Some crust bands are trapped in an aesthetic ouroboros, heavily referencing the sub-genre’s pioneers time and again. Personally, I’m fine with that. Plenty of other niche musical spheres echo bygone eras, and I love heavyset crust that evokes the pungent romance of the past.

That said, it would be wrong to presume that crust is obsessed with old school mimicry. Some bands stick to a template established decades ago, but these days crust has traveled well beyond its initial creative borders.

Nowadays, scores of crust bands incorporate umpteen influences from other sub-genres (and sub-sub-genres) into their sound. Crust is now a very broad church, where many different-sounding bands choose to worship, and that’s reflected below, where you’ll find staunch traditionalists sitting beside deafening nonconformists.

How did I pick the music featured below? Good question, bruv. I stuck to strict criteria, which were:

• If it sounds crusty, it’s up for consideration or inclusion.
• That’s it.
• I’m also going to add a “Like ↑ try →” note at the end of every blurb so I can shove more recommendations down your gullet.

The only thing to remember from here on in is that all the bands below, whether caveman crusties or not, dispense their mind-smashing music with equal amounts of obnoxious glee.

Fingers crossed you find something to enjoy.

Thanks for stopping by.

The Essentials: Part 2

Piggery – S/T (2019)
Bonecruncher – S/T (2015)

I’m starting the second part of this raucous chronicle with a shout-out to a couple of bands from around my neck of the woods—i.e. Aotearoa New Zealand. I’m firmly convinced that Piggery’s 2019 self-titled debut is a stone-cold classic, with the Pōneke (Wellington) band unleashing hope-smashing tracks that called to mind Skaven, Hellshock, and Stormcrow. Piggery matched feral hostility to bulldozing intensity, mixing heavyweight crust, doom, stenchcore, and death metal. The band wrenched open the pits of Hell on debut, resulting in some of the darkest and brutalist punk ever recorded in the southern hemisphere.

Fellow Pōneke crust outfit Bonecruncher released a single full-length and a 12″ split with long-running NZ d-beat band Rogernomix. Bonecruncher’s 2015 self-titled debut tackles issues like mental health, poverty, and the eternal struggles of modernity. But the band’s thickset stadium crust wasn’t downhearted, it was rip-roaring and cathartic. Bonecruncher bolsters your resolve to face life’s interminable hurdles head-on, with short/sharp blasts of riotous and rousing punk.

Like ↑ try → Australian melodic neo-crust band Terra Mater. The group’s dramatic 2019 release, Holocene Extinction Parts I & II, features epic crust you can wrap yourself in as you stare down life’s daily challenges.

Alement – Onward (2019)
Rigorous Institution – The Coming of the Terror / Penitent (2019)

For all of crust’s fraternizing with other sub-genres, there are still contemporary bands who exemplify the intertwining sonic and emotional heaviness of crust originators like Amebix, Deviated Instinct, Antisect, and Axegrinder. Philadelphia trio Alement are a prime example of that, and their colossal 2019 EP, Onward, featured artillery-strength barrages of primordial stenchcore. Alement’s bruising pronouncements were clearly influenced by vintage crust bands aplenty, but Onward still sounded fresh (albeit thoroughly fetid) and exhilaratingly imaginative too.

Eldritch PDX punks Rigorous Institution also proved there are still plenty of creative possibilities to be mined from crust that honors the old guard. Rigorous Institution released two magick/essential 7″ releases in 2019, and both were equally inspired. The Coming of the Terror and Penitent featured strongly realized songs mixing crushing anarcho-punk with stench-ridden ’80s crust. Gloomy atmospherics and dense dirges amplified all the required apocalyptic peril on perfectly nightmarish noisescapes.

Like ↑ try → Zygome’s magnificent 2018 self-titled EP, which also featured impressively thick slabs of filthy stenchcore and crasher crust. See also: Warkrusher’s first-rate 2019 demo, All is Not Lost, which includes similarly distortion-drenched stench/crust pandemonium.

Asmodeus ‎– S/T (2015)

Asmodeus’ self-titled full-length debut is a dream come true if you think crust punk peaked around the time of S.D.S and Misery’s classic 1992 split. Asmodeus’ gruff-toned stenchcrust owes a clear debt to Out of the Void-era Antisect, and Asmodeus’ self-described “EVIL HARDCORE FROM HELL” is fittingly shadowy with a whiff of brimstone about it too. Asmodeus’ 2015 self-titled LP featured mid-paced growling/crawling/clawing crust, which evoked doomsday prophecies galore (and it sure ain’t on Bandcamp or YouTube). Asmodeus’ 2016 Life? compilation is though, and it’s equally dark, downbeat, and just as spirit-shatteringly heavy. Superbly gloomy, sublimely moody, perfectly wretched.

Like ↑ try → Ruinebell’s 2015 12″, Embers’ Grave, which is also replete with bleak and steamrolling stenchcore. Or pick up French band Lust for Death’s 2017 LP,Demons, which grafts evil-sounding stenchcore onto old school metalpunk.

Warcollapse – Deserts of Ash (2019)
Absolut / Svaveldioxid – Split (2017)

Scandi crust warriors Warcollapse returned in 2019 with their demolishing 12″, Deserts of Ash. The release was heavy as a bomber squadron, lining up over their target, and Deserts of Ash added another storming chapter to Warcollapse’s storied history. Deserts of Ash delivered an onslaught of pile-driving, metallic crust – with wrath and unadulterated aural barbarity fueling Warcollapse’s stubborn sound. Yet another exemplary example from Warcollapse on how to combine a throttling old school ambience with bitter and bruising urgency.

The berzerker 2017 split between Absolut and Svaveldioxid was a perfect meeting of (concussion-inducing) minds. Canadian crew Absolut are rightly revered in raw punk and d-beat circles (their 2014 EP, Punk Survival, is a monumental piece of ultra-hostile ear-fuckery), but there’s also plenty of raging crust embedded in Absolut’s sound. Absolut’s split with Swedish band Svaveldioxid (see Svaveldioxid’s discography for more quintessential ’80s/’90s kängpunk battered by a crusty cudgel) saw both bands deliver crashing tracks with nuclear-powered drums, heavily distorted guitars, and venom-dripping vocals. Absolut and Svaveldioxid’s split will satisfy anyone titillated by violent, volatile, and volcanic punk. See within for all the hallmarks of a true underground classic.

Like ↑ try → Virginian band Future Terror, whose 2019 full-length, Plague, was an all-guns-blazing juggernaut – and one of the hardest crust releases in years. See also: Minneapolis band Geiger Counter, who hold nothing back on their titanium-tipped crust assaults. Start with Geiger Counter’s 2018 EP, Nuclear, and then work your way back.

Misery ‎– Where the Sun Never Shines (2012)

US crust band Misery’s 2012 LP, From Where The Sun Never Shines, saw the band blasting back into full-strength/full-length action after a number of years in the creative wilderness. Misery’s energy and steamrolling intensity were in no doubt, nor was their lyrical fierceness or guttural metallic might. The past decade has seen a number of veteran bands return to punk’s front lines, but not everyone proved up to the fight. On From Where the Sun Never Shines, Misery sounded like a tank division ready to wreak havoc and decimate their foes.

