Live by the Crust, Die by the Crust: Sow Threat "Hate & Love" Lp, 2019

If you hit the bottle too hard the weekend past (after all, New Year's Eve is still fresh), then I would not recommend trying to listen to Hate & Love right away. You might still feel a little damaged and nauseous from the night, especially if you are not exactly getting any younger but still wants to prove you can drink as much as when you were in your twenties and a hangover never lasted more than a couple of hours. The thing is that, with such an album, you need to keep focused on the job, straight and alert so that if your head is pounding as if there was a deranged pack of dogs running around inside it, you will probably end up vomiting (again). It is not just that Sow Threat are trying to crust the shit out of you despite your headache, that would already be bad enough as you are slowly remembering that you did dance the macarena stark-bollock-naked at 5AM in order to impress your very embarrassed mates. You don't really need to blast this rough Doom-loving Japanese cavecrust sound during such a process that does requires you to be a bit clever or at least not as thick as you proved you could be. But why grandmaster Crust, I hear you think, would one need all his or her mental capacities on the deck to be able to comprehend, never mind enjoy, this humble album. Well, that is what we are going to explore.

First, I would like to wish you a happy new year, by which I mean one that will not be as shit as 2022. As far as crust music was concerned, 2022 proved to be an excellent year with many brilliant recordings (from Terminal Filth, Cimiterium, Repression Attack, Warkrusher, Slavery, Tormentum, Flower, Decomp, and these are just from the top of my able head, only Hellshock proved to be a relative let-down) to prove that this subgenre is alive and kicking and Cancer Spreading and Swordwielder will release records in 2023 so that the new year will not be a total catastrophe. In fact 2022 was a pretty good year for punk in general. But if we get out of the hardcore punk ghetto, stop browsing Discogs for a minute and take a look at the world, needless to say that there was no shortage of shit parades. On a personal level - and for once I will drop the persona and reveal my true, sensible, vulnerable self that sometimes listen to Terrible Feelings - one of my closest friends passed away, not a totally unexpected death since he was ill, but he was like a mentor to me and was responsible for a lot of what I think of as "my punk education" without which I might have become a smug SUV-driving yuppie with a premium subscription to a men's lifestyle magazine and an addiction to selfies. Worst, I could be listening to shoegaze. What a ghastly perspective. Let's just say that the past months have not been the cheeriest. 

With a new job starting up in March and my joining the Maximum Rocknroll review team, I vowed to myself that I will try to be more concise in 2023, which is precisely what I have not been doing in the first two paragraphs. Quality analysis and cheeky banter will still be my focal points but there be less arsing around. I think. So let's get to Sow Threat.

Sow Threat are from Okinawa and formed in 2010 which makes this album recorded in 2018 the careful and thought-out work, the premeditated murder-through-noise of an experienced band. From the start, ST can be said to work in a typically Japanese field of expertise: gruff Doom-worshipping crust. I have often been writing about the absolutely endless, obsessive love that Japanese punks have expressed for the Brummies' early Peaceville years for the past three decades. Doom's primitive music, riffing and vocals (especially) along with the stark imagery and aesthetics have deeply informed the Japanese crust style and Doom-style cavecrust can be considered as a national staple along with its evil twins crasher noize crust and Antisect-ish metal stenchcrust. What a happy family. Right from the very name "Sow Threat", a not so subtle pun on Sore Throat whose legacy could be just as strong in Japan and closely tied to Doom's, the listener with even a half-functioning brain will know that the three-piece is going for the classic late 80's worship gruff crust like their illustrious national predecessors Abraham Cross, Battle of Disarm, Mindsuck/early Reality Crisis, Disdomestic Violence and the original Doom worshippers, the mighty Macrofarge who pioneered that type of crust music in the late 80's. The first demo of ST from 2013 is quite good and everything you can expect from a traditional band working on such a highly specific basis and does not want to stray away from that sacred path. 

The subsequent record was a self-titled Ep released in 2014 on the solid Imminent Destruction Records and confirmed what the band intended to create on the first side (the focus on Sore Throat is significantly stronger on this one, very close to early Asocial Terror Fabrication too), but with the other side made up of just one song reminiscent of 00's epic neocrust. A little surprising. But then ST is a band that, despite their very classic take, manages to surprise, which sounds paradoxical at first but eventually makes sense. Their following work was a cd called Why? (it somehow reminds me of something but I cannot quite put my finger on it) that would exemplify the band's evolution with the addition of noisy techno songs (from one DJ Soft Kill) and sonorities into their thick crust sound. I am not big on electronic music and if you are not conversant in Japanese crust you might find the cross astonishing. But then, just think about the harsh techno influence in Death Dust Extractor, about the Tokyo Sound System compilation that included classic bands like Abraham Cross or Disdomestic Violence, but also super harsh noise "music" and noisecore acts like Bakteria, and also dark electro/techno music and Exithippies, the uniquely noisy - to the point of the intentionally unlistenable - band that, from a crasher noize crust basis, also works on noisecore, harsh noise and techno. And before that let's not forget Truth of Arise's extreme harsh noise cavecrust album. So basically, Japanese crusties are not afraid to experiment with other types of noise while remaining faithful to the source material at the same time. 

Hate & Love is something of a marmite album as you will either love it or won't really care for it. The simple and direct songwriting is unchanged as we are still both feet deep into muddy and fuzzy Sore Throat and Doom worship with a distinct nod to early Extreme Noise Terror and a firm Abraham Cross worldview. However the chaotic intro to the album was recorded by the aforementioned Exithippies which gives an idea of what is to come. The production from DJ Soft Kill can be considered as the possible bone of contention as it gives a deliberately blurry texture to the sound which creates a certain organic rawness and emphasizes the conceptual fuzziness of the whole. It is still undoubtedly Japanese-style cavecrust but its point is not merely to punish and pummel you to dust and bury you under grizzly growls. I see it more as an atmosphere-creating ambient crustcore work, not in the sense of Neurosis-inspired dark and heavy epic metallic crust, but because Hate & Love has to be listened to in its entirety in order to get the right vibe of the music and get used to its textures and aggressive fuzziness. You have to feel the groove and the mood of these "extreme brutality stench thrash punks" baby. 

