Crust Punk

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Crust punk is one of the many extreme evolutions of anarcho-punk. The genre might be considered hard to listen to by people unfamiliar with underground music, heavy metal or other forms of punk, and very abrasive, fusing elements of anarcho-punk and metal (arguably early black metal) or grindcore to create a unique sound often characterized by extremely fast hardcore punk based tempos, often guttural or shrill vocalization, and a gritty, bass-heavy sound. Some have called this subgenre stenchcore, after the Deviated Instinct 1987 DEMO, "Terminal Filth Stenchcore". Although not the same genre, crust is very closely related to and influenced by d-beat, anarcho-punk, thrashcore, power violence and grindcore often even becoming nearly impossible to distinguish, and using d-beats or sounds varying from grindcore to anarcho-punk to punk, to metal. Crust is often classified by the ethics portrayed by the bands more than the actual sound of the music.

Lyrics to crust songs tend to be often dark, and based around politics, anti-oppression and current events and even some human emotion; topics such as anarchism, environmentalism, racial equality, squatting, non-conformity, apocalypse, feminism and the abolishing sexism, animal rights, veganism/vegetarianism, religious control, and nuclear destruction are common. Crust bands commonly will spend months writing the lyrics to just one song, as research is often needed to ensure facts, double checking of resources, and cross referencing. Crust is arguably one of the darkest subgenres of punk. Elements of the crust sound can be heard in many Anarcho-punk bands, such as those collaborating with Tribal War Records, Skuld, Profane Existence, Mortarhate Records, Peaceville Records, Havoc Records, Unrest Records, & Life is Abuse Records.

Many consider the band Amebix to be the godfathers of crust punk, and consider the Arise! LP to be the first known defining crust punk album. The band Hellbastard, who actually coined the term "crust", (after their 1986 "RIPPER CRUST" DEMO) was one of the first bands to play the genre as it commonly recognized today. On the other side of the Atlantic, New York's Nausea was one of the early North American crust bands. Protoyptical takes on the genre can be traced back to the peace punk and anarcho punk bands of the early '80s, such as Crass. Crass' minimalistic and unique music, DIY approach, and radical politics are still carried today.

Crust punks are known for their heavily political outlook on society and life in general. Many squat in abandoned buildings and choosing not to seek employment. This can be equated to what Murray Bookchin has called lifestyle anarchism.

Perhaps the most common and infamous facet of the persona is the perceived lack of hygiene, as many crust punks seemingly avoid bathing and grooming and women commonly avoid shaving of any body hair. Dreadlocks are also popular, as unwashed hair is easy to manipulate into the hairstyle. There are several stated reasons for such activity that include, but are not limited to, distain toward the typical socially accepted image of both sexes (or persons in general), wishing to remain free of the toxins and chemicals in many personal hygiene products, refusal to purchase corporate products, and simply the result of living the squatter lifestyle without the accommodations most people are used to. Such beliefs are very similar to, and possibly based on social ecology and eco-feminism.

Religious wise, many crust punks are atheist due to living by the standards of "No Gods, No Masters". However, some crust punks may adopt a pagan branched religion due to it's connection to nature, the Earth and the enviroment.

Outside influence

Many crust punks with acoustic guitars have found inspiration in "outlaw country"as well as the progressive leaning folk music of the 1960s and '70s and traditonal Irish music. This meld of crust and folk is commonly reffered to as folk-punk.

Black metal is often a direct influence, as the extreme tones and brutal nature of black metal can be similar to those of crust. Black Metal has always influenced crust, i.e. Venom influenced Amebix. Crust was affected by a second wave of influence in the 1990s; Iskra, for example, are probably the most obvious modern example of black metal influenced crust music. Iskra coined their own phrase "black crust" to describe this new style.

In the early 1990s, members of the crust/grindcore band Disrupt formed a band called Grief. Grief's depressively slow blend of punk and doom metal gave inspiration to the burgeoning sludge metal genre, along with bands such as Crowbar and Eyehategod.

Other outside influences can be heard in Choking Victim and Leftover Crack (ska), and Garmonbozia (classical/chamber music).

Crust Side Note

Another usage of the term crusty is somewhat incorrect but is generally accepted. It applies to pop, indie rock bands. These bands were labelled 'crusty', the strictly correct term being grebo, because of their image and it's similarity to crusties. Many of the bands had ratty hair (usually dreadlocks) and wore dirty clothes. Live, they were not showmen, instead concentrating on the quality of their playing. In this way they were similar to the shoegazing bands of the time. They also toured in transit vans, playing hundreds of gigs each year but selling few records apart from the rare Top 20 hit single. For example, Stourbridge band Ned's Atomic Dustbin, were dropped by their label due to a lack of interest. Pop Will Eat Itself gave the term "grebo" it's first widespread airing with their single "Grebo Guru". The 'Crusty' scene also found fertile expression in the dance scene, with such bands as the Psychick Warriors of Gaia and clubs such as Planet Dog, whose zenith was market by the release of the Feed Your Head compilation. Both strands of crusty achieved a brief period of success during the early '90s. The true crust bands achieved their 'success' mainly because of their devoted following. However, the success of the grebo 'crusty' bands like Senseless Things was mainly due to much coverage (some would say hype) in the NME and the Melody Maker.

Crust Punk

Outside influence

Crust Side Note

See also