View source for D-beat

{{Short description|Genre of hardcore punk}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2019}}
{{Infobox music genre
| name              = D-beat
| stylistic_origins = * [[Hardcore punk]]
* [[street punk]]
* [[anarcho-punk]]
* [[heavy metal music|heavy metal]]
| cultural_origins  = Early 1980s, England and Sweden
| other_names       = {{hlist|Discore|kängpunk|Discrust}}
| derivatives       = * [[Crust punk]]
* [[thrash metal]]
| other_topics      = * [[Speed metal]]
* [[thrashcore]]
}}

[[Image:DBeat.jpg|thumb|right|the 'D-Beat' in musical notation]]
'''D-beat''' (also known as '''Discore''', '''kängpunk''', '''Discrust''',<ref name="auto"/> and '''crust-beat'''<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ekeroth |first1=Daniel |title=Swedish Death Metal |page=18}}</ref>) is a style of [[hardcore punk]], developed in the early 1980s by imitators of [[Discharge (band)|Discharge]], after whom the genre is named, as well as a [[drum beat]] characteristic of this subgenre. D-beat is known for its "grinding, distorted and brutally political" sound.<ref name="auto">McPadden, Mike. ''If You Like Metallica...: Here Are Over 200 Bands, CDs, Movies, and Other Oddities That You Will Love''. Backbeat Books, 2012. Section on "Discharge".</ref> Discharge may have themselves inherited the beat from [[Motörhead]] and the [[Buzzcocks]]. D-beat is closely associated with [[crust punk]], which is a heavier, more complex variation. The style was particularly popular in Sweden, and developed there by groups such as Crude SS, [[Anti Cimex]], [[Mob 47]], and [[Driller Killer (band)|Driller Killer]]. Other D-beat groups include [[Doom (UK band)|Doom]] and [[the Varukers]] from the UK; [[Disclose]] from Japan; [[Crucifix (band)|Crucifix]] and [[Final Conflict]] from the U.S.; [[Ratos de Porão]] from Brazil; and MG15 from Spain. While the style initially developed in the early 1980s, a number of new groups working within the subgenre emerged in the mid-1990s. These include the Swedish groups [[Wolfbrigade]], [[Skitsystem]], and [[Disfear]].

==History==

===Origins===
One of the earliest examples of D-beat can be found in the Buzzcocks' song "You Tear Me Up," on their debut LP, ''[[Another Music in a Different Kitchen|Another Music In A Different Kitchen]]''. It featured a fast, intense drumbeat which Discharge would later emulate in the distinctive drumbeat of D-beat. Discharge formed in 1977 in [[Stoke-on-Trent]], England, initially playing a basic variety of street punk inspired by the [[Sex Pistols]] and [[The Clash]]. In 1979, the group changed its line-up and began to develop a new, more aggressive style.<ref>Glasper, p. 167.</ref> At this time Terry "Tez" Roberts of Discharge developed their characteristic drum beat, for which the D-beat subgenre is named. Roberts commented in 2004 that "I just wanna be remembered for coming up with that f-ckin' D-beat in the first place! And inspiring all those f-ckin' great Discore bands around the world!"<ref name=tez>Glasper, Ian (2004). ''Burning Britain: The History of UK Punk 1980–1984'', p. 175. Cherry Red Books.</ref> Discharge's inspiration for the style has led it to be referred to as "Discore".<ref name=glasper65>Glasper (2004), p. 65.</ref> Roberts' beat is similar to the basic percussive backbone of songs by [[Motörhead]],<ref name=ekeroth19>Ekeroth, Daniel (2008). ''Swedish Death Metal'', p. 19. Bazillion Points Books.</ref> and many subsequent groups borrow from this group a great deal as well as Discharge. After 1982, the group changed its style to a more conventional form of heavy metal. However, their classic sound inspired other groups to emulate them; [[The Varukers]], also from England, were the first of these. As punk historian Ian Glasper put it, "The Varukers were the original Discore band, the first and best of the hardcore punk acts to take the simple, yet devastatingly effective formula laid down by Discharge and play it as fast, hard, heavy as they could."<ref name=glasper65/> and that "In the turbulent wake of Discharge, a hundred Discore – or D-beat – punk bands sprang up around the world."<ref name="Glasper 2009, 26">Glasper 2009, p. 26</ref> While the style was first practiced in England, it became especially inspirational to a number of groups in Sweden.

