| Crust punk | |
|---|---|
 Crust punk bandAntisect performing in 1985 | |
| Other names |
|
| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins | Early 1980s, England |
| Derivative forms | Grindcore,[5]red and anarchist black metal |
| Subgenres | |
| Crasher crust,neo-crust | |
| Fusion genres | |
| Blackened crust,crack rock steady,crustcore | |
| Regional scenes | |
| United Kingdom | |
| Other topics | |
Crust punk (also known asstenchcore or simplycrust) is afusion genre ofanarcho-punk andextreme metal that originated in the early to mid-1980s in England. Originally, the genre was primarily mid-tempo, making use of metal riffs in a stripped-down anarcho-punk context, however many later bands pushed the genre to be more grandiose, faster or more melodic. Often songs are political, discussingenvironmentalism,anarchism,anti-capitalism,feminism andanimal rights.
The genre originated in the early to mid-1980s withAmebix andAntisect, bands active in the anarcho-punk scene who began to incorporate the influence ofheavy metal bands such asHellhammer,Motörhead andTrouble. The influence of these bands led to the genre's first wave withHellbastard,Deviated Instinct andConcrete Sox. By the late 1980s, the genre had begun to merge withhardcore punk, typified byElectro Hippies,Extreme Noise Terror andDoom. During the 1990s, this sound was continued by Swedish and Japanese bands includingSkitsystem,Driller Killer,Disclose and Gloom, while other areas brought in outside influences such asDystopia with sludge metal,His Hero is Gone withpowerviolence,Choking Victim withska andDisrupt withgrindcore. During the 2000s, the most prominent sound in the genre was the neo-crust style ofTragedy,Fall of Efrafa andFrom Ashes Rise, which pushed the genre into more metal-influenced but also melodic andpost-rock-inspired territory. At the same time, Swedish bands likeDisfear andWolfbrigade were also pushing crust punk into an increasingly melodic direction, through the incorporation of elements ofmelodic death metal.
Metal lyrics were so dumb, so far removed from daily life. Venom were going on about Satan... and bikes... and Satan... and women... and Satan... I'd switch on the TV and know I was going to see hundreds of people dying because there'd been an earthquake in the third world... and all these people starving to death while military expenditure still increased... That was — and still is — the reality of it. The whole heavy metal thing is... well, bullshit basically."[6]
Crust punk lyrics generally discuss real-world issues as a means of activism. In particular, they discuss political and social themes such asclass struggle,environmentalism,anarchism, andanti-capitalism.[7] Sometimes these themes are hyperbolised to the point of discussing the apocalypse, religious control and nuclear destruction. Many bands also discussedfeminism,animal rights andveganism orvegetarianism.[8] In contrast, Amebix's lyrics sometimes discussedmysticism andGnosticism.[9]
Crust punk is a derivative form ofanarcho-punk, mixed with metalriffs.[1] The overall musical sound was described bySFGate writer Loolwa Khazzoom as being "stripped down".[10] Drumming is typically done at high speed, withD-beats sometimes being used.[3] InSober Living for the Revolution: Hardcore Punk, Straight Edge, and Radical Politics, author Gabriel Kuhn referred to the genre as a "blend of 1977 British punk, roots culture andblack metal", with the genre often taking influence fromdeath metal,grindcore andpowerviolence.[11]
The original name for the crust punk genre was "stenchcore", in reference toDeviated Instinct's 1986 demoTerminal Filth Stenchcore.[1] In a 2007 interview with3PRQ, the band's vocalist and guitarist Rob Middleton stated "We came up with the 'stenchcore' tag on our demo as kind of a joke as there were so many ridiculous 'cores' going about at the time and people used to comment on our general dishevelment." This term has stayed in use, however has developed from referring to the genre as a whole, to mean the particular mid–tempo, early extreme metal-influence sound of crust punk's first wave such as Deviated Instinct, Amebix and Antisect.[12]
The term "crust" was coined byHellbastard on their 1986Ripper Crust demo.[1] This name was derived from the "crusty" appearance of the genre's practitioning bands.[11] Punk historian Ian Glasper states, in his bookTrapped in a Scene, "Rippercrust [sic] is widely regarded as the first time the word 'crust' was used in the punk context, and hence the specific starting point of the whole crust punk genre, although some would attribute that accolade to the likes ofDisorder,Chaos UK, and Amebix several years earlier."[13] In the same book, he quoted the group's vocalist and guitarist Malcolm "Scruff" Lewty "A lot of people say we started the crust punk genre, but whatever. If they wanna say that, I don't mind, but I'm certainly noMalcolm McLaren, saying I invented something I didn't."[13]