Like ↑ try → D-beat and raw hardcore crew Deathraid, who’ve always been popular with the crust crowd. Deathraid’s careening 2014 LP, The Year the Earth Struck Back, is a great place to start. See also: Hellshock. The band’s earlier releases were far more stench-ridden, but their 2010 LP, They Wait for You Still, might well appeal to fans of high-speed crusty hardcore.

Framtid ‎– Defeat of Civilization (2013)

Japanese punk legends Framtid set the bar for full-blown, full-throttle, and full-noise hardcore. Of the band’s music that falls within this feature’s purview, Framtid’s über-aggressive 2013 LP, Defeat of Civilization, is the most essential. (But don’t skip on their breakneck 2016 EP, The Horrific Visions.) Defeat of Civilization strips every extraneous element from belligerent crust, raw punk, and feedbacking d-beat, ensuring Framtid’s tracks are paired down to their harshest and most corrosive-sounding essentials. Then Framtid crank their amps, and stomp on their distortion pedals, kicking things into mind-splintering gear. Phenomenal.

Like ↑ try → Acrostix’s first-rate 2010 LP, Dear Daily Life. The band’s 2008 LP, (A Chain of) Hatred, featured more stench-slathered noise, but that falls outside the timeframe for this list, and Dear Daily Life is still heavily influenced by Amebix, Axegrinder, and Antisect, providing a ferocious lesson in crust-fuelled hardcore.

Instinct of Survival – LIFE split / Fatum split (2016) / (2017)
Fatum – Time Passes to the Dark (2012)

The gutter goth dalliances on Instinct of Survival’s 2014 LP, Call of the Blue Distance, alienated some fans, but in the ’10s the German crusties also appeared on a number of EP and split releases filled with harder-hitting crustcore. I couldn’t pick between Instinct of Survival’s 2016 split with renowned Japanese band LIFE or their similarly uncompromising 2017 split with Russian stenchcore outfit Fatum. Both see Instinct of Survival coiling wretched-sounding crust around dark punk, post-punk, and hardcore – and dialing up their brooding intensity with every passing second.

The last couple of LPs from stenchcore/howling metalpunks Fatum (2015’s Life Dungeons, and 2018’s Edge of the Wild) have seen the band markedly increase the influence of groups like Venom, Motörhead, and early Celtic Frost. Fatum’s 2012 LP, Time Passes to the Dark, is a stenchier, crustier, and much grimmer affair, with crustcore and dirty hardcore rumbling and grumbling on rotten-sounding tracks. Time Passes to the Dark captures stenchcore’s noxiousness and squalidness to a T.

Like ↑ try → Malmö d-beat/raw punk band Crutches, who have released plenty of crust-friendly recordings. Start with their gnarly 2015 album, FörlOrAD, which owes a debt to the Scandi school of blown-out crust.

Extinction of Mankind – Storm of Resentment (2017)
Extinction of Mankind / Apocalypse – Split (2017)

Plenty of crust’s old guard have released new music over the past decade, and while some were worthy efforts, not many were *essential*. One release that does stand out is Storm of Resentment, the 2017 full-length from UK anarcho-crust outfit Extinction of Mankind. Storm of Resentment falls squarely into the too punk to be metal and too metal to be punk category, and the LP is just as fierce and fetid as Extinction of Mankind’s 1995 classic, Baptised in Shit. Also well worth tracking down is Extinction of Mankind’s excellent 2017 split with similarly minded, similarly aged, and similarly rowdy Californian crusties Apocalypse.

Like ↑ try → Long-in-the-tooth UK scrappers Deviated Instinct. The band’s metal-driven EPs Husk(2018) and Liberty Crawls … to the Sanctuary of Slaves (2012) feature some of Deviated Instinct’s heaviest music yet. See also: long-running UK crust icons Doom, who released another fired-up and mangling release in 2013’s Corrupt Fucking System.

Mass Grave ‎– The Absurdity of Humanity (2016)

Canadian grindcore/crustcore band Mass Grave have been cranking out super-fast and reliably pummeling/pulverizing gunk for close to two decades. Mass Grave’s 2016 LP, The Absurdity of Humanity, is blistering and withering, and the band’s 2018 LP, Our Due Descent, is an equally sledgehammering riot. If you enjoy the bone-breaking mechanics of Disrupt (or the crude ferocity of early Doom, Extreme Noise Terror, and Napalm Death) The Absurdity of Humanity also features the same violent velocity and brutal impact.

Like ↑ try → The similarly grinding savagery of the similarly named Massgrave. If you dig the traumatic nastiness of Mass Grave – or the noisy wares of Death Dust Extractor or Asocial Terror Fabrication – you’ll love Massgrave’s 2010 7″, You Are Freaks Now Too.

Iskra – Ruins (2015)
Storm of Sedition – Decivilize (2016)

Canadian crust/metal anarchists Iskra have dug ever-deeper into black metal and myriad other corrosive strains of extreme punk and metal as the years have gone by. The band’s 2015 album, Ruins, is a raging political firestorm, featuring Iskra’s punchiest production yet. Capitalism is torn to shreds with revolutionary zeal, and Iskra’s fierce dissent offers catharsis as they howl bloody murder at those holding the reins of power and subjugation.

Closely linked Canadian anarchists Storm of Sedition also explore subversive ideals. The band’s 2016 LP, Decivilize, spits vitriol and venom, expressing a deep hatred of humankind, capitalism, domination, and conformity. Storm of Sedition’s ferocious music is duly ready to do battle, mixing weapons-grade crustcore with black metal, death metal, and massive-sounding stenchcore.

Like ↑ try → West Virginian collective Appalachian Terror Unit, who are uncompromising and outspoken. The band’s impassioned 2014 album, We Don’t Need Them, is replete with cries for social justice, freedom from oppression, and calls to remedy environmental inaction.

Agnosy ‎– Traits of the Past (2014)

The last album from UK crust quartet Agnosy, 2019’s When Daylight Reveals the Torture, was an absolute triumph. However, I’m also partial to the band’s 2014 LP, Traits of the Past, which represented a huge step up for Agnosy, both compositionally and instrumentally. Traits of the Past featured a palpable increase in heft and harshness, with Agnosy ratcheting up the tension to vein-bursting levels. Trampling d-beat and stenchcore mixed with bass-heavy deathcrust, and Traits of the Past gnashed and gnawed at your psyche like a rabid fucking beast.

Like ↑ try → Oiltanker, who also sound like a monster unleashed. The band’s 2012 compilation, The Shadow of Greed / Crusades, was released by label Southern Lord, granting Oiltanker access to a larger audience, and granting that audience access to some of the heaviest crust around.

Napalm Raid ‎– Storm (2014)

Storm was the first release I heard from crust trio Napalm Raid and, fittingly, their 2014 EP blew me away, straight away. I immediately tracked down Napalm Raid’s 2012 12″ Mindless, and I then waited for what felt like an age until Napalm Raid released their brain-battering 2017 LP, Wheel of War. Few crust bands have come close to capturing the aural and emotional heaviness (or the raw intensity) of Napalm Raid in full-flight. Comparisons to Doom, Discharge and Extreme Noise Terror are warranted, but it’s more important to note the bludgeoning d-beaten crust on Storm is guaranteed to crush your dreams and stain your soul.