D-beat was initially known as "''kängpunk''" ("boot punk") in Sweden.<ref name=Jandreus>Jandreus, Peter (2008). ''The Encyclopedia of Swedish Punk 1977–1987'', p. 11. Stockholm: Premium Publishing.</ref> The first Swedish D-beat song is "Marquee," by [[Rude Kids]], from [[Stockholm]], recorded in 1979.<ref>Ekeroth, p. 18.</ref> They were followed by [[KSMB (band)|KSMB]] (En Slemmig Torsk), Missbrukarna, and more famously, [[Anti Cimex]].<ref name=autogenerated1>Ekeroth, p. 19.</ref> Anti Cimex's second 7-inch EP, ''Raped Ass'', has been described as "one of the rawest and most violent hardcore releases ever."<ref name=ekeroth19/> Other such groups included [[Moderat Likvidation]], Asocial,<ref>Ekeroth, p. 20-22</ref> and most prominently [[Mob 47]].<ref>Jandreus, p. 143.</ref> Mob 47, also from Stockholm, was known as the fastest of the ''kängpunk'' groups. The group also blended Discharge's style with American [[hardcore punk]], diversifying the style. The heaviest of Swedish crust bands was Crude SS<ref>"In Grind We Crust," ''Terrorizer'' #181, March 2009, p. 51.</ref>

===1980s===
{{see also|Crust punk}}
In England, a second style of anarcho-punk similar to D-beat developed in the mid-1980s.<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> This style borrowed from the Swedish ''kängpunk'' groups as well as British anarcho-punk, heavy metal, and [[post-punk]].<ref name=day>Glasper 2006. "Amebix." p. 198-201.</ref><ref name=grindcrust>"In Grind We Crust," p. 46.</ref> The term "crust" was coined by [[Hellbastard]] on their 1986 ''Ripper Crust'' demo. As punk historian Ian Glasper puts it: "''Rippercrust'' 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 crustcore genre, although some would attribute that accolade to the likes of [[Disorder (band)|Disorder]], [[Chaos UK]], and Amebix several years earlier."<ref name=Glasper /> Malcolm "Scruff" Lewty, vocalist and guitarist of Hellbastard, commented, "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> [[Amebix]]<ref name=swedish>Peter Jandreus, ''The Encyclopedia of Swedish Punk 1977–1987'', Stockholm: Premium Publishing, 2008, p. 11.</ref><ref name="Amebix">{{cite web|url=http://www.thegauntlet.com/article/1225/11817/.html |title=The Gauntlet |publisher=The Gauntlet |date=29 February 2008 |access-date=1 August 2010}}</ref> and [[Antisect]] are often located as the originators of crust punk.<ref name="Rise of Crust"/>

Amebix's ''Arise'' LP and Antisect's ''Out from the Void'' single, both released in 1985, offer a template for the subgenre. In the late 1980s, [[Doom (UK band)|Doom]], from [[Birmingham]], practiced D-beat indebted to Discharge<ref name="Glasper 2009, 26"/> as well as to crust punk.<ref name="Rise of Crust"/> Punk journalist Felix von Havoc contends that [[Doom (UK band)|Doom]], Excrement of War, [[Electro Hippies]] and [[Extreme Noise Terror]] were among the first bands to have the traditional UK "crust" sound.<ref name="Rise of Crust"/> Additional subgenres of this style began to develop. [[Deviated Instinct]], from Norwich, created "stenchcore", bringing "both the look and sound – dirty and metallic, respectively – to their natural conclusion".<ref>Glasper 2009, 284</ref> Initially an anarcho-punk group, they began to take increasing influence from metal. As vocalist Julian "Leggo" Kilsby comments: "We were very much a part of the anarcho scene, to start with, very politically motivated... all the way through the band's existence, really, although it got less obvious as time went by. But I never really liked the straightforward 'War is bad...' lyrics that were so prevalent at the time, so as my writing skills improved I wanted to add more depth to our lyrics and make them more metaphorical; I'd always been into horror films, so that started to manifest itself in the imagery I was using..."<ref>Glasper 2009, 286</ref>

Crust punk groups took some influence from the early [[black metal]] of [[Venom (band)|Venom]] and [[Celtic Frost]].<ref name="Rise of Crust"/> Similarly, [[Bathory (band)|Bathory]] was initially inspired by crust punk as well as metal.<ref>Ekeroth, p. 27.</ref> Crust was affected by a second wave of influence in the 1990s, with some bands emphasizing these black metal elements. Iskra are probably the most obvious example of [[Black metal#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 this new style. The Japanese group [[Gallhammer]] also blend crust with black metal.<ref>"Hard of Hearing", ''Terrorizer'' no. 171, June 2008, p. 56.</ref> In addition, Norwegian band [[Darkthrone]] have incorporated crust punk traits in their more recent material. As Daniel Ekeroth wrote in 2008 :"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>Ekeroth, p. 258.</ref>

American crust punk began in New York City, also in the mid-'80s, 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 Oakland, CA, 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), and [[Destroy!]] (Minneapolis) were also significant U.S. crust groups.<ref name="Rise of Crust"/>

Extreme Noise Terror is credited with developing this style into [[grindcore]].<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 [[Mick Harris|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>

