View source for Crust punk

{{short description|Music genre}}
{{Redirect|Crusty||Krusty (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2021}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2024}}
{{Infobox music genre
| name              = Crust punk
| image             = Antisect, 1985.jpg
| caption           = Crust punk band [[Antisect]] performing in 1985
| other_names       = * Crust
* stenchcore
| stylistic_origins = {{hlist|[[Anarcho-punk]]<ref name="Rise of Crust" />|[[extreme metal]]<ref>{{cite journal |title=A History Of Metal – Punk Special: Crust Punk }}</ref>|[[D-beat]]<ref name=swedish>Peter Jandreus, ''The Encyclopedia of Swedish Punk 1977–1987'', Stockholm: Premium Publishing, 2008, p. 11.</ref>|[[biker metal]]<ref name="Speed Metal">{{cite book |last=Popoff |first=Martin |date=2017 |title=Speed Metal |author-link=Martin Popoff }}</ref>}}
| cultural_origins  = Early 1980s, England
| derivatives       = [[Grindcore]],<ref name=grindcrust>"In Grind We Crust", p. 46.</ref> [[red and anarchist black metal]]
| subgenres         = [[neo-crust]]
| fusiongenres      = [[Blackened crust]], [[crack rock steady]], [[crustcore]]
| regional_scenes   = * [[Music in Brazil#Brazilian grindcore and crust punk|Brazil]]
* [[Hardcore punk in the United Kingdom#Crust punk|United Kingdom]]
| other_topics      = * [[Crossover thrash]]
* [[metalcore]]
* [[sludge metal]]
* [[thrashcore]]
* [[thrash metal]]
* [[first-wave black metal]]
}}

'''Crust punk''' (also known as '''stenchcore''' or simply '''crust''') is a [[fusion genre]] of [[anarcho-punk]] and [[extreme metal]] that originated in the early to mid-1980s in England. Originally, the genre was primarily mid-tempo, making use of metal riffs in a stripped-down anarcho-punk context, however many later bands pushed the genre to be more grandiose, faster or more melodic. Often songs are political, discussing [[environmentalism]], [[anarchism]], [[anti-capitalism]], [[feminism]] and [[animal rights]].

The genre originated in the early to mid-1980s with [[Amebix]] and [[Antisect]], bands active in the anarcho-punk scene who began to incorporate the influence of [[heavy metal music|heavy metal]] bands such as [[Hellhammer]], [[Motörhead]] and [[Trouble (band)|Trouble]]. The influence of these bands led to the genre's first wave with [[Hellbastard]], [[Deviated Instinct]] and [[Concrete Sox]]. By the late 1980s, the genre had begun to merge with [[hardcore punk]], typified by [[Electro Hippies]], [[Extreme Noise Terror]] and [[Doom (British band)|Doom]]. During the 1990s, this sound was continued by Swedish and Japanese bands including [[Skitsystem]], [[Driller Killer (band)|Driller Killer]], [[Disclose]] and Gloom, while other areas brought in outside influences such as [[Dystopia (band)|Dystopia]] with sludge metal, [[His Hero is Gone]] with [[powerviolence]], [[Choking Victim]] with [[ska]] and [[Disrupt (band)|Disrupt]] with [[grindcore]]. During the 2000s, the most prominent sound in the genre was the neo-crust style of [[Tragedy (band)|Tragedy]], [[Fall of Efrafa]] and [[From Ashes Rise]], which pushed the genre into more metal-influenced but also melodic and [[post-rock]]-inspired territory. At the same time, Swedish bands like [[Disfear]] and [[Wolfbrigade]] were also pushing crust punk into an increasingly melodic direction, through the incorporation of elements of [[melodic death metal]].

==Characteristics==
{{Quote box |quote=Metal lyrics were so dumb, so far removed from daily life. Venom were going on about Satan... and bikes... and Satan... and women... and Satan... I'd switch on the TV and know I was going to see hundreds of people dying because there'd been an earthquake in the third world... and all these people starving to death while military expenditure still increased... That was — and still is — the reality of it. The whole heavy metal thing is... well, bullshit basically."<ref>Glasper 2009, 183."</ref>|source = Malcolm "Scruff" Lewty of Hellbastard on lyrics in heavy metal|width = 30%|align = right}}

