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.

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.

A Note About Lists, Crows, Black Labs, and Råpunk.

Gidday, talofa, and kon’nichiwa. This is the second edition of ICWT for November, and the reasons for a bonus edition are twofold:

• life is tough, and you deserve a treat
• there’s been a mountain of gnarly music released recently

Before I go any further, I hope you’re doing okay, given the world seems intent on self-destruction. Everything is awful, and I have no wise words to soothe your furrowed brow. But maybe the music below can help drown out the worst of your worries, if only for a moment in time.

Onto slightly happier news: December’s edition of ICWT will also be a two-parter. Why, you ask? Great question, my friend. Because end-of-year list season is (almost) upon us, and next month, I’ll be talking about my favourite LPs, EPs and demos from 2023. But what about November’s best releases? Don’t fret, amigo. I’ll leave room in my end-of-year splurge to talk about those releases, too.

Obviously, not everyone enjoys all of the end-of-year hype, and that’s fine — *different strokes for different folks*. If the thought of the upcoming celebrations leaves you feeling queasy, I’ll see you in 2024. For everyone else, I’ll be back in a few weeks with my choice of this year’s rowdiest releases. I look forward to hearing about your red-hot picks, too.

A few more things before we get into the latest batch of noisy releases.

There’s no scene more fetishized in punk rock than Japanese hardcore. Unfortunately, it’s frequently grizzled old dorks like myself who bang on about obscure Japanese bands in the vain hope that knowing a few facts about cult acts will save us from irrelevance. Of course, older fans droning on like energy vampires is nothing new; aging punishers have long haunted the halls of punk and metal. However, let me assure you, even though I’m older than time itself, I have zero interest in mansplaining anything. Mainly because I guarantee you’re smarter than me on every conceivable level.

That said, I do love a little tête-à-tête about music from far-flung locations. As such, I thought I’d take the opportunity to mention a couple of killer Japanese releases from 2022 that I’ve been meaning to write about for months. I’ll start with the latest EP from Tokyo legends Crow.

For the unacquainted, Crow are a hallowed band with a somewhat enigmatic aura, and the group’s Who Killed Dove? EP (1985) and Last Chaos LP (1987) are stone-cold classics. The band took a break at the tail end of the 80s, but since the mid-90s, lead vocalist Crow and co have released plenty more music, including 2005’s Bloody Tear LP, which is another absolute mind-crusher.

Crow’s high-energy 2022 EP, 眼 (Eye), was the band’s first release in a dozen years, and Prank Records have recently given the EP a well-deserved vinyl release. Packed with driving metallic hardcore, Eye was engineered (by Shige, of course) at Tokyo’s Noise Room studio, and the 12″ ends with a “hi-tone” version of the EP’s title track that’d do Pooch-era Discharge proud. Age has yet to erode Crow’s ability to deliver harsh or heavy hardcore. Press the play button below for proof of that.

Also recommended are Osaka-based “doom witch” duo Black Lab. Strictly speaking, the Japanese two-piece aren’t a hardcore band. However, like lots of heavyweight genre-blenders nowadays, Black Lab inject plenty of punk ingredients into their sound. (They also follow a punk-powered model of uncompromising creativity.) Black Lab’s third full-length, In A Bizarre Dream, is a Kaiju-sized beast. It’s hard to believe there are only two musicians here, with Black Lab’s wall of fuzzed-out metal dipping into mind-warping psychedelia one minute and then snapping back into max-riffage the next. In A Bizarre Dream is fantastic – melodic, yet murderous, with plenty of nasty hooks.

Book nerds take note: keep an eye out for the recently published RÅPUNK: The Birth of Swedish Hardcore, 1981–1989, which chronicles the formative years of the influential scene and digs into the history of a lengthy list of well-known röckers. Written/compiled by David Andersson (and featuring a foreword by Lee Dorrian), RÅPUNK also features long-lost live photos, gig flyers, and other “Swedish hardcore ephemera”. Sounds amazing. Looks fantastic! The unfortunate news is that RÅPUNK is costly; I’m looking at $100+ to secure a copy. (It’s time to sell more records; the circle never ends!) Punk fanaticism isn’t cheap. Still, RÅPUNK looks very tempting, so if you can, nab a copy forthwith.

Okay, onto this month’s second batch of deafening tunes. Enjoy the noise. I’ll see you soon in a few weeks with end-of-year lists galore.

Collate – Generative Systems
Institute – Ragdoll Dance

I’m starting this edition of ICWT off with a couple of LPs that don’t fall into the raw or crusty sphere of punk that this column usually focuses on. I’m breaking with tradition because both albums are first-rate releases, and both underscore that punk’s artistic frontiers are wide open nowadays.

Collate’s Generative Systems LP starts with a riff that pays homage to the obvious influence of Gang of Four. From thereon in, the Portland band shake, jangle, and shudder across minimalist tracks that nod to the finest exponents of no-wave and off-kilter post-punk. (See the earliest works of the Fall, the Pop Group, and Siouxsie and the Banshees, etc.) Generative Systems is Collate’s third full-length release, and it feels like the band’s most complete yet. Recorded on 8-track cassette, Generative Systems is gritty and scratchy – befitting its analog template – and the lo-fi abrasiveness underpinning Collate’s tracks adds to their authenticity. With smart lyrics, hypnotic basslines, and a captivating looseness, Generative Systems comes *highly recommended*.

Institute’s Ragdoll Dance LP is released by labels Roach Leg Records and La Vida Es Un Mus, and the album was recorded at noted Brooklyn studio D4MT Labs; those are a couple of promising facts to digest before you even hit play. Ragdoll Dance oozes rough-edged charisma, especially on Iggy-worthy numbers like “Warmonger” and “Dead Zone”. Institute reshape post-punk on hook-filled tracks, often reaching back in time to draw from anarcho-punk, glam rock, art rock, and even a touch of Bowie’s coked-up years. If you heard and enjoyed Bits and Pieces, the last release from Institute singer Moses Brown’s solo project Peace De Resistance, you’ll be instantly enamoured with much of Ragdoll Dance. Similarly, Institute’s sharp songwriting evokes the old while tapping into something new.

(Collate – Domestic Departure. Institute – Roach Leg Records, La Vida Es Un Mus)

Trenchraid– War Mentality

War Mentality, the raucous debut full-length from Canadian cohort Trenchraid, is a perfect example of how punk can sound bleak as fuck and yet, at the same time, fun as fuck, too. Take a War Mentality track like “Endless War”. The song hurtles along with abundant Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing momentum, but while the doom-mongering grit and grimness of Stoke-On-Trent’s finest is a clear influence on Trenchraid, “Endless War” also features an undercurrent of Motörhead-esque catchiness. Therein lies Trenchraid’s strength; they sound mean as hell, but they also throw in a shout-along, röck’n’röll hooks.

Poison Idea used to do that. As did Anti Cimex. And Trenchraid sounds like both bands channelling Discharge. Much like Trenchraid’s formidable (and highly recommend) 2022 demo, War Mentality explores the endless horrors of global conflict and the myriad frustrations of human existence. Stripped to the bone, War Mentality tracks like “The Hubris of Mankind” and “Disregulated” feature rapid-fire d-beat that’ll obliterate the annoyances of everyday life. Red-raw songs like “In the Wake of the Bomb,” “Never Surrender,” and “Ecocide” are awesome displays of full-force, ferocious punk, with churning bass and sawtooth guitar backed by barking vocals.

War Mentality boils with anger, bile, hate, and hostility. But like the best high-powered punk, rather than being repelled by all that ugliness, Trenchraid’s bulldozing tracks are wholly magnetic. As mentioned, bleak as fuck, but fun as fuck, War Mentality is a foot-to-the-floor ripper.

(Blown Out Media)

Nō – Punk Is A Message

(Whoops. I meant to cover Nō’s Punk Is A Message EP ages ago. But somehow, I lost the blurb below in a frenzied editing accident. Thankfully, I rediscovered it. My ineptitude is no reflection on Nō’s excellence. Punk Is A Message features plenty of high-powered punk.)

Every member of the Japanese band Nō plays in another group I love. No surprise, then, that Nō’s Punk Is A Message EP is an absolute belter. A rough bio of Nō includes plenty of exciting intel; namely, the Nagoya-based band features members from pummeling groups like C.F.D.L., Why?, Result, Disgust, Reality Crisis, and more. Obviously, with a lineup like that, authenticity sits at the heart of Nō’s mission. Punk Is A Message kicks off with the EP’s title track, which is slightly slower-paced than the rest of the tracks here. Elsewhere, things hurtle along with vocalist Takeshi spitting out super-politicized English language lyrics as thumping drums and salvo after salvo of gouging guitars build a bastion of noise.

With tracks like “No Means No”, “Anger is Power”, and “Black Lives Matter”, there’s no mistaking Nō’s meaning, even if their message is buried in a blizzard of anvil-heavy anarcho-punk and crust-smashed hardcore. Fired-up, super-energized Japanese punk. Raw, raging, and DIY as it gets. What’s not to love, brothers and sisters?

(Self-released – 10″, Chaos Control – CD)

Daydream – Reaching For Eternity

Reaching For Eternity is Portland, Oregon, band Daydream’s third album, and it’s their best work yet. Reaching For Eternity sees Daydream further broadening their artistic parameters, and the band’s creative adventurism is the prime reason Reaching For Eternity is such a smashing success. Daydream’s potency and ferocity are as strong as ever on their latest LP. However, like the most imaginative releases from groups like Straw Man Army, Kaleidoscope, or Institute, Reaching For Eternity sees Daydream happily ignoring punk rock’s boundaries. (If we’re casting a line back in time, think latter-era Fugazi, where the group were still a hardcore band but also so much more.)

Daydream’s sound is tricky to sum up. It’s jagged, mutable, and weird. But while Daydream disregard hardcore’s rulebook, they’re still a recognizably hardcore band. Anarcho punk + noise rock + noise punk + schizoid hardcore works as a baseline, maybe. Chaos is certainly a core part of Daydream’s method. But the band’s instruments and vocals still work harmoniously to underscore Daydream’s visceral intensity.

Reaching For Eternity songs like “Ritual Fear”, “Conspiratorial Crept”, and “Sun-Shined in You” surpass Daydream’s previous musical boundaries. Daydream still sound like Daydream, but they feel like they have tapped into a fresh creative seam. “Morph to Their Perversion”, “Patron Saint”, and “Hopeless Deceiver” are all hardcore howlers. But there’s also a renewed energy to those songs, a tension, a sense that things could spiral into some new artistic orbit.

Throughout Reaching For Eternity, Daydream’s songwriting and musicianship are impressive. Daydream aren’t a brand-new band on Reaching For Eternity, but they are a better one. They’re more interesting. More unpredictable. More alive with possibilities. Recorded and mixed by Evan Mersky at Portland’s Red Lantern Studios, Reaching For Eternity is phenomenal.

(Blackwater Records, Sabotage Records)

Systema – En Vivo Zarautz

The latest release from Colombian band Systema, En Vivo Zarautz, is a 20-minute live set recorded on the group’s 2023 European Tour in the Basque Country town of Zarautz. Yet another group to emerge from Bogotá’s always-thrilling Casa Rat Trap scene, you’ll likely recognize Systema’s name from their much-applauded Última Guerra 12″, which was released by French label Symphony Of Destruction back in 2021. With a who’s who lineup from bands like Muro, Amenazas, Sinnaciön, and Doomsay, Systema’s vibe is tied to a scene located half a world away and also a fair few decades in the past – ’80s Finnish hardcore.

That’s what Systema serve up on En Vivo Zarautz: sweat-soaked, head-splitting, sonic violence that evokes the rage and frustration of those trapped in the jaws of oppression, corruption, and injustice (or choose your own version of exploitation or enslavement). Systema’s snarling songs encapsulate the anger and discontentment we all feel, and En Vivo Zarautz sees that band purge those emotions in a discharge of full-throated hardcore. Fair warning: En Vivo Zarautz is a screeching noise-fest, and high-fidelity is not on the menu. But that’s also what makes En Vivo Zarautz such a treat; it’s raging, raw, and authentic. Just like Systema, and just a cathartic live show should be.

(Self-released)

Phantasm – Conflict Reality

“Think Crucifix, Antisect and Anti-Cimex levels of being told and staying told” is how on-point Naarm (Melbourne), Australia label Hardcore Victim describes Phantasm’s Conflict Reality EP. Fair enough, too. The Naarm band’s breakneck EP ratchets up the barotrauma pressure on its propulsive songs, and singer Bernie sounds like they have fiery words of wisdom to impart. Songs like “Bad Dreams”, “No Peace”, and “Lie Of This” are driven by ill-tempered riffs, anarcho punk basslines, and blunt/brutal percussion. Expect grim songs soundtracking the current wretched point in human history. Like much of the rest of Hardcore Victim’s output, Phantasm’s EP combines roiling rage with boiling punk, and Conflict Reality is another certified Naarm-born scorcher.

(Hardcore Victim)

See You in Hell – Do Smrti A Je​š​tě D​á​l

Czech Republic bruisers See You in Hell formed in 1999, and their latest release, Do Smrti A Je​š​tě D​á​l (roughly translated, To Death and Beyond), proves there’s abundant creative fuel left in the long-running band’s tank. See You in Hell met with tragedy in 2016 with the heartbreaking death of founding guitarist and DIY linchpin Filip Fuchs, but the band’s continued existence and still powerful music serve as a tribute to his ideals. See You in Hell mix a variety of subgenres – d-beat, crust, hardcore, and plenty of Burning Spirits oomph – and Do Smrti A Je​š​tě D​á​l rages from the get-go.

See You in Hell sound fully focused and burlier than ever with the heavy riffs and gruff vocals on “Noc Znovuzrozená”, “Pýcha a Pošetilost” and “Další mesiáš” backed by barrelling bass. I love a long-lived band that radiates such resilience and commitment to the cause. If you’re a fan of See You in Hell’s previous releases, you’ll lap this muscular hardcore up. For the unacquainted, Do Smrti A Je​š​tě D​á​l is an excellent example of See You in Hell’s creative clout. Rugged tunes for tough times – just what we all need right about now.

(Insane Society records)

Ydinaseeton Pohjola – En​ä​ä Meille Ei Riitä Kuolema

The title of Finnish band Ydinaseeton Pohjola’s En​ä​ä Meille Ei Riitä Kuolema full-length translates as ‘Death Is Not Enough For Us Anymore’. Ydinaseeton Pohjola have been pumping out tracks since 2008, which means you’ve got 15 years of catching up to do. Although, En​ä​ä Meille Ei Riitä Kuolema is a great place to start. I haven’t listened to all of Ydinaseeton Pohjola’s deafening works, but En​ä​ä Meille Ei Riitä Kuolema (which was recorded back in 2021) is the best release I’ve heard thus far. Ydinaseeton Pohjola drill into the chaos and violence of groups like Kaaos, Rattus, Riistetyt, and Terveet Kädet, with Ydinaseeton Pohjola forming a clear bridge between now and then. The band’s blown-out noise is packed with the energy and anger of contemporary punk, but it speaks to a strong lineage of Finnish bands raging against all and sundry. En​ä​ä Meille Ei Riitä Kuolema features 13 tracks of super-distorted raw punk. FYI, that cover art is fantastic, too.

(Self-released)

Golpe – Assuefazione Quotidiana

I first encountered Italian outfit Golpe via the one-person band’s 2021 LP, La Colpa È Solo Tua, released by Sorry State Records. Golpe’s new EP, Assuefazione Quotidiana, is out via two other great labels, Beach Impediment Records and Static Shock Records. Golpe’s latest release features more politically charged d-beat, and Tadzio Pederzolli, the man behind the mission, invests a lot in Golpe’s overall concept so you won’t feel shortchanged. Visually, Assuefazione Quotidiana comes with a fold-out poster, inserts with Italian lyrics and English translations, and everything ties into the same aesthetic framework as Golpe’s previous releases. Musically, Golpe’s blown-out hardcore is 100% pummelling, but it’s not without its hooks. There’s a nod or two to old-school Italian influences here. Still, in the main, Assuefazione Quotidiana looks to the future, with Golpe’s all-fire d-beat attacking prejudices and injustices along the way.

(Beach Impediment Records, Static Shock Records)

Rattus – Rikki

Finnish veterans Rattus formed in 1978, and 45 years later, they’ve just released their 10th (or is it 11th?) full-length album, Rikki. Full disclosure: I’ve only spent time with Rattus’ influential pre-break-up releases (the band folded in February 1988 but reformed in 2001.) I briefly checked out Rattus’ last LP, 2013’s Turta, which sounded full of vim and vigour. But a decade on, Rattus sound even better.

Rikki sounds heavier than Turta, and with a heftier production behind them, Rattus have never sounded tougher. In fact, all of the band’s members sound in fine fettle, although Rikki does feature Rattus bassist Tomppa’s last appearance, with the bassist choosing to retire after decades anchoring the band.

Rattus’ oeuvre has inspired everyone from virtual unknowns to underground legends and even a few chart-botherers. But after so many years in the punk rock trenches, you’d be forgiven for thinking Rattus might sound ready for a nice hot toddy and lie down. However, Rikki is anything but. The album is chock-a-block with ricocheting hardcore that grabs you by the neck and slams your face into the concrete. Tracks within thrash and smash, mixing melodic riffs with much uglier moments. Rattus definitely sound like they’re still up for the fight, with Rikki built on punk’s foundations but delivered with hardcore’s pounding drums, dissonant guitars, and gravel-gargling vocals.

FYI: The LP version of Rikki comes with a bonus CD, Laulajat On Sairaita, which features classic Rattus tracks performed by Finnish guest vocalists.

(Finnish Hardcore)

Britney Fears – S/T

Scholars regard Greece as the birthplace of democracy, but for scumbags like you and me, Greece is also home to scores of underground bands with fervent fanbases. Greek label Nothing to Harvest Records has released some great punk recordings over the years, including highly recommended releases from groups like Procrastinate and Dish​ö​nor, who I’ve raved about before. Ioannina band Britney Fears’ self-titled tape features gut-driven raw punk that buzzes with live-wire energy. It’s a dark, d-beaten stew of bleak tales of authoritarian oppression and odes to the failures of the human condition. Like the rest of the world, battles around every imaginable financial and sociopolitical issue have plagued Greece in recent years. All of that is channelled into Britney Fears’ max-rage music, which is both a call to arms and a call for compassion. DIY in ethos and action.

