ground, but it’ll no doubt appeal to fans of Skitsystem, Warcollapse, and, of course, the aforementioned Wolfbrigade and kin. A rock-solid release all round.

(Selfmadegod Records)

Nullpolitik – S/T

Alas, alack, Nullpolitik are another great-sounding band lost to the trials and tribulations of underground punk. Admittedly, the short-lived Aotearoa New Zealand band split up yonks ago, but it’s still worth mentioning the “lost recording session” that Nullpolitik left behind.

The group’s 10-song, self-titled cassette includes covers of Shitlickers and Totalitär, and if you slap those two bands together, you get a rough enough reference point for Nullpolitik’s sound. Essentially, the band take a spoonful of raw punk and sprinkle it over a helping of d-beat. It’s not a complex or even unique recipe, but Nullpolitik cook things up with plenty of crusty gusto and Japanese noisepunk levels of heat and aggression. Add in gruesome vocals and you’ve got yourself another tasty helping of Southern Hemisphere punk.

Is it sad that Nullpolitik are no more? Not really. As I’ve said a million times before, the death of one rungus New Zealand punk band routinely leads to the birth of another gnarly outfit with much the same lineup – and on it goes, stonk after stonk, gronk after gronk, ad infinitum.

(Razored Raw, Limbless Music)

ICWT Recommends…

My sole motivation for writing this column is to share great music. However, I also like to support other writers (or podcasts, etc.) that I’ve enjoyed, in the spirit of DIY camaraderie. Does that sound a little passé? I don’t know. I’m an old school fool, a simple man with a simple plan. To be honest, I don’t read or listen to a vast range of extreme music commentary because much of it falls outside my orbit of interest – I’m not a fan of metalcore or chest-thumping hardcore, for example. Still, you do you. If you love that stuff, enjoy!

In any case, I will strive to include more writing or pod/vid-chat recommendations in each edition of ICWT. Here are a few to get you started.

My go-to US record store is Raleigh, North Carolina, stalwart Sorry State Records. (Shout-out to staffer Usman for reliably shipping noisy LPs 8,584 miles to my front door. Usman also helms the label Perscription, home to that killer Destruct/Svaveldioxid 7″ mentioned above.) If you haven’t already, you should definitely sign up for Sorry State’s weekly newsletter, which features a host of always-interesting write-ups about brand new and vintage releases, and plenty of great recommendations.

I’m mentioning Sorry State because the store/label’s guv’nor, Daniel Lupton (see also killer hardcore outfit Scarecrow), recently featured as a guest on a great podcast episode from the 185 Miles South crew. Episode 268 counts down the best European hardcore 7” releases from 1981 to 1985. Handily, 185 Miles South put together a playlist of the 7” releases that you can check out on YouTube. The feature-length episode is a deep dive, and while some hardcore fans will obviously have something to say about 185 Miles South and Daniel’s opinions and their choices of what EPs to include or exclude from the final list, that’s also kind of the point.

Episode 268 is meant to spark a good-humoured debate about the music we love. Additionally, the episode presents an excellent opportunity to become more informed about EPs that you (and I) may have never heard of. Here’s the link to the show, enjoy!

Webportal DIY Conspiracy got underway in 2005. Since then, many of the site’s contributors have worked extremely hard to unpack the culture and values of punk rock via scores of reviews, interviews, and in-depth articles. Many of those articles have explored the intricacies of lesser-known scenes, which is a testament to DIY Conspiracy’s commitment to supporting the underdogs rather than following trends or publishing more corporate-friendly content.

Recently, DIY Conspiracy has published a couple of excellent articles. DIY – The Counterforce: Building a DIY Punk Infrastructure Against Corporate Platforms features a conversation with Martin Force about “DIY punk on the web, the Fediverse, DEMO FEST 2025, and keeping hardcore punk out of corporate hands”. You don’t have to agree with all the opinions expressed within, but it’s a great interview covering a wide range of topics that politically-minded punks likely mull over now and then. Super interesting!