It sounds both like an old tape that you just excavated from a forgotten box that had laid dormant in your damp attic since 1993 and like a smartly crafted and elaborately noisy mean tribute to the tradition of Doom-loving sore filth noizecrust. I personally love the very old-school sounding atmosphere and the distinct cavemen vocals that certainly bring back to the UK greats but with more rawness-inducing fuzz. It almost sounds like your roommate is blasting the Lp in his room while you are hoovering yours. Something crusty in the air. The icing on the cake is the cover of Salon Music's "Spending silent night", which ST turns into "Spending silent nightmare". Confuse had already covered this rather odd pop hit with "Spending loud night" and I am not sure why Japanese punks are so keen to slaughter this charming song. In any case it brings a different pace and note as a conclusion to the album which works well. 

The Lp cover reflects the mood of the record with a bunch of kawai-like punks wearing Sore Throat, Confuse and G-Anx having a laugh and drinking next to a bloody pile of bodies with a statement saying "Don't forget your present lives are made of their sacrifices". Pretty grim. I am not too sure whose sacrifice they are talking about though (the lyrics are in Japanese). On Hate & Love, ST had Kiku from Assfort and Conquest For Death standing on the drums and the album was originally released on cd with a different artwork on Reallife Recordings and Straight Up Records (more traditional Japanese hardcore labels). The vinyl version was released on SPHC, a well-established hardcore labels that does like noisy treats (like the Wankys, Detësto or the terrifying Shitnoise Bastards) and works with a lot of "foreign bands" (the term US punks use when they talk about non-US bands). Following this Lp, the band recorded a couple of songs for a split tape with Portland's Suss Law with whom they toured the States in 2019.

Sadly the guitar player and singer Yasumoto Tamura passed away in 2020 so this humble silly review is dedicated to him, his family and friends. Rest in punk.

Sow Threat                        

Live by the Crust, Die by the Crust: Step to Freedom "The Rotten Era" tape Ep, 2019

This is going to be the last writeup of a pretty hectic year for Terminal Sound Nuisance. Initially, I intended to complete the Live by the Crust, Die by the Crust series by 2022 but I clearly overestimated my capacities - the malevolent would say it is not unusual - since, beside this one, there remain (at least) eight recordings I would like to tackle. And I actually had to trim off the overambitious original list which included even more records than I could chew (the files are ready so that they will be used at some point, like in 2027 or something). 

From the start, I considered this gargantuan series as a bold experiment that social scientists around the world were too scared and cowardly to undertake: how much crust can the human body take? For a year, I only wrote, thought and dreamt about crust music. Even for a music genius like myself, I have to admit that it has been a challenging experience and there have been times when I was only able to speak crust gibberish (basically a blend of band names and neanderthal exclamations) because I almost overdosed on the thing. But survive I did and I came out stronger, as I became a crustcore übermensch, the Captain America of stenchcore, the Goku of crasher crust, the hero you must call if a crust record has to be analyzed urgently because the future of the world is at stake - to facilitate the process I've had a crust signal installed on the roof of the building (I'll grant that, if you ignore that one time when a pigeon accidentally sat on it, it has never been used yet ). So yes, it has been a busy crust year for Terminal Sound Nuisance. 

The last of these smug homilies will be about Step to Freedom from Nizhny Novgorod (or Нижний Новгород if you want to impress your mates with some linguistic skills), a town East of Moscow. Let's be real: it makes sense to end the year with a Russian punk band. I am not going to get into the war that has been raging in Ukraine this year, as complete media saturation was quickly achieved. It seemed every punter suddenly became pub-level geopolitics experts even though they probably could not place Kharkiv on a map in February. A lot of them (and us sometimes) should probably stick to discussing football, spitting death threats to referees, grumbling about the new government reforms or, if that's your thing, the price of Japanese flexis. The current war(s) aside, Russia has been further turning into a war-mongering conservative authoritarian state that shits on human rights, LGBTQ rights, workers rights and protesters and I believe it is not always easy to be a punk band with something to say over there (to be fair, there are many other areas in the world where it is not either). And now young poor bastards are being sent off to war to fight for a political fiction - the Nation, God, Honour, Glory - as it always has been the case. Generals and ministers die in bed. So yes, not the cheeriest year over there and being called Step to Freedom in this context of stepping away from freedom and to tyranny is beautiful. Solidarity with punks in Ukraine, Russia and wherever life is hard because of delusional lunatics with military might and unlimited funds. I realize it is rather insignificant to say this on a music blog but the feeling is really there. 

Alright then, let's get started. I am not sure when STF exactly started but their first recording, entitled Social Zombies, was self-released on tape in 2014. The musicianship being quite decent, I would venture that the band had already been playing for a couple of years or that the members had already been involved in bands before. Or just that I am not used to people being actually able to play their instruments. I have written about Russian crust bands on several occasions (Fatum, Kärzer or Repression Attack) and I have grown to be very fond of their crust style since the start of the past decade. While I would not claim that Russian crust - perhaps a more relevant terminology would be "crust in Russian" because of the bands located in Belarus or Kazakhstan - is as specific-sounding as the very particular Greek crust school (although it has to be pointed out that they both work with a unique language), even a half-witted listener will have noticed that their national style has developed several significant idiosyncrasies and has steadily become quite recognizable. As a result there are several elements (visual, sonic, thematic, the effective use of the language) expected of and associated with Russian crust, which points to a genrification process to some extent. Time will tell if it sticks but I am betting my Antisect bottle opener that it will.  

Social Zombies was a promising first effort and has a couple of solid crusty metal-punk songs (a bit like Sanctum meets late Cimex or something at times) but some modern hardcore moments do lose me. Their next effort, a tape entitled Cemetery for the Humankind released on Makima Records, only came out in 2017 so the band clearly took its time and to be honest, it was well worth the wait as it is a much more convincing powerful work. These songs revolve around a decidedly thrash metal-inspired stenchcore formula enhanced through that typically aggressive howling Russian delivery. Basically a balance of a Cimex-influenced gruff crust sound and the moshiest, thrashiest end of the crust metal spectrum, not unlike Nuclear Death Terror on a date with Limb From Limb at a thrash-themed restaurant run by the second stenchcore revival's legions (Fatum is an obvious ship captain). I love when STF go all old-school crust through crushing mid-paced apocalyptic crust but not being a thrash/speed metal fanatic, they lose me again when they rock too much the bandanas out of their back pockets. An enjoyable effort but not one I would necessarily play regularly. The Rotten Era tape Ep on the other hand is another story.

