Filth

Filth were a five-piece hardcore/crust punk band from the East Bay, California that formed in 1989 and disbanded in 1992, with reunion shows occurring in 2010. They released one EP and two splits, with the Blatz split later being re-released to include both bands full discographies. Thus, sometimes you'll see Destroy Everything as a compilation, but everything's included on their individual original releases here. Even with their minimal output Filth proved to be highly influential, with their throat-scorching vocals, brash dual guitars that occasionally slip into some semblanc of melody. Lyrically, they can be both life-affirming and vitroilic, calling out hypocrisies and injustices seen outwardly while on a quest of self-expression and individual freedom. You may incidentally already be familiar with one song of theirs, since pg.99 cover "The List" (originally included on their City Of Caterpillar split, though now often included on reissues of Document #8). Enjoy.

Live The Chaos (1990)

1. Today's Lesson

2. Lust For Glory

3. Hate

4. Freedom

Shit Split (1991)

A Touch Of Blatz

1. Blatz - Homemade Speed

2. Blatz - Lullaby

3. Blatz - Chuck

4. Blatz - Berkeley Is My Baby (And I Wanna Kill It)

5. Blatz - Cockroach Cafe

6. Blatz - California

7. Blatz - Dolly

8. Blatz - I Don't Care About You

9. Blatz - Fuk Shit Up

Destroy Everything

1. Filth - The List

2. Filth - You Are Right

3. Filth - Night Of Rage

4. Filth - Filth

5. Filth - Violence As A Solution

6 Filth - Scarred For Life

7. Filth - Banned From The Pubs

This Is Why We Are The Drunks (1992)

1. Submachine - Suicide Drive

2. Submachine - Laughing

3. Submachine - Beer Song

4. Filth - Buttshits

5. Filth - Dear Fuck

Dystopia

Dystopia were a three-piece crust punk/sludge metal band from Orange County, California that were active from 1991 to 2008. They released three full-lengths, a demo, an EP, and a handful of splits, most of which came out in the 90's. Their first (and in my opinion most essential) album is the aptly titled Human = Garbage. It's as wonderfully misanthropic as you'd expect, with lyrics illustrating a decaying world as a result of humanity's hand. It's a series of tense, heavy riffs, noisy interludes, and sample exercepts, all with some insanely tortured vocals at the forefront. If you're looking for sludgy hardcore, this is it. Its follow-up, The Aftermath was originally released as a one-sided 12" LP consisting of four tracks. The CD version also includes the tracks from Backstabber and the Skaven and Suffering Luna splits. Since those releases are included separately here, The Aftermath version here is the vinyl-only tracks. They were mostly inactive following its release, until they dropped their final (also excellent) full-length in 2008 before calling it quits. Enjoy.

Live In The Studio Demo (1992)

1. The Beginning

2. Slave Chains

3. Green Destroyed

4. Broken Shell

5. Sleep

6. Ruptured Silence

7. Lovehate

Grief/Dystopia (1993)

1. Grief - Lifeless

2. Grief - Fucked Upstairs

3. Dystopia - Sleep

Embittered/Dystopia (1993)

1. Embittered - There's People Talkin'

2.  Embittered - Two Manipulated Bodies

3.  Embittered - New Breed

4.  Embittered - Crush (Their Fucking Power)

5.  Embittered - Embittered

6. Dystopia - The Beginning

7. Dystopia - Slave Chains

8. Dystopia - Ruptured Silence

9. Dystopia - Green Destroyed

10. Dystopia - Weed Of Wisdom

Human = Garbage (1994)

1. Stress Builds Character

2. Hands That Mold

3. Sanctity

4. Ignorance Of Pride

5. Love//Hate

Dystopia/Suffering Luna (1995)

1. Dystopia - Diary Of A Battered Child

2. Suffering Luna - La Reina Del Rosario

Dystopia/Skaven (1996)

1. Dystopia - Anger Brought By Disease

2. Dystopia - Jarhead Fertilizer

3. Dystopia - Taste Your Own Medicine

4. Dystopia - Untitled

5.Skaven - Reflective Skin

6. Skaven - Plague Wind

7. Skaven - Abscess

8. Skaven - Fleshy Curse

9. Skaven - Like The Worms That Crawl The Earth

Backstabber (1999)