(Studio From The Down, Nothing to Harvest Records)

Disclone / Unit 731 – Split

Austrian band Disclone have released a dozen or so recordings, and they’ve all featured the same “shit-licking crasher mangel discore”. Disclone’s obnoxiousness – and, of course, the band’s moniker – display a reverence for the holiest of raw punk deities, Disclose. Like Disclose, Disclone shout and scream about the barbarity of war and society’s many ills, all the while dispensing a nerve-shredding torrent of ‘music’. Disclone’s recent split with Hungarian outfit Unit 731 features more maximum sonic mayhem. Disclone lob three noise grenades your way, and each is as über-blown-out as the other. Unit 731 muck about with feedbacking punk, too. Only their contributions have marginally cleaner hooks, which isn’t saying much, given the amount of corrosive distortion that also smothers Unit 731’s tracks. Raw punk nerds, great news: more amp-melting tracks awaits.

(Ingen Framtid Kassetten, Shrekords)

Intrigue – Sniff

One of the great things about underground punk is that it routinely offers no-cost lessons in multiple fields of study. For example, I saw that Intrigue refer to themselves as “Tobacco Town Hardcore”, and the next thing you know, I’m neck deep in Wikipedia, discovering that tobacco is the largest cash crop for Intrigue’s home base of Temanggung, Indonesia. Boom: another free history, geography and economics lesson. Ain’t punk grand.

Intrigue’s Sniff EP spits, growls, gurgles, and roars. The five songs here sound rough and tough, befitting Intrigue’s raw hardcore credentials, but there are also a few of death metal’s ‘urghs’ and ‘arghs’ to be found, too. Intrigue’s tracks explore anger and frustration, with a lyrical focus on anxieties around “greed and oppression”, and Sniff features plenty of production punch, too. More great Indonesian punk.

(Selektif Records)

Money – S/T

Money, it’s a gas. Or they’re a gas, in this case. I hadn’t heard of Texan band Money until Beach Impediment Records combined the group’s previous The Final Bag and 3 AM Eternal cassettes on a handy LP. Blackened metalpunk is what you’ll find within, with blistering tracks like “Secure It”, “Bomb Up My Nose”, and “No Cut”, nodding to groups like Darkthrone, G.I.S.M., Venom, and Anti-Cimex. Think thick lines of nose candy, an Ouija board, and Satan hot on ya heels. Money’s metalpunk is sizzling and sulphurous, and with a tidy remaster from Arthur Rizk, the band’s tracks are in the fiercest and evilest shape of their lives.

(Beach Impediment Records)

Vasanist – Deceptor

Listen to stampeding songs like “Rotting Alive”, “Psychophagus,” or “Typhus” off Vasanist’s Deceptor debut, and it’s pretty clear the Greek trio are a death metal band. However, you could also point to plenty of stenchcore and grindcore ingredients on Vasanist’s debut, and the band definitely have a dark and crusty vibe about them. (And Deceptor‘s cover art by Khaos Art – aka Konstantinos Grigoriadis – is stench-friendly, too.) Ultimately, it doesn’t matter what Bandcamp tag fits Vasanist best. More important is the fact that Deceptor features a heap of filthy and heavy components that stomp all over sub-genre boundaries, and while the sum total of Vasanist’s sound leans harder on metal, there’s still plenty of Cro-Magnon hardcore to hook crust fans’ ears. Recorded, mixed and mastered by Vasanist drummer Sal at his home studio, Deceptor isn’t reinventing the wheel. Nonetheless, Vasanist’s debut might be just the kind of death/crust/grind/stench you’re looking for.

(Self-released)

Nuclear Man – Demo 2023

Every edition of ICWT ends with a quick-fire round-up of recent demos. Sometimes, a particularly ferocious demo stands out, and so I drop it right here in the main feed. This month, it’s the fission-fuelled demo from Manitoba’s Nuclear Man, which blew all my fuses. Like many of the fiercest demos, the production on Nuclear Man’s six-song debut is withering, far exceeding the raw power of many ‘pro’ releases. High-octane tracks like “Red”, “Nuke Man”, and “Warhead” will take you out at the knees. Nuclear Man’s breathless sound draws from crashing d-beat and scything hardcore, and while the band’s demo fittingly hits like an A-bomb, there are a few blink-or-you’ll-miss-them Dis-charging hooks in the shock-wave mix. Nuclear Man’s high-yield demo is the kind of release you’d generally find on the roster of a killer label like Roach Leg Records. Absolute sledgehammering hardcore – easily one of 2023’s best demos.

(Self-released)

Bloody Hell – Blood Metal

Blood Metal is the follow-up to a lower-fi demo from Aotearoa New Zealand band Bloody Hell. In keeping with the title of the Ōtautahi (Christchurch) group’s full-length debut, Blood Metal mixes Steve Harris-worthy basslines with guttural growls and thrashin’ black metal riffs. So far, so metal, but there’s plenty of punk here, too. Bursts of d-beat and stacks of punk attitude run rampant on tracks like “Obsessed with Knives” and “Fields of Blood”. Plenty of punk fans will dig the old-school accent here; think the snarl and bite of Bathory, Venom, and Nuclear Assault rather than any top-tier shininess. First-wave thrash, death, and black metal underpin tracks like “Death Rider” and “Gravespawn,” while punked-up NWOBHM-powers “Vae Victis”. Blood Metal’s raw metal will suit rivetheads and dumpster divers alike.

(Landmine Records)

Dissocial – War will never end?

Dissocial’s War Will Never End? EP isn’t for everyone. For a start, the EP shaves off heaviness in favour of upping its lo-fi harshness, with hissing static engulfing every second of War Will Never End?‘s tracks. That’s no biggie, though. Dissocial are from the “DIY OR DIE!!!” and “MAKING RAW PUNK A THREAT AGAIN!!!” schools, so maximizing the obnoxiousness and abrasiveness of their shitnoise is, essentially, de rigueur. There are solid songs here; “Mother Earth Dying”, “Nuclear War Age”, and “War Machine of Destruction” sound great in an extremely crude and crust-riddled way. In the end, War Will Never End? is best suited for fans of Gloom, Gai, Disclose, or Confuse. Or, if you collect bootleg recordings of Discharge at their absolute fucking rawest, you might ‘enjoy’ this, too.

(Green Peace Distro, Sukma Records, Broken Noise Records)

Auxiliö – Dimensión Oscur

The four women who comprise Los Angeles quartet Auxiliö create a hell of a racket on their Dimensión Oscur EP. Like the band’s previous releases, Dimensión Oscur doesn’t waste time on subtleties or niceties. Auxiliö get straight to the pissed-off point, blending d-beat and jagged-edged crust with thrashing hardcore. Dimensión Oscur‘s six songs feature guttural vocals, battering drums and bass, and super-dark riffs. Auxiliö rage against the world, with myriad forces and sources of oppression on the band’s hit list. Spanish and English lyrics mix on gut-punching tracks, and if you’re a fan of the rawest strains of Latino punk, you should definitely hit the play on Dimensión Oscur. Auxiliö stand ready to fire up moshpits or soundtrack street battles. Fight or flight isn’t an option – it’s fight all the way.

(Self-released)

Fénwär – S/T

Punk sure gets around, huh? Fénwär are from Saint-Paul, the second-largest town on the remote island of Réunion, located in the depths of the Indian Ocean. Fénwär’s self-titled LP blends anarcho-punk with d-beat, and it includes covers of Discharge and Nailbomb. The latter’s not an obvious inspiration, unlike Discharge, whose influence rings loud, but Fénwär’s Nailbomb cover sounds excellent nonetheless.

Fénwär’s album isn’t quite as crusty as its cover art suggests, but that’s not a problem per se. Fénwär sound enraged and engaged, and I’m sure living in a French overseas colony inspires a range of political and social issues to reflect upon, too. Fénwär’s first full-length sounds tough as steel, and with Will Killingsworth getting involved at the mastering stage, all of Fénwär’s tracks feature plenty of heft.

(A quick aside: I am obsessed with sharks, and I listened to an interesting podcast, Shark Attacks in Paradise, which dove into the tensions around shark attacks and shark conservation in Réunion. I guess wherever there are surfers, adventure seekers, and, of course, locals struggling with the legacy of colonialism, there are punk fans, too.)

A quick Google search shows Fénwär’s name is popping up on old-school punk forums aplenty. It’s good to see the band hustling for listeners in a DIY fashion. It would be interesting to learn more about Réunion’s punk scene, so if you’re plugged into it, I recommend you reach out to a site like DIY Conspiracy, which often publishes articles covering far-flung locations.

Major Mistake – Wire​-​Brain Children

“GRINDING HARDCORE METAL PUNK OF DEATH!” is the all-caps way Finnish band Major Mistake describe their sound. Another way to explain it would be to say that Major Mistake’s latest release, Wire​-​Brain Children, will hit the mark for fans of Prophecy of Doom, Putrefaction, or plenty of other cruder/cruddier deathcrusties. Major Mistake chug, grind, and regurgitate their way across Wire​-​Brain Children’s ten tracks, with most songs being the rough equivalent of a gangrenous gut wound. Major Mistake sound wholly gruesome, and Wire​-​Brain Children offers a variety of unsavoury options:

1. filth-caked grindcore (see “Affluenza”)
2. dumpster-dwelling stenchcore (see “Qualm”)
3. hammer-wielding death metal (see “Human Plastic Bag”)

Disgusting DIY noise for even more vile creatures like you and me.

(Self-released)

Gravestone – Hollow Be Thy Grave

Beloved by metal dorks and punk geeks since its birth, the HM-2 guitar pedal has stamped its mark on both sub-genres. So it is with Gravestone’s Hollow Be Thy Grave LP. The band describe themselves as “death metal punks from Sweden, playing punky death metal”, and while there’s more buzz-sawing HM-2 metal than grotty punk in Gravestone’s sound, there’s enough of an old-school crust stink for the reference to make sense. Crust fans also love the skull-crushing works of groups like Entombed, Carnage and Dismember, and that’s the sonic sweet spot that Gravestone operate in. Hollow Be Thy Grave is the kind of gruff, guttural, and growling album that seeks to unite punk and metal fans, with “Cannibal Curse” and “The Tower Of Horror” appealing to dog-on-a-string crusties as much as “Mosh Of The Living Dead” and “Bring Out Your Dead” will thrill bullet-belted headbangers.

(Raw Skull Recordz)

Parasite – S/T

About 60 seconds into the opening track on Belgium band Parasite’s self-titled debut, everything comes together, and the band’s Discharge via Tragedy (or d-beat via burly hardcore) sound is unfurled in all its chest-thumping glory. In fact, if you’re a fan of the Tragedy school – or the From Ashes Rise or His Hero Is Gone academy – of sturdily built yet hook-heavy hardcore, you’ll love Parasite tracks like “Scorched Earth”, “Psychotic”, and “Blood Money”. Parasite balance clobbering and catchy riffs on debut, and a little of the tough but tuneful grittiness of street punk creeps through on otherwise Dis-charging tracks like “State Control” and “Built To Destroy”.

(Self-released)

Final Dose – Void Inside

Void Inside is the first full-length from more-evil-than-evil UK band Final Dose. The band’s conceit, or artistic device, is that Final Dose are a hardcore band masquerading as a first-wave black metal band, except for when the situation is reversed. The upshot is that wicked-sounding tracks, like “Unchained”, “Cold”, or “Iron Will”, have their claws in the corpsepainted milieu, and yet, look at those sinister songs from another angle, and they’re all nasty hardcore numbers, through and through. Darkthrone pulled that trick a few times, too. Although Final Dose approach black metal from hardcore’s borders rather than the other way round. Void Inside‘s boneyard tracks have plenty of unholy hooks and fiendish lyrics to possess degenerate souls aplenty. Too punk for metal, too metal for punk. Who cares. Just lap this poison up.

(Neon Nile, Crew Cuts)

Demolishing Demos

Below are a bunch of demos that caught my tinnitus-ravaged ear recently. I’ve kept the blurbs short ‘n’ sweet so I can cram in a little more noise. Thanks for visiting ICWT. Fingers crossed, I’ll see you next month. Be excellent to one another.

Lovebite – Demo III

Imagine a hammer hitting a fingernail, over and over, until that fingernail is pulped beyond recognition and the board beneath splits in two. That’s Michigan-based Lovebite’s Demo III. It hammers hard, song after song, with a pace and temper similar to bands like Bib, Gag, Gel –– and other three-letter hardcore whiz kids.

(Richter Scale)

Epoxi – Demo 2023

Epxoi’s Demo 2023 features six paint-stripping tracks delivered in a frenzied/caustic fashion. Nothing here reinvents hardcore, but everything here showcases how engaging a gut-driven demo can be. As Epxoi’s label Upset Condition says, “Sleeping on this band will be your biggest mistake”. Get in now before Epxoi release an instantly sold-out 7″.

(Upset Condition)

Squelch – Demo 2023

Alberta band Squelch combine the grottiest elements of crustcore, grindcore, and powerviolence in a warp-speed blender. The band’s Demo 2023 features six songs in as many minutes, and they’re all a spew-fest of mangled noise and power-drill percussion with ultra-guttural barks and the occasional throat-slit shriek. Urgh. Blurgh. Argh. Etc.

Cracked Molar – Demo

Gainesville, Florida, is the most alligator-infested city in the USA, and that’s where one-person swamp/noise/punk band Cracked Molar calls home. Jason Jewell (on vocals, guitar, and drum machine) crawls through seven bad-vibes tunes on Molar’s demo. Every one of them is a headache-inducing nightmare, and all the crashing instrumentation here will rattle your teeth in their sockets. Great stuff.

(Bellicose Records)

The post In Crust We Trust: Vol 31 – Part 2 appeared first on Last Rites.

A Note about Love, Hate, and Painkilling Punk.

This month’s ICWT is a two-parter. Why? Well, there’s been an avalanche of new releases recently, and a single edition won’t cut it. But you also deserve a treat for showing a massive amount of resilience in the face of everything. The world is awash in horrible happenings, and life is indescribably tough. I wouldn’t blame you for feeling like you’re drowning in despair, and for all those reasons, I’m upping the positive vibes with a double dose of negative noise.

What to say? Everything is fucking awful. Sifting through endless media analyses or deciphering tit-for-tat propaganda about unconscionable atrocities is exhausting. Whether it’s sickening massacres or desperate people punished for the sins of others, the innocent are always used as political footballs until they are brutally discarded. War is Hell, ad infinitum. Hug your besties and your fam.

In times like these, music matters more than ever. Not because I think some shit-fi 7″ will miraculously heal intractable geopolitical divides. I’m not *that* insane. But on a more intimate scale, the connections we make with music – and the connections we make with each other via music – can help to repair smaller schisms within ourselves and in our relationships.

I say it all the time, but noisy music, whatever its flavour, is a healing elixir. Punk’s blunt realism bolsters our strength, lifts our spirits, distracts us where needed, and fuels necessary outrage, too. Punk (and metal) are some of the most potent emotional remedies around; in fact, I recently read an article that underscored how the music we love is also a powerful painkiller.

Horrible music isn’t going to solve any hot-button issues. But maybe some of the music below will provide that crucial shot of something to help you, me, or anyone struggling to make it through another grim day. That’s a solid reason to keep tuning into the latest noise.

Happier news: Next month’s ICWT will be another two-parter. The end-of-year list season is almost upon us, and I’ll be posting a couple of features covering (1) my favourite LPs and (2) my favourite EPs and demos. I know some people find all of the end-of-year celebrations to be an absolute yawn-fest, and if that’s you, I’ll see you in 2024. For everyone else, I’m looking forward to spotlighting my favourite releases from the past year. Trust me, there’ll be plenty of nasty noise to enjoy.

Alright, here is ICWT:31 – Part 1. I hope a few fist-raising tunes below can tempt you away from the endless doomscrolling. I’ll see you soon with Part 2, which features more electrifying noise.

Various – Screaming Death

North Carolina label Bunker Punks Discs & Tapes’ most recent release, Screaming Death, is a pulverizing four-way split featuring US bands Destruct and Scarecrow, UK group Rat Cage, and Swedish ragers Dissekerad. An “international bombardment of non-stop käng … in the tradition of classic hardcore compilations [like] Thrash ‘Til Death” is Bunker Punks’ mission statement for Screaming Death. And that’s a mission Screaming Death succeeds at, time and again. Destruct’s bulldozing approach is devastating, ditto Scarecrow’s MO, and alongside the applauded Rat Cage and Dissekerad, every band contributes fresh, albeit filthy-sounding, tracks to Screaming Death. The shared link: every group’s take on raw hardcore is equally demolishing.

Screaming Death is bludgeoning throughout, and the split’s artwork – with evocative visuals provided by musician and visual artist Joe Boyd-Brent – mirrors the musical intensity within. Clearly, people consume music in many different ways nowadays. But a flawless split like Screaming Death highlights that the format is still a crushing means of expression. Everything you love about a rock-solid split is here: ferocious tracks, great artwork, a go-to label or two, and, of course, a lineup of absolutely killer bands. Crammed with hammering tracks – and backed by a mountain of authenticity – Screaming Death is the best split I’ve heard all year. Prepare thy mind to be cleaved in two.

(Bunker Punks, Skrammel Records)

Dead Moon – Going South

In 1992, Nirvana approached Portland, Oregon, trio Dead Moon to open for them on their uber-successful Nevermind tour. Dead Moon said thanks but no thanks because they’d already pledged to tour the far-flung backwater of Aotearoa New Zealand and Dead Moon’s singer/guitarist Fred Cole (RIP) had an ironclad rule, “Never cancel a gig you committed to for a better one.” That decision – turning down a mega-star band in favour of playing tiny venues for a handful of fans half a world away – forged an undying love and respect between Dead Moon and their diehard Southern Hemisphere fanbase. Dead Moon may have ended their run many years ago, but the band remain true legends down under.

Dead Moon’s 1992 tour of New Zealand saw Fred, bass guitarist Toody, and the drummer Andrew (RIP) play a host of shows in shithole bars and slightly cleaner rock clubs across the nation. I saw the band on that tour – in a jam-packed bar in Ōtautahi (Christchurch) – and the sheer intensity of Dead Moon’s all-fire garage punk that night was withering. To this day, that show remains the best gig I have ever seen. Dead Moon blew my mind and, by all accounts, blew the minds of everyone who witnessed that 1992 tour.

Dead Moon’s new double LP, Going South, captures one of the nights on that tour. Recorded on cassette by soundperson Graham Bennett in the South Island town of Invercargill (a place Keith Richards famously labelled “the arsehole of the world”), Going South sees Dead Moon firing on all cylinders in front of 40 or so fans. Audience sizes never mattered to Dead Moon; they played their guts out regardless, delivering sweat-soaked punk, night after night, for decades. Going South conjures cherished memories, but more importantly, Going South is a visceral living showcase, documenting why Dead Moon are so revered.

Dead Moon may be gone, but their discography lives on. Going South is another reminder of the pure pleasures of sweltering rock ‘n’ roll.