===Lyrics===
Crust punk lyrics generally discuss real-world issues as a means of activism. In particular, they discuss political and social themes such as [[class struggle]], [[environmentalism]], [[anarchism]], and [[anti-capitalism]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hustle |first1=Jac |title=Punk Loud Guitars, Louder Statements |publisher=29 September 2023 |quote=Lyrically, crust punk is deeply rooted in political and social themes. Songs address a wide array of issues, including environmental degradation, anti-authoritarianism, class struggle, and anti-capitalism. The lyrics are often confrontational and provocative, reflecting a desire to challenge the status quo and provoke thought and action. Crust punk is a genre that thrives on chaos, both musically and thematically, using its sonic ferocity as a vehicle for activism.}}</ref> Sometimes these themes are hyperbolised to the point of discussing the apocalypse, religious control and nuclear destruction. Many bands also discussed [[feminism]], [[animal rights]] and [[veganism]] or [[vegetarianism]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Sfetcu |first1=Nicolae |title=American Music |quote=Lyrics to crust songs tend to be dark, and based around politics and current events and even some human emotion; topics such as nuclear destruction, environmentalism, racial equality, squatting, non-conformity, apocalypse, abolishing sexism, animal rights, veganism/vegetarianism, religious control, death (and/or escaping life) and anarchism are common.}}</ref> In contrast, Amebix's lyrics sometimes discussed [[mysticism]] and [[Gnosticism]].<ref name=day/>

===Instrumentation===
[[File:Hellbastard Eindhoven.jpg|thumb|[[Hellbastard]] coined the name "crust punk" with their 1986 demo ''Ripper Crust'']]
Crust punk is a derivative form of [[anarcho-punk]], mixed with metal [[riff]]s.<ref name="Rise of Crust">{{cite web|last=Von Havoc |first=Felix |title=Rise of Crust |publisher=Profane Existence |date=1 January 1984 |url=http://www.havocrex.com/press/article/3/83 |access-date=16 June 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080615163312/http://www.havocrex.com/press/article/3/83 |archive-date=15 June 2008 }}</ref> The overall musical sound was described by ''[[SFGate]]'' writer Loolwa Khazzoom as being "stripped down".<ref name="SFGate">{{cite news|author=Loolwa Khazzoom |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/03/11/EBG7ABLSLU1.DTL |title=Livermore: All's well with the Bay Area punk scene say members of the Sick |work=Sfgate |date=11 March 2005 |access-date=1 August 2010}}</ref> Drumming is typically done at high speed, with [[D-beat]]s sometimes being used.<ref name=swedish/> In ''Sober Living for the Revolution: Hardcore Punk, Straight Edge, and Radical Politics'', author Gabriel Kuhn referred to the genre as a "blend of 1977 British punk, roots culture and [[black metal]]", with the genre often taking influence from [[death metal]], [[grindcore]] and [[powerviolence]].<ref name="Kuhn" />

==Etymology==
[[File:Leggo live Deviated Instinct.jpg|thumb|[[Deviated Instinct]], a first wave crust punk, who coined the genre's original name "stenchcore"|150px]]
The original name for the crust punk genre was "stenchcore", in reference to [[Deviated Instinct]]'s 1986 demo ''Terminal Filth Stenchcore''.<ref name="Rise of Crust"/> In a 2007 interview with ''3PRQ'', the band's vocalist and guitarist Rob Middleton stated "We came up with the 'stenchcore' tag on our demo as kind of a joke as there were so many ridiculous 'cores' going about at the time and people used to comment on our general dishevelment." This term has stayed in use, however has developed from referring to the genre as a whole, to mean the particular mid–tempo, early extreme metal-influence sound of crust punk's first wave such as Deviated Instinct, Amebix and Antisect.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Conspiracy |first=D. I. Y. |date=2023-06-27 |title=What is Stenchcore? {{!}} DIY Conspiracy |url=https://diyconspiracy.net/terms/stenchcore/ |access-date=2025-09-28 |language=en-US}}</ref>

The term "crust" was coined by [[Hellbastard]] on their 1986 ''Ripper Crust'' demo.<ref name="Rise of Crust"/> This name was derived from the "crusty" appearance of the genre's practitioning bands.<ref name="Kuhn">{{cite book |last1=Kuhn |first1=Gabriel |title=Sober Living for the Revolution: Hardcore Punk, Straight Edge, and Radical Politics |url=https://archive.org/details/soberlivingforre00kuhn |url-access=registration |date=2010 |publisher=PM Press |page=[https://archive.org/details/soberlivingforre00kuhn/page/n16 16]|isbn=9781604860511 }}</ref> Punk historian Ian Glasper states, in his book ''Trapped in a Scene'', "''Rippercrust'' [''sic''] is widely regarded as the first time the word 'crust' was used in the punk context, and hence the specific starting point of the whole crust punk genre, although some would attribute that accolade to the likes of [[Disorder (band)|Disorder]], [[Chaos UK]], and Amebix several years earlier."<ref name=Glasper /> In the same book, he quoted the group's vocalist and guitarist Malcolm "Scruff" Lewty "A lot of people say we started the crust punk genre, but whatever. If they wanna say that, I don't mind, but I'm certainly no [[Malcolm McLaren]], saying I invented something I didn't."<ref name=Glasper>Glasper 2009, 185</ref>