1. Socialized Death Sentence

2. Backstabber

3. They Live

The Aftermath (1999)

1. Population Birth Control

2. Fathers Gun

3. Self Defeating Prophecy

4. Sleep

Dystopia (2008)

1. Now And Forever

2. Control All Delete

3. Leaning With Intent To Fall

4. The Growing Minority

5. Illusion Of Love

6. Number One Hypocrite

7. My Meds Aren't Working

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Horsewhip

Horsewhip are a four-piece hardcore band from  Saint Petersburg, Florida that started in 2017. Though the band's formation was recent, its members have been heavily active in the Florida extreme music scene for decades now. Horsewhip features alumni from incredible bands including Reversal Of Man, Combatwoundedveteran, Order Of Importance, Early Grace, and more. They fuse their road-worn expertise into dark, heavy and discordant hardcore that also pulls influence from crust punk and elements of prog metal (a la Mastadon). Both their self-titled and 2020 LP Laid to Waste are fantastic starting points, with neither one wasting anytime pulling their punches. They also put out an incredible split with Yashira back in January, with both bands contributing a single track each that collectively conjures up one of the most hellish landscapes crafted this year. Highly recommended, enjoy!

Horsewhip (2018)

1. Aver

2. Funeral Circus

3. Dropping Out

4. Dirtbag

5. Spill

6. The Road

7. Fires

Laid to Waste (2020)

1. Stillborn

2. Feast

3. Inertia Walls

4. Ruin

5. Pray For The Dead

6. Charnel House

7. Closure

8. Remission

9. Holy Lies

10. Lowlands

11. When It Comes

Yashira/Horsewhip (2023)

1. Yashira - Burial Mound

2. Horsewhip - Circadian Rhythm

Buy the 7" here:

Canada/International

USA

Buried (2023)

1. Buried

Consume and Burn (2023)

1. Cutting Through

2. Dissolve

3. Buried

4. Dark Matter

5. Pain

6. Plague Machine

7. Full Of Fury

8. Circadian Rhythm

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Fall Of Efrafa

Fall Of Efrafa were a five-piece post-metal/crust punk band from Brighton, England that were active from 2005 to 2009. In that time, they released a trilogy of albums all based around Richard Adam's 1972 novel Watership Down. Thus, not only are these concept albums, but this is a concept band. They use the novel's concepts and mythos to explore the cyclical rise and relationship of theocracy, dictatorship, and oppression in humanity, to give you a very basic overview of the band's themes. Lyrically, they aren't directly narrative and only use the novel as a point of reference, so it's not necessary to be familiar with, but it does enhance your experience. This is especially true in the case of the Lapine words, which is a language invented by the author and used by the rabbits in the book. There's an incredible animated film from 1978 based on the novel that may or may not be available in full on YouTube, which is worth your time to watch if you haven't read or don't plan or reading the novel.

The primary trilogy consists of three albums: Owsla, Elil, and Inlé were released over a four-year period and compiled in their entirety as The Warren Of Snares. Sonically, this band is very hard to pin down, but I'll give you a quick rundown of each entry. Owsla is the most bombastic and crust-oriented, with heavy use of d-beat and harsh, guttural vocals. Elil is cinematic and tension-building, with extensive instrumental interludes taking influence from post-rock. They conjure up a dismal atmosphere reminiscent of the apocalyptic landscapes of Godspeed You! Black Emperor. Inlé takes influence from sludge and doom metal whilst still being melodic and forlorn, with the vocals being their most cathartic. Though they all do this, this album in particular blends the heavier moments with skeletal, atmospheric passages. It makes for a fantastic closer to this trilogy, only to reveal in its final seconds that it (spoiler) links back to the start of Owsla, repeating the endless cycle.

This band is incredible and one I've wanted to share for a long time, so I'm super happy they're finally making it on here. I highly recommend checking this band out, they present a plethora of sound that makes this body of work an epic, in the truest sense of the word. Enjoy.

