Totalis – Griefstate

Supergroups in DIY punk are probably an oxymoron, since fame isn’t something that comes with the counterculture of the genre, nor are musicians regarded as celebrities. Nevertheless, there are certain bands held in high esteem, even considered “punk royalty,” due to their critical and highly influential role in the formation and evolution of the scene, the genre, its message, and its aesthetics. One can argue that bands like Anti-Cimex, Detestation, and Skitsystem are legends on their own, and no one in their right mind would disagree. If we even add Napalm Death to the conversation, I am sure many people will start swearing oaths to their legacy and totemic shadow.

Here come Totalis. The project consists of Mark “Barney” Greenway (Napalm Death, vocals), Fredrik Wallenberg (Skitsystem, vocals), Charlie Claesson (Anti-Cimex, drums), Andy Lefton (War//Plague, guitars), and Kelly Halliburton (Detestation, Masskontroll, bass), with Hanna Stjernlöf (Dishumanitär) contributing additional vocals. Damn, that’s a lineup. Barney and Fredrik share vocal duties, each taking charge of three of the album’s six tracks, while Lefton acts as the main songwriter and lyricist, with Claesson contributing additional compositional ideas.

Griefstate, even before we push play, presents itself as a beast of a project, a record that raises the standards beyond expectations. After many repeated listens, the 12-inch feels like an anti-capitalist, classic crust punk behemoth. From the sound engineering to the hit of the last drum tom, and from Barney’s first titanic scream to the bass sound, this album is unmissable. The guitar sound comes straight out of the mid-’90s but manages to encompass every bit of American, Swedish, and English crust perfection.

Totalis demonstrate with ease their know-how in crafting destructive crust punk tracks, while even letting grindcore and crossover enter through the backdoor. Andy Lefton has understood the task perfectly, serving as a riff architect, and together with Kelly Halliburton he forms a leviathan of a guitar and bass unit. Honestly, the guitar work of Griefstate is crustcore 101, echoing, of course, the incomparable rage of the last War//Plague record, especially in tracks like the closer “Somnolent.”

Joking with friends, I’ve told them that sometimes Totalis sound like AI music’s greatest point of incompetence. Even if artificial intelligence were fed the entire crust genealogy in order to create the perfect ’90s to early ’00s amalgam, and even if we considered Griefstate as a representation of that, it would never encapsulate even the tiniest bit of inspiration needed to pull it through. What I am trying to say is that, in today’s age of constant nostalgic revival in art and politics, where the past is treated as a solution for the intolerable present and the unimaginable future, there are still genuine works that echo passion, dedication, and even the perfect limitations of a subculture without being stupidly nostalgic.

Totalis are a prime example of that, and tracks like “Theory in Practice” hit hard with the necessity required for a crust punk album today. To wrap things up, Griefstate may be a one-off project and album, but it feels like the absolute crust punk record, able to grip rusty old heads and younger scene enthusiasts alike. With a duration of almost 12 minutes, it is one of the best crust punk albums you can hear and support today. Barney’s delivery is glorious, and Skitsystem’s Fredrik, especially in the howling “Control the Narrative,” sounds like he hasn’t missed a single step, while Hanna Stjernlöf steals the spotlight with her righteous vocals.

Taking into account that Skitsystem contributed a new composition titled “Evig vinter” a couple years ago to the In the Loving Memory of You / Time Will Heal compilation, one can only hope those steps are part of a return to discography. Nevertheless, Totalis have offered a seminal record of intense, politically charged, and unapologetic crust punk, honoring the imprint of their band members while at the same time expanding it.