Also well worth checking out is Dirty Wombs: Southeast Asia & Japan Tour Report 2025. Dirty Wombs are a Greek hardcore band that draws a lot of inspiration from the ‘Burning Spirits’ style of Japanese hardcore. The group’s tour journal takes in shows/adventures in Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Japan. It’s a great article, with plenty of social, cultural, and political reflections within. I’ve visited Japan and I found the country to be fascinating, beautiful, and also packed with contradictions. I was particularly interested in reading Dirty Wombs’ take on the nation. Also, I can confirm that Japan is the Mecca for record nerds. Punk, metal, jazz, whatever you fancy, Japanese record stores will blow your fucking mind.

I’ve sung the praises of Terminal Sound Nuisance enough times to sound like a certified stalker. But no apologies, kid. The blog covers the kind of crust-caked noise I like via engaging write-ups that feature a few wry jokes now and then. Recently, Terminal Sound Nuisance has been running a series entitled Japanese CRUST (compilations) Against the Millennium, which has provided plenty of fun thus far. Even if you’ve already heard the music mentioned, it’s always interesting reading Terminal Sound Nuisance (and MRR) scribe, Romain Basset, detailing releases and providing tidbits of info you’ve likely never thought about before. Nerd-level brilliance, really.

Lastly, it’s always worth noting Analog Attack’s ‘What Are You Listening To?‘ livestreams. If you can’t watch the livestream, all the WAYLT episodes are archived on Analog Attack’s YouTube channel. There is always an entertaining range of guests – from bands, labels, and punk-friendly media outlets – and host, Mike, and co, chat about new releases as well as plenty of obscure gems. Always interesting, What Are You Listening To? frequently brightens my day.

The post In Crust We Trust: Vol 32 appeared first on Last Rites.

I previously wrote about them when they released The Hunted in May of 2017. Normally I wouldn’t repeat things but it is always worth mentioning since Last Rites is a volunteer motorcycle escort service for Kansas-based funerals heavy metal blog that black metal, and eventually death metal, were born out of a punk rock push to play harder and faster. So we wouldn’t be sitting around being generally impressed by riffs if it wasn’t for punk rock, more specifically the Swedish school. If you feel like reading rants about that you can click the afore-referenced link. But, since this is punk rock, it’s doubtful you’ll waste the time. You’re a punk. You’ve got used leather jackets to punch holes in through which to apply studs and spikes.

The title track, “Life Knife Death,” is perhaps the most instantly recognizable Wolfbrigade track. A simple chord progression opens with a solid, thumping d-beat underneath as the overly moistened gravel inside the throat of Mikael Dahl tear holes in your mental flesh and rip ligaments from your likely pathetic childhood. Driving beats and simply choruses make this tune a leg-stomping jam certain to make your employer ecstatic they hired someone so outside the box. “Age of Skull Fuckery” will drive that point home with the opener of a creepily filtered male voice claiming “I am very emotionally disturbed” ad nauseum. Perhaps you are, friend. Perhaps you are.

Since it’s punk we should always mention that the album is lyrically topical. Whether that’s because the world hasn’t changed much since 1996 or because Wolfbrigade spends 24/7 scrolling the Associated Press and watching live conferences of G20 remains to be seen although it’s likely the former. Pretty sure you could drop a punk band off in Khaybar about four thousand years ago and they could easily bitch about the same topics. Although instead of bombs and machine guns they might be angry about pesh-kabz or bows and arrows or perhaps spears. Regardless, I believe you get the idea about history repeating itself or perhaps history just continuing to evolve at a snail’s pace.

“A Day in the Life of an Arse” features the most surprising guitar solo. Opening with nationalist samples fed through filters and creepily layered beneath guitar feedback this track is a screamer even by Wolfbrigade standards. While the track lacerates on all levels (including the echoed vocals) the guitar solo is nearly a little love note to 1970s. A few screams and bends give way to a melodic, interesting and somewhat bluesy set of guitar licks. Is the music style most opposed to progression progressing? It’s possible.

In a scene where people die young, fade away early, sell out, give up, and give in, Wolfbrigade is a leader as they close in on thirty years of body odor-fueled annihilation. Few bands have been as consistent as they have. Still boasting mostly original members Wolfbrigade have commendably trudged ahead and entered larger scenes and larger online retailers of merchandise featuring weapons meant to be used to destroy weapons and armament forever. Is that hypocrisy or merely the dream of a war to end all wars? Get punked or get fucked. Proper fucked.

The post Wolfbrigade – Life Knife Death Review appeared first on Last Rites.