==History==
===Precursors===
The most prominent influences upon crust punk were [[Crass]] and [[Discharge (band)|Discharge]]. Crass introduced the genre's [[anarchist]] ideology and its tattered, militaristic aesthetic, while Discharge introduced its apocalyptic themes and influence from [[heavy metal music|heavy metal]], particularly [[Motörhead]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Pearson |first1=David |title=Rebel Music in the Triumphant Empire Punk Rock in the 1990s United States |date=2021 |isbn=9780197534885 |quote=Crass laid an ideological (anarchist), political, and aesthetic foundation for subsequent bands that sought to make punk a conscious political rebellion. But its peace- punk style would soon be usurped by a crucial development in punk's history: its crossover with heavy metal... Waksman cites British band Motörhead, whose Overkill album was released in that year, as the first punk/metal crossover to be recognized as such, largely because audiences at its performances were drawn from fans of the two genres... Perhaps the most significant band in this regard was Discharge, whose 1982 album ''Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing'' became one of the most important reference points for 1990s political punk.}}</ref> Other metal bands to include the style included [[Hellhammer]] and [[Trouble (band)|Trouble]].<ref name="Rise of Crust" />

=== 1980s ===
[[File:Antisect Finland 2011.jpg|thumb|[[Antisect]]'s 1985 EP ''Out from the Void'' was one of the earliest crust punk releases]]
Crust punk was established by the bands [[Amebix]] and [[Antisect]], who both growing out of the anarcho-punk scene and made use of dark, morbid and post-apocalyptic imagery. Amebix had begun their career playing a style more indebted to [[Killing Joke]], while Antisect began playing simply anarcho-hardcore punk. Amebix first embraced metal influences on their 1983 album ''[[No Sanctuary (album)|No Sanctuary]]'', while Antisect did so on their 1985 EP ''Out from the Void''. These releases were the earliest crust punk releases, with Amebix's subsequent album ''[[Arise! (Amebix album)|Arise]]'' (1985) codifying the sound of the genre.<ref name="Rise of Crust"/> However, Amebix also brought a wider scope of influences than most other bands in the genre, particularly [[post-punk]] bands including [[Public Image Ltd.]], [[Bauhaus (band)|Bauhaus]], [[Joy Division]] and especially [[Killing Joke]].<ref name=day>Glasper 2006. "Amebix." p. 198-201.</ref> Soon, the first wave of crust punk bands was solidified with the formations of [[Hellbastard]], [[Deviated Instinct]] and [[Concrete Sox]].<ref name="Rise of Crust"/> This early wave of the genre was closely related to the nascent [[extreme metal]] scene, with the members of Amebix and Hellhammer even being in the same [[tape trading]] circles, influencing one another.<ref name="Hobson, 2022" />

In the following years, the genre spread to other countries. The largest of these was the Swedish crust punk and [[d-beat]] scene which early on produced [[Anti Cimex]] and Agnoni, who both quickly toured the United Kingdom.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ekeroth |first1=Daniel |title=Swedish Death Metal |date=29 July 2008 |publisher=BAZILLION POINTS |page=24 |quote=Digby Pearson of Earache Records recalls the wave of transformation: "Like most guys from the old days, I started out as a massive fan of UK crust punk and American hardcore. Sweden was famous for their many crust bands early on, and I got every tape with every band from Fredda Holmgren at CBR. When I started to promote gigs, it was natural for me to bring over a couple Swedish bands. So I did a UK tour with Anti Cimex and the somewhat thrashier Agoni.}}</ref> From this scene soon originated the [[Swedish death metal]] scene, which would be brought to prominence by [[Entombed (band)|Entombed]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=O'Neill |first1=Andrew |title=A History of Heavy Metal |date=13 July 2017 |publisher=Headline |quote=Extreme metal in Sweden started with Bathory, but extreme music in Sweden started with crust punk. The d-beat sound of Discharge found a massive fanbase in Sweden and d-beat as a genre is pretty much propped up entirely by the relatively small population of that country. But the d-beat scene is nothing compared to the insane bands-per-capita output of Swedish death metal, much of which grew out of that fertile punk scene. They found their stars in Entombed}}</ref>

American crust punk began in New York City, in the mid-1980s, with the work of [[Nausea (band)|Nausea]]. The group emerged from the [[Lower East Side]] [[squatting|squat]] scene and [[New York hardcore]],<ref>Init 5, 25 September 2007. [https://dailynoise.blogspot.com/2007/09/nausea-wow.html] Access date: 18 June 2008.</ref> living with [[Roger Miret]] of [[Agnostic Front]].<ref>John John Jesse interview, ''Hoard Magazine'', June 2005. {{cite web |url=http://www.hoardmag.com/jj/1.htm |title=John John Jesse interview – HOARD MAGAZINE |access-date=12 October 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080921205657/http://www.hoardmag.com/jj/1.htm |archive-date=21 September 2008 }} Access date: 18 June 2008</ref> The early work of [[Neurosis (band)|Neurosis]], from San Francisco, also borrowed from Amebix, and inaugurated crust punk on the West Coast.<ref>Adam Louie, Mastodon, Neurosis show review, ''Prefix'' magazine, 29 January 2008 [http://www.prefixmag.com/features/mastodon-neurosis/brooklyn-masonic-temple/16952/] Access date: 18 June 2008</ref><ref>Anthony Bartkewicz, ''Decibel Magazine'' No. 31, May 2007. [http://www.decibelmagazine.com/features/may2007/neurosis.aspx] Access date: 18 June 2008</ref> [[Disrupt (band)|Disrupt]] (Boston),<ref>Nick Mangel, Disrupt LP review, ''Maximum Rock'n'Roll'' #301, June 2008, record reviews section.</ref> [[Antischism]] (South Carolina), Misery and [[Destroy (band)|Destroy]] (Minneapolis) were also significant U.S. crust groups.<ref name="Rise of Crust"/>