Like ↑ try → Menacing Seattle death/crust four-piece Wilt. The band’s self-titled 2017 LP is one of the most intimidatingly heavy recordings that labels Neanderthal-Stench ‎and Profane Existence have ever released.

Procrastinate – S/T (2017)
Sarabante – Remnants (2011)

I could have stacked this two-part feature with scorching recordings from Greek crust bands. But I don’t have room for that, so you’ll have to hunt down the likes of Discordance, Kataxnia, Conspiracy of Denial, Last Rites, and every other crusty Greek ensemble on your own. I’ve got space for two bands, plus a couple of groups I couldn’t leave behind.

Stalwart DIY crew Procrastinate’s self-titled 2017 album features galloping crust and darker neo-crust scattered with big fat hooks and giant melodic riffs. Roaring vocals rise on crashing cathartic crescendos, and Procrastinate’s powerhouse approach will definitely appeal to fans of fist-raising metallic crust – à la Tragedy, Myteri, and From Ashes Rise.

Athens band Sarabante had their profile lifted when their spitting and snarling 2011 album, Remnants, and their 2016 album, Poisonous Legacy, got a helping hand from US label Southern Lord. Remnants is rawer and rougher, and thus sounds a little crustier, and Sarabante display an astute understanding of captivating songwriting balancing foot-to-the-floor aggressiveness with impassioned, melodic hooks.

Like ↑ try → The phenomenal 2019 debut from Greek d-beat/crust troop Dishönor, which featured bleak and barreling bulldog crust, and was one of my favorite releases last year. See also: long-running Greek band Hibernation. The band’s epic 2018 LP, In the Years of Desolation, was filled with dark and dirty atmospheric crust comprising some of Hibernation’s finest and fiercest work yet.

Nuclear Death Terror – Chaos Reigns (2012)
ExtinctExist – Cursed Earth (2016)

Nuclear Death Terror originated in Copenhagen before moving to Australia’s scorched shores. The band’s self-described “APOCALYPTIC DEATHCRUST” is just that –– a decimating barrage of raw aural filth. Nuclear Death Terror’s raucous 2012 compilation, Chaos Reigns, featured non-stop deluges of ear-piercing riffs, bombarding percussion, and throat-slit howls and growls. Zero subtly, supreme savagery, flawless delivery.

ExtinctExist features members from groups like Nuclear Death Terror and almighty noise-mongers Pisschrist. ExtinctExist’s 2016 Cursed Earth LP hurls brute-force crust at you with the stated aim of sounding like a “blood-encrusted war-machine running rampant in your living room”. Fair enough. ExtinctExist rachet every (Peaceville-worshipping) mechanism in their arsenal up to its deadliest degree, and Cursed Earth does a great job of sounding like a rampaging, world-eating automaton. (FYI: ExtinctExist have a new album out soon!)

Like ↑ try → Fellow Aussie crust band Territory, whose excellent self-titled 2019 LP was full of ear-piercing pleasures. And make sure to track down Warcycle’s 2019 7″, Legalised Onslaught, which featured red-hot broadsides of the rawest crasher crust.

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The post 10s Essentials: In Crust We Trust – Part 2 appeared first on Last Rites.

Now for the bad news.

If you arrived here looking for The Best Punk Album of 2019, you’re in the wrong place. I don’t keep a close eye on every strain of contemporary punk. In Crust We Trust generally concentrates on metalpunk and hardcore that’s as raw as pissing razor-blades. Horrible music for horrible people. Stenchcore, crustcore, d-beat, noise punk – that kind of deafening garbage. And that’s what you’ll find below.

This edition of In Crust We Trust collects my favorite full-length releases from 2019. And because I’m a gigantic nerd, you’re also getting a bonus end-of-year edition dedicated to reissues and EPs. (Plus, if you follow my writing about noisy music from Aotearoa New Zealand, there’ll be all-NZ special at some stage too.)

Obviously, there are untold variables to consider while collating multiple end-of-year lists. So I’ve mitigated a lot of the stress by ditching any rankings. Obviously, you’re still free to play favorites. Or not. You might think ranking winners and losers clashes with DIY punk’s egalitarian ideals – and that’s fair enough.

I’m excited to share 12 months of visceral punk below, but there are releases missing. One of my favorite releases from the past 12 months was Fatum’s ripping Edge of the Wild LP. But that album was actually released digitally in 2018, before arriving on LP in 2019. Frustratingly, that same scenario discounted a number of other bands this year. Like Mexican trio Soga, whose fantastic 2018 demo was remastered and re-released on LP by Iron Lung Records in 2019.

I’ll tell you who else isn’t included below – top-tier crusties Victims, Martyrdöd, and Wolfbrigade. I’m not trying to play some kind of cool cult card by not including those bands. I enjoyed their releases this year, but those bands will feature on scores of other lists. I want to highlight a few lesser-known but equally formidable bands.

If you’re a fan of Victims, Martyrdöd or Wolfbrigade, I recommend that you track down the impressive 2019 releases from M:40, Kürøishi, Agenda, See You in Hell, Hive, and Myteri and Procrastinate’s split. All those bands delivered fierce recordings, but I set myself the task of listing around 25(ish) LPs, so some ruthless cuts had to be made.

I hope you find something to enjoy below, and feel free to share your favorite releases too. I’m not deluded enough to think my list is the be-all and end-all of anything, and I know there are LPs missing below that others truly loved this year. Like Irreal’s Fi Del Mon LP, or Inepsy’s Lost Tracks LP, which I never got around to listening to in full. Let me know who I missed. I’m always keen to check out more murderous-sounding music.

My eternal thanks to the DIY bands, labels, distros, bloggers, and pals who lent support over the past year. And huge cheers to Last Rites for allowing me to pollute their pages.

Okay, enough with all the nervous introductory waffle, here’s some of the rowdiest noise not music from 2019.

Extended Hell ‎– Mortal Wound

Visceral, thrilling, and never less than nerve-shredding, Extended Hell’s Mortal Wound 12” was a rip-roaring masterpiece. The likes of Totalitär, Anti Cimex, and Framtid were clear influences, but Extended Hell’s hard-as-nails collision of crust, d-beat, and red-raw hardcore had a venomous sting all of its own. 100% unstoppable. 100% unruly. 666% essential. Phenomenal, all round. (Media Disease Records, D-Takt & Råpunk Records, Rawmantic Disasters)

Genogeist ‎– S/T

The 2018 demo from post-apocalyptic ne’er-do-wells Genogeist featured bombarding cyber-crust that tipped its hat to Japanese punks like S.D.S and Effigy. The PDX band’s much-anticipated (and utterly thundering) self-titled full-length delivered first-rate sledgehammering stenchcore. Barrelling bass, scything guitars, and distortion-smashed vocals resounded with an old-school accent. But Genogeist’s prophetic visions pointed to a future world crumbling into ruin. Mad Max-worthy magnificence. (Blackwater Records)

