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Picture Credit: Crust Artwork: Deni Aktemirov   Crust - ... and a Dirge becomes an Anthem Release Date: August 14, 2020 Label: mmmesss (CD) / [addicted label] (Digital/Bandcamp) / RUMF Productions (Digital/Spotify) Format: CD / Digital Length: 34:18 Genre:  Post Metal  /  Blackened Sludge Origin:  Russia In April, I reviewed Crust's latest album "Stoic". To get a more concise view of the band, I also want to put in my two cents on their previous work, Crust's second long-player "... and a Dirge becomes an Anthem" which was published via three Russian labels last summer. ...and a Dirge Becomes an Anthem by Crust Most striking difference between "... and a Dirge becomes an Anthem" and its successor "Stoic" is the sound quality. Crust's second album is defined by somehow fuzzy garage sound that reminds of Black Metal recordings by early-day Bathory or Mayhem. The drums especially are a little muffled. And speaking of Black Metal, here...

Picture Credit: Crust Artwork: Abyssic Art Crust - Stoic Release Date: April 02, 2021 Label: [addicted label] (CD/Digital) / RUMF Productions (Spotify) / slowsnow records (Tape) Format: CD / Cassette / Digital Length: 46:52 Genre: Post Metal / Blackened Sludge Origin: Russia Have you ever stared into the abyss and asked yourself "What would Lucius Annaeus Seneca  do?" or have ever felt like Epicurus might have been right after all? Well, I can relate. Modern society has a way of making stoicism very attractive again. Surrounded by darkness, false beliefs, and chaos, Russian band Crust has faced the ancient paradigm and is hence leading their audience through thick darkness towards the light of wisdom. Contrarily to what the band name might make assume, Crust play a mix of Sludge, Doom, Black, and Post Metal. They create opulent apocalyptic soundscapes with the potential to raise an army of the undead. Heaving Doom and Post Metal rhythm march through the swampy depths of S...

Nomen est omen. Buenos Aires-based trio Bonehammer called their debut album "Black Crust Invasion", and that is exactly what you get. For a bit more than half an hour the Argentinian Metal Punks serve their audience with dirty and crusty attacks made from Black Metal , Stenchcore, Crust Punk and rotten Rock'n'Roll. Formed in 2018, Ódnüfak , Onahíram  and Alaph  already present their first longplayer which was released via Awakening Records in November 2019. The album contains a dozen tracks of mid-tempo and some faster crusty and metallic Punk Rock. Omnipresent attribute is the pitch black atmosphere decorated with the sweet taste of beer and raised fists. As the backbone of the "Black Crust Invasion" Alaph s drums hammer straight forward with Thrash, Black and Metal Punk rhythms. Onaharím  fills the gaps between the hits with his massive bass guitar on which Odnüfak  thrones with his crunchy, distorted Metal guitar riffs. Then and when Onaharím  adds...

"Codex" heißt die erste Platte der Osnabrücker Band Toadeater. Das Trio hat letztes Jahr erst die erste Demo rausgehauen, und geht jetzt mit dem ersten Album "Codex" auf Vinyl und Tape an den Start. Das gute Teil könnt ihr euch in groß und rund bei Fucking Kill Records, oder in klein und eckig bei Kellerassel Records vorbestellen. Geboten sind acht Tracks. Toadeater spielen rauen und sehr schnellen Black Metal mit frostig kalter Stimmung, einer gewissen Portion Hardcore Punk oder Crust, und etwas vom Flair, wie man ihn von DSBM oder Blackgaze kennt. Stakkato Riffs, die wie Blitzeis über den gefrorenen Nebelteppich aus massivem Bass- und Schlagzeugsound flirren, hier und da eine krustig-dreckige Passage im Stile von Skitsystem oder Warcollapse. Beim Gesang und den unverzerrten Parts auf der Gitarre bin ich darüber hinaus ab und zu an Graupel oder Helrunar erinnert. Musikalisch wie inhaltlich ist "Codex" von Toadeater eine stimmige Nummer. Zwischen Mi...

Hell yeah, this is intense! Disavow from Gothenburg, Sweden have recently released their first full-length album "Disavow". The record features eleven tracks of ice-cold rusty-metallic (post-)Hardcore. The quartet was founded in 2016 and has so far released a five-track CD called "Half Empty" via Epidemic Records. Two years later their self-titled LP "Disavowal" is finally available via Straight Edge WorldWide, Epidemic Records, Refuse Records, Useless Pride Records, and can be streamed either there or on bandcamp, Spotify, and probably elsewhere. You know how to use the internet. The eleven tracks on Disavow's debut are characterized by heavy riffing, strong distortion, various and severe beats, halting passages, and fast-forward attacks by all four musicians punching you straight in the face. I would describe the style as some sort of heavy darkened metallic Hardcore with a little Sludge here, and a little Crust there. Disavow play powerful music...

Holy Satan! What great news, Martyrdöd are back! I have missed the crusty Black Metal Punks for quite some time but now finally I can penetrate my eardrums with their newest twelve-track-disc "Hexhammaren". Martyrdöd have recorded around forty minutes of new pitch black, crusty Punk Rock songs. The lyrics are part Swedish and part English, the tempo is mostly up, and the singer's raucous voice instantly gives me goosebumps. Compared to older LPs by Martyrdöd "Hexhammaren" sounds a bit cleaner. But the dirty Crust Punk attitude is still present on their new disc. It may here and there been substituted by a stronger Heavy oder Thrash Metal impact on their songwriting. Nevertheless Martyrdöd have not unlearned to kick ass at all. The D-Beat galopps over the record like the four horsemen, the bass and the two guitars create a beautiful crusty and metallic soundscape of disharmony, and above all there's that hoarsy voice grinding through the rills of the reco...

Die ersten Töne erklingen und es wird sofort klar: jetzt wird's dreckig! Mayak bringen in ihrer etwas mehr als sechsjährigen Historie ihren zweiten Langspieler an die Hörer, und das Ding hat es in sich. Auf dem großartigen Label Twisted Chords ist die Scheibe "Trenches" der fünf Bielefelder in schwarz oder gold erhältlich, und gleich welche Farbe sich auf dem Plattenteller dreht, wird kein Auge trocken gelassen. Mayak spielen crustigen, dreckigen und schnellen Hardcorepunk, der mit ordentlichen Portionen Sludge und Black Metal serviert wird. Ein Hochgenuss für jeden Gourmet organisierten Lärms. Schnelle Rhythmen, die es unmöglich machen, still sitzen zu bleiben, werden überlagert von eiskalt metallenen Licks, brachialen Soundlandschaften und mal tief röhrendem, mal heiser schreiendem Gesang. Mayak schaffen es, bei jeder Geschwindigkeit zwischen stampfend doomigen Halftime bis hin zu schwarzemetallenen Tempoattacken und allem, was dazwischenliegt, zu packen, mitzunehme...