===1990s===
An important American crust punk band was [[Aus-Rotten]]<ref name=ausrotten>{{cite news|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|newspaper=[[Pittsburgh City Paper]]|date=1 February 2007|access-date=31 January 2012}}</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> Crust was also 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>
Many Swedish groups of the 1990s began to play a combination of D-beat with crust punk.<ref name=Jandreus/><ref>Ekeroth, p. 23.</ref> These bands, including [[Driller Killer (band)|Driller Killer]],<ref name=ac>Jandreus, p. 20-21.</ref> Totalitär, [[Skitsystem]], [[Wolfbrigade]], and [[Disfear]],<ref name=Jandreus/><ref>Kevin Stewart-Panko, "Disfear + Trap Them + The Endless Blockade", ''Terrorizer'' #172, July 2008, p. 85.</ref> remain some of the most well-known D-beat bands, although their sound has cleaved closely to developments in [[Swedish death metal|death metal]].<ref>Ekeroth, p. 107, 266.</ref>

==Characteristics==
=== Vocals and lyrics ===
The vocal content of D-beat tends towards shouted slogans. The style is distinguished from its predecessors by its minimal lyrical content and greater proximity to [[heavy metal music|heavy metal]]. D-beat bands typically have anti-war, anarchist messages and closely follow the bleak nuclear war imagery of 1980s [[anarcho-punk]] bands. Rock journalist Robbie Mackey described D-beat as characterized by "hardcore drumming set against breakneck riffage and unintelligible howls about anarchy, working-stiffs-as-rats, and banding together to, you know, fight."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/11155-live-the-storm/|title=Disfear: Live the Storm Album Review – Pitchfork|website=pitchfork.com|access-date=18 January 2018}}</ref>

Vocals in crust punk are often shrieked or shouted, and may be shared between two or more vocalists. The lyrical content of crust punk tends to be bleak and nihilistic, yet politically engaged. Crust punk songs are often about [[nuclear war]], [[militarism]], [[animal rights]], police, personal grievances, oppressive states and [[fascism]]. Amebix were also interested in various forms of mysticism and [[Gnosticism]].<ref name=day/> Malcolm "Scruff" Lewty, guitarist and vocalist of Hellbastard, describes the distinction between metal and crust punk lyrics:

{{blockquote|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! You know what? I never got up in the morning and said, 'Fuck yeah! Satan! Let's go and meet my disciples from Hell!' 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 just an escape from reality, into this other world of... well, bullshit basically.|<ref>Glasper 2009, 183.</ref>}}

===Drum beat===
{{Original research|section|date=September 2008}}
The name "D-beat" refers to a specific drumbeat, associated with The Varukers, Brian Roe (Brains), Discharge, Garry Malloney & Tez Roberts, Discharge's first drummer,<ref name=tez/> though rock musicians such as [[Buzzcocks]] and [[Diamond Head (English band)|Diamond Head]] had used the beat previously. The term was coined by Rich Militia, the singer of [[Sore Throat (grindcore band)|Sore Throat]], in 1988, to describe the drum pattern played by Dave "Bambi" Ellesmere, Roberts's replacement, on Discharge's EP ''[[Why (Discharge EP)|Why]]''.

Three versions of D-beat drum tabs:

First ({{audio|D-beat drum pattern 1.mid|Play}}) (like early [[Anti Cimex]] and [[Discharge (band)|Discharge]]):
 C:|x--x-x--x--x-x--:||
 S:|--o---o---o---o-:||
 K:|o--o-o--o--o-o--:||
    1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +            S=snare K=kick  C=crash

Second — Verse ({{audio|D-beat drum pattern 2a.mid|Play}}) and chorus ({{audio|D-beat drum pattern 2b.mid|Play}}) (like [[Avskum]]):
 H:|x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-:||           C:|x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-:||
 S:|--o---o---o---o-:||           S:|--o---o---o---o-:||
 K:|o--o-o--o--o-o--:||           K:|o--o-o--o--o-o--:||
    1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +                  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +     S=snare K=kick  H=hihat  C=crash

Third (Thrash/speed metal beat) ({{audio|D-beat (candidate 2).ogg|Play}} or {{audio|D-beat drum pattern 3.mid|Play}}):

 H:|x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-:||
 S:|--o---o---o---o-:||
 K:|o----o--o--o-o--:||
    1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +          S=snare K=kick  H=hihat

==See also==
*[[Anarcho-punk]]
*[[Crust punk]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
*Ekeroth, Daniel (2008). ''Swedish Death Metal''. Bazillion Points Books. {{ISBN|978-0-9796163-1-0}}
*Glasper, Ian (2009). ''Trapped in a Scene: UK Hardcore 1985–1989''. Cherry Red Books. {{ISBN|978-1-901447-61-3}}
*Glasper, Ian (2006). ''The Day the Country Died: A History of Anarcho Punk 1980 to 1984''. Cherry Red Books. {{ISBN|1-901447-70-7}}
*Grindcore Special (2009), "In Grind We Crust," '''181''', 41–56.
*{{cite book |last=Glasper |first=Ian |title=Burning Britain: The History of UK Punk, 1980–1984 |publisher=Cherry Red |year=2004 |isbn=9781901447248}}

{{drum beats}}
{{punk}}
{{Hardcorepunk}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:D-Beat}}
[[Category:Crust and d-beat| ]]
[[Category:Drum patterns]]
[[Category:Punk rock genres]]
[[Category:Hardcore punk genres]]
[[Category:English styles of music]]
[[Category:Swedish styles of music]]