Crust punk
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| Crust punk | |
| Stylistic origins | |
|---|---|
| Cultural origins |
United Kingdom, early 1980s
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| Typical instruments | |
| Mainstream popularity | Underground |
| Derivative forms | Grindcore |
Crust punk (sometimes simply crust) is one of the evolutions of anarcho-punk and hardcore punk, mixed with distorted metal guitar riffs. The style, which evolved in the early 1980s in the UK, often had songs with dark, pessimistic lyrics, often lingering on the bleak aftermath of nuclear war. Crust punk can be distinguished from its forebear D-beat by its incorporation of more atmospheric tendencies borrowed from post-punk, occasional slower tempos, and its keeping pace with developments in extreme metal.
Crust is played at a fast tempo with shouted vocals and left-wing, frequently anarchist, lyrical concerns. The guitar playing is similar to that used in extreme metal genres such as thrash metal, though simpler. The bass guitar features more prominently and there is more use of distortion, producing a "bassy" and "dirty" sound. Crust punk takes cues from the anarcho-punk of Crass and Discharge, the doom metal of Black Sabbath and speed metal of Motörhead. Crust punk has always remained an underground form of music, although fans of the style are found worldwide. The early work of Amebix, Napalm Death, and Nausea are prototypical crust punk. Crust punk art work is typically collage or stark pen drawings that derives much of its apocalyptic imagery from the artwork of Icons of Filth.
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[edit] History
[edit] 1980s
Crust punk evolved out of the early 1980s British anarcho-punk movement. It was founded by the bands Amebix and Antisect, in 1985, with the Arise LP and Out from the Void single, respectively. The term "crust" was coined by Hellbastard on their 1986 Ripper Crust demo. In addition to incorporating an extreme metal influenced sound onto the existing punk genres of anarcho-punk and hardcore, crust punk presented a lyrical shift in focus from the earlier peace punk bands. Unlike the relatively optimistic and idealistic lyrics of bands like Crass, crust punk had a much more hopeless outlook.
The musical template created by Amebix was a slow, sludgy sound, much removed from the thrashing speed of most punk. This style was sometimes referred to as "stenchcore". Crust bands tended to take inspiration from the '80s Scandinavian D-beat scene, taking that sound and adding more distortion, screams and faster tempo, sometimes including blastbeats. Bands like Doom, Excrement of War, Electro Hippies and Extreme Noise Terror were some of the first bands to have that traditional UK "crust" sound. Frequently, the lines between more D-beat centered bands and crust punk bands were blurred. Napalm Death and Extreme Noise Terror eventually developed this style into grindcore.
American crust began in California, with Neurosis, from Oakland, and Nausea, from New York City. Neurosis moved further in the direction of psychedelic doom metal, while Nausea was closer to crustgrind.
[edit] 1990s
In the 1990s, Aus Rotten became a new representative of crust punk in Pittsburgh, though closer to the stripped-down style of earlier D-beat. The Pist was also part of this scene.
Crust punk also flourished in Minneapolis (where it had a long history with bands such as Misery, Destroy, and several others), shepherded by the Profane Existence label.
A significant crust revival took place on the West Coast. Dystopia and the record label Life is Abuse was a crucial element along with early '90s SoCal bands such as Apocalypse, Glycine-Max, and Mindrot. In Oakland, Skaven, El Dopa, and several other bands, practiced in the shadow of Neurosis. The power violence scene associated with Slap-A-Ham Records was also in close proximity to crust punk, particularly in the case of Man Is the Bastard.
Crust was also prominent in the American south, with Prank Records and CrimethInc.. The most well-known representative of Southern crust is His Hero Is Gone.
Prominent crust punk groups (Wolfbrigade, Skitsystem, Disfear) also evolved from Sweden, which had always had a strong D-beat scene. Many of these groups developed in parallel with the much more commercial melodic death metal scene.
[edit] 2000s
Crust punk continues to remain strong into the 2000s, drawing urgency from collective rage towards George W. Bush. Crust punk has seen no interest by major labels and has had no commercial success in the mainstream market. Notable crust bands in the 2000s are Resistant Culture, Iskra, Behind Enemy Lines, The Helm ,Extinction of Mankind, Leftover Crack and Tragedy.