The most prominent influences upon crust punk wereCrass andDischarge. Crass introduced the genre'sanarchist ideology and its tattered, militaristic aesthetic, while Discharge introduced its apocalyptic themes and influence fromheavy metal, particularlyMotörhead.[14] Other metal bands to include the style includedHellhammer andTrouble.[1]
Crust punk was established by the bandsAmebix andAntisect, who both growing out of the anarcho-punk scene and made use of dark, morbid and post-apocalyptic imagery. Amebix had begun their career playing a style more indebted toKilling Joke, while Antisect began playing simply anarcho-hardcore punk. Amebix first embraced metal influences on their 1983 albumNo Sanctuary, while Antisect did so on their 1985 EPOut from the Void. These releases were the earliest crust punk releases, with Amebix's subsequent albumArise (1985) codifying the sound of the genre.[1] However, Amebix also brought a wider scope of influences than most other bands in the genre, particularlypost-punk bands includingPublic Image Ltd.,Bauhaus,Joy Division and especiallyKilling Joke.[9] Soon, the first wave of crust punk bands was solidified with the formations ofHellbastard,Deviated Instinct andConcrete Sox.[1] This early wave of the genre was closely related to the nascentextreme metal scene, with the members of Amebix and Hellhammer even being in the sametape trading circles, influencing one another.[15]
In the following years, the genre spread to other countries. The largest of these was the Swedish crust punk andd-beat scene which early on producedAnti Cimex and Agnoni, who both quickly toured the United Kingdom.[16] From this scene soon originated theSwedish death metal scene, which would be brought to prominence byEntombed.[17]
American crust punk began in New York City, in the mid-1980s, with the work ofNausea. The group emerged from theLower East Sidesquat scene andNew York hardcore,[18] living withRoger Miret ofAgnostic Front.[19] The early work ofNeurosis, from San Francisco, also borrowed from Amebix, and inaugurated crust punk on the West Coast.[20][21]Disrupt (Boston),[22]Antischism (South Carolina), Misery andDestroy (Minneapolis) were also significant U.S. crust groups.[1]
In the late 1980s, bands includingDoom, Excrement of War,Electro Hippies andExtreme Noise Terror began to merge crust punk with the sound of UK hardcore punk, creating the crustcore subgenre.Felix Havoc describedExtreme Noise Terror's segment of the "Earslaughter" split album withChaos UK as the first album in the genre.[1]
In 1994,Orange County, California'sDystopia released their debut albumHuman = Garbage which merged sludge crust punk andsludge metal.[23] An important American crust punk band wasAus Rotten[24] fromPittsburgh,Pennsylvania. Crust punk also flourished in Minneapolis, shepherded by theProfane Existence label.[25] In this period, the ethos of crust punk became particularly codified, withvegetarianism,feminism, and sometimesstraight edge being prescribed by many of the figures in the scene.[25] Thepowerviolence scene associated withSlap-a-Ham Records was in close proximity to crust punk, particularly in the case ofMan Is the Bastard andDropdead.[26] Prominent crust punk groups (Driller Killer, Totalitär,Skitsystem,Wolfbrigade, andDisfear) also emerged from Sweden, which had always had a strong D-beat scene. Many of these groups developed in parallel with the much more commercialScandinavian death metal scene.[27]
During this time, crust became prominent in theAmerican South, wherePrank Records andCrimethInc. acted as focal points of the scene. The most well-known representative of Southern crust wasHis Hero Is Gone,[3][28] whose early material incorporate elements of powerviolence and experimental music. By the band's final albumThe Plot Sickens (1998), they had begun to incorporate influence from the Japanese hardcore styleburning spirits, to create a more grandiose and melodic take on crust punk. This sound was then continued by three of the members' subsequent bandTragedy At the same time, in Spain bands such as Hongo, Das Plague and Ekkaia were merging crust punk with elements ofscreamo, creating a fusion genre which at the time was called "emo crust".[29]
In the early 2000s, the Spanish emo crust genre and Tragedy–His Hero Is Gone melodic crust style began to merge, leading to the beginning of the neo-crust subgenre. During the mid–2000s, this became the most prominent style in the crust scene, producing subsequent acts such asFall of Efrafa andFrom Ashes Rise.[29] Soon, bands such asTrap Them emerged, incorporating increasing elements of hardcore anddeath metal.[30] By the end of the decade, many international crust punk bands had shifted their style to favour black metal influences.[29] In 2017,Bandcamp Daily wrote thatFluff Fest, held in Czechia since 2000, has become a "summer ritual" for many European crust fans.[31]