(Mississippi Records)

Dust Collector – Night Shocks Carnival

Night Shocks Carnival, the latest release from Los Angeles ‘noise fuckers’ Dust Collector, takes a couple of tracks from the band’s excellent Demo 2023 cassette and slaps ’em on the punkest of all formats – a flexi. I’ve been pretty enamoured with everything Dust Collector have released thus far. The band’s Under The Scalpel Blade meets Spending Loud Night sound is rawer than a urinary tract infection. However, while Dust Collector deal in primitive punk, their stripped-back tracks often exhibit a punchy, pogo-like oomph. Night Shocks Carnival‘s two songs (“Scalpel Life” and the flexi’s bass-pumpin’ title track) feature raw-bone noisecore with super-caustic guitar and acid-dripping vocals. If this is your first interaction with Dust Collector’s coarse/crude wares, Night Shocks Carnival is as great a place to start.

(Fall Down Laughing Records)

Voltage – Claustrophobia

British Columbian band Voltage’s 2022 demo, The War to End All Wars, led with a Dis-charged uppercut, and followed that up with a hefty Motörcrust wallop. Voltage’s new EP, Claustrophobia, is heavier and burlier (both welcome additions), while musically, Claustrophobia follows a similar brute-force punk ‘n’ roll path. The five songs here have rock-solid hooks, and they hit hard, too; “Claustrophobia” batters, “Sanctuary” pummels, and “Can’t Stay Clean” clobbers, etc. Voltage’s songs land with savage impact, and while Claustrophobia is a bruising encounter, its short, sharp tracks are made for repeat listening: a knockout release all round.

(Blown Out Media)

Secretors – Comparing Missle Size Vol.1

At the time I’m writing this line, there’s only one track streaming off Secretors’ upcoming Comparing Missle Size Vol.1 EP. But if you think that will stop me from ranting and raving about that band, you haven’t been following ICWT for long; I make similarly dubious decisions constantly.

Secretors features a bunch of members from other bands you definitely like, and Comparing Missle Size Vol.1 EP is the group’s follow-up to their 2019 flexi and cassette, Antidote For Civilization. I guess I can’t claim to tell you much, considering I’ve only heard one song. Still, that track, “Comparing Missle Size”, is a raw hardcore number with bellowing vocals and blasting bass and while it feels like it’s about to lose control, “Comparing Missle Size” holds it together to hit the target dead centre. Let’s not beat around the bush: Secretors’ ties to Roach Leg Records are intimate, and like all of Roach Leg’s releases, Comparing Missle Size Vol.1 is going to blow the roof off, or the doors in, or (choose your own expression to denote the EP’s crater-sized impact). No question, Secretors are a band steeped in anti-war sentiment, but like many of their ilk, they arrive armed to the teeth in creative terms.

(Roach Leg Records)

Lexicon – Poison Head

Twelve months ago, Seattle hardcore band Lexicon released their Devoid of Light LP, which quickly found a place on my end-of-year ’22 list. The group’s new Poison Head 7″ isn’t out until the end of the month, but if the two preview tracks streaming – “Antiquated Life” and “Illusion Of Choice” – are any indication, Lexicon have honed their ‘hardcore-infused noise-crust’ to an even deadlier degree. “The perfect meld of Japanese noise, British chaos and American muscle” is how label Iron Lung sells Lexicon’s sound, and they’re not wrong; this is full-throttle, triple-threat hardcore, for sure. Lexicon’s latest tracks are off-the-chain and yet, as always, somehow tight as a gnat’s ass. Production-wise, the band pushes every slider into the red, and once again, Lexicon’s crasher crust and max-distortion raw punk radiates solar-flare strength. I think it’s safe to bet that Lexicon’s Poison Head 7″ will once again slay the hardiest hardcore connoisseurs. Violent. Vicious. Fucking impressive.

(Iron Lung Records)

Kontusion – S/T

East Coast world-eaters Kontusion released their self-titled demo digitally and on cassette in 2022. More recently, stalwart label Sentient Ruin Laboratories have stepped up to the plate, once again, deeming Kontusion’s demo worthy of re-release on multiple formats, including silkscreened, single-sided vinyl for trve diehards. Kontusion’s drummer Chris Moore (Repulsion, Coke Bust) and vocalist, guitarist and bassist Mark Bronzino (ANS, Mammoth Grinder) cite groups like Terrorizer, Napalm Death, Discharge, and Convulse as prime influences. It’s no surprise to find Kontusion’s demo spews forth a red-raw mix of butchering death metal and mangled hardcore torn asunder by guttural primitivism. Imagine the crudest punk and ugliest metal distilled to pure bile and hate. Disgusting, disfiguring, and destructive. Kontusion’s demo is perfectly demented.

Quarantine – Exile

Exile is the latest powerhouse release from American hardcore crew Quarantine, and it’s even nastier than the band’s first-class 2021 LP, Agony. Many bands have been referenced regarding Quarantine’s aggressive approach – see United Mutation, Negative Approach, Gudon, YDI, Jerry’s Kids, and plenty more hardcore champs. The common denominator between every band cited is an uncompromising approach to music-making, and that’s Quarantine to a T.

Exile‘s OTT intensity makes for a skull-splitting experience. Quarantine’s approach is unyielding, wholly feral, and wild guitars, a roaring rhythm section, and vicious vocals deliver tracks at neck-snapping speeds. Having studio kingpin Arthur Rizk in the mix ensures Exile hits like a sledgehammer, and tightly-wound creativity and precise execution sit alongside plenty of sharpened hooks. Even better, there’s also an eccentric edge to Exile that keeps things thrumming with nervous energy. A 45rpm MLP delivered at a million mph. Blow thy speakers; Exile is another cacophonous classic.

(La Vida Es Un Mus, Damage United)

Socio La Difekta – Promo 2023

Japanese five-piece Socio La Difekta found immediate success. The band’s 2021 EP, Kreski (released by Beach Impediment Records), rocketed off the shelves for three good reasons:

1. Socio La Difekta features members from bands like Unarm and Malimpliki, and the group’s musicianship is ferocious but equally precise.
2. The band has a powerful dual vocal setup, with singers Nanae and Iŝimura working in different (but similarly fierce) registers to brilliant effect.
3. As a definite point of difference, Socio La Difekta’s songs are all sung in Esperanto.

Socio La Difekta’s latest release, Promo 2023, features five more tight but loose tracks, including a cover of “Factory” by long-lost Dutch punks Jezus And The Gospelfuckers. As before, Socio La Difekta work to their savage strengths, combining raw crust with rawer hardcore, and tracks like “Ne kaptu!,” “Libera maŝino,” and “Ama letero” are as rabid and riotous as the band’s previous work. Released to accompany Socio La Difekta’s recent Japanese tour with UK punks Subduded, Promo 2023 is another instant success from a super-engaging band.

(Self-released)

Ego – Grob

Italian label Agipunk Records has released two of my favourite records from the past year: Warkrusher’s essential Armistice LP and Misery’s equally mandatory The Early Years compilation. Ego’s Grob LP sounds very enticing, too. It’s been a while since I pressed play on the Berlin-based band’s 2020 LP, Ego​-​ism, which was tagged as a demo but featured ten well-constructed songs. Back then, Ego’s dark punk drifted into post-punk and darkwave territory. Although, the band also put their foot down and upped the d-beat where required.

Grob sounds heavier and features more of an apocalyptic tenor than Ego-ism. Fair enough, too. A lot of grim events have plagued Europe in recent times. Grob‘s evolution in sound sees Ego filtering their previous influences through a harsher and gloomier lens. But Grob still adheres to Ego’s core creative aesthetic, using dark art to explore even darker themes.

(Agipunk)

Høax / Motron – Split

If you’re a big fan of umlauts and “röck’n’röll madness!” you’ll have a ball with the fuel-injected split from Italian mönsters Høax and Motron. Released by a million and one labels, Høax and Motron’s split release contains 14 hook-heavy tracks, and every one of them (covers and all) mixes d-beat and raw rock, calling to mind groups like Inepsy, Poison Idea, Overcharge, and Motörhead. Five-piece Motron’s tracks sound crustier, raspier, and much more guttural, which suits my tastebuds more than Høax’s contributions. But all credit to power trio Høax, too, who put plenty of grit and gusto into their songs. If you’re hunting for punchy and propulsive punk, you get a mix of both right here.

(Born To Waste Records, Missing The Point, Bologna Punx, Phobia Records, Angry Voice Records, Pasidaryk Pats Records, Nothing To Harvest Records, ZAS! Autoproduzioni Records)

Tupperware – Summer Tour Tape ’23

To paraphrase Philip K. Dick, sometimes the only appropriate response to reality is to go insane. That message feels like something Olympia, Washington, band Tupperware have very much taken to heart. The group’s Summer Tour Tape ’23 (yes, I know I’m late in covering this one) was a nice in-house treat for those who attended Tupperware’s shows a few months back. For those yet to witness the band in full flight, a digital hook-up will have to suffice. Tupperware’s previous EPs featured claustrophobic tracks that crackled with as much mania as they did mayhem, and the band’s tour tape continues that tradition. Musically, Summer Tour Tape ’23 is laser-focused in its psychosis. Vocals screech on wild/weird tracks as Tupperware drag you into the depths of their madness. As mentioned, Tupperware’s insanity seems the only rational response to a world in flames.

(Self-released)

Yellowcake – Can You See The Future?

Yellowcake’s Can You See The Future? EP was originally released on cassette back in 2022. The Phoenix, Arizona band’s 7-song release was well-received by scores of fans, and thus, it’s not wholly surprising to see Can You See The Future? getting a vinyl re-release by labels Not For The Weak Records and Suicide of a Species. In many ways, Can You See The Future? is the perfect punk 7″ – vicious, energetic, and deafening; what more do you want? Explosive tracks whiz by at top speed as singer Genesis’ blown-out vocals punch through flaming walls of Scandi-inspired hardcore. Yellowcake’s tracks are dark and grim but also hot enough to cauterize a wound. Guitarist Raul’s riffs are as sharp as buzzard’s talons, and Can You See The Future? is equal to the hype. (FYI: much-loved Californian label Transylvanian Recordings have recently re-released Can You See The Future? on cassette, too.)

(Not For The Weak Records, Suicide of a Species)

Phane – Police System
Svaveldioxid / Parasit – Split
Cimiterium / Slavery – Split

Czech Republic label Phobia Records has released plenty of murderous music in the past 12 months, and here’s another batch of bangers.

Canadian punks Phane specialize in “charged hardcore”, which is to say, fans of GBH, Broken Bones, and The Varukers will find a lot to enjoy on Phane’s Police System EP. There’s obviously a strong throwback echo to Phane’s punk, but it’d do the band a disservice to say they were simply mimicking the past. You could argue that rather than simply emulating anything, Phane are, in fact, refining a much-loved street punk recipe; honing its ingredients, and dusting with other inspirations, to heighten the taste. Expect anthemic 80s punk, but Phane’s Police System EP also features plenty of modern hardcore muscle.

Australian band Cimiterium also look to the past for inspiration with their scorched-earth stenchcore calling to mind Deviated Instinct, Hellbastard, Axegrinder, and most importantly of all, the chuggin’ riffage and rawness of Bolt Thrower. Phobia Records recently re-released Cimiterium’s self-titled 7″ from 2022, and the four songs within are replete with rotten-sounding/gravel-gargling metalpunk. That release comes highly recommended, as does Cimiterium’s upcoming split with Czech Republic crusties Slavery, who share an affinity for thickset metallic crust that stinks to high heaven. At the time of writing, tracks from Cimiterium and Slavery’s split are streaming on the bands’ respective Bandcamp pages, but their collaboration is due for release via Phobia at some point soon. Fans of Warcollapse, Contagium, Cancer Spreading, Hellshock, and Stormcrow take note.

Last but not least, keep an ear out for the 7″ split from Swedish kängsters Svaveldioxid and Parasit. Like Cimiterium and Slavery’s upcoming release, Svaveldioxid and Parasit’s collaboration features two bands in sonic and philosophical sync. Svaveldioxid and Parasit’s foot-to-the-floor d-takt features a similarly old-school – but still highly effective – plan of attack. Svaveldioxid released a great EP earlier this year (Mental Skyttegrav, out via Blown Out Media), and the band’s split with Parasit features the same heavily built d-beat that gets straight to the point in the most brutal way possible.

(Phobia Records)

Nagazaki – Due​ñ​xs de Nada

Bogotá-based five-piece Nagazaki recorded their Due​ñ​xs de Nada cassette at their hometown’s famed Rat Trap House. (Home, studio, and creative hub for the much-adored Muro and kin.) As Nagazaki’s UK distro Noise Merchant Records says, strap yourself in. Due​ñ​xs de Nada features seven howling tracks that explode with the heat and ferocious energy of Colombian raw punk. Nagazaki’s vocalist Alex sounds like they’re about to spontaneously combust, while guitarists Bichas and Wilson’s lacerating riffs burn like battery acid. Nagazaki’s third release in as many years is their best work yet. Propelled by unfettered rage, Due​ñ​xs de Nada is a searing reminder of street-level punk’s passion. Inferno hardcore: light a match and watch it burn.

(Z-X Produce, Noise Merchant Records)

Jim Jones and the Kool-Ade Kids– Trust Me​.​.​.

I didn’t envision that much-respected Colorado metal label Dark Descent Records would be the ones to reissue Jim Jones and the Kool-Ade Kids’ debut. The Michigan band’s first release, Trust Me​.​.​., was originally issued by Wa Records in 1986, and an original LP pressing sells for a hefty sum nowadays. All credit to Dark Descent for putting Trust Me​.​.​. back within the reach of most of us, and while the album exhibits plenty of cough-syrup heaviness, it isn’t a max-metal release like Dark Descent’s usual output. There’s is plenty of recognizable metal here, with raw thrash and proto-death metal appearing throughout, but crossover hardcore plays a significant role, too. Jim Jones and the Kool-Ade Kids formed with a hardcore mindset. Still, as guitarist Paul Pretzer explains, “By the time we were writing and recording Trust Me…, I was just trying to combine my love of music like Black Sabbath, with that heaviness, with my love of bands like Battalion of Saints, who were aggressive and raw.” Trust Me… is pretty much the perfect representation of that; think Corrosion of Conformity’s early adventures or imagine Black Flag at their sludgiest covering the entirety of Paranoid. Not every album lost in the mists of time warrants a repress. But Trust Me… deserves the attention.

File under ‘rad reissue’, alongside Мир’s 1985 LP, Mindecision, which Beach Impediment Records kindly re-released earlier this year. Much like Мир, Jim Jones and the Kool-Ade Kids deserve to have the volume turned up on their contributions to the cause.

(Dark Descent Records)

B​.​O​.​R​.​N. / DRACULA – Split

It wasn’t that long ago that I was writing about Alabama outfit B.O.R.N.’s excellent Belligerent Onslaught Relentless Noise EP, and here they are again, appearing on a split release with New Orleans band Dracula. As I said a few months back, B.O.R.N.’s raucous racket is pitch-perfect for fans whose lugholes are beyond any hope of repair. B.O.R.N.’s four contributions here are absolute scorchers, a white-hot fusion of crasher crust, ear-shattering hardcore, and primitive d-beat. Dracula’s tracks feature plenty of visceral rawness, too, but the Louisiana band dangle legit hooks amongst their otherwise dis-rockin’ d-beat. B.O.R.N.’s concussive music deserves more attention, and while I hadn’t heard Dracula before, their ‘freak rocker’ approach catches your ear as much as it batters you senseless.

(Bloodlust)

Repression – War Comes Home

Repression’s three-song demo from 2022 sold out in the blink of an eye. The trio’s new War Comes Home EP underscores precisely why. Repression’s new six-song 7″ digs deeper into their “Burning Spirits-by-way-of-Boston” sound with thundering bass, face-smashing drums, and uranium-tipped riffs raining down like artillery shells. Vocalist Delivan rips their throat out, and tracks like “Nuclear Tomb,” “Eradicated”, and “Actionable Threat” are all volatile combinations of thrash, hardcore, and barrelling metalpunk. War Comes Home is a significant step up from Repression’s demo, featuring more explosive tracks fleshed out by a heavier and, dare I say it, even more swaggering sound. That’s a hard recommendation from me.

(11 PM Records)

Mutant Strain – Murder of Crows

Mutant Strain’s self-titled 2020 LP was an absolute ripper, the perfect combination of punk’s audio assaultiveness and its gritty visual aesthetic. The North Carolina band’s second LP, Murder of Crows, delivers another on-point mix of blazing hardcore framed by terrific artwork and design. (And it’s no surprise to see on-point label Sorry State Records supporting Mutant Strain again, too.)

Murder of Crows features an in-your-face barrage of incendiary instrumentation backed by the firestorm vocals of Mutant Strain singer Maryssa. Every member of Mutant Strain sounds in lockstep, musically, and yet every member also sounds wholly unleashed. High-voltage hardcore flys by at dizzying speeds, but while Mutant Strain’s tracks are often jaw-droppingly fast, they’re not so fast that you can’t appreciate the skill required to balance their explosiveness with their tightness. Mutant Strain’s debut was killer; Murder of Crows is even better.

PS: The LP version of Murder of Crows features impressive front/back cover art by Jack Sabbat, a double-sided poster, an illustrated booklet, and more visual treats. Well worth your money, believe me.

(Sorry State Records)

Kontaminate – 8 Song EP

It’s been a while since we’ve heard from Richmond, Virginia, d-beat band Kontaminate. The band’s 2021 demo, Blood Hunger, featured five ultra-violent tracks that were frenzied yet focused. Kontaminate’s new 8 Song EP sounds even nastier, and it ever-so-slightly alters the band’s line of attack. Kontaminate’s latest songs are still minute-long maelstroms boiling with the anger and frustrations of life. And hardcore’s snarl still drives Kontaminate’s d-beat. However, the abrasiveness of raw punk is more apparent, and Kontaminate’s 8 Song EP sounds even better with that extra layer of roughness and harshness. Eight songs, ten minutes; a brain-smashing experience throughout.

(11 PM Records, Broken Skull Records)

Mindclot – Profit Over People

Mindclot’s Profit Over People EP is the St. Louis, Missouri band’s third release. Crust punk is a primary ingredient here. However, Mindclot add plenty of blackened hardcore into the mix, both vocally and instrumentally, on songs like “Poison” or “Distrust”. D-beat raises its head, too. But in the main, tracks like “Exploit Us” and “Hypocrisy” lean into super-dark hardcore with their spitting vocals combining with a doom-shrouded atmosphere. Listening to Mindclot’s back catalogue, they’re clearly improving step by step. Profit Over People‘s heavyweight tracks are the band’s best thus far. Chomsky would be proud, I’m sure.