Released in 2019 on the excellent Blown Out Media from New Mexico, this four-song jewel comes close to being a perfect Russian stenchcore gem. It still has that extreme old-school thrash metal influence but mean crust is clearly the dominant force on that one (the punk side of the Limb From Limb spectrum if you will) which suits me better. It also looks crustier visually with an abundance of crust signifiers (yes I am taling about the Antisect celtic frame). This tape is a proper scorcher. The mid-2010's Fatum filthy work plan can be said to be very much in use here but I am distinctly hearing some tasteful nods to UK classics like early Bolt Thrower, Genital Deformities and Antisect and the 00's stenchcore revival is also just around the corner (some sweet Effigy and Sanctum's touches here and there). The production is direct and very energetic, it highlights the angry vibe of the songs and these punks are very angry indeed at the bleak capitalist wasteland they live in and the specific phonetics are useful tools here. At the end of the day, The Rotten Era is over-the-top pissed off metallic crust punk with a bite at its best, a concept that I have come to link with Russian crust music. This definitely deserves a vinyl version. Maybe in 2038 for the fifth stenchcore revival?

Step to Freedom

  

    

Live by the Crust, Die by the Crust: Neverending Mind War "S/t" one-sided Lp, 2020

I will try to keep this one short and sweet in accordance with the bloody racket that this ill-humoured three-piece is bent to unleash on our tragic world. With everyday life sometimes feeling about as exciting as a dad dancing contest or a a mobility scooter race, bands like Neverending Mind War sound strangely fresh and invigorating. They remind you that, if there may be no light at the end of the tunnel, there is always the slight hope of getting battered by shock waves of noisy grinding stenchcore from times to times.

I have already written enthusiastically about Philadelphia's brilliant bursts of crust/mangel/d-beat in the 2010's on three occasions in Live by the Crust, Die by the Crust (for a Pollen Ep, the Mortal War demo and an Alement tape) so there is little point in showering everyone with praises once again. Just know that NMW was (I don't know if that one survived the pandemics) made up of members of the aforementioned Pollen and Mortal War, but also Arseholes, Weald and possibly others that I have not even heard of. It is a common phenomenon but you will notice that, if the number of good band has been solid in the past decade, they were often created by the same limited group of people so that the impression that Philadelphia is overrun with tasteful punks might be misleading. I mean, it's not like their mayor wears crust pants or anything. But you could say that the said bunch of punks was motivated and keen on getting up their arse to play good music, which certainly contrasts with some local scenes that are made up of admirably lazy and morose bastards whose sole purpose seems to get a discount on the entrance fee because "the bands only play short sets so it's not value for money" (true story that).

I first became aware of NMW's existence because of an internet rumour. Words of a new American hardcore punk band replicating the raw sound of Scum-era Napalm Death were circulating among the most prestigious and elite crust circles. Not that the open worship of Scum or the 1986 demo is original in itself, far from it, as there are probably tons of grindcore bands trying to do exactly that, but NMW was said to be significantly different as the band did not sound like a grindcore act and instead focused and built on the 80's UK hardcore aspect of Napalm Death. That immediately caught my attention since I am a sucker for the '86-'87 period of the band. I cannot claim that early grindcore is my forte but to me the pioneering Brummies were originally a thrashing noisy crust hardcore band, an approach that is relevant if you do not take into consideration what they did from 1988 on. If they had not grown to be this legendary and well-respected extreme metal band, I am convinced that ND would mostly be talked about as a proto-grind noisecrust hardcore band in the same breath as Sore Throat or Electro Hippies and would be thought to be a perfect illustration of the early Peaceville/Earache sound. And this vision centred on hardcore instead of metal of the early ND sound is the specific foundation of NMW since they don't go beyond 1988 and stick to the pre-grindification of the band.

But anyway, once I got the confirmation of the name (which sounds like the title of a Prophecy of Doom song or perhaps a nod to the little-known Psychotic Mind Battle?) and understood that the workforce was made up of people from Pollen and Mortal War, the aforementioned approach made sense and I knew I was going for a treat. The two demo tapes (from 2017 and 2018 respectively) were very limited pressings and therefore I was unable to get the physical versions and had to make do with the bandcamp streams. So when Regurgitated Semen Records (I think I will never get used to that name which is really not a bad thing) reissued the two demos on one Lp, I was quick to act and jumped on it like a hungry vegan spotting a generous discount on some overpriced and usually unaffordable soy-made cheese, only without the disappointing outcome. 

The Lp looks gorgeous with a red obi strip, pretty much the equivalent of honey for hardcore nerds. The two demos last about ten minutes in total and fit on one side, which is convenient, although I suppose the whole thing would have fit on an Ep. The first demo is a bit noisier and more blown-out, with more distortion, which makes me think that Zyanose could be an influence too, especially when the Osaka nutters go full speed, but it could also just mean that both bands worked on a similar materials (given the popularity of Japanese noisecrust in the States, I would personally vote for the first option especially with the typical crasher-styled introduction to the first recording, "Nightmare"). The second one is a little clearer but also rawer, but I am splitting hair here. Dare to face a relentless and vicious noisy proto-grind hardcore crust tornado. 

I love the harsh gruff vocals and the old-school stench-oriented mid-paced metallic breaks while the guitar sound is perfect, aggressive, thick but filthy and with just the right amount of distortion for the style, more would not work as well. The earlier era of fast Napalm Death (the From Enslavement to Obliteration '86 demo especially beside the legendary Scum Lp) is clearly the band's obvious basis, but the first punishingly savage steps of Heresy (the '85 demo) and the great Electro Hippies definitely have to be mentioned here and I am also thinking about other lesser-known vintage UK raw fast crust like Mortal Terror or Senile Decay, not an irrelevant comparison either but it has more to do with the creative context of UKHC with bands sharing similarities at the time than a probable influence on NMW's music. As mentioned before, the faster side of the Japanese crasher school is my final ingredient to the recipe but there could be also be elements that I don't recognize because of I'm lacking in crossover hardcore. In any case that should undoubtedly be a success at your colleague's leaving do. 

Given the chosen template, NMW were perfect, I would not change a thing to those recordings.   

Neverending Crust War

      

Live by the Crust, Die by the Crust: Genogeist "S/t" demo tape, 2018

And Portland does it again. 