Amhra ‎– Más Allá

Gruffer-than-gruff, and tougher-than-tough, Amhra’s Más Allá debut hit like a runaway tank. The band’s rumbling barbarian crust was as heavy as a funeral and as ravenous as a Zombie horde. Filthy black metal, heavy-duty crust, and pummeling d-beat combined to deliver downbeat and destructive punk, purpose-built for these end times. (Symphony of Destruction, Abbsurda Existencia, Phobia Records)

Swordwielder ‎– System Overlord

On release, I said that stenchcore heroes Swordwielder’s sophomore album, System Overlord, was a fucking triumph set to pulverize your foes and annihilate your woes. In truth, System Overlord has only gotten better over time. Dark and brooding, and full of face-melting and epic-sounding tracks exuding apocalyptic menace, System Overlord delivered consummate crushing crust. (Profane Existence, Scream Records)

Disapprove ‎– Devastation

Devastation combined Finnish four-piece Disapprove’s 2019 Not My World EP with the band’s older Agony of War EP, making for a single (and entirely bludgeoning) LP. Disapprove hurl guttural d-beat and ten-ton crustcore at teeth-rattling death metal, and then they lash the lot with blood-red distortion. Blunt. Brutal. Savage. Annihilating. (Blown Out Media)

Agnosy ‎– Daylight Reveals the Torture

The third album from UK crust quartet Agnosy was both a colossus and a colossal creative success. Daylight Reveals the Torture was grim, gruesome, and ironclad, with anvil-heavy d-beat and stenchcore raining down with death metal ferocity. Definitive crust from a band growing ever more formidable. (Scream Records, Profane Existence) ‎

Enzyme ‎– Howling Mind

Just when you thought you’d heard it all, along come Enzyme. The Australian band’s scorching Howling Mind LP channeled the likes of Kromosom, Confuse, Disorder, and Les Rallizes Dénudés. Psych punk collided headfirst with crustcore and a whirlwind of off-beat, deviant hardcore. Utterly off-the-chain. Always ingenious. And as intense as intense gets. (La Vida Es Un Mus)

Dödläge ‎– Hostile Regression

The second adrenalized album from PDX punks Dödläge was a riot of misanthropic kängpunk and roaring crustcore. Hostile Regression’s gelignite-packed tracks were duly explosive, packed with inferno-levels of anger and powered by bulldozing ferocity. Ruthless. Vicious. Relentless. (Phobia Records, Halvfabrikat Records)

Svaveldioxid ‎– Dödsögonblick

Swedish band Svaveldioxid smashed out their 2019 full-length, Dödsögonblick, in a single weekend. The 12” reeked of 80s/90s-inspired kängpunk, with heavily distorted guitars, pounding drums, and cut-throat vocals. Achingly harsh hardcore and d-beat were thrashed by cudgel-weilding crust. Belligerent. Barbaric. and noisy AF. (D-Takt & Råpunk Records, Konton Crasher)‎

Nosferatu ‎– Solution A

Texas band Nosferatu’s full-length debut, Solution A, featured breakneck hardcore that was wholly chaotic and yet razor-sharp. Fast and furious tracks were stripped to the bone while resounding with 80s influences. Barked vocals, lightning-fast drums, and a barrage of wall-of-noise riffs delivered powerhouse punk with an apocalyptic aftertaste. (La Vida Es Un Mus, Media Disease Records, Todo Destruido)

Kaltbruching Acideath / Zygome ‎– Split 12″

The noxious 2019 split from Japanese stenchcore band Kaltbruching Acideath and Canadian crusties Zygome was an absolute mind-crusher. Sturdily built tracks oozed putrid – and slowly grinding – primitivism. Perfectly rotten and monolithic muck for fans of Prophecy of Doom, Amebix, Deviated Instinct, etc. (Doomed to Extinction Records)

Deformation ‎– S/T

The self-titled debut from Danish trio Deformation featured jacked-up K-Town hardcore, which was as raw as salt in a wound. Deformation’s debut had a gloriously caustic edge, and having the LP mastered at Tokyo’s famed Noise Room studios only added to its mind-melting abrasiveness. High-speed ferocious fun. 10/10. (Adult Crash)

Dishönor ‎– S/T

The impressive self-titled debut from mysterious Greek d-beat/crust titans Dishönor called to mind heavy-hitters like Warcollapse and Visions of War with its bleak bulldog crust cutting a ragged path through equally grim hardcore. Info on the band is scarce. But the neck-wrecking pleasures of Dishönor’s instinctive debut are undeniable. (Self-released)

Frenzy ‎– S/T

The self-titled debut from PDX punks Frenzy was filled with crude and chaotic noise. However, the album was also a prime example of how dissonant punk can be wholly anarchic and yet carefully crafted. No question, Frenzy’s debut was as caustic as a battery-acid enema. But the songs within were also smart as a tack. (Distort Reality)

Larma ‎– S/T

Larma’s self-titled album exceeded expectations. The Swedish band tore through 11 high-octane tracks with blistering kängpunk, d-beat, and plenty of Totalitär-worship on display. Best of all, though, Larma had a gift for dropping big fat hooks into otherwise red-raw maelstroms. Impressive stuff. (Adult Crash, Beach Impediment Records)

Subversive Rite ‎– Songs for the End Times

If you dig the early years of UK legends Sacrilege, you’re going to love NYC four-piece Subversive Rite. The band’s Songs for the End Times LP featured stronger songwriting the band’s (already impressive) previous releases, and the album’s thicker/heavier production gave full weight to Subversive Rite’s dramatic and epic-sounding hardcore. (Bloody Master Records)

The Tits ‎– Great Punk Tits

Great Punk Tits collected hard-to-find tracks as well the 2019 LP from Japanese raw punk band The Tits on one handy compilation. The Tits’ über-acidic music is a hard sell. It’s head-splitting noise, for sure, and astringent, no doubt, but it’s also super-fun for masochists and fans of truly deafening sonic pursuits. (Distort Reality)

Future Terror ‎– Plague

The full-length debut from Virginia-based band Future Terror was an all-guns-blazing juggernaut, chock-a-block with titanium-tipped punk. Plague featured rage-fuelled tracks built from vein-popping hardcore and distorted crust focused to a deadly degree. Volatile. Unbridled. Incendiary. Plague hit like a battering ram. (Ryvvolte Records)

Vicious Irene ‎– Sacrifice

Sacrifice was the heaviest release yet from Swedish Grrrl-crust band Vicious Irene. Kängpunk smashed into pitch-black d-beat and metallic hardcore. But the real hook here was all the gritty-sounding grunge. 18 years in punk rock’s trenches hasn’t diminished Vicious Irene’s fire one iota. (Ruin Nation Records)

Territory ‎– S/T

The self-titled debut from Perth band Territory featured as much chest-pounding stadium crust as it did outright hardcore thuggery. Released by DIY Western Australian label Televised Suicide, Territory’s full-length sounded bigger and beefier than their 2016 demo, but it still held tight to their graveled tone and their rough finish. Gnarled and gnarly, mate. Get some. (Televised Suicide)

