Poison Tribe – S/T EP

Poison Tribe never really impressed me before. Their State Sanctioned Violence demo from 2021 felt like a half-hearted nod to Swedish d-beat, and I couldn’t get past the vocals, which sounded like someone trying to bark through a mouthful of drywall dust. Their Allie Sessions tape in 2023 hinted at a better lineup change, with Phil stepping in on vocals, but the rehearsal room recording quality made it hard to care. It’s already the second half of 2025, and Poison Tribe are back with a new drummer and their first vinyl release. This time, the Denver, Colorado band sounds like they actually mean it.

From the opening blast of “False Narrative” to the bitter crawl of “Dethrone,” this EP feels like a direct response to what you’ll hear on the news today. It’s aggressive, driving crustcore that leans heavy on the late ’90s and early 2000s lineage. Against Empire, Another Oppressive System, Man the Conveyors, and all that sort of thing that we used to find on the pages of Profane Existence. On this EP, they’ve gone straight for the throat. “False Narrative” is a perfect opener. Tight, propulsive, and lyrically bitter without empty sloganeering. It rips straight into the endless loop of alt-right conspiracy theories and culture war noise that dominates everything now. There is a message of defiance that hits harder than any riff, and the singer spits it out like he’s ready to claw his way through the speakers.

The production is still not polished, but it’s just way better than the aforementioned demo tapes. It’s raw enough to keep it grounded, clear enough to punch. Guitarist Wiley’s backing vocals give these tracks a faint Tragedy reminiscence without diving into melodrama. “I Dissent” is a militant call to arms to resist bloodthirsty imperialism, while “Children of the Atom” invokes the imagery of nuclear devastation to address climate collapse, militarism, and the sad reality of being a doomed generation born into destruction. “What We Are” lays bare a system where human value is tied to economic productivity and compliance. There are a few movie samples scattered throughout as well, I think one of them is from the 1970 film adaptation of Joseph Heller’s Catch-22, and thankfully it’s not the millionth time Howard Beale monologue from The Network. “Dethrone” closes the EP, aimed squarely at Trump-era authoritarianism, calling out ICE raids and the normalization of fascistic violence with lines like “mass deportation made by his secret police / the golden age is here, all hail the king.”

It’s not groundbreaking, but if you’re still clinging to the idea that crust punk can mean something in 2025, and aren’t looking for some hipster core with shoegaze influences, then this one’s for you.