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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Chat Pile

Chat Pile are a four-piece sludge metal/noise rock band from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma that began in 2019. Following two EP's and a split with Portrayal Of Guilt, this band has absolutely blown up with the release of their debut album, God's Country, this week. It's garnered a ton of praise and attention, and I have to say that it is all absolutely deserved. This is an unbelievably innovative record, fusing together a litany of sounds to create a statement that is visceral and impactful, conjuring up the image of an industrial dystopia, a burning earth, and the despondent howls coming from within it. 

The band utilizes the heavy, down-tuned riffs of sludge bands such as Eyehategod, the metallic mechanical rhythms and nihilistic overtones of Big Black and Shellac, along with the angular, off-kilter aspects of a band like Unwound. Vocally, they switch between spoken hopelessly and screamed furiously, with a standout cathartic vocal performance. This isn't to say that Chat Pile just echo the sounds of the past, they just pull aspects from it to create an entirely new statement. It reminded me of listening to You Won't Get What You Want when it first came out, and the manic, painstaking response that it evoked. Not to compare the two, they're just both very dark and heavy records in an emotional sense.

Through the opening chants of "Slaughterhouse", the spine-snapping riffs of "Why", the strangely melodic "Anywhere", the haunting "I Don't Care If I Burn", and the absolute insanity of closer "Grimace_Smoking_Weed.Jpeg", this record completely floored me. Not to mention the stellar production, which the band handled themselves. This is without a doubt one of the highlights of this year, and I cannot recommend it enough. This band has earned all the praise they're getting, and they're just beginning. Enjoy.

This Dungeon Earth (2019)

1. Face

2. Rainbow Meat

3. Rat Boy

4. Crawlspace

Remove Your Skin Please (2019)

1. Dallas Beltway

2. Mask

3. Davis

4. Garbage Man

Portrayal Of Guilt/Chat Pile (2021)

1. Portrayal Of Guilt - Touched By An Angel

2. Chat Pile - Brutal Truth

Send The Pain Below (2022)

2. Roots Bloody Roots (Sepultura cover)

Note: Compilation here

God's Country (2022)

1. Slaughterhouse

2. Why

3. Pamela

4. Wicked Puppet Dance

5. Anywhere

6. Tropical Beaches, Inc.

7. The Mask

8. I Don't Care If I Burn

9. Grimace_Smoking_Weed.Jpeg

Tenkiller / Lake Time (Mr. Rodan) (2022)

1. Tenkiller

2. Lake Time (Mr. Rodan)

Brothers In Christ (2023)

1. Nerver - Kicks In The Sky

2. Nerver - The Nerve

3. Chat Pile - King

4. Chat Pile - Cut

Cool World (2024)

1. I Am Dog Now

2. Shame

3. Frownland

4. Funny Man

5. Camcorder

6. Tape

7. The New World

8. Masc

9. Milk Of Human Kindness

10. No Way Out

In The Earth Again (2025)

1. Outside

2. Demon Time

3. Never Say Die!

4. Behold A Pale Horse

5. The Magic Of The World

6. Fission/Fusion

7. The Matador

8. I Got My Own Blunt To Smoke

9. Radioactive Dreams

10. Inside

11. A Tear For Lucas

Note: Collaborative album with Hayden Pedigo

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His Hero Is Gone

His Hero Is Gone were a five-piece crust punk/sludge metal band from Memphis, Tennessee that were around from 1995 to 1999. These guys are usually heralded as being one of the best and most influential crust bands ever, and for good reason. They consistently pumped out track after track of dark, aggressive hardcore, which featured low-end heavy, sludgy guitars, and some manic, guttural vocals. For their short few years together, they managed to record a ton of material. Almost their entire discography is below here, so if there is anything I'm missing (such as comp tracks, etc.), please send them to me! Oh yeah, and a few of these guys were also in Tragedy. Enjoy.

Medicine Of Thieves (1995)

1. Like Hell

2. View From A Holding Cell

3. Ghosts Of Regret

4. Re-Entry Explosion

5. The Oracle

6. Of Thieves

7. Descent

8. Thanking Your Lover In Sincerity

9. Bombs Away

Note: Demo Cassette

Fifteen Counts Of Arson (1997)

1. Professional Mind Fuckers

2. ...And We Burn

3. Unleash

4. Leash

5. Sterile Fortress

6. Good Samaritan

7. Hand That Feeds

8. Raindance

9. Voluntary

10. Anthem Of The Undesirables

11. Scalor

12. Concrete Cage

13. Abandoned

14. Thieves

15. The Result Of 11 Days In The Mental Hospital

16. Epidemic

17. Headcount

18. T-Minus Zero

19. Unvisited

20. Internally

21. Richter

22. Marry and Reproduce

23. The End Result of 11 Months In Prison

24. Skinfeast

Note: Tracks 1-15 are from the original LP, tracks 16-23 are from the EP The Dead Of Night In Eight Movements, and track 24 is from the compilation Complacency

Monument To Thieves (1997)

1. Like Weeds

2. Monument To Thieves

3. Paranoia Secured

4. Carry On

5. Automation

6. Chavites

7. Chain Of Command

8. Headless / Heartless

9. Hinges

10. Sin & Vice

11. The Mess

12. Disease Of Ease

13. Under Watchful Eyes

14. Stacks

15. The Unwanted Child

His Hero Is Gone/Union Of Uranus (1998)

1. His Hero Is Gone - Friendly Fire

2. His Hero Is Gone - Fool's Gold

3. His Hero Is Gone - Scare Tactic

4. His Hero Is Gone - Sound The Alarm

5. His Hero Is Gone - Becoming Soil

6. His Hero Is Gone - Raise The Curtain

7. Union Of Uranus - Backhand

8. Union Of Uranus - One Eye Strengthens

9. Union Of Uranus - Weight Of Tomorrow

10. Union Of Uranus - Equilibrate

11. Union Of Uranus - Pressure (Negative Approach cover)

The Plot Sickens: Enslavement Redefined (2001)

1. Surrender

2. The Garden

3. What Goes Up

4. Remedy Past Remedies

5. Angry Gods

6. In The Red

7. Outside In

8. Who Benefits

9. The Willing Host

10. Enslavements Redefined

11. Birth

12. Scare Tactic

13. Sound The Alarm

14. Fool's Gold

15. Friendly Fire

16. Becoming Soil

17. Raise The Curtain

18. Novelty

19. Disinformation Age

20. Domesticated Breed

21. Ten Dollars A Day

22. Live February 1998

Note: Tracks 1-11 are from the original LP, tracks 12-17 from the Fool's Gold EP, tracks 18-21 were previously unreleased, and track 22 is a live set from 1998