Kohti Tuhoa ‎– Ihmisen Kasvot

Finnish four-piece Kohti Tuhoa grow more and more enthralling with every subsequent release. Ihmisen Kasvot was the band’s most creative album yet. Piercing hardcore was assailed by pounding percussion as dystopian tales and critiques of sociopolitical injustices reached blood-boiling intensity. Another system-smashing triumph. (La Vida Es Un Mus Discos)

Nightmare ‎–Thirsty and Wander

Long-running Japanese hardcore band Nightmare have never taken the easy path. The band’s thrashing songs are filled with neck-straining rhythmic swerves, and Thirsty and Wander was another breathtaking collection of head-twisting *and* gut-punching hardcore. Tune in to enjoy songs turning themselves inside out. An impressive effort for a band still clearly energized and enraged. (540 Records, Farewell Records, La Familia Releases)

Kaleidoscope ‎– After the Futures

NYC experimentalists Kaleidoscope told a twisted tale on their After the Futures LP. Anarcho-punk wound itself around off-kilter hardcore, with full-strength riffs and biting vocals mixing with outré deviations. Off-beat and urgent, Kaleidoscope’s artful yet ferocious approach was catchy and often downright mesmerizing. (Toxic Shock, La Vida Es Un Mus)

Ohyda ‎– Koszmar

Polish band Ohyda’s sophomore album, Koszmar, saw the band pouring blistering hardcore into a psych-punk furnace. Echoing vocals, jagged riffs, and jarring percussion were assailed by waves of distortion. Brutal but always buzzing with intimacy, Koszmar married unhinged post-punk to scorched-earth (and often hook-laden) hardcore. (La Vida Es Un Mus)

Storm of Sedition ‎– Howl of Dynamite

Tense times on Storm of Sedition’s recent European tour aside, the Canadian band’s 2019 album, Howl of Dynamite, was a nihilistic tour de force. Blackened crust, death metal, and armor-plated stenchcore did battle with capitalism, domination, and civilization itself. Howl of Dynamite was iron-willed and utterly obliterating. (Urinal Vinyl Records, Acid Tears Records, N.I.C., Štrigon Records, Nothing to Harvest Records, Angry Voice, Fucking Kill Records)

Appäratus – Absürd 19
Osmantikos – Survival

2019 was filled with great releases from South East Asian bands, including a couple of whirlwind releases from Malaysian groups Appäratus and Osmantikos. Appäratus’ mind-frying Absürd 19 LP looked to the early years of Scandinavian råpunk for inspiration. Howling songs were dunked in boiling vats of corrosive distortion, with Appäratus delivering ear-bleeding tunes for troubled times. (Rawmantic Disasters, Wild Wild East)

A horde of labels got behind Osmantikos’ Survival LP. The band’s powerhouse crust was left jagged at the edges, with pounding tracks and roaring melodies powered by hot-blooded passion and dynamic musicianship. (Phobia Records, Not Enough Records, N.I.C., SPHC, Too Circle Records, Bullwhip Records)

Bad Breeding ‎– Exiled

UK band Bad Breeding mixed anarcho punk with hardcore and stark noise rock on their third album, Exiled. Inspired by tense times at home, Exiled reflected bleak political tensions and plenty of personal anxieties, but Bad Breeding always deliver deeply cathartic music. Another off-piste creative gem from one of the UK’s most important punk bands. (Iron Lung Records, One Little Indian)

Hellknife ‎– Dusk of Doom

Before I go, let me leave you with a hot tip. Hellknife’s Dusk of Doom LP isn’t out until 12 December, but from the sounds of the raucous preview track streaming online, the LP would fit right in with plenty of the fist-pumping metallic (and melodic) crust above. Check it out if dark and d-beaten metalpunk, with plenty of explosive leads, is your thing. (Phobia Records, Wooaaargh, and Ecocentric Records.)

«»

Don’t forget, In Crust We Trust has another EOY edition incoming, featuring some of the noisiest EPs and reissues from 2019. Keep an eye out for that later today.

The post Best Of 2019 – In Crust We Trust: The LPs appeared first on Last Rites.

I usually start this monthly soirée with a long-winded introduction. However, this month, you’re going to be spared the usual meandering preamble—you’re welcome, btw. I’ve been busy dealing with a rectum-ravaging virus that even a diehard coprophiliac would likely find a bit fucking much. So, sorry, there’s no prologue while I’m struggling not to prolapse. But I’m sure you’ll survive, right?

I did have a couple of introductory thoughts pass through my mind—in between the violent late-night purges of my undercarriage. Most of those thoughts focused on aging punks and metallers, and the never-ending horror show as our well-worn bodies begin to fall apart. I also had a few thoughts about the generational schisms that arise as punk and metal fans grow older. But mostly I just sat on the can this month thinking, “Jesus, fuck, Christ almighty… I could probably sell a photo of that mess to Pissgrave for their next album cover.”

Obviously, old man issues like graying temples and leaky bladders aren’t hot-button punk rock topics. Although, I guess pissing your pants is kind of punk. But probably not if it’s because your incontinence diaper is overflowing. Anyway, I wisely decided to leave all the ‘Grandpa’s yelling at the clouds again’ bullshit until the next time round. Right now, I’ve got a gigantic bottle of bleach, a shiny hazmat suit, and a Pollock-worthy splatterfest to clean up.

As always, thanks a million for stopping by.

Enjoy the noise.

Victims – The Horse and Sparrow Theory

Swedish d-beat band Victims have a high profile amongst battle-vested rivetheads and dog-on-a-string crusties. The band’s last album, 2016’s Sirens, was released by stalwart label Tankcrimes, and it cemented Victims’ position in the roll-call of hard-hitting crossover groups. However, Victims’ latest album, The Horse and Sparrow Theory, is being released by the bigger kids at Relapse Records.

A lot of bands, particularly those who’ve recorded elsewhere, get a beefier audio boost after joining Relapse’s roster, and Victims’ new album certainly has a heavyweight impact, both sonically and lyrically. Plenty of punk bands who’ve also gotten a sniff of potentially more underground acclaim have watered down their principles and political bite, but that’s not the case with Victims. The band are 20 years into their career, but even after all that time in the trenches, Victims’ ideas and their ideals remain fired up and focused.

In fact, The Horse and Sparrow Theory is probably the band’s most politically engaged and even more enraged album yet. (The album’s title references hotly debated economic theories.) Far from being disheartened by inaction or exhausted by self-serving political machinations, The Horse and Sparrow Theory tears into socio-political inequalities, environmental neglect, and the manifest (and intertwining) woes of capitalism, class, corruption, and greed.

Victims’ uncompromising lyrics are matched to fist-raising hardcore; with tougher-than-tough riffs, fervent vocals, and a highly animated rhythm section driving their songs. Hurtling tracks like “The Birth of Tragedy,” “Revenge of Our Fathers,” “Fires Below,” and mini-epic “We Fail” have a clear message to deliver—but they’re not dry or dusty lectures. Hook-laden melodies rise in stampeding tracks, with Victims unleashing Molotov-hurling maelstroms like “The Sea and the Poison” or “There’s Blood on the Streets.”

