Neo crust is a fickle genre, often difficult to pin down in the grand scheme of extreme music. On one hand, it is short and aggressive with more melodic tendencies, calling to mind such acts as Tragedy and His Hero Is Gone. However, on the opposite end of the spectrum, it is a genre that revels in the space between the d-beats, an epic blend of doom and black metal, as well as crust punk, such as Fall of Efrafra and Nux Vomica. With the newest split from PA based Soothsayer and North Carolina based Autarch, both sides of the spectrum are shown in full. Fortunately for us, we’re hosting a stream of their new split, which you can check out below!
Soothsayer focuses on the sludgy, drawn out end of neo crust, crescendoing from desolate valleys to mist capped peaks. The tone is epic, rarely falling back on a simple d-beat pattern for much longer than a few seconds, and creating such massive soundscapes to do genre pioneers proud. On the other hand, however, there Autarch, focusing more on the power filled, intense blasts on the HHIG side of the spectrum. The overall music is intense and fast paced, but carries a strong melodic edge, often blurring the line between crust punk and the more melodic leanings of black metal. The two styles mend well, different sides of the same coin, and provide a good starting place for anyone who might be new to the genre.
While neo crust may be a fairly new subgenre of extreme music, it’s exciting to see how much potential it has, especially when it comes to new acts such as Soothsayer and Autarch. Be sure to head over to Autarch and Soothsayer‘s respective Facebook pages to keep up with their upcoming tour dates and other news!