(Self-released)

Mazandaran – S/T
Stiff Meds – Tales From the Slab

UK label Quality Control HQ is a go-to source of belligerent yet cathartic hardcore, and here are two more prime examples of that. Mazandaran deliver howling protest punk from the perspective of the Iranian diaspora. The band’s self-titled EP draws from Persian mythology and utilises tales of heroic battles with demons to frame significant issues today, like theocratic oppression and the fight for freedom from political persecution. Instilled, as it is, with a revolutionary message, Mazandaran’s rabble-rousing hardcore is, of course, punk as fuck.

Stiff Meds’ Tales From the Slab LP features 12 songs that hurtle past at whiplash speeds. Fastcore, you’d call it. Pop a pill, down a pint, cue up some video gore-fest, and repeat. Tales From the Slab‘s maelstrom tracks are packed with whirlwind riffs, throat-shredding vocals, and supersonic drums. Fuelled by the legacy of bands like Siege, Infest, and Napalm Death, Stiff Meds’ sound is similarly blistering. Tales From the Slab delivers a high-velocity kick to the cranium – fast enough, for sure, to put you in the morgue. As a bonus, purchase the LP version of Tales From the Slab, and you get an exclusive live set on the B side.

(Quality Control HQ)

Suffocater – Deadlights

I read an interview with the Salt Lake City, Utah, band Suffocater, where they listed the bands and records that had inspired them. In the mix were groups like Slayer, Acid Bath, Eyehategod, Coalesce, and Botch, and you can hear all of those bands on Suffocater’s new Deadlights album. Not explicitly, nor in terms of mere mimicry, but Suffocater’s hardcore/metal mix is the sum of its influences. There’s music here that’ll suit the metalcore crowd but also post-metal devotees and straight-up burly hardcore fans. Sometimes Suffocater even drift into neo-crust territory (see “Morphine” or “Bodiless”), and sometimes they fire off barrage after barrage of steel-tipped riffs (“Embitter”). The point is that there’s a lot here to consider and consume, meaning Suffocater are a band with depth.

(Self-released)

Demolishing Demos

Below are a bunch of demos that caught my tinnitus-ravaged ear recently. I’ve kept the blurbs short ‘n’ sweet so I can cram in a little more noise. Thanks for visiting ICWT. Fingers crossed, I’ll see you next month. Be excellent to one another.

Bitter Hate – Demo 2023

Straight outta Nova Scotia, Canada, Bitter Hate’s Demo 2023 features a stench-heavy discharge of d-beat, grind, and hardcore. The lo-fi murkiness of Bitter Hate’s Demo is one of its finest features. There’s every chance the next time we hear from Bitter Hate, the band might have polished a few of their edges. But there’s absolutely no need to clean this shit up.

(Sordid Bin)

Human – Earth Demo 2023

Human sound inhuman. The Fresno, California band’s Earth Demo 2023 hisses and spits like a creature sent to punish us all for our myriad sins against the earth beneath our feet and each other. Fuzz-fucked noise punk gnaws on red-raw punk while split-second songs shriek and howl. Awesome.

(Self-released)

Skill Issue – Total Doom Demo

Pennsylvania band Skill Issue deliver fired-up LGBTQ+ hardcore for the freaks and weirdos among us (that’d be me, and likely you, too). Skill Issue’s Total Doom Demo isn’t as bleak as its title sounds, though. It’s crammed with genre-ignoring hardcore that tears into the prejudices and hurdles that folks who are so often sidelined or overlooked face. Hardcore resistance for hardcore fans.

(Chooch Bear Tapes, Richter Scale Records)

Accusation – Demo

UK band Accusation’s demo features stripped-down, mosh-ready hardcore. Recorded by Violent Reaction founder Tom Pimlott, Accusation’s demo will appeal to those who view Boston as the holiest city in the Straight Edge Empire. Blast, breakdown, blast, breakdown, blast, breakdown, repeat. Load’s a fun, innit.

Necron 9 – Demo II

Necron 9’s second demo for 2023 features more gutter-raw sonics crackling with urgency. Again, the four songs here twitch and buzz with nervous tension, and Necron 9’s lo-fi abrasiveness accentuates the nerve-tweaking desperation of anxiety. Great stuff.

(Unlawful Assembly)

Dimension – Demo

Dimension’s six-song demo is fierce and frantic. The Massachusetts band’s tracks are, primarily, no-frills rippers with venomous vocals, relentless drums, and jagged chords aplenty. Sometimes Dimension put their foot to the floor, and sometimes they attack at a slower pace or from a different angle. Either or, Dimension’s demo is all killer, no filler.

(Iron Lung Records)

The post In Crust We Trust: Vol 31 – Part 1 appeared first on Last Rites.

A quick note about thank yous, goodbyes, and nuisances.

This is the 30th edition of ICWT, and on behalf of myself and the rest of your cabin crew, I’d like to thank the handful of supporters who peruse this column every month. Thus far, ICWT has spotlighted around 750 releases, meaning I’ve written roughly 200,000 words about plenty of bands that often sound identical. For some writers, treading the same ground – over and over – as your readership declines would feel like a pointless endeavour. But not me, kiddo!

Psychotically scribbling about underground music for a rapidly dwindling audience is my fuckin’ sweet spot. I’ve been doing it for decades, and I love shouting about niche noise for a minuscule cabal of like-minded nerds. Sure, ICWT is a tiny club. But I wholeheartedly appreciate every set of eyes and ears that stops by.

This month’s column features 6133 more words about horrible music, and long may we all continue to bathe in oceans of ugly noise. Cheers to Last Rites for hosting this rubbish, and thanks (to you) for reading this garbage. In a world full of A-holes, you’re a definite A+.

I looked for an image to mark this 30th edition and found this: MRR #30, when Henry’s hair was a hot topic. Fuck I’m old.

In sadder news, if you hadn’t heard, Sakevi Yokoyama, the intimidating vocalist of Japanese metalpunks G.I.S.M., exited this plane of reality in early September. G.I.S.M.’s debut album, 1983’s Detestation, was a landmark release in the annals of hardcore and metalpunk, and the mayhem and mystery surrounding G.I.S.M. have influenced most of the music that ICWT covers. In recent times, Relapse Records’ reissuing of G.I.S.M.’s first two albums brought the band renewed attention, and devotees of provocative punk will keenly feel Sakevi’s death. The confrontational frontman’s exploits – both on and off stage – played a crucial role in securing G.I.S.M.’s legacy. Like all challenging artists, a combination of chaos and mythos will always lie at the heart of Sakevi’s genius. RIPower, brother.

Let’s not end this intro with a frown. Let me point you to a recent post on Terminal Sound Nuisance that’ll put a smile on your crust-friendly dial. The blog’s latest update details the ins and outs of Terminal Sound Nuisance’s five-part Out From the Void Into the Digital Age: Crust in the 2010’s compilation series, which you can find on the site’s YouTube channel. The multi-part series features scores of groups from near and far and digs into plenty of crusty offshoots and byways. Like Terminal Sound Nuisance’s previous compilations – see, for example, personal favs like Distorted Hope and Cruster Rags: the Rise of Japanese Crust or The Stench of the Millennium: at the Core of 00’s Crust – Out From the Void Into the Digital Age is endless noisy fun for newbies and diehards alike. I’ve said it countless times before, but Terminal Sound Nuisance is a top-tier source of in-depth commentary, wry criticism, and, as it turns out, a curator of killer playlists, too.

La Vida Es Un Mus – Mini-Fest

Since the last edition of ICWT, much-loved UK label La Vida Es Un Mus has added around ten releases to their Bandcamp page, many of which fall into this column’s orbit of interests. I’m going to play fast ‘n’ loose and bang out a few quick-fire blurbs about those releases, focusing, as ICWT always does, on the rawer/crustier end of the spectrum. Call it a La Vida Es Un Mus mini-fest, if you will.

Stingray’s ear-piercing Fortress Britain LP follows their 2021 EP, Feeding Time, which got plenty of people’s juices flowing (mine included). There’s much to be mined from Fortress Britain‘s depths, with Stingray’s savage sound mixing the bite of feral punk with the neck-snapping might of mosh-charged hardcore. Fans of bellowing vocals and punishing metallic punk will find plenty to enjoy as the echo of UK legends like Sacrilege or ENT reverberates in the background of Stingray’s raging tracks. Stingray’s full-length debut is #brutal and stacked with electrifying tracks.

Motive’s Controlled Confusion EP and Régimen De Terror’s self-titled 7″ nod to some of Albion’s angriest voices. In UK band Motive’s Controlled’s case, groups like The Varukers, Discharge, and a touch of G.B.H. (at their hardest) fuel the band’s creative engine. There’s no denying the influence of Scandi hordes aplenty, too. But in the main, Motive’s 5-song 7″ is a full-throttle blast of UKHC that hits like a ton of bricks. Basque band Régimen De Terror also look to Discharge – circa 80-81 – for inspirational muscle. Like their previous work, Régimen De Terror don’t waste time with oblique or subtextual elements. The band’s second EP is a direct attack: short, sharp, and blistering, much like the peak-era d-beat of their most prominent influence.

Chicago (aka ‘Shitcago’) outfit Mock Execution’s latest release, Circle of Madness, is a 5-track EP timed to coincide with the band’s European tour. Mock Execution’s wares are a fierce assemblage of Scandi-core and every great band from Crust War’s catalogue mixed and matched to maximise Mock Execution’s mangling sound. One change heard on Circle of Madness is that Mock Execution’s inferno-like crasher crust now features a lot of sharper riffs. But don’t let that fool you into thinking that Mock Execution have cleaned up their act. Circle of Madness is still filthy as Hell – right to its disease-ridden core.

Nosferatu’s Society’s Bastard LP isn’t a new release; I included the cassette version of the album on my 2022 end-of-year list. However, La Vida Es Un Mus have kindly re-released Society’s Bastard on vinyl, granting me another opportunity to praise Nosferatu’s uncompromising approach. Essentially, the Texas-based band sound like Siege or Koro (or Die Kreuzen as their speediest) covering Bad Brain’s “Don’t Need It”. Recorded at D4MT Labs, Society’s Bastard‘s aggressive songs are delivered at breakneck speed. Whiplashing guitar, bass, drums, and razor-edge vocals boil in a murky maelstrom, and pitch-perfect 80s hardcore is conjured into being. Society’s Bastard is fast, furious, and catchier than…(insert the latest variant right here).

Visions of War – The Lost Tapes…

The full title of Belgian crusties Visions of War’s latest release is The Lost Tapes: A Bottle to Far – Session Re​-​noised 2002, and there’s a story behind that lengthy title, which former vocalist Lölö tells in the LP’s accompanying booklet. Long story short, Visions of War recorded a live session in a grubby Amsterdam squat 20-odd years ago, and while eight of the songs from that session ended up on a split release with Dutch fastcore band Olho De Gato, the remaining tracks sat rotting on a hard drive. Fast forward a few decades, and those tracks were disinterred – and left welcomely unpolished – and ‘voila!’ The Lost Tapes gets a long-overdue release.

(Kudos to Swedish label Not Enough for seeing the value in releasing The Lost Tapes on vinyl, too.)

Everything on The Lost Tapes was recorded live, with no overdubs or post-recording tinkering, and the album’s lower-fi filthiness is the key to its success. Not to dump on anyone’s idea of fun, but nowadays, a lot of crust punk is deliberately engineered to attract scene tourists. However, The Lost Tapes is the absolute antithesis of that malarky. The album foregrounds inebriated råpunk and putrid mangel madness, and while it’s always fun listening to Visions of War maximise the weight/girth of their audio output, at their dirtiest and rawest, they still sound great. If you love stinkin’ ass crust, great news, The Lost Tapes fucking reeks.

(Not Enough)

Black Dog – Overthrow

Like many of you reading this, I maintain a constant vigilance lest the sceptre of the black dog begin to gnaw (once again) at my hard-fought equilibrium. Depression is a motherfucker, and that’s why brutes like Black Dog matter. The Canadian band’s head-splitting Overthrow EP features an avalanche of fuzz-choked noisecore. And every one of Overthrow‘s violent tracks is a blizzard of darkness. But therein lies liberation, my friend, with Black Dog providing a brutal sonic exorcism. Overthrow is highly abrasive, and it’ll torch your woes and worries like a flamethrower. Concussive, corrosive, and cathartic – triple threat noise, brothers and sisters.

(Roach Leg Records)

Anguished Life – Shroud of Death

Hey! Ho! Let’s go. It’s time for another blast of ear-wrecking punk from the fine folks at New Mexico label Blown Out Media. This time, it’s the debut LP from LA trio Anguished Life. The band features members from some of my favourite contemporary West Coast noise-makers – see Tortür, End Result, and Dust Collector – and Anguished Life cite well-respected progenitors like Crucifix, Iconoclast, and Final Conflict as inspirations. Similarly, Anguished Life’s stripped-down tracks are relentless, and the band’s powerhouse debut, Shroud of Death, is lean, mean, and ferocious. Recorded at the well-known 1753 recording room in Boyle Heights, Shroud of Death will certainly appeal to fans of 1753’s bulging Bandcamp page. Of course, Blown Out’s involvement means you also know things will sound authentic as Hell. Killer production, raging d-beat, and raw punk scorching enough to spark a dumpster fire. Win-win-win.

(Blown Out Media)

Extensive Slaughter – More Than A Nightmare
Iron Warning – Demo XXII

Here’s a double dose of earth-quaking crust from the always-interesting roster of Canadian label Neon Taste Records. Extensive Slaughter’s name is lifted from an Excrement Of War track, which is apt, given Extensive Slaughter’s barrelling sound ticks plenty of 90s crust boxes. (Sidenote: why have Excrement Of War never gotten their dues? Cathode Ray Coma is a riot, as withering as anything Doom spat out.) Extensive Slaughter’s More than a Nightmare debut engulfs and then eviscerates – and a tip of the hat, once again, to Shige at Tokyo’s Noise Room Studios for his help in that process. Extensive Slaughter’s anarcho/squat-crust careens into heavyweight/sawtooth hardcore, and there are plenty of Bastard-worthy solos to enjoy as the band’s world-eating crust devours all. Destruction, disorder, and decay are all here, with More Than A Nightmare‘s obliterating aesthetic tapping into the guts of festering/fist-raising crust. No question, More Than A Nightmare will be appearing on my end-of-year list. FFO Napalm Raid, Cotärd, Languid, etc. Chaos reigns eternal.

Hungry for a little more top-tier crust? Iron Warning is the solo project of Extensive Slaughter (and Blood Ties) member Ian, and his project’s Demo XXII is a trampling crust heavy-hitter and one of ’23’s best demos yet. Like Extensive Slaughter, Iron Warning draws inspiration from the dark well of crust that bands like Amebix and Antisect inspired. However, Iron Warning digs deeper into the grave, with death and black metal also oozing on Demo XXII‘s four tracks. Iron Warning’s demo is pummeling, with a Bolt Thrower epicness and hammering intent. Riffs upon riffs. Howls upon howls. Annihilating crust.

(Neon Taste Records)

Arüspex – Hawthorne & Henbane

Northern Californian band Arüspex blend Profane Existence/Skuld Releases-style hardcore with melodic neo-crust on their gripping Hawthorne & Henbane album. You’ll hear the raw emotionality of Alex CF-fronted bands on tracks like “Hallowed Days” and “Suffuse,” but what you’ll hear most on Hawthorne & Henbane is Arüspex pouring their heart and, most importantly of all, their soul into their first full-length release. The band’s “femme-fronted” crust throws its arms around you on a track like “What’s It Worth?” while Arüspex spit icier – almost black metal – tacks on “Willow” and “Burden”. Passion, pain, and ardent cries for justice; if you’re a fan of Alerta Antifascista’s roster, you’ll find Hawthorne & Henbane similarly rousing. Ⓐ//Ⓔ –– all the way.

(Self-released)

A.T.E.R. / Tormentum –Split

Mexican stenchcore band Tormentum released a smashing demo in 2022. And Québec deathcrust outfit A.T.E.R. released a strong demo last year, too. The two bands’ recent split is a murderous meeting of minds. Death metal’s darkness shrouds Tormentum’s sound, with the band’s Neanderthal stench nodding to Bolt Thrower, Deviated Instinct, Sanctum and Stormcrow. Tormentum’s contributions to their split with A​.​T​.​E​.​R. – “No Broken Swords” and “Endless Battle” – are primal weapons: rough, gruff, and warmongering ragers built for brutal skirmishes. A.T.E.R.’s guttural contributions are the perfect accompaniment, with “Putrefacto” and “Sangre y poder” being solid as a rock and just as likely to cave your head in. Fans of behemoth crust will dig the bass-rumbling action within.

Honestly, I’m entirely biased towards cavernous crust married to gravel-gargling death metal. I lose all perspective when wallowing in that union’s squalid and sepulchral depths. That said, I’m confident if you’re a connoisseur of heavyweight punk or stench-friendly metal, you’ll love this putrid split, too.

(Self-released)

Isolant – Oblivion
Isolant – Drain

Isolant’s Oblivion EP was originally released back in 2015. But it’s been recently given a spit ‘n’ polish and a well-deserved re-release by Boston label Social Napalm. (Who, FYI, have close ties to the highly recommended blog/zine Negative Insight). Isolant explore the industrial crust world, plucking influences from the experimentalism of bands like Throbbing Gristle or early Swans, along with more direct sonic connections to groups like Godflesh, Pitchshifter, Deviated Instinct, Spine Wrench, Optimum Wound Profile, and Depressor. The conceptual aim/arc of industrial crust was to combine crust’s apocalyptic overtones and abject filth with the ice-cold atmospherics of an album like Scorn’s Vae Solis, which is precisely what you’ll find on Isolant’s Oblivion EP.

The EP’s lengthy tracks – “Oblivion”, “Fracture: Fatigue” and “Stasis” – grind the gears of rack and ruin, ploughing ever deeper into abject darkness. Downtuned percussive heaviness combines with suffocating grimness, while a crawling sense of ominousness gnaws at your nerves. If the hope-crushing mood of Oblivion appeals, check out Isolant’s more recent EP, Drain. Out via Sentient Ruin Laboratories, Drain leans hard on the abrasiveness of outlier 90s metal and boundary-testing crust. Perfect misery-guts noise for those days when everything seems doomed.