The Horse and Sparrow Theory delivers exactly what you’d expect—searing blasts of d-beaten hardcore. However, there’s also no denying the album is slicker and sharper than Victims’ previous releases. Some of the band’s jagged edges have been sanded down, but Victims’ Discharge (and Motörcharged) influences haven’t been diluted, even if they do express broader creative ambitions than before.

Ultimately, The Horse and Sparrow Theory is still deafening, defiant, and rebellious—and it’s always heartening to see battle-scarred d-beat veterans continuing to fight for the cause. The Horse and Sparrow Theory displays a staunch commitment to rabble-rousing, and the album’s combination of aggression and intelligence highlight passion and rage undiminished by time.

Friendship – Undercurrent

Japanese band Friendship reaped a fair amount of well-deserved acclaim following the release of their obliterating full-length debut, Hatred. The band’s new album, Undercurrent, is once again seeing an international release via Southern Lord, and as before, Friendship’s full-bore tracks violently fuse thick / heavy blackened hardcore with crusty / sludgy powerviolence.

Most of the Japanese punk I usually write about is inspired by dissonant heroes like Framtid or Disclose. However, Friendship’s sound is far thicker and sturdier, sounding more like the early years of US bands Nails or Full of Hell. Undercurrent delivers 10 tracks in 22 minutes, and Friendship don’t fuck around. The band’s oppressive songs are all heavily muscled and free of fat, and much like fellow Japanese behemoths Coffins, Friendship mine a few extra tons of blunt-force heaviness.

Undercurrent isn’t a simple repeat of Hatred, though. The core ingredients (essentially) remain the same, but where Hatred had layer upon layer of crust and dirt mixed into its grinding mechanics, Undercurrent is more honed and finished. Friendship’s bludgeoning songs are still misanthropic as hell, but Undercurrent is more polished in both technical and textural terms. Rest assured, Friendship still wield a formidable amount of hostility, and frenzied hardcore still boils in Undercurrent‘s innards. The band’s songs still hurtle along at red-lining speeds as well, and a stronger dose of tungsten-strength death metal echos in this record’s hardest hitting batteries.

It’s easy to dismiss most releases touted as reaching new levels of extremity. But Friendship’s full-length debut genuinely pushed past previous barriers and dug deep into traumatic audio terrain. Undercurrent differs in tone and texture to Hatred’s more feral ferocity, but it matches their first in terms of merciless temperament and the sheer intensity of the band’s brutal performances. Ultra-dark. Ultra-heavy. Ultra-mean. What’s not to love?

Extended Hell – Mortal Wound

Headsplitters – S/T

New York bands Headsplitters and Extended Hell have toured together a couple of times, and both groups have also recently released their full-length debuts. Extended Hell features members drawn from ear-splitting groups like Urchin and Narcoleptics, and the band’s previous EPs have all made for bruising encounters. Extended Hell’s Mortal Wound 12″ is an absolute ripper, too—loaded with crust-coated d-beat and gutter hardcore, with not a second wasted on blowhard histrionics. Extended Hell get right down to berserker business here, delivering hard-as-nails (and raw af) tracks that grind the pulverizing influence of Anti Cimex and Totalitär up in a cyclone-speed blender.

Headsplitters also deal in all-guns-blazing hardcore that’s as gritty as Escape from New York or The Warriors. The band’s self-titled full-length is replete with red-raw pandemonium, and powered by unstoppable fury. However, Headsplitters hold tight to their in-your-face songs, even when unleashing the most barbaric deluges. No question, Headsplitters’ eponymous album is a riotous melee throughout, but the band’s strength lies in their ability to deliver fierce storms of chaotic noise while always maintaining a tight, thickset sound.

Alphanumeric – Condemnation of Memory

The big hook for Florida-based Alphanumeric is that ex-Assück vocalist Paul Pavlovich is doing all the howling and yowling. Although, it clearly also helps that members of Swamp Gas, Commit Suicide and Solstice are contributing. Alphanumeric deal in old-school grindcore, the kind that’s crusty enough, wretched enough, and pissed-off enough to appeal to punks, metalheads, and grind freaks alike. The band’s debut EP, Condemnation of Memory, features six hyperspeed tracks that are about as comforting as a red-hot shard of metal in your eye, and about as cranked and amped as weekend meth bender. Self-recorded, released on Pavlovich’s new Roman Numeral label, and with James Plotkin on mastering duties, Condemnation of Memory ticks a lot of boxes: all of them loud, all of them fierce, and all of them deranged.

Step to Freedom – The Rotten Era

I spend an inordinate amount of time trawling blogs, YouTube, and Bandcamp looking for ugly releases to share, and I still manage to miss a mountain of great music along the way. Case in point: Russian stenchcore band Step to Freedom. The Nizhny Novgorod-based four-piece released an EP, The Rotten Era, a few months back, but I only stumbled on the metallic monster recently. Step to Freedom have a couple of other releases under their belt already, and they’re all essentially comprised of harsh, bass-driven crust that’s both noxious and evocative of a very bleak reality.

My knowledge of Russian crustcore doesn’t extend very far past the reliably excellent Moscow crew Fatum, and if you enjoy that band’s thundering stenchcore—or the ear-splitting punk of OG crusties like Misery, Deviated Instinct or Axegrinder—then Step to Freedom will also likely appeal. I’m genuinely stoked to have stumbled on The Rotten Era; it’s one of those cranium-cracking gems so often lost in all the noise. Fans of guttural punk, squalid crust, and doom-choked hardcore should tune in. The Rotten Era‘s production features ample heaviness and density, and the EP deserves a wider audience.

Scumripper – All Veins Blazing

Depressor – Hell Storms Over Earth

Finnish trio Scumripper and San Franciso cvlt band Depressor aren’t 100% punk bands per se. However, crust’s palpable influence on both means their latest releases unquestionably deserve coverage right here. Scumripper’s long-awaited debut, All Veins Blazing, doesn’t deviate from the punked-up black / death / thrash template they established on their well-regarded, albeit unsavory, 2015 demo. Quick-fire tracks like “Slay. Scum. Day,” “Nuns ‘n’ Doses,” and “Rock the Bone” churn and grind with plenty of rip, shit or bust attitude, as does an obnoxious ditty like “Put a Boot to His Cock.” Scumripper’s rotten output has been compared to the most putrid ejaculations of groups like Autopsy or Abscess. That’s a fair comparison, but mainly in the sense that Scumripper’s filthy metalpunk is also as degenerate as a lunchbreak wank.

San Francisco band Depressor was founded back in 1992 by guitarist / vocalist / songwriter Chris Oxford. Early on, Depressor’s hybrid industrial metal replicated the stylings of groups like Godflesh or Pitch Shifter. By the late-90s, though, Depressor were mixing death metal, grindcore and primitive crust, channeling influences like Amebix and GISM through the prism of early-Celtic Frost and Discharge. It was a great sound, but little heard, which enigmatic label Sentient Ruin is putting to rights by releasing obscure recordings from Depressor’s crust era on the band’s Hell Storms Over Earth retrospective.

