Barren Hellscape – Anti-Holocaust

There’s nothing oblique, circuitous, or ambiguous about Aotearoa New Zealand crust band Barren Hellscape. Helmed by multi-instrumentalist and sound-recordist Matai Szwed (founder of the long-running Te Whanganui-a-Tara / Wellington punk label Razored Raw), Barren Hellscape delivers a clear-cut anti-war message wrapped in punishing distortion. Over the years, Razored Raw has issued several top-notch releases, many of which were studio-engineered by Matai himself. But those accomplishments take a backseat here.

Barren Hellscape’s second release, Anti-Holocaust, serves as a blunt reminder that achievements mean nothing if we aren’t addressing the suffering of others. Much like the band’s nerve-shredding 2025 demo, Anti-Genocide, Barren Hellscape’s latest release doesn’t waste a moment of your time, cutting right to the quick. The band’s “90s-style noise crust” continues to batter like a clawhammer, and Barren Hellscape’s messaging remains direct and explicit, bypassing the bullshit with violent music and apt soundbites.

Anti-Holocaust’s eight tracks make one thing clear: war is an industrial-scale slaughterhouse where the powerful harvest the lives of the most vulnerable. Crucially, Anti-Holocaust highlights that we’re all participants in an ongoing war on humans and animals alike; we’re all raw, bloody fuel for a profit-driven machine. 

That’s why releases like Anti-Holocaust are important. Obviously, an über-niche record from a fringe artist isn’t going to put a dent in the machine. But punk is a cumulative force for good. Anti-Holocaust is a point of contact; a connection at the cellular level. We opened Pandora’s box a long time ago, and we know what pain and suffering feel like. Let’s talk about that and make noisy art while we gather the right tools to dismantle the machine. 

Anti-Holocaust tracks like “Proliferation”, “Cobalt Bomb”, and “Blood Murals” hammer their messages home with ear-wrecking intensity. Musically, Barren Hellscape draws from the ferocity of Japanese and Nordic locales, as well as conjuring the grit, grime, and guttural growl of OG Orange County crust. The heavyweight lyrics on “Wasteland Gaza”, “Ginsu Hellfire”, and “Tormented and Tortured” are matched by equally weighty instrumentation. Metallic guitars, pounding drums, and roaring vocals all frame the emotionally bruising pictures that Barren Hellscape paints. 

Anyone who enjoyed Barren Hellscape’s demo will be impressed by the brawnier dimensions and punchier impact of Anti-Holocaust. The tracks within are genuine stress-busters, and Anti-Holocaust features more powerful songwriting all round. New Zealand doesn’t have a long list of comparable bands. Still, if you’ve enjoyed the work of Aotearoa-based outfits like Putrid Future, Nullpolitik, Easy Off, Bordger, Forced Starvation, or the apocalyptic assault of Piggery, then Barren Hellscape will resonate, too. (None of those aforementioned bands is strictly analogous, but they’ve all released similarly uncompromising punk.) 

Limitations? Issues? Hiccups? You could probably argue that Anti-Holocaust’s strengths are also its weaknesses. It’s challenging, which is admirable in my books. However, some might find Barren Hellscape’s messaging too blunt, while others might hope for more easily digestible hooks. Truthfully, I doubt any subterranean punk fan worth their salt is going to complain about a release that ticks so many classic crust boxes. But fair dues, not everyone enjoys a psychological or physiological pummelling.

There’s nothing groundbreaking about Anti-Holocaust, per se. But then, Barren Hellscape aren’t in the innovation business. They’re here to enlighten, albeit in a berserker-like fashion, and the band’s dark, throwback tone definitely suits their mood. Point being, you won’t find any listener-friendly concessions here, only bulldozing tracks like “Toxic Species”; songs that are driven hard by a combination of their sonic and thematic weight. 

War is a fire stoked by the blood of innocents; that’s the main takeaway here. Anti-Holocaust’s unambiguous onslaught hits hard, and it hits home, too. Anyone with a penchant for heavyweight noise will dig Barren Hellscape’s crushing endeavours, and if you’re hunting for passionate, politically-driven punk, you’re gonna love this agit-crust. 

FFO Stormcrow, Sanctum, Dystopia, Summon the Crows, Filth of Mankind, etc.