Owsla (2006)

1. Intro

2. Pity The Weak

3. A Soul To Bare

4. Lament

5. Last But Not Least

6. The Fall Of Efrafa

Elil (2007)

1. Beyond The Veil

2. Dominion Theology

3. For El-Ahrairah To Cry

Down To Agony/Fall Of Efrafa (2007)

1. Down To Agony - Donde Arderemos

2. Down To Agony - Giran Las Saetas

3. Fall Of Efrafa - No Longer Human

Tharn (2008)

1. Dominion Theology

The Burial (2009)

1. The Burial

Inlé (2009)

1. Simulacrum

2. Fu Inlé

3. Republic Of Heaven

4. Woundwort

5. The Sky Suspended

6. The Warren Of Snares

The Warren Of Snares (2010)

Disc 1: Owsla

1. Pity The Weak

2. A Soul To Bear

3. Lament

4. Last But Not Least

5. The Fall Of Efrafa

Disc 2: Elil

6. Beyond The Veil

7. Dominion Theology

8. For El-Ahrairah To Cry

Disc 3: Tharn

9. Dominion Theology

Disc 4: Inlé

10. Simulacrum

11. Fu Inlé

12. Republic Of Heaven

13. The Burial

14. Woundwort

15. The Sky Suspended

16. The Warren Of Snares

Owslafa (2021)

1. Pity The Weak (Demo)

2. A Soul To Bear (Demo)

3. Last But Not Least (Demo)

4. The Fall Of Efrafa (Demo)

5. Simulacrum (Live)

6. Dominion Theology (Live)

7. The Burial (Live)

8. Last But Not Least (Live)

9. The Fall Of Efrafa (Live)

10. The Warren of Snares (Live)

Note: First demo and final live performance

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Rise And Fall

Rise And Fall were a four-piece hardcore band from Ghent, Belgium that began in 2002 and have been inactive since 2012. They put out four full-lengths in their time, three of which were through Deathwish Inc. Additionally, they put out a split (below as bonus tracks on Hellmouth), an EP and a live album (which was from their 2012 record release show). They also put out a demo which I unfortunately do not have. Sonically, they took influence from metallic hardcore and crust punk, and would appeal to fans of bands such as Trap Them, Tragedy, Integrity, and Converge. With their four flawless albums, they are one of most consistent and essential hardcore acts to come out in the past 20 years or so, and I cannot recommend them enough. Enjoy.

Hellmouth (2004)

1. When They Come Down

2. Bottom Feeder

3. Hellmouth

4. As The City Burns

5. Where Ghosts Roam

6. Collapse

7. Tongue Tied

8. Turn And Run

9. Give And Take

10. Running Out Of Time

11. Kingdom of Heaven

Into Oblivion (2005)

1. Forked Tongue

2. Failure Is As Failure Does

3. The Noose

4. Live In Sin

5. The Void

6. Into Oblivion

7. Stakes is High

8. To Hell And Back

9. Lost Among The Lost

10. Ruins

Clawing (2007)

1. Clawing

2. Bottom Feeder

3. Them Bones (Alice In Chains cover)

Our Circle Is Vicious (2009)

1. Soul Slayer

2. Built On Graves

3. Harm's Way

4. It's A Long Way Down

5. To The Bottom

6. In Circles

7. Het Oof Van De Storm

8. Stillborn

9. Present Tense

10. Knowing

Deceiver b/w Sinking in Sin (2011)

1. Deceiver

2. Sinking in Sin

Faith (2012)

1. A Hammer And Nails

2. Deceiver

3. The Gallows Await

4. Burning At Both Ends

5. Things Are Different Now

6. Breathe

7. Hidden Hands

8. Escapism

9. Dead Weight

10. Faith / Fate

Alive In Sin (2019)

1. Dead Weight

2. Bottom Feeder

3. Into Oblivion

4. Failure Is As Failure Does

5. Breathe

6. It's A Long Way Down

7. Hidden Hands

8. The Noose

9. The Gallows Await

10. Deceiver

11. Forked Tongues

12. In Circles

13. Faith / Fate

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Deathwish

Vestiges

Vestiges are a five-piece band from Washington, D.C. that began in 2010. They released their debut LP (and magnum opus as of now) The Descent Of Man that same year. The band makes a massive statement here, with a record of monumental proportions that delves into hardcore, black metal, crust punk, screamo, and post-rock, all in its 45-minute run time. Conceptually, the album is said to deal with the relationship between man and nature, a theme they would carry on into their later material. It's pretty hard to nail down other bands to compare them to, since they take on such a wide array of sounds, but they lie somewhere in between Envy, Alcest, and Darkthrone. Following The Descent Of Man they released a series of solid splits, with a second full-length supposedly in the works. It hasn't come to fruition as of yet, but hopefully one day it does. Enjoy.