[edit] Musical style
Crust punk is a derivative form of hardcore punk and anarcho-punk, mixed with extreme metal riffs. The tempos are often fast, but just short of thrashcore or grindcore, though many groups confine themselves to a crawling, sludgy pace. Vocals are often in the dual form (often male and female), very shrill, or throaty and guttural. The dueling male and female vocals are drawn from anarcho-punk. The guitar work is typically gritty, unpolished, bass-heavy and metallic. Guitar solos are seldom used and some groups eschew overt metal trappings, such as Aus-Rotten. Drumming is typically Scandinavian-influenced, done at high speed, with d-beats sometimes being used. The lyrical content of crust punk tends to be bleak and nihilistic, yet politically engaged.
Crust punk songs are often about nuclear war, militarism, animal rights, police, and oppressive states. Crust punk is one of punk's least recognizable forms, as a result of its prominent metallic elements and the extreme vocal style, and is at times mistaken for a form of metal.
[edit] Fashion
Crust punk is a DIY-oriented branch of punk fashion. It is also confrontational, due to the presence of war-related and nihilistic imagery. Like many other punk offshoots, crust punk fashion includes band and political t-shirts in abundance. Denim jackets or vests covered in studs, spikes and band or political patches are characteristic element of crust punk fashion. Baseball caps covered in patches are also common. Crust punk patches are typically political as well. Some crust punks screen print their own patches at home or in squats. Dental floss is frequenlty used to sew fabric together, owing to its durability and ease of use. Pants tend to be bondage pants, work pants, Carhartt pants & overalls, or stretch jeans covered in patches. Bum flaps, displaying political slogans or band names are also common. Bullet belts are also often seen on crust punks. Jewelry varies greatly, ranging from hemp bracelets to spiked wristbands to lengths of chain secured with padlocks or carabiners.
Footwear tends to be either combat boots or second hand/salvaged shoes, typically beat-up Converse Chuck Taylor's. Hair is done in a number of different ways, mohawks and liberty spikes dyed bright colors (often seen on street punks) are relatively uncommon, with dreadlocks (along with its variant, the dread-hawk) and long unkempt hair being far more common. Large numbers of piercings and tattoos are also common, with many being done by crusties at squat.
[edit] Ideology
- See further: Anarcho-punk.
Crust punk ideology is a more extreme version of anarcho-punk. Crust punks attempt to live out anarchism as fully as possible, by living in anarchist squatter communities, and trying to avoid taking part in capitalist society. Crust punk attitudes are militantly proclaimed in song lyrics. Common themes include anarchism; current events; financial and emotional depression; environmentalism; veganism, vegetarianism, and freeganism; racial equality; squatting; non-conformity; feminism and abolishing sexism; atheism and secularism; LGBT social movements; censorship and nuclear destruction.
Crust punk can be credited as one of the social phenomena which pushed modern anarchism towards lifestylism, along with its forbear, peace punk. Like their anarcho-punk predecessors, crust punks are usually militantly opposed to religion. Many crust punks are atheists and aspire towards the ideal of "no Gods, no masters", though Amebix themselves were interested in Gnosticism. Some crust punks adopt pagan spirituality due to its connection to nature, the Earth, and the environment. Forms of North American native spiritualism are becoming more common in crust punk culture, even to the point of bands adopting native American music into their style. A prime example is the L.A. group Resistant Culture.
The new age movement has had some influence on the modern crust punk movement; however, this is met with disdain by some members of the crust community. The hippie counterculture is a very significant influence as well, coming through anarcho-punk. The hippie influence manifests itself in a variety of ways, from the street activism to communes to the connection with the earth. The use of hippie cultural elements in crust is often one of main reasons for the dislike that some more traditional punks have for crust.
[edit] DIY ethic
Crust punk bands have taken on what is known as a DIY ethic: that is, "do it yourself." In this way one can bypass the traditional recording and distribution routes, with material often being made available in exchange for "a blank tape plus self-addressed envelope". The anarcho-punk and crust punk movement also has its own network of zines which disseminate news, ideas, and artwork from the punk community. Again, these are very much 'DIY' affairs, produced in runs of hundreds rather than thousands (in most cases), printed on photocopiers or duplicator machines, and distributed by hand at shows or gatherings.