In the late 1980s, bands including [[Doom (UK band)|Doom]], Excrement of War, [[Electro Hippies]] and [[Extreme Noise Terror]] began to merge crust punk with the sound of UK hardcore punk, creating the crustcore subgenre. [[Havoc Records|Felix Havoc]] described [[Extreme Noise Terror]]'s segment of the "Earslaughter" split album with [[Chaos UK]] as the first album in the genre.<ref name="Rise of Crust"/>

===1990s===
[[File:Wolfbrigade Party.San Metal Open Air 2016 08.jpg|thumb|[[Wolfbrigade]], one of the most prominent crust punk bands of the 1990s]]
In 1994, [[Orange County, California]]'s [[Dystopia (band)|Dystopia]] released their debut album ''[[Human = Garbage]]'' which merged sludge crust punk and [[sludge metal]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Pratt |first1=Greg |title=DYSTOPIA – HUMAN = GARBAGE |url=https://bravewords.com/reviews/dystopia-human-garbage |website=[[Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles]] |access-date=24 September 2023}}</ref> An important American crust punk band was [[Aus Rotten]]<ref name=ausrotten>"{{cite web|url=https://www.pghcitypaper.com/arts-entertainment-2/crust-punks-behind-enemy-lines-release-one-nation-under-the-iron-fist-of-god-1334793/|title=Crust-punks Behind Enemy Lines release One Nation Under The Iron Fist of God|last=Hopper|first=Justin|website=[[Pittsburgh City Paper]]|date=1 February 2007|access-date=28 August 2009}}</ref> from [[Pittsburgh]], [[Pennsylvania]]. Crust punk also flourished in Minneapolis, shepherded by the [[Profane Existence]] label.<ref name=grindcrust2>"In Grind We Crust", p. 51.</ref> In this period, the ethos of crust punk became particularly codified, with [[vegetarianism]], [[feminism]], and sometimes [[straight edge]] being prescribed by many of the figures in the scene.<ref name=grindcrust2/> The [[powerviolence]] scene associated with [[Slap-a-Ham Records]] was in close proximity to crust punk, particularly in the case of [[Man Is the Bastard]] and [[Dropdead]].<ref name=terrorizer>"Powerviolence: The Dysfunctional Family of Bllleeeeaaauuurrrgghhh!!." ''Terrorizer'' no. 172. July 2008. p. 36-37.</ref> Prominent crust punk groups ([[Driller Killer (band)|Driller Killer]], Totalitär, [[Skitsystem]], [[Wolfbrigade]], and [[Disfear]]) also emerged from Sweden, which had always had a strong D-beat scene. Many of these groups developed in parallel with the much more commercial [[Scandinavian death metal]] scene.<ref>Ekeroth, p. 107, 266.</ref>

During this time, crust became prominent in the [[American South]], where [[Prank Records]] and [[CrimethInc.]] acted as focal points of the scene. The most well-known representative of Southern crust was [[His Hero Is Gone]],<ref name=swedish/><ref>Andrew Childers, "Kick in the South: A Look Back at Prank Records and the Southern Crust Scene." 5 April 2008. [https://grindandpunishment.blogspot.com/2008/04/kick-in-south-look-back-at-prank.html] Access date: 21 June 2008</ref> whose early material incorporate elements of powerviolence and experimental music. By the band's final album ''The Plot Sickens'' (1998), they had begun to incorporate influence from the Japanese hardcore style [[burning spirits (genre)|burning spirits]], to create a more grandiose and melodic take on crust punk. This sound was then continued by three of the members' subsequent band [[Tragedy (band)|Tragedy]]. At the same time, in Spain bands such as Hongo, Das Plague and Ekkaia were merging crust punk with elements of [[screamo]], creating a fusion genre which at the time was called "emo crust".<ref name="Neocrust DIY" />