I have been whining on many occasions like a proverbial sad bastard about how PDX (that's how punks who are not posers call the town) has, time after time again, given birth to brilliant hardcore punk bands. I am not sure why it is. Perhaps the younger generations basically emulate the good music and bands that preceded them, thus ensuring the continuity and survival of local quality punk. Does good music basically spawn further good music? Being able to watch Hellshock or Dog Soldier or Harum-Scarum or Autistic Youth or Tragedy (the list really is endless) is a considerable advantage in your formative years. As young punks we all used to look up to and admire older punks, sometimes just slightly older really, with starry eyes and a bit of envy because they all seemed to play in cool bands and were thus undeniably much more self-confident than your spotty self trapped in rampant insecurity. In that PDX context it would probably inspire you to sound as good, or even better than them, and basically to write good songs. Good music calls for and attracts good music, it is a magnet. It creates a dynamic that will lead people to move to this place in order to be part of this movement, immerse themselves in the energy and contribute further good music. From afar PDX is like going to Hollywood to make it as an actor or actress but for punks who are into Discharge cosplay. If you need another metaphor because you are under 25, it is like a massively popular motivational Instagram post that everyone strives to emulate.

On the other hand, maybe they also have shite bands in Portland, we just never hear about them. Maybe the town's best-kept secrets are actually its terrible bands that have to be contained in order to safeguard the good reputation of Portland. What would people think if they knew the town was overrun with skacore revival bands or Smash Mouth cover bands? I trust the local punk police with its unlimited trendsetting power will do its best to keep the city's name untarnished. And if they plan to hire at some point, they know where to find me. 

So Genogeist is yet another class PDX crust band if you have not already guessed. The love story between the city and crust music is famous and seemingly unbreakable. I mean, you could do an advent crust calendar with only PDX crust bands (seriously, I did). A few months ago in Live by the Crust, Die by the Crust I touched upon others bands from the area, namely crasher crusties Horrendous 3D and the Sacrilege-loving Terminal Conquest and because the scene is rather incestuous, a member of Genogeist played in the latter. In fact, the people involved in Genogeist also got their hands dirtier than they already were in Dödläge, GAASP, Vastation and Decomp - bands that I rate very highly indeed - so it is little wonder that a coalition of such craftpersons would result in something remarkable (well, there have been exceptions to that rule but common decency and basic cowardice force me to remain silent on the matter). And of course, Genogeist absolutely rips. In fact their 2019 Lp is one the strongest crust albums of the decade and it would probably make it to my personal top 10. It just sounds and looks stunning. But before this gem the band recorded a five track demo tape in 2018 which is what we are all religiously gathered for tonight.

Granted, the tape was pretty limited with only 100 copies being made which may account for its relative obscurity. I distinctly remember - and I am sure many others unfortunately also do in spite of themselves - rambling inarticulately about the Genogeist demo upon hearing it, even to people who are not into crust at all. Even to random strangers apparently. As if I were twatting innocents in the face with emphatic praises about the band. But what can you do? I am an enthusiast. I am not completely sure about the name "genogeist", the prefix "geno" meaning "race" or "family" and "geist" is the German word for "mind" ("ein gesunder Geist in einem gesunder Körper" as my brutally scary German teacher used to tell our class while specifically staring at me for some reason) so I suppose it suggests an idea of an overarching collective mind which would go well with the futuristic dystopian robotic imagery of the band and the anguished and unhinged vibe of the music, each reflecting the other. This cohesion and fluid link between form and content is meant to create a sense of crazed technological alienation for the self and the collective alike, an idea that was notably at the core of SDS's super intense Digital Evil in Your Mind (and Ameber although with a different songwriting), a brilliant and unique work on which Genogeist clearly built and developed the concept further. This is basically the definition of cybercrust: half-punk, half-machine, 100% crust. They could have gone for robocrust or mechacrust too but I am thankful they left crustmorpher out.  

The band has often been compared to later SDS, and rightly so, but AGE's Four Wings Lp must definitely be mentioned too as this rather underrated album of exploding and rocking metallic crust explored very similar themes to SDS's and Genogeist's visuals actually hint more to the Niigata's legends. Therefore, one would be right to argue that these PDX punks pay tribute to the aforementioned periods of those Japanese bands, not just in terms of music but also in terms of message and aesthetic stance. And clearly, the music absolutely smokes. Relentless Antisect-ish Japanese-styled metallic crust with a sense of atmospherics, ripping solos, angry gruff vocals, rocking mid-paced filthy metal moments and a relentless energy (let's throw a bit of Disturd). Japanese-inspired crust is often associated by the average singleton to the distorted blown-out crasher crust school of Gloom, Collapse Society, Zyanose and the likes but the SDS way is just as meaningfully influential and part of this magnificent equation.

This is a very strong punishing recording with a heavy but still raw production, the sole minor issue being the level of the cymbals that sound a little distracting. Black Water would release a visually stunning full album the next year that further highlighted the band's furious referential take on the Japanese greats. A supernova cybercrust cracker and as I said, one of the best crust albums of the decade. The tape was released on Malaysia's very prolific Black Konflik Records and Sickhead Records. 

Praise the cybercrust                    

Live by the Crust, Die by the Crust: Vitriolic Response / System Shit "Dark Wings Spread / Your Life is Fucked" split Ep, 2014

Books. Yes, books. More often than not, you can read alarming reports claiming that "the youth of today" no longer read, that the whole book industry and its physical outputs are therefore condemned to collapse and that tomorrow's teenagers won't be able to know Virginia Woolf from Billie Eilish (I have been told she's very famous on Instagram but am absolutely clueless as to what she actually does for a living) and will think Dickens is just a category of dick pic. It would also necessarily entail that the whole publishing industry might become useless which will send a significant portion of the middle-class to the job centre and may even force some of them into selling their second homes in Italy. A dire prospect indeed but let's pray that it won't come to such extremities. 

Nothing says "things were better in my days" quite like this sort of doomful predictions. I suppose such "kids these days" theories often formulated by pub oracles have always existed and I would not be surprised to read that Mozart in his time was blamed by the old guards (also known as professional twats) for betraying his roots and cater for a new generation that can't be arsed to love proper music. So while I believe that we should not be stupidly optimistic about the state of things and remain critical and alert about social evolutions, notably when alternative cultures are concerned, there is no point in moaning about how the youth of today supposedly do everything wrong and let's not forget that, in spite of our bad backs, poor eyesights and receding hairlines currently plaguing our daily lives, we all used to be them. Let's get real, this not a reason to pretend to enjoy Turnstile, even ironically. It won't make you 16 again and do you really want to spend a whole gig holding up your phone in the air? Fuck no, the proper way to enjoy a punk gig is to quietly nod and tap your feet to a random d-beat band and sing along to the Discharge covers.

