D-beat (also known as Discore, kängpunk, Discrust, and crust-beat) is a style of

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (commonly abbreviated to hardcore or hXc) is a punk rock music genre#subtypes, subgenre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots ...

, developed in the early 1980s by imitators of Discharge, after whom the genre is named, as well as a drum beat characteristic of this subgenre. D-beat is known for its "grinding, distorted and brutally political" sound.McPadden, Mike. ''If You Like Metallica...: Here Are Over 200 Bands, CDs, Movies, and Other Oddities That You Will Love''. Backbeat Books, 2012. Section on "Discharge". Discharge may have themselves inherited the beat from

Motörhead Motörhead () were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1975 by bassist and lead vocalist Lemmy Kilmister, guitarist Larry Wallis and drummer Lucas Fox. Kilmister was the primary songwriter and only constant member. The band a ...

and the

Buzzcocks Buzzcocks are an English punk rock band that singer-songwriter-guitarist Pete Shelley and singer-songwriter Howard Devoto formed in Manchester in 1976. During their career, the band combined elements of punk rock, power pop, and pop punk. The ...

. D-beat is closely associated with

crust punk Crust punk (also known as stenchcore or simply crust) is a fusion genre of anarcho-punk and extreme metal that originated in the early to mid-1980s in England. Originally, the genre was primarily mid-tempo, making use of metal riffs in a stri ...

, which is a heavier, more complex variation. The style was particularly popular in Sweden, and developed there by groups such as Crude SS, Anti Cimex, Mob 47, and Driller Killer. Other D-beat groups include Doom and the Varukers from the UK; Disclose from Japan; Crucifix and Final Conflict from the U.S.; Ratos de Porão from Brazil; and MG15 from Spain. While the style initially developed in the early 1980s, a number of new groups working within the subgenre emerged in the mid-1990s. These include the Swedish groups Wolfbrigade, Totalitär, Avskum, Skitsystem, and

Disfear Disfear is a Swedish crust punk band that formed in the early 1990s and recorded sporadically over the years. After releasing the albums '' Soul Scars'' in 1995 and '' Everyday Slaughter'' in 1997, the group did not release another album until 2 ...

History

Origins

One of the earliest examples of D-beat can be found in the Buzzcocks' song "You Tear Me Up," on their debut LP, ''

Another Music In A Different Kitchen ''Another Music in a Different Kitchen'' is the first full-length album by the English punk rock band Buzzcocks. It was released in March 1978 by the United Artists record label. This was the third line-up of Buzzcocks, with the guitarist Pete ...

''. It featured a fast, intense drumbeat which Discharge would later emulate in the distinctive drumbeat of D-beat. Discharge formed in 1977 in

Stoke-on-Trent Stoke-on-Trent (often abbreviated to Stoke) is a city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Staffordshire, England. It has an estimated population of 259,965 as of 2022, making it the largest settlement in Staffordshire ...

, England, initially playing a basic variety of street punk inspired by the

Sex Pistols The Sex Pistols are an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they became culturally influential in popular music. The band initiated the punk movement in the United Ki ...

and

The Clash The Clash were an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they are considered one of the most influential acts in the original wave of British punk rock, with their music fusing elements ...

. In 1979, the group changed its line-up and began to develop a new, more aggressive style. At this time Terry "Tez" Roberts of Discharge developed their characteristic drum beat, for which the D-beat subgenre is named. Roberts commented in 2004 that "I just wanna be remembered for coming up with that f-ckin' D-beat in the first place! And inspiring all those f-ckin' great Discore bands around the world!"Glasper, Ian (2004). ''Burning Britain: The History of UK Punk 1980–1984'', p. 175. Cherry Red Books. Discharge's inspiration for the style has led it to be referred to as "Discore".Glasper (2004), p. 65. Roberts' beat is similar to the basic percussive backbone of songs by

