Warcollapse – Deliberate Indoctrination

It’s been five years, and I’m still not over Warcollapse’s Deserts of Ash LP. Since then, the veteran Swedish stoner-crust band released the erupting Bound to Die EP, proving they’re continuously in top form. All signs pointed to a new full-length album from the group, who are back not only in the studio but also touring—their first since Defy! nearly two decades ago in 2007. As the first samples surfaced and fall arrived, Deliberate Indoctrination was finally unleashed.

Crust As Fuck Existence—the title of Warcollapse’s debut album from 29 years ago—remains a slogan that fully defines them to this day, and their new album is no exception. In an era when crasher crust/stench is once again spreading through the DIY underground, Deliberate Indoctrination stands out as one of the best offerings in the genre this year. Warcollapse deliver a sonic result that doesn’t just bring all their hallmark elements to the forefront, nor does it nostalgically recreate a forgotten, rigid atmosphere out of mere obligation.

Instead, with Deliberate Indoctrination, Warcollapse successfully capture the essence of Swedish crust punk in its most refined form while also imprinting their unique stamp. Thematically, the band remains combative and vibrant, addressing modern expressions of their enduring anti-capitalist, anti-commercial, anti-war, and anti-fascist stances. Thus, alongside the sludge manifesto of the seven-minute “Projecting Their Power,” you’ll find the ’90s Swedish groove of “Delta Nine Freak,” the Molotov cocktail of the opening “Systemets Konstitution,” and the archetypal crust aggression of “Deathrow Industry.”

Even in one-minute dynamites like “Stuck in the Machine” or the d-beat frenzy of “Den Här Dömda Jorden,” the Swedes bombard you with riffs. The 36 minutes of “Deliberate Indoctrination” are relentless, and repeated listens reveal new highlights to hook you. Warcollapse’s attention to composition pays off, so even when the album’s eight-minute closer, “Shadowed Clouds Overhead,” with its epic, apocalyptic Amebix-like tones, casts everything in shadow, you’ll feel that the dust has settled, but the uprising continues.

Deliberate Indoctrination is a manifesto to the underground triumph of a band that has always carefully planned each step forward. Warcollapse play with intensity and, above all, the skill to craft powerful stoner-crust anthems that stick with you. In a year when bands like Wolfbrigade, Adrestia, and Alarm! have also released smashing records, the sonic violence of Deliberate Indoctrination stands tall and uncompromising, reminding us of what this ’90s sound can achieve from both a musical and political perspective. This band is back to haunt with their crasher stoner crust, and not just in the studio.

A Greek version of this review was published in Rocking.gr.