But yes, books. I read that a thing called BookTok might be able to save the industry so I checked the wikipedia page (yes, it has one). It is pretty sad that it takes a ruthless capitalist company that promotes "online content consumption" (how sad is that concept) to get younger people to read and from what I gather the most popular genre is "young adult literature", whatever that is (is there an old adult literature? Or a middle-aged adult one?). But let's not be smug or feel aggrieved, after all reading Madeline Miller might lead some to get into real authors like Wayne Rooney or myself - by the way my autobiography, entitled In Smartness There is No Choice, will soon hit the shelves but sadly I am apparently too old to join the BookToker community. 

Why am I boring you with such tedious, cloying digressions. Well, I actually first heard of Vitriolic Response through Ian Glasper's The Scene that Would Not Die that was published two years ago. I have always loved his writing and I cannot stress enough how inspiring and educational his comprehensive books about 80's and 90's UK punk have been for me. Would have I shamelessly bought an Antisect blanket out of subcultural pride without him? Probably not. His latter book about British punk tackled the last two decades and, as he said in the introduction, it had to be a very tricky endeavour that was bound to generate undeservedly harsh criticism, cynicism, snobbishness and the usual negativity that has always been plaguing punk. I am surprised that the armchair critics did not coalesce into a mob to protest again the book. That's a lot of energy wasted they could, and should, have been put into, and this is just a random example, writing their own articles about the bands they feel have been left out instead of posting bitter comments. There are bands that I don't necessarily like or even care about in the book but the amount of work and heart put into it is, as always with the man, impressive and worthy.

If anything, I am actually grateful for The Scene that Would Not Die because it brought a good band to my attention, Vitriolic Response. I don't want to be discourteous but I had never heard of them before and the pleasure I felt when I read the article about them was genuine as it reminded of the time when punk fanzines or even former Glasper's books were a great source to get into new bands, a process that has been severely undermined by social media. On the other hand, I was a little upset too. How could an English band claiming to play old-school metallic crust slip under my radar? Maybe the mojo is gone and I should accept this position as a part-time reiki consultant that my stepsister told me about after all.

So what about the band then? The Manchester-based Vitriolic Response (admittedly a bit of a mouthful of a name) started out in 2012 and its early lineup was made up of people who had all been involved in quite a few bands before: drummer D-Fekt was in the great Kismet HC, guitar hero Rob in Raised by Drunks and briefly in Spite, vocalist Rob in Burn All Flags and Anxiety Attack (among others) and bass player Flek in Poundaflesh and Declaration of War. Not exactly rookies. A first recording session resulted in five songs landing on an Ep entitled Follow the Herd in 2013 and four on a split Ep with System Shit in 2014 which is the record I am interested on this sunny Monday.

To expect some sort of modern post-00's stenchcore sound would be a mistake asVR have a distinct UK 90's metallic hardcore punk feel on this record pervaded with strong old-school crust influences. I particularly enjoy the very direct punk-sounding production here which contrasts with the superheavy down-tuned sound of many contemporary bands in the crust game. Oddly - given the template - VR sound fresh. The vocals clearly point to 90's spiky hardcore and I would describe the crusty metal crusher mosh as punk-oriented (in an Extinction of Mankind-meet-Misery-in-1995 kind of way) rather than Bolt Thrower-worshipping. As hinted above, mid-90's Extinction of Mankind is the most relevant comparison in terms of apocalyptic metallic punk and VR's songwriting (especially their eery introduction and the nasty mid-paced moments) certainly owes a lot to the iconic local band. But as I pointed out, VR can also be seen as that hard-hitting political UK punk unit especially reminiscent of the mighty Substandard and Constant State of Terror and even bands like Fleas and Lice or Aus-Rotten can be brought to the table. This sounds effortlessly old-school and I am not saying that because the participants are old experienced. The one thing bugging me about the songs is the song title "Linge d'arret" which literally means "Laundry line" in French. Did they mean "Ligne d'arrêt" which translates as "Stop line"? I mean, what kind of punks even do the laundry anyway? 

VR then changed drummer with the arrival of Will from Warcoma and a second guitar player, Jay, also joined. Songs were recorded in 2015 for a split 10'' but the project unfortunately did not materialize. A further lineup change was needed and Keith and Beanhead replaced Will and Jay. The songs recorded for the aforementioned 10'' were finally released on a split cd with Chain of Dissent and let me tell you that they are brilliant, a bit more elaborate and well worth the attention of crust-lovers.

On the other side of the Ep are System Shit. This Halifax lot are like a school mate that you like and regularly bump into but don't actually know that much about and never really phone although he appears on quite a few pictures with you and it feels like he has always been around (but not on a creepy way). SS have been going since 1988 which is a respectable feat and if you are into crust or grindcore, you are more than likely to own a SS record or at least a compilation with them on it. A bit like an ugly jumper that an aunt got you at some point. It is definitely there. The songs that the band contributed to this split are absolutely crushing, old-school protest grinding crustcore or crusty grindcore (depending on your musical sensibilities) with a punk attitude at its best. Vintage Disrupt, Destroy! and Extreme Noise Error, or Massgrave for a more recent parallel, are useful tools if you need to build SS songs according to the instruction manual.

This cannot be said to be a classic record but one that fans of genuine and honest crust punk are bound to really enjoy. This was released on FCR, Rotting Head Records, Direct Hit Records and Positive Cacophony. Maybe I should try to CrustTok this shit.  

Vitriolic System

              

Live by the Crust, Die by the Crust: Nocturnal Scum "S/t" 12'' Ep, 2018

Germany has always been a bit of an enigma for me. I am not just talking about the success of Rawside or some of the transcendentally cheesy haircuts that many famous athletes wore well into the late 90's. By any standards, Germany has the best network of alternative punk venues anywhere in the world. Even smaller towns have their own autonomous centers provided with cheap rents, actual stages, sound systems and bars (and pissed punters of course). And I won't even get into Berlin's Hausprojekte or Leipzig's insane concentration of alternative spaces hosting gigs and political activities. If Leipzig was turned into abs, it would be Cristiano Ronaldo's: rock-hard. Obviously German towns, especially the ones mentioned above but also Hamburg or Bremen and others (not including München, who would like to live in a golden right-wing magnet?) attract large numbers of foreign punks looking for cheap places to live and great punk action. Some Berlin gigs don't have any actual German-born punks and it does not even affect lager sales. No wonder punks from all around the world move over there instead of Paris where it is horribly expensive, dirty and where punk gigs take place in shitty bars selling stale beers run by landlords who don't give a damn about any music, let alone punk. If you asked the twats, you could just as well be putting on Drungeon and Dragon events as long as the nerds get drinks (arguably people don't really get pissed when playing the game but what do I know). At least, I presume they won't take speed in the bogs.