(Social Napalm, Sentient Ruin Laboratories)

P.S.Y.W.A.R. – Defcon

P.S.Y.W.A.R.’s Defcon 7″ is the group’s first and last vinyl release, with the Missouri band breaking up before Iron Lung Records dropped their five-song EP. (Obviously, P.S.Y.W.A.R. are far from alone in releasing a promising pile of obliterating punk before suddenly imploding.) The vitriolic hardcore found on “Defcon 3 (Condition Of Man)” and bass-blasting “Defcon 1 (Hearts And Minds)” features abundant bombarding elements, with P.S.Y.W.A.R. dialling up the pressure-keg intensity throughout. The eight incendiary minutes of Defcon sound like Hell on earth; the grinding attrition of body and mind. P.S.Y.W.A.R. may be gone, but the hardcore war continues.

(Iron Lung Records)

Absolut – Hell’s Highest Power (v1)

I’ve got a copy of Ontario band Absolut’s Hell’s Highest Power LP, released by D-Takt & Råpunk Records in 2015, sitting in my record collection. But, it turns out, I’ve been listening to Hell’s Highest Power 2.0 all along. Phobia Records dropped a surprise (for me, at least) recently, releasing Hell’s Highest Power (V1) with the byline: “10 tracks from the first recording session that was never released. Recorded with the original line-up in 2013, with Vassil Mester on drums (R.I.P.). All tracks are unheard, raw and guaranteed to crack your brain up!”.

That last line is wholly accurate – brain-cracking stonk awaits. The d-beaten tracks on Hell’s Highest Power (V1) are violent and volcanic, but fidelity-wise, they sound much cruder than Absolut’s recent work. I doubt that rawness would give any of Absolut’s fans a moment’s pause, though. Hell’s Highest Power (V1) might be thinner than Absolut’s burlier releases, but its demo-like sound adds to the gut-driven milieu. Absolut’s riffs still rip, and vocals still roar, so as I’ve said before, it’s time to get your Canadian Jawbreaker buzz on.

(Phobia Records)

Deformed Existence / Visions of Chaos – The World at War

I prefer to write about Bandcamp releases streaming in full, but I’ve got a deadline to meet, and at the time I’m writing this line, there are only a couple of tracks streaming off Deformed Existence and Visions of Chaos’ The World at War split. Still, those tracks sound great – I mean, they sound horrible, but that’s a bonus around these parts – so I’m diving in regardless.

Japan’s Deformed Existence includes members from fellow crust bands Exithippies and Asocial Terror Fabrication. (Pro tip: AOS’s oeuvre comes highly recommended.) Deformed Existence released their ferocious debut, Hate With Patriotism, in 2019 (via the excellent Doomed To Extinction Records), and it was crammed with rotting pants/Doom-indebted crustcore. From the sounds of “Massacre for Dominion”, the track streaming off their split with Visions of Chaos, you’re in for another hellscape journey through the realms of decimating punk. You’ll lap this up if you love rancid-smelling and gutter-dwelling crust.

Visions of Chaos specialise in nerve-grating raw punk. As usual, the band’s preview track here, “Escapar,” sizzles with lo-fi static but is also somewhat bone-chilling. (Abrasive in tone and texture is very much par for the course with Visions of Chaos and their Sistema Mortal Tapes contemporaries.) Some splits offer very similar fare, but from the sounds of it, Deformed Existence and Visions of Chaos’ The World at War cassette will deliver different, albeit equally harsh, examples of mind-wiping punk. I’m amped to hear more.

(Sistema Mortal Tapes)

Abism – S/T

New York label Toxic State Records has released a mountain of gnarly music from groups like Fairytale, Warthog, Savage Pleasure, Stigmatism, and a gazillion other great bands. The full-length debut from NYC’s Abism is another knockout. The unique approach here sees Abism’s droning guitars often deliver a harsh albeit hypnotic wash of riffage rather than relying on hardcore’s stock-standard jagged stabs. Abism’s self-titled LP is still a hardcore LP through and through, and for all its waves of riffs, there are still plenty of sharper ones, too. The band’s distinctive approach on tracks like “No Veo el Sol,” “Sangre,” and “Systema de Opresión” catapults Abism into that category of offering something genuinely innovative, drawing comparisons – not musically, but certainly attitudinally – with D4MT Labs bands like Straw Man Army or Kaleidoscope. Long story short, Abism’s LP is a welcome shot of something new. The crew reconfigure many of hardcore’s tropes while maintaining the genre’s power and prowess.

(Toxic State Records)

The Last Survivors – 2001​-​2016

Out via label General Speech, The Last Survivors’ 2001​-​2016 compilation corrals the Tokyo band’s 7″ releases for labels Crust War, Dan-Doh, and Pogo 77, along with a scattering of rarer tracks. With remastered songs, The Last Survivors sound better than ever, and 2001​-​2016 features liner notes from Jacky Crust War (Framtid), So (Hardcore Survives), and Sakurai (Centipede / The Addiction) that explore the band’s history.

The Last Survivors are often tagged as raw punk, which is accurate in terms of their unbridled intensity and it points to the band’s influences from far-flung Scandinavian destinations. However, The Last Survivors’ sound isn’t a noise-core onslaught. Instead, the band inject intoxicating UK82 and even proto-punk influences into their tracks, meaning The Last Survivors are raw and rabid but also catchy as Hell. Hooks, passion, and snarling punk aplenty: The Last Survivors’ discography is well worth your time and energy.

(General Speech)

Barrage – S/T

Bonjour, vous les gens horribles. Barrage are a d-beat band from Besançon, France, and Kick Rock, the label releasing Barrage’s self-titled debut, suggests the album’s 12 “epic and dark” tracks are reminiscent of bands like Severed Head Of State and Wolfbrigade. I’d go with the former in that regard. Not to unduly criticise Wolfbrigade, but they’re beefy Euro kingpins with swathes of metal and hardcore fans, whereas Barrage maintain a grittier and grimier DIY edge. Is the band’s debut reinventing the wheel? Nope. Not in the slightest. But sometimes, all you need is a thick slab of d-beat and crusty hardcore (with plenty of energising pick-slides) to help you smash your way through life’s endless hurdles. In that sense, Barrage are 100% fit for purpose. The band’s debut isn’t breaking new ground, but raging tracks like “Funérailles Rapides”, “Sans Les Freins”, and “Dernière Torche” will stoke the fires within.

(Kick Rock)

Wet Specimens – Over Pale Bodies

Wet Specimens’ Over Pale Bodies album is both surreal and sinister. The New York band’s debut LP features biting hardcore cut with flesh-crawling interludes, sculpting what Wet Specimens vocalist Colin has described as a “haunted house atmosphere”. Over Pale Bodies has an unnerving undercurrent, with the iciness of deathrock and post-punk threading their way through otherwise hardcore-heavy tracks “Phobias”, “Cursed Ethic”, and “Cold Earth”. Elsewhere, “Bed of Nails” and “Early Grave” drive thick nails into your skull, and it’s that contrast between the strange and savage that evokes albums like Dance With Me, Adolescents, or Living in Darkness being ground up in the maw of contemporary hardcore. Call it horror punk, death-beat, or dark-core? You choose. It doesn’t matter. The Angel of Death doesn’t care about the correct Bandcamp tag.

(Brain Slash Records, Runstate Tapes)

Barrows – Discord and Society

Whoever’s in charge of adding content to Black Konflik Records’ Bandcamp page deserves a pay rise because the Malaysian label has been uploading banger after banger at a furious pace. (Black Konflik is a busy beast in general, with 216 releases and counting listed on the label’s Discogs page.) Black Konflik’s Bandcamp page features scores of comps, new releases, and re-released classics, and there are dozens of recommended releases, including the following from razor-edged Japanese trio Barrows.

Barrows’ recent Discord and Society compilation collects tracks from the band’s Discord And Society 7″ and their Remote Place Attack demo. Discharge, Disclose, and early Anti Cimex strongly influence Barrows. Thus, it’s no surprise to find that Discord and Society‘s piercing tracks are wrapped in raw punk’s barbwire finish. Fans of migraine-inducing d-beat will love this shitnoise. However, Barrows’ latest is only one of many Japanese hardcore compilations on Black Konflik’s Bandcamp page: see also The Last Survivors 2001​-​2016, Poikkeus’ Sympatia Paholainen: Early Tracks, The Rustler’s 1988​-​1994, Swindle Bitch’s Lonely Wolf Like A Storm: Complete Swindle Bitch 1993​-​1995, Acute’s For Peace 1986​-​1992, and plenty more besides.

Black Konflik’s Bandcamp page features countless rowdy releases. Many are A-grade triumphs. Take a look, and prepare to be overwhelmed.
(Black Konflik Records)

Misery – The Early Years

Minneapolis, Minnesota legends Misery birthed a gravelly strain of strident punk that’s spread its stinkin’ tendrils far and wide. The band’s The Early Years compilation contains exactly what you’d expect. Most of the band’s 7″ releases are here (Born Fed Slaughtered, Blindead, Children Of War, and splits with Assrash and Hellspawn), but not 1993’s Your Leaders Were Lying!, which Misery left behind due to issues with its sound. The Early Years features 13 remastered tracks, providing 40 minutes of über-pissed-off crust that stinks like a mound of burning tyres. You could spend an age searching for sought-after copies of the 7″ releases gathered here, meaning The Early Years is a perfect opportunity to grab a stack of Misery’s classics in one shot. Heavy on distortion – and heavy on the soul – The Early Years is an essential purchase. In crust we trust, ad infinitum.

(Agipunk Records)

Hallux – Obsolete

Obsolete, the five-song EP from Minnesota four-piece Hallux, is what you’d call an acquired taste. Hallux’s all-in, wall-of-noise approach makes for a hellishly battering experience. But that’s also why Obsolete is a lot of fun. Instrumentally, everything crashes and smashes with maximum disorder and disarray (and vocals croak and bark, too). It’s all very much akin to walking city streets nowadays; feeling on edge as society crumbles. Hallux pour everything into a singular assault, with the sum total of their ordnance being far more important than any finicky finesse. Crust, d-beat, and raw hardcore are ground up and spat out in a reality-severing blast of noise, bringing more sonic chaos to an already deafening world. Fuck everyone and everything. The end cometh.

(Self-released)

Crêam Söda – Fiction

Fiction is the third release from Sydney, Australian band Crêam Söda. The band are fronted by Japanese (now Aus-based) bassist and vocalist Danny Sano and Fiction‘s blazing sound draws from Japan’s lineage of prime punk influences. Groups like Death Side, Bastard, Gauze, and Systematic Death ring loud on Crêam Söda songs “Overkill”, “All In”, and “Gas Attack,” but there’s also plenty of Scandi oomph and thrashing metallic hardcore powering “Your Soul” and “Mind Imprisoned”. Releases from bands like Geld and Enzyme have grabbed the Australian punk headlines this year, and both of those bands thoroughly deserve the applause, but you should also add Crêam Söda to your shopping list. Fast, fun, and incendiary, Fiction is a blast.

(Chaotic Thoughts Records)

Fredag den 13:e – M​ä​nskliga Gr​ä​nstillst​å​nd

Swedish band Fredag den 13:e formed in Gothenburg in 2006, and M​ä​nskliga Gr​ä​nstillst​å​nd is the group’s fifth (and best) full-length release thus far. Like the band’s other releases, M​ä​nskliga Gr​ä​nstillst​å​nd combines Anti Cimex’s rage with Poison Idea’s hooks, At The Gates’ melodicism, and Disfear’s ferocity (and you’ll even hear a little Motör-charged propulsion on “Ett Paradis Av Piss”). Fredag den 13:e mix things up on Mänskliga Gränststånd, with “Våldsmonopol” cranking the d-beat dial, while “Tyst Vår” exhibits more black metal leanings. Elsewhere, “En Sömn Utan Slut” utilises plenty of death metal’s punch, and “Förlorade År” delivers an old-school hardcore beatdown. According to Fredag den 13:e, Mänskliga Gränststånd explores the psychological impact of isolation and madness, the current plague years being a prime source of inspiration. Mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege, Mänskliga Gränststånd sounds massive – as you’d expect. Fans of burly and bruising Scandicrust, you know what to do.

(Phobia Records, De:Nihil, Halvfabrikat, Deviance, Every Day Hate)

Total Nada – Total Nada II

The second EP from Canadian band Total Nada is even better than their first (which, FYI, drew a few rave reviews, too.) Total Nada II continues the band’s exploration of late 80s/early 90s Latin American hardcore, with Total Nada’s Spanish-language tracks featuring high levels of (sweat-soaked) energy and passion. What’s new is more of a vintage Italian punk flavour to Total Nada’s tracks and, as the band’s labels 11PM Records and Discos Enfermos suggest, you’ll hear the influence of Norwegian band Svart Framtid ringing louder. Punchy, propulsive, and powerful. What more do you need? The world’s a mess; unplug with Total Nada’s nihilistic noise.

(11 PM Records)

Piss Baby – Rest in Piss Demo

The latest lo-fi release from go-to Aotearoa New Zealand label Razored Raw is a five-song EP from the charmingly monikered Piss Baby. Spinkicks, windmills, and nine minutes of “chugga chugga whoop whoop recorded live to portastudio” are what Piss Baby’s ear-splitting Rest in Piss Demo promises, and the band duly deliver. Gruesomely raw hardcore meets blown-out powerviolence, and the result is power-drilled into your lughole. Vocalist Sabrina Lawson’s red-lining howls will destroy your speakers, while guitarist and backing vocalist Ian Moore’s obnoxious riffs are as jagged as a saw blade. Rest in Piss is painfully corrosive, and that’s the point; the tooth-rattling noise right here is supposed to hurt. This puppy’s for diehard fans of feedback and max-caustic punk.

(Razored Raw)

Depopulation Department – Another War Victim

Spanish band Depopulation Department was formed by a few grindcore and death metal vets (including members from well-known grind outfit Haemorrhage) looking to stretch their d-beat and crust punk legs. The group’s Another War Victim album was originally released on CD in 2021. However, Belgium label Loner Cult – and several other record-slingers – recently re-released Another War Victim on vinyl. Depopulation Department’s creative aim was to dig into the 80s, mixing Discharge with a crustier Exploited, and Another War Victim‘s 15 tracks (including a great cover of Doom’s “Exploitation”) hurtle along at top speed, delivering a series of rapid-fire gut-punches along the way.

Guitarists and co-vocalists Luisma and Ana spit and shout, and Depopulation Department aren’t shy about putting their foot on the speed metal pedal either. Of note is the band’s desire to step away from the explicit gore and demonic adventures of grindcore and death metal, and Depopulation Department duly exhibits more of a ‘punk’ attitude with songs focused on real-world concerns like war, political corruption, gendered violence, bigotry, etc. Depopulation Department don’t sound self-conscious or remotely worried about carving out an original sound. They’re having fun, cutting loose, and hollering and howling at the world. Grind goes crust; it works a treat.

(Loner Cult Records, Romantic Songs Recordings, Hecatombe Records, Crust As Fuck Records, Helldog Records)

Demolishing Demos

Below are a bunch of demos that caught my tinnitus-ravaged ear recently. I’ve kept the blurbs short ‘n’ sweet so I can cram in a little more noise. Thanks for visiting ICWT. Fingers crossed, I’ll see you next month. Be excellent to one another.

Kläpträp – The Bullshit Continues​.​.​.

Now there’s a title I could repurpose to describe the last 22 years of my writing about punk and metal –> the bullshit continues​, eternal. But enough about me. Here’s some more godawful noise.

The second demo in as many months from German/UK band Kläpträp follows the same drinkin’, thinkin’, stinkin’ course as their Songs about Wrongs debut. The hook here is that Kläpträp features members from unwashed legends Doom and Visions of War, and thus, The Bullshit Continues​.​.​. features more dumpster-diving crust that’s gross enough to give you a nasty gastrointestinal illness. Scum-noise that’s purpose-built for scumbags like you and me. Delicious.

Psych-War – Demo ’23

Tucked into the corner of cover art for Pennsylvania band Psych-War’s Demo ’23 is a sure sign of quality: Canadian label Sore Mind’s logo. Like other Sore Mind fare, Psych-War’s Demo ’23 is a sledgehammering release packed with crushing d-beat and lacerating hardcore. No question, Demo ’23 is one of this year’s best debuts, sounding harder and heavier than plenty of ‘pro’ recordings. I saw that Psych-War were playing a few dates with Warkrusher on their upcoming US East Coast tour, and that’s a perfect match. I can’t recommend this shotgun blast of hardcore enough.

Krigssystem – War Profit?

Krigssystem hail from Thessaloniki, Greece, and the band’s War Profit? demo feels like a red-hot spike hammered into your cranium. The demo’s super-acidic tracks were all recorded ‘no-fi styles’ in Krigssystem’s rehearsal room. Like plenty of scorched-earth raw punk indebted to Disclose, Discharge and Disaster, Krigssystem’s self-styled ‘Noise Punk Massacre’ is eviscerating and, in this case, more venomous than a cobra, too.

Brigada Bastarda – Demo 2023

Spanish band Brigada Bastarda’s Demo 2023 bounces along on waves of throbbing bass as screaming riffs, screeching solos, and bellowing shouts weave a raw punk ruckus. Lo-fi but high energy is the name of the game here. Best suited for lovers of headaches, nausea, and disturbed visions.

Vilmort – Demo 1

Spanish grindcore band Vilmort’s Demo 1 is crusty enough to warrant inclusion in this column. More than that, though, Vilmort’s debut features enough audio filth and sonic intensity to ensure it’s a go-to choice for anyone searching for tasty new noise. You get fifteen songs, and they all grunt, gurgle and spew out rotting hunks of grind-punk. Great stuff.

Workers Comp – Demo

The debut demo from Ontario hardcore band Workers Comp is breathless fun from go to woah. Workers Comp out their foot down on opener “Eviction Notice,” and then power their way through heavyweight tracks that are super-catchy and likely sound even better live.

The post In Crust We Trust: Vol 30 appeared first on Last Rites.

A Note about Mermaids and Arseholes.

I am an old man and thus fortunate enough to have witnessed waves of increasingly heavier bands emerge from the womb of subterranean music. Like many aging fans, I suffer from crippling nostalgia about those times. However, unlike some old-school enthusiasts, I don’t subscribe to the theory that everything was better back in the day.

That said, while I don’t revere the past, I’m always up for revisiting the days of yore, and there’s nothing like a story packed with colourful characters and wild events to evoke the sights and sounds of a bygone era. Such is the tale of the Mermaid (the UK pub, not the fishy songstress).

Of course, the Mermaid is famed as the venue that helped kickstart Napalm Death’s career. (Although, plenty of other known names also gigged at the ramshackle watering hole.) Located in the working-class Birmingham suburb of Sparkhill, the Mermaid played a vital role in the genesis of grindcore, crust punk, harsh noise, and DIY happenings in the 1980s. The Mermaid wasn’t just a site where punk and metal fans intermingled and watched scores of noisy bands. The pub was also a crucial gathering point for rabble-rousing activists and a place where fans could swap zines, trade tapes, build networks, and drink gallons of dirt-cheap cider.