Hell Storms Over Earth includes a storming set of tracks recorded for an unreleased split with legendary Japanese punks Disclose, as well as scores of other bleeding-raw ragers. All the bulldozing blasts of raw and heavyset death / crust are impressive, and remastering the four-track recordings has only amplified their inherent filth and apocalyptic bleakness. Shining a light on little or unheard creative exploits is always an interesting exercise, but it’s not always a successful one. In this case, Sentient Ruin should be applauded for highlighting Depressor’s punishing endeavors, which definitely deserve the attention, and more.

Hell Storms Over Earth is perfect for the old guard or the new, with downtuned and genuinely brutal metalpunk powered by intimidating levels of antipathy. Sure to one of the year’s best crust releases, retrospective or not.

Electrozombies – Darkness Is Rebellion

Chilean three-piece Electrozombies came to my attention in 2017 (via a great split with UK crust legends Doom), but the band have actually been making a hellish racket since the early 2000s. Electrozombies features sisters Marcela (on bass) and Paola (on drums), with guitarist and vocalist Miguel completing the trio. Essentially, the group deal in knuckle-dragging / smashed-teeth sludge and crust—the kind that oozes sewage and is as heavy as a funeral. Fans of crawling 90s crustcore will likely dig the grim-faced doom punk vibes here. (And especially if groups like Meth Drinker, Dystopia or Grief appeal.)

Electrozombies’ latest release, Darkness is Rebellion, features seven trampling tracks that run the gamut from low-slung, choking sludge to speedier bursts of harsh and crushing crust. Everything here is drowning in nihilism, and Electrozombies invest plenty of time in crafting ultra-downtuned and distorted riffs to set against throat-slit howls and crashing drums and bass. If you’re a devotee of anvil-heavy punk—the kind that tips its hat to Hellhammer as much as Hellbastard—then Electrozombies’ revolting rhymes will suit you to a T.

Warthog – Warthog Live

Arseholes – PHL 2019

Last year’s self-titled 7” from NYC posse Warthog was yet another instant classic from one of North America’s greatest contemporary hardcore bands. Warthog’s latest release is an 8-song live set recorded in early 2019, and it’s released by Shout Recordings, the label responsible for numerous red-hot Beat Sessions releases. Warthog’s live tracks are all pummeling and propulsive, as you’d expect, and the band sounds even more wired and thrilling in an off-the-chain live setting. However, Warthog still keep things super-tight and razor-sharp, and they make every sledgehammering second count. Fans of ferociously thrashing hardcore will find a lot of love right here.

Speaking of sledgehammering noise, I missed mentioning the latest release from Philadelphia band Arseholes when it was originally unleashed early this year. Still, it’s never too late to talk about the band, which features members from A-grade noise terrorists like Pollen, Neverending Mind War, and Mauser. Arseholes’ PHL 2019 cassette, digital and flexi release is comprised of five songs that are as picturesque as a chainsaw accident, and as pleasant as a picnic in a slaughterhouse. Obviously, those are both huge pluses given the abrasively raw racket that Arseholes specialize in. Forget virtuosity. Embrace volatility. Noise punk nirvana awaits.

Scab Eater – Ultra Vires

Televised Suicide – Territory & Warcycle

Even though the sandy shores of Australia are a hop, skip and jump away from my home nation, I keep closer tabs on what’s happening in the US, Europe, and my homegrown punk scenes. I don’t say that with any pride; that’s a definite failing on my behalf. But I do check in with a few Oz-based labels and distros now and then, and, thankfully, Northern Hemisphere labels release their share of noisy Aussie rockers.

That’s how I stumbled on Melbourne band Scab Eater, because their new Ultra Vires album is a co-release between French label Symphony of Destruction and Australian label No Patience. Scab Eater’s latest breakneck tracks are in-your-face and unrelenting, much like their previous scorching releases. The band have gigs galore and long-ass tours under their hood, but Scab Eater definitely still sound up for a fight on Ultra Vires. The album is chock full of snaggling hooks and snarling songs, but there’s also a clear dedication to the DIY cause on display, which is addictively attractive as well.

Also on my Oz radar this month is Perth-based DIY label and distro Televised Suicide. The label’s got a couple of upcoming heavyweight releases that sound extremely promising: see Warcycle’s fierce crasher crust and Territory’s stadium crust fare below. Before those releases drop, though, Televised Suicide’s got a few 7″ recordings to unleash, including a strident old-school split from Hexx and Shitgrinder. FYI: Televised Suicide is definitely a label to keep a close eye on.

Asid – Pathetic Flesh

Nosferatu – Solution A

La Vida Es Un Mus Discos is one of the most invariably interesting punk labels around. (And with 200 releases under its belt, the label is fairly prolific, too.) I can’t say I’ve enjoyed every release from them—mainly because they’ve released such a broad range of punk, and some of it simply falls outside of my taste range—but the label has already released a couple of LPs guaranteed to turn up on plenty of EOY punk lists at the end of 2019. See Enzyme’s outstanding Howling Mind LP, and Khiis’ ferocious Bezoar full-length. Also in contention are Asid’s Pathetic Flesh LP, and Nosferatu’s recent full-length debut, Solution A.

Pathetic Flesh builds on the rough and ragged promise of Asid’s well-received 2018 demo. Like that recording, this latest release displays a fierce commitment to uncompromising music-making, and Asid make every effort to ramp up the sickness and crudeness from their first LP. Scorching raw punk is fueled by raging riffs and corrosive noise throughout. Bands like Disclose or Framtid get a passing nod, but Asid concentrate on stripping their songs down and tearing the skin off the bone until you’re left with a hideous / glorious bloodbath of maniacal hardcore.

Solution A is the storming first full-length from Texas band Nosferatu, who also happen to deal in zero-bullshit hardcore. Nosferatu’s hard / fast songs echo with the meanest blasts of 80s hardcore. I’ve seen Koro and YDI’s names dropped as reference points a gazillion times, which means you can expect lightning-fast drumming, galloping bass, and a barrage of wall-of-noise riffs and incomprehensible barks. Nosferatu sound wrong, in all the right ways, and not to dismiss their contemporary currency, but the whirlwind racket they create would find favor with fans of pre-Instafame bands like Siege. Nosferatu clearly don’t give a fuck about clickbait appraisals, but they definitely give a shit about crafting resolutely savage songs.

Amhra – Más Allá

I’d never heard of “barbarian crust” horde Amhra before hitting play on the Galicia-based band’s Más Allá debut. Co-released by labels Symphony of Destruction, Abbsurda Existencia, and Phobia Records, Más Allá is heavy as the Sword of Damocles and features gruffer-than-gruff tunes that hit like a nail-spiked baseball bat. After a few creepy crow cries, the storming “Reflejos” kicks things off, with steamrolling tracks like “Salida,” “Fauces” and “Perros” delivering guttural barks, sheet-metal drums and thick, tarnished riffs. Mammoth-sounding metallic crust plays a big role here, but forget any of the spit and polish of trendsetting crustcore. Amhra’s take on crust and d-beat is downbeat, dirty and toxic—definitely not made for fence sitters or fly-by-night flunkies.

