From my point of view, Crass is one of, if not the most, important bands to come out of the punk scene & have influenced culture way beyond just punk. Actually, they were a movement unto themselves & the effect of this band is being felt today on so many levels. Personally speaking, this was the band that gave me my political foundation in my youth, and helped shape how I see the world. I would go on record & say that Crass has had the same effect on thousands of people worldwide. I would like to share with you this really epic documentary about Crass called “There is No Authority But Yourself.” So after the jump, check out the killer film & some rare photos from a rad era.

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This is a brutal attack on your brain and on your senses – this is the new Trap Them‘s record The Darker Handcraft via Prosthetic Records. What the blazing fuck! This album is pure raging emotion, transformed into sonic meth. From the very first song, “Danger Prose,” Trap Them never lets up. For 12 songs & 31 minutes they keep their feet on your neck with music that pounds your brain into mush. What’s super rad about Darker Handcraft is that each song has so many epic changes – there are many tunes within each song. Their vocalist brought down the house on all fronts; his delivery is right on, plus his lyrics are what I want to hear. It seems that the whole band really had fun making this record & you can hear it. With Darker Handcraft , Trap Them move beyond any given genre. This album will unify all the nations of weirdos ie: crust kids, metal heads, punk kids, & hardcore heads. The drums on this album beat you down on every song, while the guitar playing decapitates you with every listen. And I get to catch them live when they come to town! After the jump, check out some raw live video & some rad flicks.

TRAP THEM

DARKER HANDCRAFT art by Vberkvlt

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Brooding out of Galway, Ireland,  Bacchus play some atmospheric crust that blends and changes through every song from a dooming intro through to a crushingly heavy D-Beat force of drumming and heavy riffs  and a wretched vocals that are brought back down to earth with breakdown of soundscaping doom.  Music which is as beautiful as the art work that they use to express it. With their new LP coming out the 23rd of May on Contraszt! Rec. and Distro-y Rec. I thought it would be a suiting time to spread the word. For those who cannot wait until then, there is two previous releases: A CD EP called “Attica” and a split 7 inch Burning the Prospect(UK). Epic Crust in the vein of His Hero is Gone and Cult of Luna. READ MORE…

Ah shizz what the bizz! One of our favorite bands is embarking on a West Coast tour, & trust me it will be off the bloody meat rack! The band that I’m speaking of is Negative Standard, & to put it simply, they kill shit. If you don’t believe me, check out the CVLT Nation Mixtape Vol. I. They kick off the mayhem with their track IV. So if they are coming to your town get off your ass & go. Get all of the tour details after the jump!

Negative Standard : III

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A waterfall of crustified dirge, blackened feedback, caustic distortion all comes crashing down to create the wall of sound called Drainland. This Dublin band creates avant garde crust with a layer of putrefied sludge on top. On May 24th they release …And So Our Troubles Began, a compilation of two vinyl-only releases via Southern Lord, plus 1000 CDs only. Drainland just do not give a fuck – they totally experiment on the traditional idea of what crust is & flip it over on its head. Although they push the envelope, they never lose their raw edge. On songs like “Weakness,” Drainland play slow-moving death sludge that creeps up on you, then they have sound effects that start to swirl around your brain cavity. This is the kind of record that grows on you with every listen, which is the sign of a classic album. The vocalist has the right amount of agony in his delivery that leaves you with cool unsettling feeling. Drainland’s bandmembers are open minded in their approach to making music & they just fucking straight kill shit with their instruments.…And So Our Troubles Began is a record that you must hear; plus it sounds even better while stoned!

Drainland

…And So Our Troubles Began

Two weeks ago, our in-house photographer Lorenzo & I headed to the The Blvd in East L.A. to witness sonic mayhem. Gallery, Destroy Judas & Embers all totally fucking wrecked shop. First up was Gallery, who just pounded the room with an onslaught of crust-ridden sludge. What I really like about them is how they slap you in your face with their filthy voodoo doom groove. Then Destroy Judas took the stage & ripped apart my ear drums. They are super heavy & super loud, but keep you transfixed with their breed of slow-moving Apocalyptic Blues. Their show is rad – they turn off all of the lights & have a giant projection screen behind them. So the whole time while they are performing, thought-provoking films created by the band’s drummer are being played. Finally, Embers were on point from their very first song. This bands plays killer dark ambient black metal that sounds epic live. Keep in mind that all three of these superdelic bands have powerful albums this that you all must have! What also made this a cool night was the fact that Lorenzo Flournoy was on hand to capture this stellar night of mayhem on film. So after the jump, enjoy our photo essay…

THE EMBERS.

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Weird before his time, insane before his time, full of dirge before his time, Nick Blinko, the creator Rudimentary Peni, did everything before his time. The record Death Church, released in 1983, was ground-breaking & pushed the limits of anarcho punk. Rudimentary Peni composed an album that was a perfect mix of punk angst with the right balance of death rock ghost vibe. The lyrics went places that other bands were not going at the time, with song titles like Flesh Crucifix, Blasphemy Squad & Vampire State Building. Mind you this band came out of the Crass camp, not from the Batcave. I was 14 when this record came out, & I thought it was super awesome at the time – I was like damn, now Christian Death has an English brother. Rudimentary Peni were unifiers; they brought together the peace punks, the hardcore kids, the positive punks & the death rockers. Everyone said fuck the labels, we all dig this band. The sound of Death Church has this metallic layer that lurks in every song. With all their albums, Rudimentary Peni had the power to create songs that sound ugly, but that transport the listener to a beautiful dark cave. Plus, they have songs that are groovy as fuck – some of the basslines are just sublime. The dirge vibe is supreme on this album, & to this very day I can’t find a record that sounds anything like it. Death Church was actually a life lesson for me when I was young, and told me it’s OK to be different. That idea still plays in my thoughts to this day.

Rudimentary Peni: Love Is Not


Rudimentary Peni: Dutchmen


Rudimentary Peni: The Cloud Song

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Two Bands, Six Songs,  One Noisey 7″. Electric Funeral are a band who I have been a huge fan of and since first hearing them, I have been telling people to listen to and after hearing this 7″ I am not going to stop any time soon. What I love so much about Electric Funeral is despite the power of the noise and distort everything is clear as a bell, which may sound a bit of an oxymoron, but its true everything is perfect. As always full of energy and air punching d-beat noise to keep ya tied over till their next release. Go Filth Go who I hadn’t listened to previously but these Greek D-Beaters bring some chaotic  d-beat  noise to the split with galloping drums, Disclose styled vocals and noise guitars and a more stripped down and raw sound, the same sort of raw feel as of 80′s Hardcore the type that only the Scandinavians can do, which gives the 7″ a more destructive nature.Check out all of the details after the jump.
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Bring the crust, bring the stench, bring the sonic agony! Now listen to PER CAPITA. This German band has released an epic pounding album called The Damage Done. DAMN! From the very first song, “U.S Hole”, they dig a black pit of metallic sonic violence & never let up. Drums on this album are a voice unto to themselves & play perfectly off of the singer’s gruff delivery. PER CAPITA’s guitar work is is fucking electric; it almost has this Discharge-on-speed vibe about it. They are not afraid to tackle some real issues on this record. Check out some of their song titles: “No White Supremacy” & “Erased By Authority”. PER CAPITA have created a crust record that sounds huge without losing any of its’ edge. I guess you could say this music makes me want to punch authority in the skull which is not a bad thing. Check out a killer live video of the band after the jump…

PER CAPITA

The Damage Done

PER CAPITA: No White Supremacy


PER CAPITA: Erased By Authority


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