UK newspaper The Guardian recently posted an article about the Mermaid’s stored history. The report mentioned the Birmingham social and musical history organization, Home of Metal, which has produced a four-part podcast series, At the Mermaid. The podcast features interviews with movers and shakers from the pub’s rowdiest years, including Justin Broadrick (Napalm Death, Godflesh), Nicholas Bullen (Napalm Death), Stig C Miller (Amebix), Steve Charlesworth (Heresy), and Steve Watson (Cerebral Fix). Fittingly, At the Mermaid is often rough around the edges. If you’re interested, it’s worth a listen or two.

The Guardian also recently posted an in-depth article exploring the philosophical evolution of engineer/musician Steve Albini. I’m mentioning the article here because, like many punk fans, I’ve watched musicians I once admired spout increasingly deluded and distorted rhetoric over the last few years. We’ve all seen bands disappear down ever-darker rabbit holes, and I don’t know about you, but that’s sometimes tainted their music for me.

The thing is, culture isn’t static. Times change. That upsets some people. Especially those with egos inextricably tied to a specific point in time. Other folks embrace change as a good thing, seeing it as a necessary constant that ensures new voices and ideas are heard. Obviously, the tension between those positions contributes to the sometimes extra-spicy in-fighting within underground music communities. Obviously, this isn’t the forum for unpacking punk’s internal strifes or resolving any longstanding conflicts, but the Albini article offers an excellent insight into how that friction plays out.

I’ve enjoyed many of the albums Albini’s engineered, and I rate several of his bands highly. Still, there’s no denying he’s also a complicated figure with a history of making deliberately controversial statements. Some of those statements I agree with; Albini’s Some Of Your Friends Are Already This Fucked article for Maximum Rocknroll is a classic 90s take on the perils of selling out/signing to a major label. However, many of Albini’s exploits have inspired a lot of edgelord bullshit in niche music circles.

The Guardian article is an interesting report on how to take responsibility for having been a giant fucking arsehole. It’s heartening to read about an underground lynchpin making a genuine effort to account for their indiscretions – and to acknowledge the impact of those misdeeds – without doubling down or offering a convenient excuse. I’ve heard Albini reflect on his past on recent podcasts, often resulting in fascinating discussions about personal growth amongst shifting cultural tides. In any case, The Evolution of Steve Albini is an excellent primer on the topic if you’re interested.

And hey, if you’re one of those trapped in an arsehole ouroboros, take heart; change is possible. Of course, if you’d rather continue to eat shit, by all means, chow down.

Warkrusher – Armistice

Everything about the cover art adorning Canadian ‘crust fuckers’ Warkrusher’s full-length debut, Armistice, screams “Bolt Thrower!”. (Specifically, the iconic Games Workshop-inspired artwork gracing Bolt Thrower’s Realm Of Chaos LP.) Of course, it’s apt that Warkrusher explicitly reference Bolt Thrower. The legendary death metal band helped to carve out the original template for Warkrusher’s creative approach, and to this day, Bolt Thrower’s sound and vision have a profound influence on the entire stench-crust domain. There’s no question that connoisseurs of heavyweight crust have waited expectantly for Warkrusher’s first full-length release. The band’s 2019 demo, All is Not Lost, was a belligerent triumph, and Warkrusher’s 2022 EP, Epitaph, perfectly captured their hammer-meets-anvil aesthetic. If you loved those releases, brace yourself; Armistice is a mind-crusher.

The roaring assault begins with the steamrolling chug ‘n’ churn of “Silence”, which is followed by one psyche-trampling track after another. Death metal’s stomp is engulfed by stenchcore’s rotten vapours, while the echo of groups like Axegrinder, Deviated Instinct, and Sacrilege adds to the ungodly bombardment. Armistice is stacked with concussive ordnance, and while some might listen and imagine far-future sorcerers and space knights fighting over post-apocalyptic spoils, others might hear mutant survivors brawling in the depths of radioactive ruins. Whatever works in that regard. But Armistice‘s violent songs definitely mirror the current situation, where endless wars, climate disasters, and untold inequalities will no doubt seal our miserable fate.

The point is, Armistice sounds ugly and gruesome. Crawl through the writhing guts of songs like “A Now Barren Existence” or “Apostate”, and you’ll soon discover that the album is as thickly armoured in sonic terms as it is thick with the choking stench and the sweltering chaos of battle. I had high hopes for Warkrusher’s first full-length, and Armistice exceeds them all. You can draw a credible throughline from Bolt Thrower’s earliest onslaughts to Armistice‘s mightiest moments as the high-pressure intensity of both feels like a steel band tightening around your chest. Warkrusher’s sewage-raw stenchcore is heavy as an M1A1, with Armistice‘s gruff barks and annihilating bass and drums backing a rampaging array of ironclad riffage.

Armistice is a colossus — a definite EOY heavyweight contender.

(Desolate Records, Agipunk Records)

Note: here’s where I *might* get in trouble. Until recently, Armistice was available to stream online. But then Agipunk Records scheduled a pre-order Listening Party on Bandcamp, and the album’s tracks were taken offline. I don’t know where that leaves the YouTube video below. Are fans allowed to hear the LP yet? If any relevant parties want me to delete the embed below, let me know. I’m here to have fun, not step on anyone’s toes. In the meantime, enjoy one of this year’s most potent stench-crust LPs.

Kinetic Orbital Strike – The True Disaster

The sophomore release from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, bruisers Kinetic Orbital Strike fucking smokes. Recorded during the same all-fire sessions as the band’s 2022 demo, KOS’s The True Disaster 7″ hits like a heatseeker. As before, KOS draw from a well of familiarly ear-splitting inspirations (see the likes of Discharge, Disaster, Disclose, and Framtid), but the band don’t sound like they’re living in the past. If anything, KOS look to the future where the rust and ruin of crumbling cities and irradiated wastelands is all the eye can see. Whether throttling listeners on “Evil Action” and “Nameless Graves” or ear-gouging fans on “Escape” and “The Helpless”, KOS’s incendiary approach is a non-stop, in-your-face attack. Bombs, missiles, bullets, drones, IEDs, claymores, knives, and nail-studded baseball bats are all here. Violence, death, and maximum mayhem too. Kill everything that moves. “An old new sound to match a new old war.” KOS = truly pulverizing punk.

(Self-released)

HOPE? – Your Perception is Not My Reality

Do you have any hope left in the tank? Humanity is in meltdown mode; understandably, the Earth isn’t a big fan of our presence either. What’s your plan, fight or flight, fucker? That’s a question PDX four-piece HOPE? (aka Hell on Planet Earth) pose on their Your Perception is Not My Reality 7″. The group’s 2022 cassette, Dead and Gone, set their grim exploration of the world’s long list of woes on the boil, and Perception is Not My Reality is stacked with similarly fired-up d-beat. Label Desolate Records has mentioned several of HOPE?’s members started gigging in the Midwest, inspired by artists from the Profane Existence and Skuld Release school of hulking crust, and HOPE?’s thickset sound duly features plenty of old-school (i.e. Misery-like) oomph. The band’s singer, Manda, has a superbly gritty voice that perfectly fits HOPE?’s hurtling tracks. HOPE?’s harsh d-beat might sound bleak to untrained ears, but noise like this can fuel your resilience and power your resistance. HOPE?’s got your end-times soundtrack covered.

(Desolate Records, Fight For Your Mind Records, Symphony of Destruction Records)

Avskum – En Annan Värld Ar Möjlig

Kristinehamn, Sweden, is home to around 18,000 hardy souls. In 1982, the town was the birthplace of long-lived d-beat crew Avskum, who – alongside groups like Mob 47 and Anti Cimex – helped stamp hard-bitten Nordic punk on the map. Cut to 2023, and Avskum are back with their fifth full-length, En Annan Värld Är Möjlig (Another World Is Possible), which continues the same all-guns-blazing approach of Avskum’s last LP, 2008’s Uppror Underifrån. En Annan Värld Är Möjlig sees Avskum shouting about corruption, intolerance, far-right extremism, and the importance of resisting narrow-minded prejudice. The band’s sound remains firmly plugged into Avskum’s Discharge-inspired roots, but these days, Avskum’s songs are girthier and feature punchier production. Quick-fire tracks like “Knarkare Är Starkare”, “Klinisk Jävla Dödsrift”, and “Stormtroopers of Misogyny” are replete with barked vocals, rail-gun riffs, and careening bass and drums. (Not to mention plenty of brief but scorching solos.) Keep an ear out for guest vocals from Tompa (At The Gates, Skitsystem, Disfear), Tommy Berggren (Asocial, Uncurbed), and Mattis (Makabert Fynd) too. There’s plenty of fury and life left in these old dogs. Pummeling stuff.

(Prank Records, Scrammel Records)

Farsa – S/T

Farsa are based in Berlin, Germany, but the four-piece features members from Argentina, Venezuela, and Catalonia. Farsa released a solid demo in 2021, and their self-titled follow-up is a HUGE step up in myriad ways. Primitive d-beat and caustic hardcore still lead the charge, but Farsa’s vinyl debut is significantly heavier than their demo, and it wields a lot more aural armaments. Spanish-language tracks like “Dormir en Paz”, “Congo”, and “El Final” display an excellent balance between maximizing their rawness and amplifying Farsa’s burlier production. The band’s raucous new songs feature abundant rough-and-ready components colliding in an explosive mix, but it’s the weight of all that ensures the band’s first full-length strikes like a battering ram. Recorded and Mixed By Jonhy Jo in Berlin, with Final Slum War drummer Raul taking care of the mastering (and with a killer cover illustration from Belgian crust musician and visual artist Stiv), Farsa’s first LP is a knockout.

(Wild Wild East Records, The Little Jan’s Hammer Rec, Kaos Diystro Records, Nunchakupunk, Aback Distribuce Records)

Private Jesus Protector – Nobody’s Master Nobody’s Servant

The original incarnation of Belgium crust band Private Jesus Protector existed from 1989 to 1993. You can find all of the band’s early – and raw-as-ringworm – recordings on their The Complete Workz compilation, which reeks of pissed jeans and dog-on-a-string anarcho-crust. More recently, Private Jesus Protector reformed and recorded their Nobody’s Master Nobody’s Servant LP (a coda to their career, of sorts), with most of the band’s original line-up particpating. Released by Japanese label In Crust We Thrash, Nobody’s Master Nobody’s Servant is grottier than a gutter punk’s undies. Audio technology might have advanced since Private Jesus Protector’s early years, but the band’s Neanderthal noise is still primitive AF. The only concession Private Jesus Protector have made, and it’s not really a concession at all, is that Nobody’s Master Nobody’s Servant sounds a lot more muscular than Private Jesus Protector’s previous endeavours.

The 13 songs here include half a dozen tracks left over from the 90s, and the stench of vintage crust is strong. That said, there’s still plenty of contemporary energy here. Private Jesus Protector’s stinkin’ mash-up of crustcore, d-beat and raw hardcore features lively dual vocals (a 90s mainstay, of course) and Nobody’s Master Nobody’s Servant is rife with an impressive amount of white-knuckle volatility. If Private Jesus Protector are signing off with Nobody’s Master Nobody’s Servant, they leave on their own terms with anger to burn. Fans of ulcerated sores, missing teeth, and cut-price beers, dig in.

(In Crust We Thrash)

Stigmatism – Ignorance In Power

The full-length debut from New York/Montreal band Stigmatism, Ignorance In Power, tips its hat to the Rat Cage Records era of New York City hardcore. Drawing inspiration from such a hallowed point in time can obviously result in ferocious-sounding music. However, it can also result in music that sounds redundant and/or well past its best-buy date. Thankfully, Stigmatism avoid those issues by injecting a mountain of energy and a shedload of (Agnostic Front/Warzone) swagger into Ignorance In Power. The album’s furious bite, heavy hooks, and classic NYHC breakdowns will hit home for fans of *definitive* hardcore. Stigmatism’s songs tackle corruption, bigotry, and the endless strife of big city life. If you’re obsessed with Victim In Pain – or, like me, you’ve watched 1990: The Bronx Warriors or Warriors of the Wasteland a few too many times – you’ll lap this sledgehammering hardcore up. Keep the faith, brothers and sisters.

(Static Shock UK, Toxic State Records)

Dispösal – Illusion of Control

Dispösal’s Illusion of Control EP starts with a sustained blast of ear-piercing feedback before the razor-wire riffs arrive, and things get real grim, real fast. Out via the always interesting British Columbian label Slow Death Records, Dispösal’s second release feels more intimidating than their first. Illusion of Control utilizes more metallic components, with tracks like “Painted Crutches”, “Illusion of Control”, and “Warcrime and Punishment” featuring more density and mass backing their heavier momentum. Illusion of Control is more menacing than Dispösal’s 2021 demo, too; the Hellhammering ‘ughs’ and ‘urghs’ are more brutal, the overall tone significantly darker, and Illusion of Control is a hell of a lot nastier, both sonically and psychologically. Meaner than a stick in the eye.

Intention – Brand New Story

Kon’nichiwa, riff-lovers. Great news! If you’re a fan of the Burning Spirits school of ferocious yet hook-heavy hardcore, Japanese band Intention’s debut, Brand New Story, will sizzle your twizzle. Admirers of Tetsu-Arrey and Death Side will revel in Intention’s squealing guitars, howling vocals, and the band’s foot-to-the-floor velocity. Intention features former members of Confront and Human Despair, and the Nagoya/Mie-based band are maestros when it comes to delivering blood-boiling hardcore. Tracks like “Break a Spell”, “Nasty Pest”, and “Not a Slave” are blazing examples of Burning Spirit’s legacy in action, being fast and furious but also unafraid to foreground catchy riffs and solos. More good news for Japanese punk diehards is right there on Brand New Story‘s cover, with more on-point imagery from iconic artist Sugi. Brand New Story is a godsend for enthusiasts of scorching Nippon noise.

(Break the Records, Beach Impediment)

Kazmer – Never Enough

PDX four-piece Kazmer sound somewhat different on their second release. Back in April, the band released a couple of demo tracks, which were beefier/brawnier than the songs on Kazmer’s recent Never Enough cassette. That change isn’t a cause for concern, though. There are plenty of ways for punk bands to deliver the news – a slow burn, a whiplashing torrent, or a bludgeoning thwack. Much like heavy-hitters Sacrilege (with whom Kazmer share several sonic similarities), tweaking the dimensions of the Kazmer’s sound hasn’t lessened their impact. Recorded in May 2023 at the band’s rehearsal space (and mixed and mastered by Kazmer’s bassist, Richie), Never Enough‘s songs are corrosive and wickedly serrated – like rusty barbwire dunked in an acid – and Kazmer’s mix of stench-crust and d-beat features a blistering-raw speed-metal edge. Never Enough thrashes like a cut snake.

(Self-released)

Мир – Mindecision

Not every dusty cassette found in the back of a draw is a long-lost classic. However, Mindecision, the sole tape from the defunct Virginian hardcore band Мир, is definitely a lot of fun. Label Beach Impediment Records has given the 1985 obscurity a spit and polish, re-releasing Mindecision on a pimped-out LP. Like spotty teens worldwide, Мир formed because punk spoke directly to the band’s adolescent hearts. Мир played solo shows, supported the likes of Corrosion of Conformity, Scream, and Battalion of Saints, and the band recorded Mindecision before Мир broke up when the band’s members headed off to college. Dusted off and given a tidy remaster, Mindecision sounds great; scrappy, angry, angsty, and packed with youthful energy. I’m no expert historian, and I won’t insult your intelligence by guesstimating where Mindecision sits in the pantheon of North American hardcore. However, I can assure you that Мир’s sole recording is well worth checking out. Mindecision is on par with much-loved recordings from the same era, and Мир certainly deserve to have the volume turned up on their contributions to the cause.

(Beach Impediment Records)

Farce / Vida muerta – Funeral Earth

Funeral Earth is the fifth release from the Italian raw punk label Sistema Mortal Tapes in 2023. Like Sistema Mortal’s previous releases, the recent split cassette, featuring Finnish trio Farce and Italian/German three-piece Vida Muerta, is lo-fi in tone but eviscerating in texture. (The obliteration of mind and body being the key objective here.) Vida Muerta features members from Nukelickers, Visions of Chaos, and Ovasen Frontera Kollaps, all specialist noise-makers well-acquainted with delivering withering recordings. Vida Muerta released a great demo earlier in the year, and their latest tracks sound even better – filthier, gnarlier, and featuring a darker resonance. Farce’s contributions are all blown-out screeds where incomprehensible vocals and crashing drums are buried in walls of hissing static. When noisenik punk bands share a split, it can often end up sounding a little same/same. However, Farce and Vida Muerta’s split tears open two different – albeit equally abrasive – gateways into the realms of obnoxious raw punk.

Ahna – Crimson Dawn
M​:​40 / Illvilja – S/T
Slavery / Mace Head – S/T

Canadian band Ahna’s full-length album, Crimson Dawn, was originally released on CD and cassette back in 2020. However, the album has recently enjoyed a long overdue vinyl release thanks to stalwart Czech Republic wheeler/dealer Phobia Records. Crimson Dawn tracks like “In Death’s Grip”, “Sick Waste”, and “Dead Gods” are top-tier examples of stenchcore’s weaponry expertly integrating with old-school death metal’s instruments of war. Crimson Dawn‘s potency is a testament to Ahna’s skill at distilling the influence of groups like Bolt Thrower, Autopsy, Nausea, and Sacrilege into a (Molotov) cocktail of neck-breakingly heavy metalpunk. Crimson Dawn is crusty enough – and filthy enough – to give you contact hepatitis, and the album remains powerful enough to put a dent in a fucking tank. Crimson Dawn is Ahna’s most vital work yet, with the album’s earth-quaking tracks mining a raft of pitch-black underground spheres. Crushing – in every sense.

While you’re here, Phobia Records recently released a couple of split EPs that also fall into ICWT’s orbit of interests. Swedish bands M​:​40 and Illvilja share a 7″ stacked often-melodic tracks that’ll appeal to fans of driving metallic crust. The 7″ split from Czech Republic groups Slavery and Mace Head features heaving stenchcore from Slavery (FYI, the band’s self-titled 2021 LP is well worth checking out), while Mace Head deliver bloodthirsty metalpunk that’s indebted to ye olde Amebix.