The Descent Of Man (2010)

1. Intro

2. I

3. II

4. III

5. IV

6. V

7. Outro

Vestiges/Ghaust (2011)

1. Vestiges - VI

2. Ghaust - Among The Ashes

3. Ghaust - Sleep And Release

Vestiges/Caulfield (2012)

1. Vestiges - Zombie (The Cranberries cover)

2. Caulfield - Dive (Nirvana cover)

Vestiges/Panopticon (2013)

1. Vestiges - VII

2. Vestiges - VIII

3. Panopticon - A Letter

4. Panopticon - The Eulogy

5. Panopticon - Collapse & Die (Suicide Nation)

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WVRM

WVRM are a four-piece grindcore band from Greenville, South Carolina who have been around since 2013. They play an intensive, pummelling, feedback-laden brand of hardcore featuring heavy blast beats and some crust/death metal influence thrown in the ring. They've been incredibly consistent in putting out fantastic releases, and their latest offering Can You Hear The Wind Howl is definitely one of the most assaulting grind releases you'll hear all year. Fans of Young And In The Way, Trap Them, and Full of Hell shouldn't pass this up. Enjoy.

Despair (2013)

1. Angel Crusher

2. Funeral Heart

3. Appleseed

4. Haunted

5. Coffin Dragger

6. The Rotted

7. Cry Baby

8. Old Boy

9. Downpour

Where All Light Dies (2014)

1. Smell Ov Old Graves

2. Worse Than Alone

3. Carolina

4. Assisted Suicide

5. Noose Man

6. XIIIXIII

7. Wounded Dog

8. A Casket To Call Home

Swarm Sound (2014)

1. Demoness

2. Grim Rose

3. Dimly Left Atop Her Grave

4. Coffin Dragger Part II

5. Funeral Heart

6. Sewn Limbs

7. Cry Baby

8. Dear Parasite

9. Swarm Sound

10. Embrace The Noose

11. Home Is Where The Hornets Rest

12. Bone Tower

13. Appleseed

14. Blastphemous

15. Eulogist

16. As The Light Dies...

WVRM (2015)

1. Slug Lord

2. Wasp Lord

Self Harm/WVRM (2016)

1. Self Harm - Marionette

2. Self Harm - Keyboard Warrior

3. Self Harm - Leech

4. Self Harm - Fremveksten Av Den Morke Herre

5. WVRM - Goth Girl

6. WVRM - Grave Bloom

7. WVRM - Vermin Thirst

8. WVRM - Torture Porn

Heartache (2016)

1. Death Erection

2. Night Collector

3. Fucked

4. Slow Strangle

5. Low Life

6. Only Suffering

7. Sleep Paralysis

8. As Below

Can You Hear The Wind Howl (2017)

1. Swollen Belly

2. Bag Of Blades

3. Distinguished

4. Suffer Ritual

5. Can You Hear The Wind Howl

6. Mountain Of Dead Pigs

The Blood Of The Coven Is Thicker Than Water Of The Womb (2018)

1. Withered On The Vein

2. Utopia Seized

3. Tourniquet Blues

4. Sea Of Trees

Colony Collapse (2020)

1. Walled Slum City

2. War Promise//Secessionville

3. Shining Path

4. Anti-Democracy//Locust Breath

5. Black Flags Toward Sodom (Me Ne Frego)

6. Tank Reaper

7. Hands That Bear The Hive

8. Thorn Palace

9. My Fucking Dixie (The New South)

10. Years Of Lead

11. Violet Nuclear

12. Furious Movement//The Burning Tower

13. Colony Collapse

14. Angel Of Assassination

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