The difference, by ear
Crust came out of this scene and added metal's tuning and distortion. Anarcho is faster, cleaner and more explicitly ideological.
Crust punk is growled or screamed where anarcho-punk is shouted, at much the same pace, around 150 to 220 bpm. To hear the difference, play Crass next to Amebix. They share a root in punk rock, and anarcho-punk came first, by five years. United Kingdom appears in the origins of both.
In figures
Anarcho-punk
Where it sits
Rock › Punk rock › Anarcho-punk
In short
Total political punk: collectives, self-releasing and militant pacifism. It laid down the DIY ethic the underground still runs on.
How it sounds
- Raw production, often with noise, collage and radio recordings.
- Irregular, sometimes nearly improvised structures.
- Dense, pamphlet-like text printed in full on the gatefold sleeve.
Key acts
- Crass
- Conflict
- Subhumans
Start here
The pickCrass - The Feeding of the 5000. Not pleasant listening, and never meant to be.
Full page →Crust punk
Where it sits
Rock › Punk rock › Hardcore punk › Crust punk
In short
D-beat soaked in metal and mud: thick tone, apocalyptic themes, trousers unwashed since 1989.
How it sounds
- Thick, muddy guitar tone with a very prominent distorted bass.
- Alternation between fast d-beat and slow passages close to doom.
- Two vocalists - one low, one shrill - and apocalyptic or ecological themes.
Key acts
- Amebix
- Doom
- Tragedy
- His Hero Is Gone
Start here
The pickAmebix - Arise! It sounds like the end of the world, which was the point.
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