Amebix

• Genre: Punk

About

Our condolences if this is a band you're just now catching on to: most everything Amebix have done is long out of print and not likely to return. Except for Alternative Tentacles' 1985 release and 2000 re-release of Arise, the works of this legendary Crust band are nearly impossible to come by, except among Profane Existence tape swappers and online-auction gold diggers. Such a shame, too. Amebix are, by some accounts, the first politico Punk act to cross-pollinate their music with the complex structures and thick riffs of heavy metal. Their 1983 debut had an undeniable influence on latter-day Discharge and GBH, and spawned a sizeable litter of imitation acts such as Concrete Sox, Doom and Hiatus. Though Arise isn't a bad place to start, No Sanctuary is a stiffer pour -- it's a mean, edgy crucible of street-tough desperation and disillusionment. Even if their attempt to meld Metal and Punk doesn't work for you, it was one heroic experiment, and you owe yourself a listen.

- Chad Driscoll