===2000s===
In the early 2000s, the Spanish emo crust genre and Tragedy–His Hero Is Gone melodic crust style began to merge, leading to the beginning of the neo-crust subgenre. During the mid–2000s, this became the most prominent style in the crust scene, producing subsequent acts such as [[Fall of Efrafa]] and [[From Ashes Rise]].<ref name="Neocrust DIY" /> Soon, bands such as [[Trap Them]] emerged, incorporating increasing elements of hardcore and [[death metal]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=PESSARO |first1=FRED |title=STREAM NEOLITHIC'S KILLER NEW DEATH-CRUST SPLIT WITH MARTYRDÖD |url=https://www.revolvermag.com/music/stream-neolithics-killer-new-death-crust-split-martyrd%C3%B6d/ |access-date=31 December 2024}}</ref> By the end of the decade, many international crust punk bands had shifted their style to favour black metal influences.<ref name="Neocrust DIY" /> In 2017, [[Bandcamp|Bandcamp Daily]] wrote that [[Fluff Fest]], held in Czechia since 2000, has become a "summer ritual" for many European crust fans.<ref name="bandcamp">{{cite web|url=https://daily.bandcamp.com/2017/09/20/czech-diy-list/|title=The Sincere and Vibrant World of the Czech DIY Scene|publisher=Bandcamp|first=Jacopo|last=Sanna|date=20 September 2017|access-date=7 October 2017}}</ref>

==Subgenres==
===Crack rock steady===
Crack rock steady is a punk rock fusion-genre, which combines elements of crust punk and [[ska punk]].<ref name="AV Club" /> Lyrics often focus on themes such as drug-use, religion,<ref name="Sonic Reducer">{{cite web |last1=GENTILE |first1=JOHN |title=Sonic Reducer: Crack Rock Steady |date=12 September 2015 |url=https://www.punknews.org/article/58875/sonic-reducer-crack-rock-steady |access-date=3 January 2019}}</ref> politics<ref>{{cite web |last1=MOSES |first1=JEFF |title=Leftover Crack Doesn't Just Talk About Being Punk |url=https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/music/leftover-crack-doesnt-just-talk-about-being-punk-7947558 |website=[[Phoenix New Times]] |access-date=3 January 2019}}</ref> and social issues.<ref name="AV Club">{{cite web |title=14 Bush-era political artworks that stood the test of time |url=https://www.avclub.com/14-bush-era-political-artworks-that-stood-the-test-of-t-1798256779 |website=[[The A.V. Club]] |date=23 January 2017 |access-date=3 January 2019}}</ref> Other genres sometimes incorporated in conjunction with the style include [[hardcore punk]]<ref name="Sonic Reducer" />  and [[heavy metal music|heavy metal]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=VERDUCCI |first1=RICHARD |title=Scott Sturgeon (Leftover Crack/Star F*cking Hipsters) |date=8 October 2010 |url=https://www.punknews.org/article/40142/interviews-scott-sturgeon-leftover-crack-star-fcking-hipsters |access-date=3 January 2019}}</ref> Notable bands within the genre include [[Choking Victim]], [[Leftöver Crack]], [[Morning Glory (band)|Morning Glory]] and [[Star Fucking Hipsters]].<ref name="Sonic Reducer" />

===Crustcore===
[[File:Extreme noise terror senna -2 - 26501560559.jpg|thumb|[[Extreme Noise Terror]], an early band to merge crust punk with hardcore punk]]
Crustcore (also known as crusty hardcore), is a sub-genre of crust punk that takes influence from [[hardcore punk]] and sometimes [[thrashcore]]. Crustcore bands include Extreme Noise Terror, [[Doom (British band)|Doom]], [[Disrupt]],<ref name="Rise of Crust"/> early [[Wolfbrigade]],<ref>{{cite web |last1=LUEDTKE |first1=CHRISTOPHER |title=Album Review: WOLFBRIGADE Run With The Hunted |url=http://www.metalinjection.net/reviews/wolfbrigade-run-with-the-hunted |website=Metal Injection |date=15 May 2017 |access-date=2 January 2019}}</ref> [[Neurosis (band)|Neurosis]],<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kelly |first1=Kim |title=Thrash 'n burn: why 1985 was metal's defining year |website=[[TheGuardian.com]] |date=14 August 2015 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/aug/14/heavy-metal-thrash-1985-defining-year-metallica-anthrax-slayer |access-date=2 January 2019}}</ref> [[Baptists (band)|Baptists]],<ref>{{cite web |last1=Adams |first1=Gregory |title=Ladyhawk Celebrate 10th Anniversary with "Decade of Passive Aggression" Canadian Tour, Outline New Album Possibilities |url=http://exclaim.ca/music/article/ladyhawk_celebrate_10th_anniversary_with_decade_of_passive_aggression_canadian_tour_outline_new_album_possibilities |website=[[Exclaim!]] |access-date=2 January 2019}}</ref> [[Discharge (band)|Discharge]]<ref>{{cite web |last1=Adams |first1=Gregory |title=Discharge Sign with Nuclear Blast for First Album in 8 Years |url=http://exclaim.ca/music/article/discharge_deliver_end_of_days_through_nuclear_blast |website=[[Exclaim!]] |access-date=2 January 2019}}</ref> and [[Filth (band)|Filth]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Breihan |first1=Tom |title=White Fence – "Today's Lesson" (Filth Cover) |date=30 October 2013 |url=https://www.stereogum.com/1545882/white-fence-todays-lesson-filth-cover/news/ |access-date=2 January 2019}}</ref>