(Phobia Records)

Destruidö – Necr​ó​polis

It wasn’t that long ago that I was writing about Guadalajara, Mexico, band Destruidö’s Infernö EP. The group’s new EP, Necrópolis, features the same jarring levels of abrasiveness and similarly fearsome howls for social, political, and environmental justice. Destruidö’s rawness evokes the desperate reality of battling many of Guadalajara’s current woes. However, once again, Destruidö make clear that “the rotten city we inhabit will never break our wild hearts”. Necrópolis is an angry release with little appeal for anyone seeking the hi-fi sphere of stadium crust. However, the red-raw, passionate punk here is a vitally cathartic tool for venting the horrors and frustrations of life on the edges. Life ain’t pretty. But sometimes ugliness shines.

(Self-released)

Empart – Speedfuckingnoiseattack

True story: I didn’t check the volume on my headphones before hitting play on Empart’s Speedfuckingnoiseattack EP, and I paid for that mistake… big time. One blown-out eardrum later, I can wholeheartedly recommend the Austin, Texas, band’s deafening brand of d-beat and raw punk. (Especially if you’ve got a few masochistic kinks you’d like to work out.) Speedfuckingnoiseattack features six tracks compressed into a singularly cacophonous squall of mind-rupturing (((noize))) that’s as brutally un-listener-friendly as it gets. One listener’s feedback suggests Speedfuckingnoiseattack sounds like “Doom beating up a vacuum cleaner”, which isn’t far from the truth if that vacuum cleaner happened to be full of blazing radioactive refuse. I can’t find any biographic details about Empart, but perhaps that’s for the best. The band’s über-chainsawing music is more than enough to digest. Pop a couple of analgesics and triple-check the volume before pressing play. As the kids say, fuckin sick.

(Self-released)

Unspec – Century Of Torture

Bandcamp has arguably been a boon for bands from often-overlooked destinations. Indonesia, for example, has had a thriving punk and hardcore community for decades, but it’s sometimes been challenging to source recordings from the far-flung archipelago. Thanks to Bandcamp – and in this case, UK label Richter Scale and Indonesia label Spektakel Klab – you’re one click away from enjoying South Sumatran band Unspec’s Century Of Torture EP. Unspec designate US bands like Hoax, Bib, and GAG as musical markers, and Century Of Torture‘s “raw puke punk” features bellowing vocals and steel-edged riffs that sculpt an unpolished monument to negative noise. It’s worth pointing out that for all of Unspec’s rawness, their debut EP is still burly enough to leave a few welts and bruises. There’s a mountain of Southeast Asian punk out there to enjoy, and if you’ve not dug into any of it before now, Unspec make for a great gateway band.

Ps: a couple more Indonesian bands feature in the demo section of this month’s edition of ICWT.

(Richter Scale, Spektakel Klab)

Konventio – S/T
Turhuus – Ryhti romahtaa

Finnish band Konventio’s self-titled (and self-released) 2022 cassette has recently been picked up for re-release by on-point label (and my go-to US web store) Sorry State Records. There’s a good reason for Sorry State’s interest here. Konventio’s razor-wire sound taps into the infectious geothermal energy of classic Suomi punk, with the band’s stripped-back songs featuring plenty of scything propulsion. Like the best Nordic punk, the most engaging aspect of Konventio is how the band manage to sound as cold as ice and yet as hot as a lava flow. Fans of Kohti Tuhoa (and kin) will find much to enjoy in Konventio’s creative pursuits.

Finnish three-piece Turhuus sound more hostile than their smiling visages suggest. The band’s Ryhti Romahtaa EP is caked in crust and slathered in gritty hardcore, while the gravel-gargling vocals of drummer and singer Antti S add a fair amount of malevolence to the mix. Barreling riffs and bass-driven momentum power Ryhti Romahtaa‘s four tracks, but it’s those spitting/growling vocals that add a crucial undercurrent of menace to songs like “Kuolemaa Päin” and “Mä Vaan Lähden Menemään”. Turhuus’ subterranean darkness keeps things on edge throughout.

(Konventio – Sorry State Records, Turhuus – Suspected of Arson Records)

Paranoid Maniac – Watchlist

Watchlist is the debut EP from North Carolina crew Paranoid Maniac. The Raleigh-based band features a rejigged line-up of Das Drip, whose 2019 full-length was released by Sorry State Records. With a new vocalist and additional guitarist on board, Paranoid Maniac deliver darker and more head-twisting hardcore; see the grim-toned, feverish nightmares “Nuclear Confusion” and “Reaper”. Listening to Paranoid Maniac turn themselves inside out on ferocious tracks packed with whip-smart swerves is endlessly enjoyable. I love a band that simultaneously sounds off-the-chain and yet entirely in lockstep, and Paranoid Maniac sound tight but loose and wholly berserk but so in control. Complaints, for sure – four songs aren’t enough! Here’s hoping Paranoid Maniac have more intense-sounding tracks incoming.

(Self-released)

Holocausts – Liberation

Israeli band Holocausts mix and match a host of noisy subgenres on their first full-length, Liberation. Clearly, Holocausts don’t have to look very far to see the brutal consequences of religious and cultural tensions and the eternal fight for freedom from persecution on all sides of the equation. Whether spiritual or physical, war is hell, and that fundamental fuels much of Holocausts’ fusion of thickset crust punk, thrashing hardcore, and death and black metal. There’s a strong sense of neo-crust’s epicness here as volatile musical strains battle on heavyweight songs that dig into equally heavy matters. Holocausts synchronize their sonic and philosophic influences well, and there are translated lyrics to help you along. Liberation is a thundering debut.

(Self-released)

Demolishing Demos

Below are a bunch of demos that caught my tinnitus-ravaged ear recently. I’ve kept the blurbs short ‘n’ sweet, so I can cram in a little more noise. Thanks for visiting ICWT. Fingers crossed, I’ll see you next month. Be excellent to one another.

Kato – Demo

Kato’s Demo ’23 is out via New York label Roachleg Records, and I don’t need to remind you of this, but Roachleg have yet to release a dud. Kato’s demo is another red-hot rocker. If you love the classic 1982 Finnish punk comp Propaganda – Russia Bombs Finland (and why wouldn’t you!?!), you’ll also love Kato’s assaultive sound.

(Roachleg Records)

Terminal Man – Demo 2023

Terminal Man’s Demo 2023 explosively kicks into gear and then refuses to take its foot off the gas. The Birmingham, Alabama band blast through nose-bleeding tracks where distortion lashes crust punk while hardcore fights for its life. Expect a mangling tone and a gnashing temper, like a croc devouring a wildebeest.

(Self-released)

Emblem – Demo

The raison d’être of Californian band Emblem is to speak truth to power; be that politicians, lawmakers, or anyone who places hurdles in the way of immigrants living free and fulfilling lives. Emblem put it more bluntly, noting their music is a “symbol of our undying hated for conquerors”. The band’s demo is anger in action – kinetic rage incarnate. Not every punk release has to mean something. But goddamn, it sounds good when it does. Fuck colonialism, obviously.

(Self-released)

Fumus – Demo 2023

Fumus call Bukittinggi, Indonesia, home. The band’s Demo 2023 is a ripper, with bleeding-raw hardcore being the dish of the day. The final track on Fumus’ demo is a blast of harsh noise from experimental artist Torturewave. (I’m guessing there’s a connection to Fumus, maybe?) In any case, Fumus’ demo is a solid start.

(Self-released)

Wozz – Demo 2023

Wozz are a raw hardcore band from Bandung, Indonesia, and their Demo 2023 sounds as ragged as a shark bite but, somehow, still as sharp as a blade. Wozz’s demo is punchier than expected, and while there are only three songs here, that’s enough noise to spark a desire to hear more from the band.

(Self-released)

Axefear – Demo

Seattle, Washington, band Axefear features members who’d played in groups like Cerebral Rot, Deconsecration, and Anoxia. That makes a lot of sense, given the encroaching darkness and hope-smashing heaviness of Axefear’s thrashing crust. The band’s three-song demo is extremely promising. In fact, every song here (see “Gallows Feast”, “Scars Laid Bare”, and “Embraced In Genocide”) is a stampeding triumph. Devotees of hefty-sized metalpunk take note – more crust fans need to hear Axefear’s demo asap. (I can’t imagine it’ll be long before some killer label picks this one up.)

(Self-released)

The post In Crust We Trust: Vol 29 appeared first on Last Rites.

As usual, I had to cut a few worthy contenders from the final list below before things got too out of hand. Plus, there are a couple of EPs and reissues I was hoping to include but didn’t get to hear in full this year. Not every subterranean release I want to cover is uploaded or streaming online, and I live at the ass-end of the world, where it’s not always easy to acquire every release I want to talk about. That problem only intensified this year due to COVID-19 disrupting international shipping for months on end. Although, obviously, that’s a minor quibble compared to the actual hell COVID-19 has unleashed on many people’s lives and livelihoods.

I should point out that the list below tilts towards the rawer, heavier, and noisier end of the punk rock spectrum. I’m not averse to sweet-sounding punk or metal, but ICWT generally favors amp-melting releases over more melodically-minded ones. Keep that in mind, because the list below isn’t a list of ‘the best’ punk albums of 2020. It’s an entirely (and unapologetically) biased catalog featuring some of my favorite slices of the punk rock pie. There are some catchy releases below. But in the main, you can expect an assortment of listener-unfriendly noise.

FYI: Feel free to point out any releases you think I should have included in the comments below! I’m definitely old, and decidedly unhip, and I’m guaranteed to have overlooked some great punk, hardcore, or metalpunk releases this year.

I’m guessing, like yours truly, that you’ve had a challenging (read: fucking atrocious) year. I don’t know about you, but I owe a huge debt of thanks to all the DIY bands and labels who’ve helped to elevate my mood and bolster my resolve during some extremely troubled times. Thanks also to Last Rites for continuing to tolerate the presence of an over-the-hill, tofu-munching, sniveling pinko crybaby like me. And cheers to all the bloggers, YouTubers, distros, labels, and the Sorry State Records and D-beat Beater newsletters for turning me onto so much great music this year.

Of course, a heartfelt thanks also goes out to everyone who paid a visit to ICWT in 2020. I’m fully aware there are far more plugged-in and popular writers than me out there, so it means a lot that you’ve taken the time to drop by and consider my obscure opinions too.

Okay, that’s more than enough introductory waffle. It’s time to dig into some of 2020’s nastiest noise. Have a great festive season, my friends. Stay safe. Be well. I’ll see you soon.

Hail Santa.

Reissues 2020

Initially, the second part of this end-of-year feature was only going to highlight EPs. But I decided to squeeze in a few extra blurbs because I heard some first-class reissues over the past 12 months. I’m aware that I tend towards (((overkill))) at this time of year, so in the interest of not keeping you any longer than necessary, I’m going power through the reissues below. Please don’t mistake my brevity as a reflection of their quality, though. Trust me; the following reissues are all well worth your time.

Crow – Last Chaos
GISM – Detestation
Grave New World – Last Sanctuary
Nightmare – Give Notice of Nightmare…
Human Gas – Super Violence Hardcore
F.U.P – Noise and Chaos

This year, half-a-dozen reissues underscored (a) why the early years of Japanese hardcore have been so influential on punk and metal around the world, and (b) why diehard fans from all corners of the globe covet Japanese punk. In terms of influence (as well as insane prices paid for original copies), Crow’s 1987 debut, Last Chaos, and GISM’s 1983 LP, Detestation, are right up there, in both senses. Prank Records’ 2020 reissue of Last Chaos sold out in the blink of an eye, while Relapse Records’ reissue of Detestation snarled up the label’s website as scores of frenzied punters endeavored to secure copies. Last Chaos and Detestation are sacred texts in the Japanese punk canon, but Nightmare’s all-guns-blazing 1990 LP, Give Notice of Nightmare… (reissued in 2020 via La Familia Releases ‎and Farewell Records), has also proven to be highly influential in the metallic hardcore realm.

Human Gas, F.U.P., and Grave New World are more obscure than the bands above, but their 2020 reissues also featured A+ sound pollution. New York label Bitter Lake Recordings released Grave New World’s The Last Sanctuary LP and F.U.P.’s Noise and Chaos compilation. The Last Sanctuary is a veritable (and well-deserved) cult classic that’s long been sought after for the mind-frying crust therein, while Noise and Chaos collected 16 violent-sounding tracks from F.U.P.’s short but scorching run. You can compare Human Gas’ manic MO to legends like Gai or Confuse and their Super Violence Hardcore 1984–89 compilation (out via the always bustling Italian label F.O.A.D. Records) collects all of Human Gas’ raging studio songs as well as some unhinged live recordings too.

Deviated Instinct – Nailed
Doom – Pretentious Arseholes 7″ Collection
Ultra Violent – Crime… For… Revenge
Saw Throat – Inde$troy

Four UK punk reissues caught my ear in 2020. Deviated Instinct reissued their 1990 EP Nailed to celebrate its 30th anniversary, thereby unleashing another onslaught of powerhouse crust/metal. Sonarize Records and Agipunk co-released the Pretentious Arseholes 7″ boxset from crust stalwarts Doom, which featured five classic EPs and a Flexi of Doom’s 1992 demo, The Greatest Invention. UK82 rockers Ultra Violent’s sole release, Crime… For… Revenge, was reissued by Static Shock Records in 2020, and the 7″ (originally released on Riot City Records in 1983) is an absolute belter that tramples all over plenty of so-called classics from back in the day. Saw Throat (aka Sore Throat)’s third album, 1989’s Inde$troy, was reissued in 2020. The DLP’s much heavier mix highlighted Saw Throat’s decision to add more avant-garde and sinister-sounding elements into their world-eating metalpunk.

Various – Estamos en la Sima

Colombian hardcore compilation Estamos en la Sima was also reissued by busy label F.O.A.D. in 2020. (The label being home to plenty of other great reissues this year, like Messiah Death’s Invocated Unholy Tracks and Gess’ Suffer Damage, which are still on my wishlist). Estamos en la Sima features seven piercing-sounding bands who recorded their contributions in the basement of Ex-Tenebrarum member Alejandro Restrepo’s house in Medellin in 1989. Everything here is genuinely nerve-shredding in its no-fi rawness and gut-driven anger. Utterly uncompromising noise from the South American underground.

Bombanfall – Åsiktsfrihet

There’s always plenty of Scandinavian punk re-presses floating around. But the 2020 reissue of Bombanfall’s sole release, 1987’s Åsiktsfrihet, is a much rarer treat. Fans duly gobbled up the 7″ in record time when Swedish champs D-Takt & Råpunk Records reissued Åsiktsfrihet early in the year. Super-bleak and über-crusty, Åsiktsfrihet‘s d-beaten tracks are also gravelly as hell. Bombanfall might not be as well known as Totalitär, Anti Cimex, or Mob 47, but the grim rawness of Bombanfall’s murk-ridden masterpiece still clearly echoes in the darkest depths of Scandi hardcore and beyond.

United Mutation – Dark Self Image

One of my favorite reissues from 2020 is Dark Self Image, from DC outsider punks United Mutation. The band formed in 1980 and drew as much inspiration from lysergic rockers like Hawkwind as they did any punk peers. United Mutation’s Dark Self Image compilation features 26 breakneck tracks that sound downright amazing for their age and lean hard on a mind-wrenching mix of hurtling hardcore and hard-edged psych-punk. Another long lost punk classic reissued by Radio Raheem Records featuring top-notch packaging and a hefty booklet stacked with killer graphics.

TOP 25 EAR-WRECKING EPS 2020

25. Bombardement – 2020 EP

Bombardement’s 2020 EP is a revved-up riot from its very first seconds to its last. The French band swapped out vocalists for their latest release, but Bombardement essentially followed the same fleet-footed musical path as did on their 2019 vinyl debut. Wall-shaking d-beat powers tracks like “Blood. Cash. Self-Destruction.” and the 2020 EP‘s fieriest number, “My own Satan,” while every song dangles a big fat hook or three. Best of all, Bombardement sound like they’re having a blast while unleashing catchy riffs and rocketing solos that hit like a runaway truck. High-speed, high-energy, and high-spirited punk – exactly what all we need right now! (Destructure Records, Kick Rock, Symphony Of Destruction)

• Bandcamp

24. Okus – Disincorporate

Irish crusties Okus’ 2020 EP, Disincorporate, serves as a taster for their next full-length – and all signs point to it being an absolute skull-crusher. Disincorporate‘s heavyweight and heavyset tracks reek of definitive crossover crust, with barrelling drums, bass, and battle-ready riffs prowling and growling on gloom-drenched tracks. Okus’ music is as unrelenting as it is unforgiving, and while the band’s sound is often nihilistic, Disincorporate will still stoke your revolutionary fire. Combat-strength crust that’s perfect for today’s brawling battlelines. (Self-released)

• Bandcamp

23. The Passing – S/T

The Passing’s top-notch 2019 demo was awash in squalls of lo-fi noise. Production-wise, the Los Angeles band’s self-titled 2020 EP is a brawnier beast. But beefing up their sound hasn’t dulled The Passing’s visceral edge. Unvarnished primitivism and hostility still wrestle and roil on songs that evoke hard-hitting bands like Wolfbrigade or Skitsystem. The Passing dig into the neverending array of issues plaguing modernity, and while the band’s sound features a lot more metallic muscle this time around, they still focus on mixing piss-and-vinegar hardcore with paint-stripping d-beat. (Caligari Records)

• Bandcamp

22. Humant Blod – Flykten Från Verkligheten

Humant Blod features members from powerhouse groups like Totalitär, Dissekerad, Extended Hell, and Subversive Rite, and expectations for the band’s debut EP were SKY HIGH, to say the least. The good news is, Flykten Från Verkligheten exceeded those expectations with its blistering Swedish-style hardcore aflame with feedback and operating at a full-tilt pace throughout. If you’re searching for a release that’ll tear a rent in reality – or something that’ll liquefy your vital organs – then look no further, my friend. The uncompromising nature of the music here is to be applauded, and Flykten Från Verkligheten has all the makings of an instant classic. An essential purchase for any stout-hearted devotee of red-raw hardcore. (Desolate Records)

• Bandcamp

21. Violent Christians – No Speed No Punk
Violent Christians – New Blood for a Dead City

New York label Roachleg Records are responsible for bringing Texas band Violent Christians to the masses, releasing both the band’s No Speed No Punk demo and New Blood for a Dead City 7″ this year. Both releases feature stripped-down and gut-driven hardcore that could’ve easily been recorded back in the day. (In fact, if groups like Void, Negative Approach, Jerry’s Kids, or Poison Idea are your jam, you should grab Violent Christians’ releases quicker than you can say hallelujah!) There are a few melodic handholds to steady yourself on here, but in the main, Violent Christians dial up the pressure on both of their releases with their cranium-cracking riffs, drums, and roaring vocals driven hard by in-your-face aggression. (RoachLeg Records)

• No Speed No Punk Bandcamp
• New Blood for a New City Bandcamp

20. Regimen de Terror – Inherente del Poder
Bombardment – The Sound of War

Some folks are always on the hunt for the next new thing, which is fine, by the way, but I don’t see a problem in sitting back and celebrating the classics. Bombardment and Régimen de Terror take that artistic route, with both bands’ 2020 EPs unashamedly honoring the rowdiest years of Stoke-on-Trent troopers Discharge.