As a result, because of the amazing venues (sometimes getting subsidies to pay the bands, even shit ones like mines) and hordes of punks living there it is little wonder that touring bands often favour Germany. More often than not what is called "European tour" is basically six gigs out of twelve in Germany, two in Switzerland and sometimes one in glamorous Paris, but that's pretty much because we have selfie-friendly spots and we are on the way toward Barcelona and other much cooler places. This combination of ace spaces, punks from all over the place and countless bands touring should create dozens upon dozens of amazing local bands that should be able to export themselves. You would expect Berlin to be looking down on Portland and put Sweden to shame. Making Paris look like a kindergarten is not nearly enough Berlin. 

In fact, I cannot think of that many remarkable German bands in the field of d-beat/crust in the 00's and 10's. Perhaps most of the good shit remained local and did not reach the shores of Terminal Sound Nuisance but one would logically expect to be overrun with great bands. Even street musicians should be doing covers of Amebix and Anti-Cimex and not abominable covers of "Bella ciao" or, even worse, Manu fucking Chao. I am not claiming that there have not been good bands in those decades (Instinct of Survival are undeniably one of the best crust bands ever and I can think of a couple of genuinely enjoyable other acts), just that there have not been many considering the ratio of punks that are into crust and d-beat raw punk over there. I mean, there are more studs at German punk gigs than there are in Earth's sex dungeons. Are they just too busy looking good or too spoiled with great music to bother? Are Berlin punks just lazy bums? Am I just a shameless ignoramus? Will they retaliate against me? To crust or not to crust? 

But anyway. Whenever I hear about a solid crust band from these parts, I therefore get very curious, not to mention relieved, because of the potential, and it seems only fair to include a Berlin band in the Live by the Crust, Die by the Crust series, a motto that is probably tattooed on many a punk's arse in that very peculiar town. Enter Nocturnal Scum. Something of an odd choice for a name, not that I dislike it and "scum" is after all not an unusual substantive in a punk band's name (see Scum Noise, Scum of Society, Scumbrigade or Scum System Kill), but there was - and still is - already a crust band called Moribund Scum around so that it makes one feel there is a lot of scum in Germany. It is not like they were in a Highlander movie and there could only be one crust scum around I guess. There was room for two types of scum, the nocturnal and the moribund. That's diversity after all.

NS formed in 2015 and, as is often the case, it was not a first attempt at punk music for the members. Singer Katrien used to growl in the well-respected second stenchcore revival band Last Legion Alive, Isa and Janse played in Chorea Huntington and the very good Kriminal, Lassi also played in Kriminal and Gitshi was part of Katyusha, a local metal crust band, in the early 2010's. Back when they were still active (they stopped playing around 2018), NS was often referred to as "that band with Last Legion Alive's singer" and by "often referred to" I mean that I might have read it twice on the internet, one of which was actually my own doing. The connection cannot be said to be unintelligible. After all Katrien's vocals were particularly memorable in LLA, a well liked band in itself, and, without disrespect to the other worthy musicians, it makes sense that people mostly remember the band for her. 

This being said, NS and LLA don't sound alike, the former being more energetic and not as doom-oriented. The sound is purposefully raw as the six songs were recorded in the band's practice space so that the recording has that primitive, wild, feral quality (I am reminded of the early so-called "proto" years of extreme metal) and what the music may lack in heaviness is largely compensated with the crude energy and furious drive permeating the record. In terms of style, NS are pretty pummeling and certainly love their fast and epic thrashing stenchcore balanced with headbanging mid-paced moments with double drum and some death-metal leads. Good shit. They are not reinventing the wheel and don't claim to be. They give the impression that they play crust for crust's sake and love doing it in a genuine way. I am heavily reminded of bands like Limb From Limb, early Krang and Fatum (definitely, post-2015). I like the fact that they rely on energy more than on their pedal boards or effects. The music has that very spontaneous vibe, it is basically very direct and unpretentious and, while it cannot be said to be a major crust work, it is one that can be easily recommended. Especially with Katrien's demented vocals, the actual elephant in the room. I cannot really think of a similar vocal style in crust music and the closest comparisons I can think of on a Tuesday afternoon in November is a cross between Order of the Vulture's mad and evil singer and Meg's gruff throaty vocals in Excrement of War. She hellishly barks, gnarls and growls her way through the songs and manages to sound threatening and very dynamic. If my very mean scary maths teacher had been possessed by evil, she would have sounded just like her. The vocals in NS are impressive even if you are not into crust music (although it does help). 

I don't think the band was still active when this 12'' Ep came out through Angry-Voice Records in 2018. The artwork is simple but evocative enough and I like its pagan Amebix-like eeriness. And there is even a poster included. That is so retro. I love it. After the demise of the band, some members formed Terminal Filth, a 100% satisfaction guaranteed stenchcore band that has been one my favourite punk records of 2022. And while you are it, give Electric Masochist a go if you are looking for an over-the-top howling crust-pants-fueled distorted d-beat band to play at around 4am at your aunt's New Year's Eve party. 

Big thanks go to top geezer Martin for his help in the collection of information. Merci mec!        

     

Berlin Scum

Live by the Crust, Die by the Crust: Phozgene "S/t" tape, 2017

Life can be beautiful. And I don't mean just the band LIFE, who has been consistently beautiful for ages, unlike many of us. Sometimes you can encounter, by sheer chance, marvelous punk recordings out of nowhere, so to speak, like Randy Orton's RKO but without your skull being buried on a wrestling mat (this being said, the sensation can be very similar with loud crasher crust). Phozgene is one such example of an amazing hardcore punk surprise. I wish I could tell you that I found their tape in my mailbox because the boys were massive fans of Terminal Sound Nuisance and were begging me to write about it (a $100 bill would have to be included in the envelop of course). But unromantically, their recording just appeared in the youtube recommendations one morning and I think I clicked on the link because the "O" had a peace symbol in it. The most glamorous element of this embarrassingly anticlimactic story may be the fact that I was probably wearing my Disclose pyjamas. It could be much worse of course and Vancouver's Phozgene could have merely been a pure waste of my precious time and attention span. At least, the recording is brilliant. 

