Why I Love: Dripback on Dystopia

By Special Guest on 23rd April 2020 • ( Leave a comment )

Dripback have returned, six years after they released Failed Futures in 2014. The hardcore / death band from London are as uncompromising as ever, taking no prisoners, and going directly for the jugular.

Here, Luca tells us how Dystopia, an American hardcore band, inspired him.

When I first heard Dystopia it was 1999 and I was playing in a crust punk band called Incarcerated; it was our late vocalist James who got me hooked on this band. The album Human = Garbage from 1996 was the first album of theirs I heard. From the moment that record kicks off, you’re dragged into the misery.

I had never heard such a negative mix of styles and haven’t since; these geezers mixed punk, crust, grind and death metal into one sinister globule of complete negative fuckery. The vocals are as distressed as a cat being viciously murdered. You can feel the pain in the introduction to the opening track, Stress Builds Character.

Their use of samples inspired me to use samples in all the bands I’ve been in since, and in Dripback we make our own samples and we still get asked what films the samples are from but its just mates of ours we coerce into chatting shit for us… anyway.. I digress.

I first heard Dystopia in a squat in Stamford Hill in 1999 their frenetic style is still untouchable…even these days. One of my favourite tunes of theirs is Backstabber from the album Aftermath.

If you’re into fucked up shit, you need to hear this band; down tuned crust punk dipped in death. It’s absolute music to my ears.

Dystopia is one band I’ve never seen play live, or got a chance to meet, or play shows with and I guess i never will but that means fuck all ‘cos i love ’em to bits. You wouldn’t believe its just a 3 piece making that noise and their drummer banging out the main vocals!

A massively unheard of band.. if one person reads this and gets into them its worth it.

Hail Dystopia.

Many thanks to Luca for sharing his thoughts on Dystopia. You can buy Dripback’s new EP from their store, here.