In Bombardment’s case, they tip their hat to Discharge’s heavier Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing era. The band’s five-track The Sound of War EP features an apt array of artillery-strength d-beat and high-explosive raw punk, which is bolstered by the healthy reserves of the hardcore ammunition stacked in Bombardment’s armory.

Régimen de Terror also deliver blunt and barbaric d-beat broadsides, although their Discharge worship focuses on the band’s Fight Back, Decontrol, and Realities of War EPs. Régimen de Terror’s bare-boned tracks rain down like mortar barrages, but, crucially, they retain all the whiplashing rawness of Discharge’s early years. Tune in for a double dose of decimating d-beat fit for diehards and novices alike.(La Vida Es Un Mus, Blown Out Media)

• Regimen De Terror Bandcamp
• Bombardment Bandcamp

19. Hellish View – Holy Horrors

Minneapolis band Hellish View have never been shy in admitting their undying devotion to Japanese legends Disclose. Holy Horrors is the final recording from Hellish View’s original line-up and the EP sticks to the band’s ‘Kawakami forever’ template, unleashing waves of ultra-distorted d-beat and incendiary raw punk. Holy Horrors is crude and chaotic, but also brilliant in its unhinged savagery. All of Hellish View’s previous releases have been caustic enough to strip the skin from your bones, and while Holy Horrors continues in the same corrosive vein, the EP also ups the heaviness quota into the ‘disbones’ zone. Bleeding-raw in tooth and claw, and with guttural noise aplenty, Holy Horrors is a filthy gem. (Disarmy Records)

• Bandcamp

18. Final Slum War – Agora Fudeu​!​!​!
Blockade – 5 Track EP

Speaking of abrasive noise, I’m sitting Final Slum War and Blockade side-by-side right here because both make ‘music’ that feels like you’re drowning in a vat of boiling acid. Final Slum War’s Agora Fudeu​!​!​! EP holds fast to their ‘d-beat noize attack’ style, sounding like it was recorded on a busted tape deck, in a tin shed, in the middle of a fucking hailstorm. Of course, Final Slum War’s piercing dissonance is a marked positive in the raw punk game, and Blockade also specialize in head-splitting lo-fi happenings. Blockade’s 5 Track EP is as raw as pissing razor blades – and about as comforting as having an infected tooth extracted with a jackhammer. Expect a maelstrom mix of bleeding-raw crust, d-beat, and hemorrhaging noise from both bands. (Burning Anger, Rawmantic Disasters, Televised Suicide Records)

• Final Slum War Bandcamp
• Blockade YouTube

17. Huraña – Brujas, Cholas e Inventadas

If you feel like punk rock isn’t really testing your boundaries anymore, welcome to Huraña’s Brujas, Cholas e Inventadas EP. The Chiapas, Mexico band’s 7″ debut is released by always interesting label Iron Lung Records, and Huraña fit right in with many of the other mind-bending bands on Iron Lung’s roster. Brujas, Cholas e Inventadas is undoubtedly set to challenge all of your senses with its (((maximum-delay))) vocals and (((maximum-reverb))) instrumentation, but therein lies its scrappy inventiveness. A rough point of reference is a “moodier Dead Kennedys without all the silliness,” but that only encompasses one dimension of Huraña’s off-kilter sound. You’ll also hear post-punk, goth-punk, and aberrant hardcore. All of which coil around each other in a resounding cavern of curious noise. (Iron Lung Records)

• Bandcamp

16. Instinct? – Pray to Death
Hallucination – S/T

Music that’s as eye-watering as a prolapse + songs that’ll scorch your cerebrum = a great raw punk release. Of course, corrosive intensity and primitive physicality help too. Sometimes, you get the added bonus of tracks that feel like a sledgehammer slamming into your psyche. And if you add up all of the above and set it alight in a dumpster, that’s precisely the kind of brutal experience that Philadelphia ne’er-do-wells Instinct? and Hallucination provide.

Instinct?’s Pray to Death EP throttles chaotic crust with crude hardcore, and the decimating d-beat and virulent noise within makes for an ideal soundtrack to the end of the fucking world. Hallucination recently got picked up by well-respected Oakland label Sentient Ruin Laboratories, who’ll be reissuing the band’s 5-song self-titled cassette reasonably soon, with updated artwork. Hallucination also deliver unyielding hardcore that’s heavy on the rawness without sacrificing an ounce of its heavy-duty toughness. A duo of mind-destructing delights awaits, my friends. (Self-released)

• Instinct? Bandcamp
• Hallucination Bandcamp

15.5. Public Acid – Condemnation

Stop the presses: I had to choose a fairly arbitrary date to cease listing to new releases and get this end-of-year list done and dusted. But then perennial favorites Beach Impediment Records dropped a couple of new EPs, including Public Acid’s Condemnation 7″, so here I am bending my own rules to wedge that red-hot rocker in right here. Honestly, Condemnation would probably be sitting higher on this list if I’d had more time to spin the thing. But, as it stands, Public Acid have delivered another set of exhilarating tracks that shove the urgency of punk down the throat of vortex-like hardcore. Expect gruesome-sounding tracks that are the perfect soundtrack for tearing down barricades and hurling Molotov cocktails on a riotous Saturday night. (Beach Impediment Records)

• Bandcamp

15. Rubble – Parts Per Million

Portland punks Rubble’s second EP, Parts Per Million, is the band’s third release for reliably kick-ass label Distort Reality. Rubble’s mix of melodic anarcho-punk and scrappy UK82 influences means, in one sense, that the band look to the past for inspiration. That said, Parts Per Million‘s tracks also feel extremely present and urgent, musically, and Rubble are right up-to-date and on-point, lyrically. You can enjoy Parts Per Million‘s propulsive songs for the pure anthemic pleasures they provide. But like all of Rubble’s releases, Parts Per Million has a deeper level you can sink into as the band’s restless tracks fly by. (Distort Reality)

• Bandcamp

14. Battlefields – 4-Track Demo

I read somewhere on the interwebs that some punter felt Pittsburgh band Battlefields’ 4-Track Demo was just “too much.” But I’d argue the complete opposite, bruv. I say, pour it on, fellas. Total audio warfare demands total commitment to the cause. Battlefields’ demo features mega-distorted hardcore, which sounds as heavy as the grinding of tectonic plates, and features zero melodies and less-than-zero accommodations for anyone’s comfort. Rapid-firing riffs explode in all directions, while cutthroat vocals and pounding percussion detonate in mind-warping eruptions. Word is, a few members from Blood Pressure feature in Battlefields’ ranks, which makes sense given the relentless nature of the music here. Best of all, Battlefields’ demo sounds huge: mammoth-sized, wholesale destruction, perfect for the end of days. (Self-released)

• Bandcamp

13. SIAL – Tari Pemusnah Kuasa

Tari Pemusnah Kuasa is the third warp-speed release from Singaporean four-piece Sial, and it’s overflowing with blown-out and rabble-rousing hardcore. You don’t need to speak Malay to appreciate the fervor of Sial’s communiqués either. The band’s d-beat, noisecore, and sizzling anarcho-punk will simply pick you up and drag you along for the ride. Sial’s fuzzed-out tracks and sharp melodic hooks have an often off-beat flavor, and the band have found the perfect creative recipe to fuel their passionate activism and raging music. Tari Pemusnah Kuasa is breathtaking. (La Vida Es Un Mus)

• Bandcamp

12. Kohti Tuhoa – Elä Totuudesta

Finnish hardcore band Kohti Tuhoa’s Elä Totuudesta EP follows hot on the heels of their widely-applauded 2019 LP, Ihmisen Kasvot. Much like that release, Elä Totuudesta features rock-solid songwriting that blends blasting d-beat with classic Suomi punk. Elä Totuudesta also sees Kohti Tuhoa heading off-piste, utilizing unhinged elements from the worlds of alternative and experimental rock. Kohti Tuhoa’s vocalist, Helena, is on furious form throughout, and the band’s hook-heavy hardcore is as restless and as ingenious as ever. Elä Totuudesta underscores, once again, why Kohti Tuhoa are one of the most thrilling bands around. (La Vida Es Un Mus)

• Bandcamp

11. Irreal – S/T

Irreal’s Fi del Mon MLP featured on plenty of end-of-year lists in 2019, and it’s a safe bet the Barcelona band’s 2020 EP will be doing much the same this year. Influenced by groups like Mellakka, Discharge, and the “troglodyte end of NYHC,” Irreal’s latest batch of short/sharp shockwave tracks are breathless in their intensity. Teeth-grinding bass and larynx-destroying vocals rub shoulders with brute-force catchy riffs and razor-storm drumming. A lot of bands think mosh is a dirty word, but not Irreal. The band’s intuitive ferocity is focused on getting asses off seats and into the pit. You can expect plenty of grunt, plenty of face-melting feedback, and plenty of blazing punk to light up these dark times.

• Bandcamp

10. Disable – .​.​.​Slamming in the Depths of Hell

Atlanta, Georgia outfit Disable have been dishing out road-rash raw punk and d-beat for years. The round-up of usual suspects inform Disable’s sound – see Discharge, Disclose, Broken Bones, etc. – and Disable’s thermonuclear 2020 release, .​.​.​Slamming in the Depths of Hell, is noisy as a bag of hammers, and nasty as a well-used torture rack. All the belligerent and coarse-grained punk here guarantees ear-candy for fans of super-distorted d-beat. Disable weld their sawtoothed riffage to howling sheets of noise, and it’s often barreling bass that hammers their message home. Tight af, and featuring killer vocals, .​.​.​Slamming in the Depths of Hell‘s contagious tracks are sure to hit the sweet spot for raw punk maniacs. (Brain Slash Records, Audacious Madness)

• Bandcamp

9. Skitklass – 世界の平等さようなら (Sekaino Byoudou Sayonara)

Everything Tokyo band Skitklass releases sounds as urgent as an ambulance whizzing by at top speed. The band’s livewire EP, 世界の平等さようなら (Sekaino Byoudou Sayonara), rips through the realms of arcing noise, taking in electrifying råpunk and d-beat along the way. Like many groups on this list, Skitklass draw a lot of inspiration from Scandinavia’s wildest punk bands. The difference here is that Skitklass’ music is far more skittery and scratchy than heavily muscled, and that unique spin that Skitklass put on their influences means they stand out as a notable albeit quarrelsome-sounding band. If you think d-beat sounds a little tired nowadays, Skitklass’ off-kilter deviations are an excellent reminder that punk’s tropes can always be twisted into interesting new forms. (Distort Reality)

• Sorry, amigos, 世界の平等さようなら (Sekaino Byoudou Sayonara) isn’t streaming anywhere online.

8. Tower 7 – Entrance to a Living Organism
Kaleidoscope – Decolonization

New York label D4MT Labs Inc dropped three rip-roaring releases in 2020. Straw Man Army’s Age of Exile LP sits high on the list of my favorite full-length releases, which you can find in part one of this two-part end-of-year shindig. And D4MT also unleashed a couple of thrilling EPs in Kaleidoscope’s Decolonization 7″ and Tower 7’s Entrance to a Living Organism demo.

Decolonization is Kaleidoscope’s follow-up to their *staggeringly* good After the Future LP. The New York band’s unorthodox hardcore ignores the rulebook and genre borders, and Decolonization sees skewed punk, post-punk, and anarcho-punk lunging and lurching with visceral abandon. As always, Kaleidoscope’s deviant digressions sizzle with hardcore’s savagery.

Tower 7’s Entrance to a Living Organism demo combines sludgy crust and swampy hardcore in a vintage-sounding stew of cantankerous musicality. Tower 7 aren’t afraid to step off the gas and let things seethe and simmer with their dense tracks and red-raw instrumentation ratcheting up the tension (and a sense of mortal dread) before bursting into filth-caked ecstasy. Muck, murk, and murderous metalpunk abounds. (D4MT Labs Inc Neurosonic Research)

• Kaleidoscope Bandcamp
• Bandcamp

7. Scarecrow – Revenge

Scarecrow struck the bullseye, straight out of the box. The first press of the North Carolina band’s Revenge 7″ sold out in record time, which isn’t too surprising given the quality and intensity of all the primitive “mängel up your ass” happenings right here. There’s no need to pad things out or over-analyze the music right here. The truth is, if you dig Totalitär, Avskum, and kin, you’re going to love Scarecrow too. Revenge absolutely rips, and the EP is stacked to the gunnels with Scandi-like ferocity throughout. There’s no pausing for breaths or gathering your thoughts here. Expect a non-stop barrage of all-killer hardcore that’s punishing as hell and hits like a missile. So. Fucking. Good. (D-Takt & Råpunk Records, Bunker Punks Discs & Tapes)

• Bandcamp

6. Last Agony – S/T

Last Agony features members from Canadian raw punk crew Absolut and Toronto crusties IDNS, and it’s fair to say that creative cohort gives rise to some high expectations. Thankfully, Last Agony’s self-titled 2020 EP does not disappoint. All the crashing crust and d-beat arrive with maximum impact, and Last Agony’s tracks deliver a truckload of off-the-scale brutality. Wall-of-noise guitars and thundering drums tussle with gravel-gargling howls, and Last Agony’s vinyl debut unquestionably features the heaviest and evilest music anyone from Absolut or IDNS have ever produced. Fans of the weightiest and grimmest work of Sanctum, Stormcrow, and Hellshock will get a lot out of Last Agony’s sinister shenanigans. (Phobia Records)

• Bandcamp

5. Fragment – Serial Mass Destruction

Fragment’s 2017 12″, In the Dust, is a stone-cold raw punk classic; at least, it is in my book. The Canadian band’s similarly uncompromising 2020 EP, Serial Mass Destruction, features a cyclonic mix of feedbacking crasher crust and d-beat that borders on an overwhelming avalanche of ear-piercing noise at times. Echoing vocals and bulldozing guitars are assailed by lava-hot distortion, with Serial Mass Destruction‘s mind-buckling paroxysms (aka songs) boiling over with nightmarish chaos. Serial Mass Destruction is a hideous noise-fest that’s pitch-perfect for gauging exactly where your tolerance for genuinely abrasive and deafening punk lies. Beautiful ugliness, all round. (Sewercide Records)

• Bandcamp

4. Löckheed – Conflict Delirium
Affect – Fucked Reality

Löckheed ​/​ ​Affect – Split 7″

How can I have three releases vying for the fourth spot on this list? Well, here’s the deal. Californian band Löckheed’s Conflict Delirium EP is stacked with berserker-strength d-beat and kängpunk, while Swedish duo Affect’s top-notch Fucked Reality EP is also a blown-out kängpunk free-for-all. Both bands’ sanity-smashing songs are filled with the kind of unapologetically stubborn shitnoise you have to scrape off the rim, and Löckheed and Affect’s obnoxious aesthetics feel purpose-built for this hope-mangling epoch. It’s no surprise to find that Löckheed and Affect’s recent 7″ split is also a meeting of very twisted minds. Torrents of distortion lash grotesque riffs and throat-wrecking yowls, and all the whirlwind madness within is as raw as a festering gut wound. Ugly tunes for even uglier times. Perfect for that sicko lurking inside us all. (Blown Out Media, Phobia Records, Self-released)

• Löckheed Bandcamp
• Affect Bandcamp
• Löckheed / Affect Bandcamp

3. Rolex – S/T

Californian band Rolex’s self-titled EP combines West Coast hardcore’s rough ‘n’ tough line of attack with the off-center stratagems of groups like Die Kreuzen, Wipers, or, most obviously, The Minutemen. The ten tracks here were all previously released on five cassingles, but Rolex re-recorded the lot for their debut 7″ release. Rolex can clearly write ferocious and electrifying songs, but what seals the deal on their EP is how they weave intoxicating outsider influences into their music, finding a perfect balance between antagonistic and artful-sounding songwriting. Idiosyncratic rhythmic pivots seamlessly fuse with foot-to-the-floor hardcore. Flawless, really. I can’t wait to hear what’s next! (11 PM Records)

• Bandcamp

2. After – Life Repeats

Depending on where you look, After’s 2020 EP is either a self-titled release or it goes by the name of Life Repeats, which we’ll stick with here. The New York “tactical krust guerillas” feature members from bands like Headsplitters and battering hardcore heroes Extended Hell. Tonally, After sound heavier than the aforementioned, and Life Repeats‘ five tracks are all jaw-breaking workouts comprised of powerfully built and furiously paced d-beat and crustcore. Pummeling is the keyword here, and there’s a swathe of raw metallic hardcore influences at play from the UK to Scandinavia and Japan, and then back to the scummiest corners of Nuke York City. Life Repeats‘ armor-plated tracks feature plenty of piledriving punch, with After’s take-no-prisoners approach tearing through the barbwire and charging forth across shell-pocked cityscapes reduced to rack and ruin. That’s a hard ‘fuck yeah,’ brothers and sisters – crushing heaviness transformed into cathartic rapture. (Desolate Records)

• Bandcamp

1. Rigorous Institution – Survival / Despotism

Portland, Oregon’s Rigorous Institution sound like veritable warriors of the wastelands. The band’s third 7″, Survival / Despotism, only features two tracks, but it’s topping my list of 2020’s most uproarious EPs because the stench-ridden pandemonium within is, well, *phenomenal*. Survival / Despotism follows a similar artistic path to Rigorous Institution’s previous EPs, Penitent and The Coming of the Terror, which also feature A-grade apocalyptic noise that’s bone-chilling and always rotten to the core. Much like Philadelphia crew Alement, Rigorous Institution just nail it when it comes to conjuring raw metallic punk that oozes intimidating menace.

Survival / Despotism reeks of the bleakest 80s aesthetics, with the 7″ highlighting humanity’s failings as it calls to mind Axegrinder and Amebix’s grimmest cacophonies. The dark magick of early Killing Joke also boils in Survival / Despotism‘s depths. But the real genius here lies in Rigorous Institution adding the perfect measure of brain-frying synth and eccentric anarcho-punk into a roaring storm of heavily atmospheric crust. Survival / Despotism features everything I love about worm-eaten subterranean punk – see croaking vocals, rough-as-guts riffs, and walloping bass and percussion all wrapped up in a forbidding ambiance. Best of all, Survival / Despotism is as twisted as it is hostile, with Rigorous Institution’s negative noise painting a vivid picture of a world engulfed in flames. No question, Survival / Despotism is a tour de force of mind-shattering punk. (Roachleg Records)

• Bandcamp

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