,Ekeroth, Daniel (2008). ''Swedish Death Metal'', p. 19. Bazillion Points Books. and many subsequent groups borrow from this group a great deal as well as Discharge. After 1982, the group changed its style to a more conventional form of heavy metal. However, their classic sound inspired other groups to emulate them; The Varukers, also from England, were the first of these. As punk historian Ian Glasper put it, "The Varukers were the original Discore band, the first and best of the hardcore punk acts to take the simple, yet devastatingly effective formula laid down by Discharge and play it as fast, hard, heavy as they could." and that "In the turbulent wake of Discharge, a hundred Discore – or D-beat – punk bands sprang up around the world."Glasper 2009, p. 26 While the style was first practiced in England, it became especially inspirational to a number of groups in Sweden. D-beat was initially known as "''kängpunk''" ("boot punk") in Sweden.Jandreus, Peter (2008). ''The Encyclopedia of Swedish Punk 1977–1987'', p. 11. Stockholm: Premium Publishing. The first Swedish D-beat song is "Marquee," by Rude Kids, from

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

, recorded in 1979. They were followed by KSMB (En Slemmig Torsk), Missbrukarna, and more famously, Anti Cimex.Ekeroth, p. 19. Anti Cimex's second 7-inch EP, ''Raped Ass'', has been described as "one of the rawest and most violent hardcore releases ever." Other such groups included Moderat Likvidation, Asocial, and most prominently Mob 47. Mob 47, also from Stockholm, was known as the fastest of the ''kängpunk'' groups. The group also blended Discharge's style with American

, diversifying the style. The heaviest of Swedish crust bands was Crude SS

1980s

In England, a second style of anarcho-punk similar to D-beat developed in the mid-1980s. This style borrowed from the Swedish ''kängpunk'' groups as well as British anarcho-punk, heavy metal, and

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of music that emerged in late 1977 in the wake of punk rock. Post-punk musicians departed from punk's fundamental elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a broader, more experiment ...

.Glasper 2006. "Amebix." p. 198-201."In Grind We Crust," p. 46. The term "crust" was coined by Hellbastard on their 1986 ''Ripper Crust'' demo. As punk historian Ian Glasper puts it: "''Rippercrust'' is widely regarded as the first time the word 'crust' was used in the punk context, and hence the specific starting point of the whole crustcore genre, although some would attribute that accolade to the likes of Disorder, Chaos UK, and Amebix several years earlier." Malcolm "Scruff" Lewty, vocalist and guitarist of Hellbastard, commented, "A lot of people say we started the crust-punk genre, but whatever. If they wanna say that, I don't mind, but I'm certainly no Malcolm McLaren, saying I invented something I didn't."Glasper 2009, 185 AmebixPeter Jandreus, ''The Encyclopedia of Swedish Punk 1977–1987'', Stockholm: Premium Publishing, 2008, p. 11. and Antisect are often located as the originators of crust punk. Amebix's ''Arise'' LP and Antisect's ''Out from the Void'' single, both released in 1985, offer a template for the subgenre. In the late 1980s, Doom, from

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

, practiced D-beat indebted to Discharge as well as to crust punk. Punk journalist Felix von Havoc contends that Doom, Excrement of War, Electro Hippies and Extreme Noise Terror were among the first bands to have the traditional UK "crust" sound. Additional subgenres of this style began to develop. Deviated Instinct, from Norwich, created "stenchcore", bringing "both the look and sound – dirty and metallic, respectively – to their natural conclusion". Initially an anarcho-punk group, they began to take increasing influence from metal. As vocalist Julian "Leggo" Kilsby comments: "We were very much a part of the anarcho scene, to start with, very politically motivated... all the way through the band's existence, really, although it got less obvious as time went by. But I never really liked the straightforward 'War is bad...' lyrics that were so prevalent at the time, so as my writing skills improved I wanted to add more depth to our lyrics and make them more metaphorical; I'd always been into horror films, so that started to manifest itself in the imagery I was using..." Crust punk groups took some influence from the early

black metal Black metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include Tempo#Beats per minute, fast tempos, a Screaming (music)#Black metal, shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted Electric guitar, guitars played with tr ...

Venom Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a sti ...

and

Celtic Frost Celtic Frost () was a Swiss metal music, heavy metal band from Zürich. They are remembered for their strong influence on the development of several metal subgenres, particularly extreme metal,Bukszpan, Daniel. ''The Encyclopedia of Heavy Metal' ...