===Neo crust===
Neo crust is a genre that merges crust punk with elements of various extreme music styles including [[black metal]], [[screamo]], [[post-rock]], [[hardcore punk]],<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kelly |first1=Kim |title=Ancst's Anti-Fascist Agenda Bleeds into the Urgent Black Metal Crust of Their New Album 'Moloch' |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/ancst-interview-moloch/ |website=[[Vice Media]] |date=31 March 2016 |access-date=16 February 2022}}</ref> [[death metal]], [[sludge metal]] and [[doom metal]].<ref name="Tiernan 2015" /> Unlike most other punk–metal fusion genres, neo-crust's sound is neither distinctively rooted in punk or metal; instead, it frequently shifts between the two, disregarding genre boundaries.<ref name="Tiernan 2015" /> It is often dark, heavy, and melodic.<ref name="Tiernan 2015">{{cite web |last1=Tiernan |first1=Jake |title=Starter Kit: Neo Crust |date=20 November 2015 |url=https://www.heavyblogisheavy.com/2015/11/20/starter-kit-neo-crust/ |access-date=16 February 2022}}</ref> The genre makes use of a melancholic tone and a post-civilization aesthetic, often including dead trees and barren landscapes, as well as poetic band names and lyrics. Some bands, such as Cwill and Remains of the Day even incorporate [[violins]] into their music.<ref name="Neocrust DIY" />

The style originated as a amalgamation of two separate sounds that began concurrently in the late 1990s: the screamo influenced "emo crust" style of Spanish bands Hongo, Das Plague, Ekkaia, Madame Germen and Blünt; and the melodic crust sound of later [[His Hero is Gone]] and early [[Tragedy (band)|Tragedy]], which was influenced by the Japanese hardcore style [[burning spirits]]. By 2002, Ekkaia and Tragedy had toured together, and subsequently adopted elements of each other's styles. This style was soon termed neo-crust by Alerta Antifascista records founder Timo Nehmtow, and saw widespread popularity in the punk scene during the mid–2000s. By the end of the decade, the sound had decline in popularity.<ref name="Neocrust DIY">{{cite web |title=Neocrust |url=https://diyconspiracy.net/terms/neo-crust/ |access-date=30 December 2024}}</ref>

Notable bands include His Hero is Gone, Tragedy,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Silva |first1=Thiago "Índio" |title=10 bandas de metal extremo pra você que é esquerdista |url=https://www.vice.com/pt/article/10-bandas-de-metal-extremo-pra-voce-que-e-esquerdista/ |website=[[Vice Media]] |date=19 September 2018 |access-date=16 February 2022}}</ref> [[Fall of Efrafa]]<ref name="Tiernan 2015" /> and [[From Ashes Rise]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Neo-Crust |date=16 March 2021 |url=https://diyconspiracy.net/terms/neo-crust/ |access-date=16 February 2022}}</ref>

===Crasher crust===
Crasher crust is a genre that originated in Japan. It blends d-beat, crust and a huge emphasis on noise elements. Often utilising both fuzz and distorted guitars, reliance on crash cymbals for drumming and raw recording.<ref name="DIY, 2021">https://diyconspiracy.net/terms/crasher-crust/ {{Bare URL inline|date=July 2025}}</ref> Acid are pioneered the genre,<ref>https://diyconspiracy.net/life-interview/ {{Bare URL inline|date=July 2025}}</ref> and Gloom coined its name. Some bands include Gloom, Zyanose, Lebenden Toten, Scene Death Terror and Zodiak.<ref name="DIY, 2021" />

==Legacy==
===Black metal===
Crust punk and [[black metal]] evolved alongside one another, with the members of early crust band [[Amebix]] and [[first-wave black metal]] band [[Hellhammer]] [[tape trading]] with one another.<ref name="Hobson, 2022">{{cite web |last1=Hobson |first1=Rich |title=The 12 heaviest punk albums of all time |url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-12-heaviest-punk-albums-of-all-time |website=[[Metal Hammer]] |access-date=30 December 2024}}</ref> Thus, pioneering black metal bands such as Hellhammer, [[Bathory (band)|Bathory]] and [[Mayhem (band)|Mayhem]] were inspired by crust punk,<ref>{{cite book|last1=Patterson|first1=Dayal|title=Black Metal: Evolution of the Cult|date=2013|publisher=Feral House|location=Port Townsend|isbn=9781936239757|page=249 |quote=Just as earlier bands such as Venom, Bathory, Hellhammer, and Mayhem took inspiration from hardcore and crust punk alongside extreme metal, so have more contemporary groups such as Japan's Gallhammer, Canada's Iskra, and Sweden's Martyrdöd.}}</ref> and early crust punk bands such as [[Sacrilege (band)|Sacrilege]], Amebix and Antisect were influenced by Hellhammer and [[Celtic Frost]].<ref name="Rise of Crust"/>