[edit] Fusion with other genres
[edit] Industrial
As Amebix greatly admired Killing Joke, who are among the founders of industrial metal, crust punk has always had some relationship to this style. Justin Broadrick and Mick Harris of Napalm Death also felt some kinship with the industrial groups, which became clear in their post-crust, post-grindcore careers with Godflesh and Scorn, respectively. Nausea and Doom also eventually incorporated elements of industrial rock. Depressor was one of the first (if not the first) crust bands to fully incorporate industrial into their sound.
[edit] Grindcore
Crust had an major impact on grindcore. The first grindcore, practiced by the British groups Napalm Death and Extreme Noise Terror, was sped-up, more dissonant, crust punk. This style is dubbed "crustgrind". [1] The power violence offshoot is also linked to crust, particularly in the case of Man Is the Bastard.
[edit] Death metal
Crust punk groups were primary influences for death metal groups outside the U.S., particularly Sepultura. Swedish death metal bands, in particular, tended to take D-beat and British crustgrind as their starting point; members of At the Gates and Entombed continue to take part in crust groups such as Skitsystem and Disfear. Napalm Death eventually shed all of its crust-era members to achieve some measure of commercial success as a death metal group. Assück also practiced a crust/death metal hybrid. Modern crust/death metal fusion groups include Stormcrow, Sanctum, and Instinct of Survival.
[edit] Ska/reggae
In recent years there have been a large number of ska- and reggae-influenced crust bands, such as NYC's Choking Victim and its successor Leftöver Crack, the Toxic Narcotic spin-off Mouth Sewn Shut, and San Diego's Basura. This recalls earlier anarcho-punk groups, such as the Subhumans.
[edit] Black metal
Crust punk groups, such as Napalm Death, took some influence from the early black metal of Celtic Frost. Crust was affected by a second wave of influence in the 1990s, with some bands emphasizing these black metal elements. Iskra are probably the most obvious example of black-metal-influenced crust punk. Iskra coined their own phrase "blackened crust" to describe this new style. Catharsis, from North Carolina, also anticipated this style. Blackened crust is, however, generally discounted by fans of black metal, as they argue that black metal excludes politics, though Darkthrone took a great deal of inspiration from crust punk. Crust punks are suspicious of the extreme right wing positions frequently articulated in black metal.
[edit] Folk/country
Many crust punks with acoustic guitars have found inspiration in "outlaw country" and the progressive leaning folk music of the 1960s and '70s, as well as a huge influence specifically from Woody Guthrie as well as traditional Irish music. This meld of crust and folk is commonly referred to as folk-punk. This is more prevalent in the "train-hopping" set than among crusties living in large cities.
[edit] Doom metal
Amebix takes clear inspiration from doom metal inceptors Black Sabbath. Neurosis also delved further into lethargic tempos and funereal atmosphere. In the early 1990s, members of the crust/grindcore band Disrupt formed Grief, whose depressive blend of punk and doom metal inspired the burgeoning sludge metal genre, along with Dystopia. Kylesa also crossed over from crust punk to doom metal.
[edit] Post-hardcore/emo
Many groups of the mid- to late-'90s on the Ebullition label (Econochrist, Spitboy) drew inspiration from crust punk, as well as the post-hardcore of Fugazi, and sometimes riot grrl.
[edit] Crust record labels
- Profane Existence
- Dead Earth Records
- Deep Six Records
- Rodent Popscicle Records
- Tragedy Records
- Aborted Society Records
- Threat to Existence Records
- Prank Records
- Life is Abuse Records
- Moshpit Tragedy Records
- Havoc Records
[edit] References
[edit] Bibliography
CrimethInc. Days of War Nights of Love. CrimethInc. Workers Collective. ASIN: B000TXZZR6
Glasper, Ian (2004). Burning Britain: The History of UK Punk 1980-1984. Cherry Red Books. ISBN-10: 1901447243
Glasper, Ian (2006). The Day the Country Died: A History of Anarcho Punk 1980 to 1984. Cherry Red Books. ISBN-10: 1901447707
Mudian, Albert (2000). Choosing Death: The Improbable History of Death Metal and Grindcore. Feral House. ISBN-10: 193259504X
Profane Existence (1997). Making Punk a Threat Again: Profane Existence: Best Cuts 1989-1993. Loincloth. ASIN: B000J2M8GS
[edit] See also
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