Crust punk: The feral offspring of punk and metal who refuses to bathe. At least that’s the description I’m sticking to. Originated in the early ’80s by apocalyptic schizos Amebix, crust quickly became its own rotten niche, helping spearhead the advent of grindcore and eventually fusing with genres like black metal and death metal. Through all this cross pollination were tried and true crusties, amongst the most steadfast being Wolfbrigade. Initially formed in 1995 under the moniker Wolfpack, they rebranded themselves as Wolfbrigade in 2001 and have been going strong ever since.
Now in all truthfulness, pure crust punk is not a genre I frequent often. Outside of Amebix, Sacrilege, and other early practitioners, many of these bands come off as one-dimensional and predictable. After all, this isn’t progressive rock. There’s only so much ground that can be broken within crust before going off the deep end altogether. That said, Wolfbrigade is a band I could always rely on to match my burning inner vitriol. Maybe it’s that Scandinavian grit, but their harsh blend of grimy riffs, devastating d-beats, and gruff vocals always hit the spot. It’s a formula that continues to work, albeit with a slight metallic twist, on their latest album, Life Knife Death.
Their eighth studio album under the Wolfbrigade moniker, Life Knife Death sees the band making their debut on the prestigious Metal Blade Records, which could perhaps explain the increased metal leanings on this affair. Indeed, Wolgbrigade has always been a punk band for the metalheads, but Life Knife Death feels more metal than usual even by their standards. Take for example breakneck bruisers like “Ways to Die”, “A Day in the Life of an Arse”, and “Cyanide Messiah”. This is flat out crust-thrash executed with the menace of Left Hand Path era Entombed as opposed to your friendly neighborhood anarcho crusties. These aforementioned Entombed influences are especially prominent in the deadly guitar lines of “Disarm or Be Destroyed”.
Amongst these high speed onslaughts are good ol’ fashioned pogo mosh anthems like the title track, “Nail Bomb”, and “Mayhem Mongrel”. In the context of this album, I feel as if they serve more than anything as palette cleansers in all their midtempo, straightforward glory, and are perhaps even needed to give us room to breathe. Other highlights include the crust-speed blitz of “Your God is a Corpse”, as well as “Unruled and Unnamed” which gives off serious Venom vibes. Dare I brand it crust ‘n’ roll? Sure me if I just coined a new subgenre.
If there was ever a crust punk album to explore in 2024 (and heaven knows I probably won’t check out another), Life Knife Death is it. The Wolfbrigade travels heavy, furious as ever, ready to tear their enemies to shreds at the drop of a hat. By no means will you see me spiking my hair, patching my jeans, or neglecting basic hygiene anytime soon, but you’ll definitely see me cranking this album throughout the rest of the year and beyond. The knife is life!
7 out of 10
Label: Metal Blade Records
Genre: Crust Punk
For fans of: Discharge, Entombed, Martyrdöd