More often than not, surprises are disappointing though. Years ago, I remember my dad insisted on bringing me a present from one of his holidays in a resort of some kind. I tried to dissuade him as the last time he had done that I ended up with the cheesiest Dubrovnik key chain. But he told me that this time he would bring me something I would actually enjoy and be proud of. That got me very worried but his drive was quite touching and I thought that the worst thing he could bring back was an ashtray or, if he were particularly ambitious, some sort of smelly carpet from an "authentic" market for tourists. I was wrong. When he came back he proudly told me that he had gone in an actual "rock shop" where he asked for a "rock shirt". My heart almost stopped beating and when he gave me the grey, vastly oversized Limp Bizkit top, I was so speechless that he mistook my reaction for overwhelming happiness. I never told him that this horror quickly ended up as a dust cloth that I would still hide under the bed in case a fellow punk saw it and ruined my then fragile reputation. A scarring experience indeed but I should not complain, it was a heartfelt gift and I should feel lucky to get gifts at all. And it did make for a quality dust cloth to be honest. So thank you daddy. 

But back to Phozgene. "Phosgene" means "a poisonous, colorless, very volatile liquid or suffocating gas, (...) a chemical warfare compound" which I suppose makes it a synonym for special brew. Phozgene was a band that had what I call a "fuck me effect". I suppose that if you spend too much time watching American series and films, you could call that the "wow factor", which sounds pretty dreadful to be honest. The "fuck me effect" implies that you are completely taken by surprise by a brilliant band, one that you did not necessarily expect much from and that gives you a massive kick up the arse (in a good way, not in a "where have you been all night son?" kinda way). Phozgene felt exactly like that. A band seemingly coming out of nowhere and checking all the right crust boxes. It was basically a crust equivalent of the RKO: you don't see it coming but it nails you nonetheless. And whenever I listen to Phozgene, I still remember that amazing feeling of being pleasantly surprised and it does make your Supreme Leader - i.e. me - really happy as it has become pretty rare to be favourably impressed by a random obscure band in a world where we are continually fed new bands and constantly bombarded with hyped "genre-bending rules-challenging crucial hardcore bands" that end up being forgotten and replaced with another one six months after. Not that any of my own bands has ever been included in that category. So I may just be envious. 

I asked guitar hero Cordie about the history of Phozgene and that was how it went. Back in 2016 bass player Alex and himself had just completed a tour with their PDX-based band Suss Law and they decided to go back to Vancouver (where Cordie is from). The both of them started messing about in the studio and quickly wrote songs influenced by the mighty G-Anx while smoking weed. Amazingly they were capable to play an actual gig just weeks after the songs were even written in those circumstances. If you lock me up in a studio with some mates and feed us a weed-based diet, the result would be absolutely embarrassing and the best anti-drug campaign in world's history. The message would be something like: "If you don't want to make a fool of yourself in public like that twat on stage, don't do drugs". But anyway, after that first gig the band recruited new drummer Darrell and two months after they recorded that little gem of a demo. There was another studio session in the Summer of 2017 where four songs were recorded, one of which appeared on the Terminal Noize Addicts compilation Ep in 2019 along with Suss Law, Zyanose and fucking Disorder (one of Cordy's teenage fantasies I'm sure). The three remaining songs have not been released yet (hopefully a label will wake up and get to it someday). By 2019, Phozgene was no longer though as they stopped playing after a small tour in Canada in late 2017. In the end, the band only played for about ten months.

So what makes Phozgene a highlight of the decade for me, albeit a modest one. The band had something that few others can claim to have: they sound original. The basic ingredients for the recipe are classic in the best sense of the term. Right from the introduction, the main direction can be aptly defined as old-school filthy stenchcrust with 90's style dual vocals and an angry punk vibe (rather than a metal one) running throughout. Or something. The band don't hesitate to switch beats, from the traditional dis-käng worship to the dirty mid-paced thrashing crust one and blasting old-school hardcore. Apart from G-Anx, 80's British crust bands like Mortal Terror, Electro Hippies and '88 Deviated Instinct come to mind just like cavemen käng inspired classics like 3-Way Cum or State of Fear and I would also definitely compare it with the more contemporary '09/'10-era of Cancer Spreading (that's accuracy for you). But while bands influenced by G-Anx usually stick to the ultra fast käng hardcore template, Phozgene also worked on the psychedelic aspect of the band and freely included more progressive influences with tribal space rock bits, dark postpunk moments, free rock solos and even some synth thrown in there, all of those smartly integrated into the whole and not just thrown in there. So yeah, weed. 

On paper, it could just sound like a mess but taken as a whole, it makes sense and allows the demo to tell a great story with different moods that is different but still coherent and meaningful. It will definitely appeal to people craving for gruff old-school crust and at the same time bring something new, with a fresh twist, to a table that often lacks personality and creativity. I suppose that we are not far, conceptually at least, from what Instinct of Survival offered in the mid 2010's (revival stenchcore meets Zygote and Smartpils) and a band like Kärzer (which you can explore here) can be approach in a similar light. It would be far-fetched to claim Phozgene were the first act to add psychedelic and progressive influences to classic crust though and in the 90's Bad Influence and Πανικός clearly pioneered this drive to go beyond through this peculiar path. But as I mentioned, it is uncommon to see that nowadays, even more so from a band proverbially coming out of nowhere. 

This demo was first released in 2017 by Thought Decay Records from Canada (Phane's own short-lived attempt at releasing stuff I presume) and reissued in 2020 by No Name Records from Kiev. With a 25 minute running time, it would make for a brilliant vinyl Lp (just saying). Cordie and Alex are still doing Suss Law (distorted and noizy UK82) and the latter also plays in a Ramones-inspired band called The Chuffs. As for Cordie, he is a busy bee and beside riffing in the brilliant Phane (charged punk at its very best), he also lent his skills to Brutalize (raw punk hell), Despair (which I can say is one of my favourite orthodox d-beat bands of the decade so you will hear about it at some point in the future) and he has probably written a handful of riffs for three new bands since I started this article.