Crack rock steady is a punk rock fusion-genre, which combines elements of crust punk andska punk.[32] Lyrics often focus on themes such as drug-use, religion,[33] politics[34] and social issues.[32] Other genres sometimes incorporated in conjunction with the style includehardcore punk[33] andheavy metal.[35] Notable bands within the genre includeChoking Victim,Leftöver Crack,Morning Glory andStar Fucking Hipsters.[33]
Crustcore (also known as crusty hardcore), is a sub-genre of crust punk that takes influence fromhardcore punk and sometimesthrashcore. Crustcore bands include Extreme Noise Terror,Doom,Disrupt,[1] earlyWolfbrigade,[36]Neurosis,[37]Baptists,[38]Discharge[39] andFilth.[40]
Neo crust is a genre that merges crust punk with elements of various extreme music styles includingblack metal,screamo,post-rock,hardcore punk,[41]death metal anddoom metal.[42] Unlike most other punk–metal fusion genres, neo-crust's sound is neither distinctively rooted in punk or metal, instead frequently shifting between the two, disregarding genre boundaries.[42] It is often dark and heavy however also melodic.[42] The genre makes use of a melancholic tone and a post-civilization aesthetic, often including dead trees and barren landscapes, as well as poetic band names and lyrics. Some bands, such as Cwill and Remains of the Day even incorporateviolins into their music.[29]
The style originated as a amalgamation of two separate sounds that began concurrently in the late 1990s: the screamo influenced "emo crust" style of Spanish bands Hongo, Das Plague, Ekkaia, Madame Germen and Blünt; and the melodic crust sound of laterHis Hero is Gone and earlyTragedy, which was influenced by the Japanese hardcore style burning spirits. By 2002, Ekkaia and Tragedy had toured together, and subsequently adopted elements of each other's styles. This style was soon termed neo-crust by Alerta Antifascista records founder Timo Nehmtow, and saw widespread popularity in the punk scene during the mid–2000s. By the end of the decade, the sound had decline in popularity.[29]
Notable bands include His Hero is Gone, Tragedy,[43]Fall of Efrafa[42] andFrom Ashes Rise.[44]
Crasher crust is a genre that originated in Japan. It blends d-beat, crust and a huge emphasis on noise elements. Often utilising both fuzz and distorted guitars, reliance on crash cymbals for drumming and raw recording.[45] Acid are pioneered the genre,[46] and Gloom coined its name. Some bands include Gloom, Zyanose, Lebedden Totten, Scene Death Terror and Zodiak.[45]
Stadium crust is a style of crust that puts an emphasis on grandiosity through the incorporation of elements ofmelodic death metal. It originates in Sweden.[47] Bands include later Wolfbrigade,[48] laterDisfear,[49] and Fredag Den 13:e.[47]
Crust punk andblack metal evolved alongside one another, with the members of early crust bandAmebix andfirst-wave black metal bandHellhammertape trading with one another.[15] Thus, pioneering black metal bands such as Hellhammer,Bathory andMayhem were inspired by crust punk,[50] and early crust punk bands such asSacrilege, Amebix and Antisect were influenced by Hellhammer andCeltic Frost.[1]
Crust punk was affected by a second wave of black metal in the 1990s, with some bands emphasising these black metal elements. Iskra are probably the most obvious example ofsecond wave black metal-influenced crust punk;[51] Iskra coined their own phrase "blackened crust" to describe their new style. TheJapanese groupGallhammer also fused crust punk with black metal[52] while the English band Fukpig merge elements of crust punk, black metal, and grindcore.[53][54] Germany'sDownfall of Gaia mix crustgrind and black metal, along with elements ofsludge metal,doom metal andpost-metal.[55] North Carolina'sYoung and in the Way have been playing blackened crust since their formation in 2009.[56] In addition,Norwegian bandDarkthrone have incorporated crust punk traits in their mid-to-late 2000s material. As Daniel Ekeroth wrote in 2008,
In a very ironic paradox, black metal and crust punk have recently started to embrace one another. Members of Darkthrone and Satyricon have lately claimed that they love punk, while among crusties, black metal is the latest fashion. In fact, the latest album by crust punk bandSkitsystem sounds very black metal--while the latest black metal opus by Darkthrone sounds very punk! This would have been unimaginable in the early 90s.
