Crust Punk

Ruinas – Ikonoklasta Review

By Mark Z. on March 17, 2020 in 2020, Crust Punk, Death Metal, Grind, Reviews, Spanish Metal, Spikerot Records, Crust Punk, Death Metal, 13 comments

“The world today is a frustrating place. You try to go on vacation and miss your flight because some idiot got into a fender bender and caused a traffic jam. You try to go out to eat and can’t find anywhere to park. You try to take a shit and are forced to wipe your ass with an old washcloth because every store within 100 miles is sold out of toilet paper. In times like these, nothing helps more than a pure blast of raw aggression, an aural rampage that obliterates any and all sense of frustration from your mind. I find deathgrind works particularly well in this regard, especially albums like Death Toll 80K’s incendiary and rifftastic Harsh Realities. Seeing Ruinas listed under the deathgrind tag, I hoped this newfound Spanish group would offer just what I was looking for during a time in my life that’s been more frustrating than usual.” Ain’t no cure for the TP blues.

M:40 – Arvsynd Review

By Mark Z. on September 25, 2019 in 2019, Crust Punk, Halvfabrikat Records, Hardcore, Reviews, Suicide Records, Swedish Metal, Crust Punk, Hardcore, 9 comments

“I find it hard not to like crust. It’s savage, primitive, and typically comes packaged with a thick DIY vibe that emanates like the stench of a gutter punk whose pants are held together by Discharge patches and broken dreams. Like most things, I prefer it with a little black or death metal mixed in, but even more traditional crust bands like Disfear and Wolfbrigade are plenty enjoyable now and then. Like those two acts, M:40 hail from Sweden and are heavily influenced by all things crust.” Crust lovers unite.

Agenda – Apocalyptic Wasteland Blues Review

By Eldritch Elitist on September 19, 2019 in 2019, Crust Punk, Fysisk Format, Norwegian Metal, Reviews, Crust Punk, 14 comments

“Crust is the only category of punk that’s ever successfully lured me into its slime-stained grip, and that isn’t just because it’s a close cousin of metal. I find comfort in its narrow scope; the reliance on d-beat, drunken harsh vocals, and melodic chord progressions played in ceaseless triplets make for beautifully simple and reliably satisfying tropes. Listening to any new crust album is like a visit from an old friend, except that friend is every crust act to ever exist, and they all smell equally.” Stench agendas.

Rotten Hate – Stabbing the Masses Review

By Mark Z. on July 24, 2019 in 2019, Australis Records, Chilean Metal, Crust Punk, Death Metal, Reviews, Crust Punk, Death Metal, 15 comments

“If blackened death metal is like a nuclear bomb going off, then crust punk is like getting a nail bomb shoved in your body’s tightest orifice. Add some death metal to the mix and it’s like getting a nail bomb shoved in every orifice. At least, that’s what I hope for when I see these two styles mixed together. And that’s what I hoped for with Rotten Hate, a new Chilean trio formed by members of underground doom acts Ruined and Black Harvest.” Hate is the new love.

Goregäng – Neon Graves Review

By Kenstrosity on May 20, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, Crust Punk, Death Metal, Reviews, Transcending Obscurity, Crust Punk, Death Metal, 47 comments

“If there was ever a genre of extreme music my library woefully under-represents, it’s anything tagged with the term ‘crust’ or ‘punk.’ Why, you may ask? Because I just don’t listen to it often. Punk and many of its sibling genres find little purchase with me. Which is funny, since I like grindcore and powerviolence, two of punk’s more extreme descendants. My suspicion is that at this point in my musical evolution I remain a tad stubborn as it pertains to things I don’t want to like, and crust-punk is one of those things.” Eat the crust!

Wormwitch – Heaven That Dwells Within Review

By Eldritch Elitist on April 6, 2019 in 2019, Black Metal, Canadian Metal, Prosthetic Records, Reviews, Black Metal, Crust Punk, 91 comments

“I’m trying to be stricter with my scores so far this year, and in the process I’ve done a lot of thinking about what makes a great record… well, great. I could boil it down to some nebulous combination of songwriting, riffs, and melodic personality, but solid fundamentals aren’t enough. Those qualities alone would only result in an AMG 3.5 without that all important je ne sais quoi; the kind of elusive talent which enables moments that explode with vibrancy, reminding us why we are alive. And Wormwitch? Man alive, they’ve got it.” The early Wormwitch gets the Elitist.

Yer Metal Is Olde: Nasum – Inhale/Exhale

By Saunders on January 6, 2019 in 2018, Crust Punk, Grind, Relapse, Swedish Metal, Yer Metal Is Olde, Crust Punk, Grind, 35 comments

“Nasum’s influence on modern grindcore and the entire history of the genre can not be overstated. Across a relatively short recording career, featuring four full length albums, the Swedish legends created an intimidating, high quality body of work that helped propel grindcore into the modern era. Along with other modern innovators like Pig Destroyer, Nasum played a crucial role in raising the genre’s underground profile, without losing an ounce of the white knuckle intensity and raw aggression typical of grind.” It’s all in the grind.

Blackrat – Dread Reverence Review

By Dr. Wvrm on November 21, 2018 in 2018, Black Metal, Canadian Metal, Crust Punk, Reviews, Shadow Kingdom Records, Thrash Metal, Black Metal, Crust Punk, Thrash Metal, 25 comments

“For years, throwback bands have charted the many tendrils of 80s influence ad infinitum, probably so well that you already know what Dread Reverence sounds like, don’t you? Maybe you do, but Blackrat don’t give a mouse’s patoot. For your listening pleasure, their third record provides only the finest selection of blackened thrashened crustened crust/thrash/black cuts, curated to slip even the sturdiest of discs. Dread Reverence is lean, mean, sounds like it was recorded by Fenriz as a teen, and desperately wants to be your friend. Won’t you take a spin on the throwback machine?” Wayback machines of wrath.

Siege of Power – Warning Blast Review

By Diabolus in Muzaka on September 4, 2018 in 2018, Crust Punk, Death Metal, Hardcore, International Metal, Metal Blade, Reviews, Crust Punk, Death Metal, Hardcore, 40 comments

“Warning Blast was set to be one unstoppable slab of doomy death metal. That is, until it wasn’t. Siege of Power are far more interested in playing some punk infused death-doom, or what it would sound like if death-doom musicians tried to start an old hardcore-adjacent band. Conveniently, this is almost exactly what Warning Blast represents.” Feel the crust.

Ravens Creed – Get Killed or Try Dying Review

By GardensTale on August 13, 2018 in 2018, British Metal, Crust Punk, Death Metal, Reviews, Xtreem Music, Crust Punk, Death Metal, 28 comments

“Among the uninitiated, metal has a reputation for being “that angry sort of music.” Of course, we know better than that. Many progressive and power metal bands wax about life-affirming statements in flowery language, and even many heavy metal bands aim more for fun and camaraderie than anger and skull-bashery. With more extreme forms of metal, it’s easier to see where the ignorant come from, but even black metal commonly puts subjects like evil and subversion ahead of sheer violence. Ravens Creed, however, have no problem giving in to the stereotypes.” Violence begets other violence.