Phozgene 

Live by the Crust, Die by the Crust: Scumraid "S/t" tape, 2016

Scumraid is a bit of a special band for me. Not just because their name includes two terms, "scum" and "raid", that trigger my sensitive and trustworthy crust detector but because I actually put on a gig for them in Paris in 2016. At that time, Scumraid were touring Europe with Sweden's Sex Dwarf whose singer, Per, got in touch with me for a gig in the world-famous town of dog turds and love (often in that order as you are more likely to find shit on your shoes than love, let me tell you). The request was a little surprising as I had only put on the one gig at that point, namely Deathraid in late 2015, and that was only because the person who was originally supposed to do it threw the towel just two weeks before the show. Since I love Deathraid and tragically missed Consume on their 2004 tour, I though it was my duty as a loyal punk soldier always ready to die for the cause and the greater good - by which I mean putting the capital on the d-beat/crust/raw punk map - I heroically volunteered to take matters into my own hands. The gig actually went well, the turnout was great, the bands delivered, I did not lose any money and everyone went home happy. On the whole not a regrettable experience at all but not one I was particularly inclined to repeat as I easily get stressed out and tend to run around pointlessly like a headless chicken when under the pressure. Needless to say I would make a poor football coach.

The very little experience I had as a "promoter" (I bloody hate the word) made Per's offer rather unexpected and unanticipated, albeit flattering. Not to my credit, I was only vaguely familiar with Sex Dwarf and Scumraid (clueless would be closer to the truth). I must admit I was a little bored and overwhelmed with all the so-called noisepunk bands at that point and therefore pondered over the subject. Not that I wouldn't be in the audience if someone else did it, quite the contrary as I am one to support international bands and brag about it constantly, but I was not particularly enthused over the idea of going through the hassle of putting it on myself. But then, how often does one get the chance to organize a local gig for a Korean hardcore band? So I gave them a proper listen. And, of course, I was left gobsmacked and quickly agreed to make the gig happen. 

As if having already two foreign bands on the bill was not ambitious enough, two Belgian bands - Suit Side vs Veda Plight and Werly, both from Liège - were added, not really on purpose but because they were friends, needed a gig on that very same day and I would have felt guilty not to help them out. The gig was on a Sunday night which is not a great day for punk gigs as everyone is usually too hungover to bother coming out of their lair. The turnout was alright as I remember it but, more importantly, Sex Dwarf and Scumraid absolutely killed it, were very friendly and I am very happy to have made the right choice. What a happy ending and an ode to the network of friends, right? After that I put on many more dates for many more punk bands and I get requests from all over the place asking me for a gig in Paris. That's the predictable catch when you start doing it: your contact gets instantly shared with pretty much every punk bands setting up their European tour and as a result you end up with messages from mediocre German metalcore bands that you have never heard of and wish you had not.

When you have four touring bands on a Sunday, you have to watch the time. If you are running late, it can be very awkward to ask a band that has been traveling all day to shorten their set. But on the other hand, if you start too early, the punters have not arrived yet or just hang around before the venue sharing stories about their weekend and how they made up with an absolute stranger at a dodgy bar the night before because they were just too pissed to know better. So you always have to ask the bands: "How long is your set exactly? We have to be done by 11pm, otherwise the landlord will get on stage and unplug your massive pedal board". The threat always works miracle. When I asked Scumraid, the singer replied that they were only playing for twelve minutes. I think I stared at him for a few seconds in disbelief. Obviously, you are not going to have an hour-long set when you play crasher noize hardcore crust but twelve minutes sound a little short when you have traveled 6000 miles. That's 500 miles for one minute played. The man mistook my surprise for disapproval and quickly added that they could only play a nine minute set if twelve was too long. It really cracks me up just thinking about it and it is, to this day, one of my favourite gig stories. I think they did an encore and ended up playing a lengthy set of sixteen minutes. 

To be honest, Scumraid has to be one of the best bands I have put on. They absolutely crushed it live though it might have been a bit much for most of the audience on a Sunday night. At least it provided a good excuse for not hearing your bosses' voice on Monday morning. The deafening goods were delivered by this power trio efficiently and with apparent ease. I must admit I am not well versed in Korean punk music and the bands that spontaneously came to mind before bumping into Scumraid were ICBM (early 2010's great dark old-school crust), Dead Gakkahs (intense female-fronted fast angry hardcore) and The Couch (00's spiky pogopunk, please don't ask) which is not very much indeed. If you are interested in further exploring the Korean scene, 2016's Seoul Compilation Tape comes highly recommended. It showcases a lot of different hardcore punk styles and that's what I like and expect from local compilations. And it's oi-free, thank fuck for that.

 

This tape was released in 2016 but Scumraid already had two Ep's under the belt by then, 2014's Out of Order on D-Takt & Råpunk Records and 2015's Rip Up on Iron Lung Records, the former being a scorchingly magisterial lesson in crasher noize crust. I think the present tape was the only thing that the band had left when they reached Paris so that I promptly jumped on it to support the touring band (and annoy my insufferable neighbours with mean bursts of hardcore), in spite of the rather odd cover which displays the band on some Seoul roof (I presume) with the bass player pointing for some reason to the singer/guitar player's crotch with a stick to the drummer's amusement. Oh well. The sound on the tape is very raw and it feels like a demo recording compared to Out of Order, which it is. As a result it does not sound as relentlessly powerful but if you are more into the raw punk end of the crasher spectrum, you might prefer the furious primitiveness of the tape. Scumraid is a tight band and they unleash seventeen songs in seventeen minutes without ever letting the innocent listener rest. It can be a bit of an exhausting listen because it does sound like you are getting the bollocking of your life (not unlike the aftermath of you placing a stink bomb on your teacher's chair to impress your mates in 1992). As you have guessed by now, Scumraid play referential (punky smileys included) blownout crasher hardcore noize crust - insert additional cool term if needed - with harsh vocals, high intensity and insane tempo changes. 90's classics like Gloom and Collapsed Society are invited to the table, but the influences from the subsequent generations may be stronger, namely 00's crasher noize tornadoes Ferocious X, Contrast Attitude and Deceiving Society and of course, because it is probably the most relevant comparison, the mighty D-Clone. 

The thing was recorded at Seoul's Mushroom Studio and if you are looking for a better, more potent production, the seventeen songs were remixed and mastered at LM Studio in Osaka by Ippei Suda - a genius in noizy hardcore who worked on materials from Framtid, Defector or Contrast Attitude, not exactly a newcomer - and were released as the ace Control Lp in 2018, a record that is still easy to get. The band has (mostly?) relocated to Tokyo and if you ever have the opportunity to witness the chaos, do yourself a favour: grab your crust pants and run. 

Scumcrasher