====Blackened crust====
[[File:Vivian Slaughter.jpg|thumb|right|Vivian Slaughter of blackened crust band [[Gallhammer]]|150px]]
Crust punk was affected by a second wave of black metal in the 1990s, with some bands emphasising these black metal elements. Iskra are probably the most obvious example of [[Black metal#Second wave|second-wave black metal]]-influenced crust punk;<ref name=iskra>[http://iskra.ws/interviews.html Iskra Interviews] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060615141533/http://iskra.ws/interviews.html |date=15 June 2006 }}.</ref> Iskra coined their own phrase "blackened crust" to describe their new style. The Japanese group [[Gallhammer]] also fused crust punk with black metal<ref>"Hard of Hearing", ''Terrorizer'' no. 171, June 2008, p. 56.</ref> while the English band Fukpig merge elements of crust punk, black metal, and grindcore.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://supersonicfestival.com/event/fukpig/|title=Fukpig|date=22 October 2010|website=Supersonic Festival|access-date=24 March 2019}}</ref><ref>"C: Do you think that FUKPIG has founded a style of his own? Misery: Nah its just d-beat crust, with added horror C: and then What difference to FUKPIG from the rest of the bands? Misery: We add more black metal / horror influences, but are still inspired by the same things C: Is Necro-Punk your style? Misery: Yeah, necro in the black metal style playing crust punk, so yeah Necro Punk." [http://www.clandestinemetalzine.cl/interviews/interview_fukpig.html Interview: Fukpig] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131110010121/http://www.clandestinemetalzine.cl/interviews/interview_fukpig.html |date=10 November 2013 }}</ref> Germany's [[Downfall of Gaia]] mix crustgrind and black metal, along with elements of [[sludge metal]], [[doom metal]] and [[post-metal]].<ref name="NCS">{{cite web|title=Downfall of Gaia: "''Aeon Unveils the Thrones of Decay''"|url=http://www.nocleansinging.com/2014/12/04/downfall-of-gaia-aeon-unveils-the-thrones-of-decay/|last=Weber|first=Austin|publisher=[[No Clean Singing]]|date=4 December 2014|access-date=20 October 2016}}</ref> North Carolina's [[Young and in the Way]] have been playing blackened crust since their formation in 2009.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Zorgdrager |first1=Bradley |title=Young and in the Way When Life Comes to Death |url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/young_in_way-when_life_comes_to_death |website=[[Exclaim!]] |access-date=19 July 2018}}</ref> In addition, [[Norway|Norwegian]] band [[Darkthrone]] have incorporated crust punk traits in their mid-to-late 2000s material. As Daniel Ekeroth wrote in 2008,
{{blockquote|In a very ironic paradox, black metal and crust punk have recently started to embrace one another. Members of Darkthrone and Satyricon have lately claimed that they love punk, while among crusties, black metal is the latest fashion. In fact, the latest album by crust punk band [[Skitsystem]] sounds very black metal--while the latest black metal opus by Darkthrone sounds very punk! This would have been unimaginable in the early 90s.|<ref name=Ekeroth258>Ekeroth, p. 258.</ref>}}