Kafka – S/T

The self-titled debut from Greek band Kafka starts out like a fever dream, but the end result is closer to a dark nightmare. Kafka’s intentions certainly aren’t malicious, as such, but their heaving blackened neocrust churns with enough pain and bile to sound remarkably grim in parts. (Of course, like all good cathartic crust, there are also plenty of fist-raising and howling-to-the-moon moments within.) Details about the Patras-based band are scarce—which is fine: music over personalities, every time—but there are clearly well-practiced musicians operating here. Kafka’s debut is confident and promising, which are great components to build on for their next onslaught.

Idiota Civlizzato – Civiltà Idiota

The 2018 full-length debut from multi-national hardcore crew Idiota Civlizzato was recorded in a single late-night session, and it went on to reap abundant underground applause. Blazing back into the frame with four new tracks, Idiota Civlizzato’s Civiltà Idiota EP features a similar mix of electric shock spasms and deviant howls woven into deliriously frenzied hardcore. Never ones to sit still, Idiota Civlizzato sound 100% riled-up on their new ear-splitting songs, which trip and tumble over sharp riffs and spiky vocals wound around pell-mell percussion. Word is, visa issues currently mean Idiota Civlizzato is scattered to the wind. Fingers crossed they reconvene for more fucked-up and frantic endeavors soon.

Absolut – 2019 Demonstration – Denver Edition

Canadian band Absolut are downright revered in raw punk circles. Although, I’m not up to date with the latest punk rock rule book, so maybe it’s a little uncool to acknowledge that fact? I can’t help being chuffed to see Absolut releasing crashing new music, given they’ve disbanded and reformed in recent times and their split with kängpunk kingpins Svaveldioxid in 2017 was a total fucking knockout. Absolut’s new four-song release, 2019 Demonstration – Denver Edition, essentially tells the same ol’ mind-crushing story, which, incidentally, isn’t any kind of problem at all. Salvos of acidic riffs, spitting vocals, and nuclear-powered drums rain down, as per, reaffirming Absolut’s gift for producing concussion-triggering noise that’s worshipped by abrasive punk devotees (like me).

Disclone – Total Kontakt D – Takt Noise Raid

Earth Crust Displacement / Disease – Distort Fucking World

The three noise-makers below sit together fairly nicely, even if there’s nothing remotely nice about the deafening commotion they make. All three bands clearly adore Japanese raw punk icons Disclose, and if you’re au fait with rough-hewn punk, repetitive gum infections, and duct-taping your shoes, then you’ll probably notice that the bands below all exhibit Disclose’s influence differently. That said, you’d also be entirely forgiven if you think all their music sounds like a diarrhea hurricane. One person’s poison is another’s dumpster diving feast, after all.

Ultra-coarse d-beat and good ol’ Noise Not Music are what Viennese band Disclone provide. (Obviously, that’s not any big surprise, given the band’s moniker.) I’m a fan of Disclone’s less-than-zero care, polish or compromise approach to… well, not music making, exactly…let’s call it smearing a veneer of rancid noise onto an even more rotting canvas. This time round, Disclone’s latest EP, 4 Trax Total Kontakt D – Takt Noise Raid, pays tribute to more Scandinavian than Japanese influences. However, switching sites of noise punk inspiration doesn’t make a huge amount of difference, given that Disclone’s all-guns-blazing approach ensures that mind-shredding chaos reigns supreme.

Disclose worshippers Disease are based in Macedonia, and their split release compadres, Earth Crust Displacement, are from Germany. Both bands follow a similar noisy d-takt route, which makes their Distort Fucking World split an entirely compatible, albeit still thoroughly ear-fucking, gem. Disease have pumped out something like 18 split and solo releases in the last half dozen years, and their fast and grubby tracks right here stick to their usual raw d-beat + caustic crust formula. Earth Crust Displacement contribute seven massive (and notably acrid) dis-noise tracks, and every one of them is a migraine-inducing inferno. Double the noise. Double the trouble. Double the filth and fun.

Kriegshög –  Paint It Black

S.D.S / Misery – The Future Stay in the Darkness Fog / Pain in Suffering

I was going to wait until Japanese crushers Kriegshög officially released their new Paint it Black 7″ before I wrote a single word about it, but I’m an impatient asshole at the best of times, so I’ve dropped in a teaser clip below. Paint it Black is due out sometime in late June, and knowing my luck, it’ll probably be released about 30 seconds after I publish this blurb.

There are very good reasons to get hyped about Kriegshög’s return—not least because the clip below confirms that they still make some of the grimmest and heaviest d-beat and raw punk around. I’ll have a lot more to say about Paint it Black when it’s officially out, but I don’t mind admitting in advance that I’m ridiculously overexcited about the EP’s impending arrival.

There are even more reasons to get excited about the recent reissuing of S.D.S and Misery’s split, The Future Stay in the Darkness Fog / Pain in Suffering. Originally released in 1992, the recording is a hugely important underground statement, with first press copies now costing an absolute fortune online. Thanks to Profane Existence, original Japanese label MCR Company, and S.D.S and Misery, a remastered and reissued version of the split is now finally available (to the utter delight of fans) close to 30 years after its debut.

Authoritative punk blog Terminal Sound Nuisance has written scores of in-depth analyses of crucial and / or obscure punk releases, and the blog’s rigorous write-ups really are a phenomenal resource. Terminal Sound Nuisance’s lengthy review of S.D.S and Misery’s split argues that it’s “the best split crust LP ever.” (They also goes on to argue that Misery are “the best US crust band ever.”) Obviously, you don’t have to agree with either proposition to simply bathe in a powerhouse example of two definitive crust bands expounding on the subgenre’s preeminent strengths. Twenty-seven years after its release, S.D.S and Misery’s split has lost none of its power. An undeniable crust classic.

Piggery – S/T

Pvnisher – A Private Hell

Before I go, I wanted to mention a couple of recent New Zealand punk releases that definitely fall into ICWT’s noisy orbit. However, before I do that, I also need to make VERY CLEAR that I had a little involvement with both releases via a minuscule DIY label I started this year. Obviously, it would extremely dubious for me to try and sell you on something I had a hand in co-releasing with more established NZ punk labels, but it costs approximately $14.7 billion dollars to ship an LP from NZ to anywhere overseas, so the chances of me selling one here are pretty much zip.

Also, if you did happen to hit the “Buy Digital Album” button on either release below, I don’t benefit in the slightest in that regard, either. (I mean, aside from being stoked you bought some banging NZ punk.)

(Is that enough caveats?)

Honestly, I really just wanted to turn you on to some Southern Hemisphere crust that you might otherwise have missed. (And FYI: if you’re interested, I wrote a feature on NZ punk for Last Rites fairly recently). So, with hype-free and entirely transparent intentions, let me point you to Wellington band Piggery’s self-titled debut, which nods to heavyweight 90s’ crust, stenchcore, and death metal, and tips its hat to bands like Skaven, Hellshock, and Stormcrow.

Also worth your time is the debut 7″ from Wellington duo Pvnisher.  A Private Hell features stripped-down blackened crust, which ticks the red-raw Doom-worship box while paying tribute in front of a crudely constructed alter to Darkthrone. Expect blown-out / feedbacking riffs, growling vocals, and careening percussion—all marinating in a poisonous stew of bitterness and bile.

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The post In Crust We Trust: Vol. 5 appeared first on Last Rites.