— [57]
Red and anarchist black metal (also known as RABM or anarchist black metal)[58][59][60] is a subgenre that melds black metal with anarchist crust punk, promoting ideologies such asanarchism,environmentalism, orMarxism.[61][62][63][64] Artists labelled RABM include Iskra,Panopticon, Skagos,[64][65] Storm of Sedition,[58] Not A Cost,[58] Black Kronstadt,[58] and Vidargangr.[60]
Crust punk led to the development of thegrindcore genre, by bands including Extreme Noise Terror,Napalm Death andCarcass.[5] However, Pete Hurley, the guitarist for the group, declared that he had no interest in being remembered as a pioneer of this style: "'grindcore' was a legendarily stupid term coined by a hyperactive kid from the West Midlands, and it had nothing to do with us whatsoever. ENT were, are, and — I suspect — always will be a hardcore punk band... not a grindcore band, a stenchcore band, a trampcore band, or any other sub-sub-sub-core genre-defining term you can come up with."[66] This early crust punk-leaning grindcore sound is sometimes dubbed "crustgrind".[5]
Crust punks are associated with aDIY-oriented branch of punk garb. Similar to anarcho-punk, most clothing is black in colour. Denim jackets and hooded sweatshirts with sewn-on patches, or vests covered in studs, spikes and band patches are characteristic elements of the crust punk style of dress or pants covered in band patches.[67] Crust punks also sometimes wear dreadlocks and piercings.[11] Julian "Leggo" Kilsby of Deviated Instinct describes crust as "a punk-y biker look, more akin to Mad Max.Mad Max 2 is the crustiest film ever made!"[68]
Members of the sub-culture are generally outspokenly political, possessinganarchist andanti-consumerist views.[11]
{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help)Lyrically, crust punk is deeply rooted in political and social themes. Songs address a wide array of issues, including environmental degradation, anti-authoritarianism, class struggle, and anti-capitalism. The lyrics are often confrontational and provocative, reflecting a desire to challenge the status quo and provoke thought and action. Crust punk is a genre that thrives on chaos, both musically and thematically, using its sonic ferocity as a vehicle for activism.
Lyrics to crust songs tend to be dark, and based around politics and current events and even some human emotion; topics such as nuclear destruction, environmentalism, racial equality, squatting, non-conformity, apocalypse, abolishing sexism, animal rights, veganism/vegetarianism, religious control, death (and/or escaping life) and anarchism are common.
Crass laid an ideological (anarchist), political, and aesthetic foundation for subsequent bands that sought to make punk a conscious political rebellion. But its peace- punk style would soon be usurped by a crucial development in punk's history: its crossover with heavy metal... Waksman cites British band Motörhead, whose Overkill album was released in that year, as the first punk/metal crossover to be recognized as such, largely because audiences at its performances were drawn from fans of the two genres... Perhaps the most significant band in this regard was Discharge, whose 1982 albumHear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing became one of the most important reference points for 1990s political punk.
Digby Pearson of Earache Records recalls the wave of transformation: "Like most guys from the old days, I started out as a massive fan of UK crust punk and American hardcore. Sweden was famous for their many crust bands early on, and I got every tape with every band from Fredda Holmgren at CBR. When I started to promote gigs, it was natural for me to bring over a couple Swedish bands. So I did a UK tour with Anti Cimex and the somewhat thrashier Agoni.
Extreme metal in Sweden started with Bathory, but extreme music in Sweden started with crust punk. The d-beat sound of Discharge found a massive fanbase in Sweden and d-beat as a genre is pretty much propped up entirely by the relatively small population of that country. But the d-beat scene is nothing compared to the insane bands-per-capita output of Swedish death metal, much of which grew out of that fertile punk scene. They found their stars in Entombed
Just as earlier bands such as Venom, Bathory, Hellhammer, and Mayhem took inspiration from hardcore and crust punk alongside extreme metal, so have more contemporary groups such as Japan's Gallhammer, Canada's Iskra, and Sweden's Martyrdöd.