====Red and anarchist black metal====
Red and anarchist black metal (also known as RABM or anarchist black metal)<ref name="stormofsedition">{{Cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/storm-of-sedition-decivilize/|title=Canadian Crust Punks Storm of Sedition Go Off the Grid on Their Furious New 'Decivilize' LP|website=NOISEY|date=April 2016 |access-date=10 May 2016}}</ref><ref name="skagos">{{Cite web|url=http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/17741-skagos-anarchic/|title=Skagos: Anarchic Album Review {{!}} Pitchfork|website=pitchfork.com|access-date=10 May 2016}}</ref><ref name="vidargangr">{{Cite web|url=http://www.lordsofmetal.nl/en/reviews/view/id/32103|title=Review Vidargangr – A World That has To Be Opposed|last=Berto|website=Lords of Metal|access-date=10 May 2016}}</ref> is a subgenre that melds black metal with anarchist crust punk, promoting ideologies such as [[anarchism]], [[environmentalism]], or [[Marxism]].<ref name="StuBru">{{Cite web|url=https://stubru.be/dezwaarstelijst/dezwaarstemetalgids66metalgenresineenzinuitgelegd|title=De Zwaarste Metalgids: 66 metalgenres in één zin uitgelegd|website=[[Studio Brussel]]|access-date=20 February 2021|language=de}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Gevorgyan|first=Elen|url=https://baec.aua.am/files/2020/09/Elen-Gevorgyan_Music-Ideology-and-How-They-Interact.-From-Sacred-Music-to-Black-Metal-1.pdf|title=Music, Ideology and How They Interact: A Journey from Sacred Music to Black Metal|website=[[American University of Armenia]]|access-date=20 February 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite conference |url=https://www.academia.edu/38849811 |title=Black Metal Theory Symposium Program |last=Nonjon |first=Adrien |date=2019 |publisher=[[University of Ljubljana]] |access-date=20 February 2021}}</ref><ref name="panopticon">{{Cite web|url=http://www.popmatters.com/column/161118-if-it-aint-got-no-blastbeat-its-not-my-revolution-panopticon/|title=If It Ain't Got No Blastbeat, It's Not My Revolution: Panopticon|website=PopMatters|date=19 July 2012 |access-date=10 May 2016}}</ref> Artists labelled RABM include Iskra, [[Panopticon (band)|Panopticon]], Skagos,<ref name="panopticon"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/17741-skagos-anarchic/|title=Skagos: Anarchic Album Review – Pitchfork|website=pitchfork.com}}</ref> Storm of Sedition,<ref name="stormofsedition"/> Not A Cost,<ref name="stormofsedition"/> Black Kronstadt,<ref name="stormofsedition"/> and Vidargangr.<ref name="vidargangr"/>

===Grindcore===
Crust punk led to the development of the [[grindcore]] genre, by bands including Extreme Noise Terror, [[Napalm Death]] and [[Carcass (band)|Carcass]].<ref name=grindcrust/> However, Pete Hurley, the guitarist for the group, declared that he had no interest in being remembered as a pioneer of this style: "'grindcore' was a legendarily stupid term coined by a hyperactive kid from the West Midlands, and it had nothing to do with us whatsoever. ENT were, are, and — I suspect — always will be a hardcore punk band... not a grindcore band, a stenchcore band, a trampcore band, or any other sub-sub-sub-core genre-defining term you can come up with."<ref>Glasper 2009, 279</ref> This early crust punk-leaning grindcore sound is sometimes dubbed "crustgrind".<ref name=grindcrust/>

== Culture ==
{{Hatnote|"Crusties" redirects here. For the similar subcultures sometimes also known as "crusties", see [[New Age travellers]] and [[gutter punk]]. For "eye crusties", see [[rheum]].|}}
Crust punks are associated with a [[DIY]]-oriented branch of punk garb. Similar to anarcho-punk, most clothing is black in colour. Denim jackets and hooded sweatshirts with sewn-on patches, or vests covered in studs, spikes and band patches are characteristic elements of the crust punk style of dress or pants covered in band patches.<ref name=decibel>Kevin Stewart-Panko, "I Saw Disfear Three Times in Three Days", ''Decibel'', no. 46, August 2008, p. 22.</ref> Crust punks also sometimes wear dreadlocks and piercings.<ref name="Kuhn" /> Julian "Leggo" Kilsby of Deviated Instinct describes crust as "a punk-y biker look, more akin to Mad Max. ''[[Mad Max 2]]'' is the crustiest film ever made!"<ref>Glasper 2009, 287</ref>

Members of the sub-culture are generally outspokenly political, possessing [[anarchism|anarchist]] and [[Anti-consumerism|anti-consumerist]] views.<ref name="Kuhn" />

== See also ==
*[[List of crust punk bands]]
*[[Anarcho-punk]]
*[[Grindcore]]
*[[D-beat]]
*[[Gutter punk]]
*[[Animal rights and punk subculture]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== Further reading ==
*Ekeroth, Daniel (2008). ''Swedish Death Metal''. Bazillion Points Books. {{ISBN|978-0-9796163-1-0}}
*Glasper, Ian (2004). ''Burning Britain: The History of UK Punk 1980–1984''. Cherry Red Books. {{ISBN|1-901447-24-3}}
*Glasper, Ian (2006). ''The Day the Country Died: A History of Anarcho Punk 1980 to 1984''. Cherry Red Books. {{ISBN|1-901447-70-7}}
*Glasper, Ian (2009). ''Trapped in a Scene: UK Hardcore 1985–1989''. Cherry Red Books. {{ISBN|978-1-901447-61-3}}
*"In Grind We Crust", ''Terrorizer'' #181, March 2009, p.&nbsp;46, 51.
*Mudian, Albert (2000). ''Choosing Death: The Improbable History of Death Metal and Grindcore''. Feral House. {{ISBN|1-932595-04-X}}
*Profane Existence (1997). ''Making Punk a Threat Again: Profane Existence: Best Cuts 1989–1993''. Loincloth. ASIN: B000J2M8GS

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[[Category:Crust and d-beat| ]]
[[Category:Punk rock genres]]
[[Category:Anarcho-punk]]
[[Category:Extreme metal]]
[[Category:English styles of music]]