. Similarly, Bathory was initially inspired by crust punk as well as metal. Crust was affected by a second wave of influence in the 1990s, with some bands emphasizing these black metal elements. Iskra are probably the most obvious example of second wave black metal-influenced crust punk;Iskra Interviews
. Iskra coined their own phrase "blackened crust" to describe this new style. The Japanese group Gallhammer also blend crust with black metal. In addition, Norwegian band

Darkthrone Darkthrone is a Norwegian black metal band hailing from Kolbotn, Akershus. Formed in 1986 as a death metal band named Black Death, in 1991, Darkthrone transitioned to a black metal style influenced by Bathory (band), Bathory and Celtic Frost and ...

have incorporated crust punk traits in their more recent material. As Daniel Ekeroth wrote in 2008 :"In a very ironic paradox, black metal and crust punk have recently started to embrace one another. Members of Darkthrone and Satyricon have lately claimed that they love punk, while among crusties, black metal is the latest fashion. In fact, the latest album by crust punk band Skitsystem sounds very black metal—while the latest black metal opus by Darkthrone sounds very punk! This would have been unimaginable in the early 90s." American crust punk began in New York City, also in the mid-'80s, with the work of

Nausea Nausea is a diffuse sensation of unease and discomfort, sometimes perceived as an urge to vomit. It can be a debilitating symptom if prolonged and has been described as placing discomfort on the chest, abdomen, or back of the throat. Over 30 d ...

. The group emerged from the

Lower East Side The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets. Historically, it w ...

squat scene and New York hardcore, living with Roger Miret of

Agnostic Front Agnostic Front is an American hardcore punk band from New York City. Founded in 1980, the band is considered an important influence on the New York hardcore scene, as well as a pioneer of the crossover thrash genre. History First era (1980– ...

. The early work of Neurosis, from Oakland, CA, also borrowed from Amebix, and inaugurated crust punk on the West Coast. Disrupt (Boston), Antischism (South Carolina), and Destroy! (Minneapolis) were also significant U.S. crust groups. Extreme Noise Terror is credited with developing this style into

grindcore Grindcore is an extreme metal, extreme fusion genre of heavy metal music, heavy metal and hardcore punk that originated in the mid-1980s, drawing inspiration from abrasive-sounding musical styles, such as thrashcore, crust punk, hardcore punk, e ...

. However, Pete Hurley, the guitarist for the group, declared that he had no interest in being remembered as a pioneer of this style: "'grindcore' was a legendarily stupid term coined by a hyperactive kid from the West Midlands, and it had nothing to do with us whatsoever. ENT were, are, and – I suspect – always will be a hardcore punk band... not a grindcore band, a stenchcore band, a trampcore band, or any other sub-sub-sub-core genre-defining term you can come up with."

1990s

An important American crust punk band was Aus-RottenCrust-punks Behind Enemy Lines release One Nation Under The Iron Fist of God
from

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

. Crust punk also flourished in Minneapolis, shepherded by the Profane Existence label."In Grind We Crust," p. 51. In this period, the ethos of crust punk became particularly codified, with

vegetarianism Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the Eating, consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects as food, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slau ...

feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...

, and sometimes straight edge being prescribed by many of the figures in the scene. The

powerviolence Powerviolence (sometimes written as power violence) is a chaotic and fast subgenre of hardcore punk which is closely related to thrashcore and grindcore. In contrast with grindcore, which is a "crossover" idiom containing musical aspects of hea ...

scene associated with Slap-a-Ham Records was in close proximity to crust punk, particularly in the case of Man Is the Bastard and Dropdead."Powerviolence: The Dysfunctional Family of Bllleeeeaaauuurrrgghhh!!." ''Terrorizer'' no. 172. July 2008. p. 36-37. Crust was also prominent in the

American South The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, Dixieland, or simply the South) is census regions United States Census Bureau. It is between the Atlantic Ocean and the ...

, where Prank Records and CrimethInc. acted as focal points of the scene. The most well-known representative of Southern crust was

His Hero Is Gone His Hero Is Gone was an influential American neo-crust band from Memphis, Tennessee. The band formed in 1995 from members of Copout, Man With Gun Lives Here, Union of Uranus and FaceDown. They disbanded in 1999, playing their last show in Memp ...

. Many Swedish groups of the 1990s began to play a combination of D-beat with crust punk. These bands, including Driller Killer,Jandreus, p. 20-21. Totalitär, Skitsystem, Wolfbrigade, and

, remain some of the most well-known D-beat bands, although their sound has cleaved closely to developments in

death metal Death metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep death growl, growling vocals; aggressive ...

Characteristics

Vocals and lyrics

The vocal content of D-beat tends towards shouted slogans. The style is distinguished from its predecessors by its minimal lyrical content and greater proximity to heavy metal. D-beat bands typically have anti-war, anarchist messages and closely follow the bleak nuclear war imagery of 1980s

anarcho-punk Anarcho-punk (also known as anarchist punk or peace punk) is an ideological subgenre of punk rock that promotes anarchism. Some use the term broadly to refer to any punk music with anarchist lyrical content, which may figure in crust punk, ha ...

bands. Rock journalist Robbie Mackey described D-beat as characterized by "hardcore drumming set against breakneck riffage and unintelligible howls about anarchy, working-stiffs-as-rats, and banding together to, you know, fight." Vocals in crust punk are often shrieked or shouted, and may be shared between two or more vocalists. The lyrical content of crust punk tends to be bleak and nihilistic, yet politically engaged. Crust punk songs are often about

nuclear war Nuclear warfare, also known as atomic warfare, is a War, military conflict or prepared Policy, political strategy that deploys nuclear weaponry. Nuclear weapons are Weapon of mass destruction, weapons of mass destruction; in contrast to conven ...

militarism Militarism is the belief or the desire of a government or a people that a state should maintain a strong military capability and to use it aggressively to expand national interests and/or values. It may also imply the glorification of the mili ...

animal rights Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all Animal consciousness, sentient animals have Moral patienthood, moral worth independent of their Utilitarianism, utility to humans, and that their most basic interests—such as ...

, police, personal grievances, oppressive states and

fascism Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hie ...

. Amebix were also interested in various forms of mysticism and

Gnosticism Gnosticism (from Ancient Greek language, Ancient Greek: , Romanization of Ancient Greek, romanized: ''gnōstikós'', Koine Greek: Help:IPA/Greek, �nostiˈkos 'having knowledge') is a collection of religious ideas and systems that coalesced ...

. Malcolm "Scruff" Lewty, guitarist and vocalist of Hellbastard, describes the distinction between metal and crust punk lyrics:

Drum beat

The name "D-beat" refers to a specific drumbeat, associated with The Varukers, Brian Roe (Brains), Discharge, Garry Malloney & Tez Roberts, Discharge's first drummer, though rock musicians such as

and Diamond Head had used the beat previously. The term was coined by Rich Militia, the singer of

Sore Throat Sore throat, also known as throat pain, is pain or irritation of the throat. The majority of sore throats are caused by a virus, for which antibiotics are not helpful. For sore throat caused by bacteria (GAS), treatment with antibiotics may hel ...

, in 1988, to describe the drum pattern played by Dave "Bambi" Ellesmere, Roberts's replacement, on Discharge's EP '' Why''. Three versions of D-beat drum tabs: First () (like early Anti Cimex and Discharge): C:, x--x-x--x--x-x--:, , S:, --o---o---o---o-:, , K:, o--o-o--o--o-o--:, , 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + S=snare K=kick C=crash Second — Verse () and chorus () (like Avskum): H:, x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-:, , C:, x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-:, , S:, --o---o---o---o-:, , S:, --o---o---o---o-:, , K:, o--o-o--o--o-o--:, , K:, o--o-o--o--o-o--:, , 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + S=snare K=kick H=hihat C=crash Third (Thrash/speed metal beat) ( or ): H:, x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-:, , S:, --o---o---o---o-:, , K:, o----o--o--o-o--:, , 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + S=snare K=kick H=hihat

References

Sources

*Ekeroth, Daniel (2008). ''Swedish Death Metal''. Bazillion Points Books. *Glasper, Ian (2009). ''Trapped in a Scene: UK Hardcore 1985–1989''. Cherry Red Books. *Glasper, Ian (2006). ''The Day the Country Died: A History of Anarcho Punk 1980 to 1984''. Cherry Red Books. *Grindcore Special (2009), "In Grind We Crust," 181, 41–56. * {{DEFAULTSORT:D-Beat Drum patterns Punk rock genres Hardcore punk genres English styles of music Swedish styles of music