Crass was an English punk band, and one of the pioneers of anarcho-punk. They were based around the anarchist community
Dial House in Essex. They rejected the consumerism, capitalism, and violence of mainstream society, and instead promoted DIY, anarchism, and peace. Crass was a huge influence on the leftists/anarchist politics found in much of modern punk. Crass broke out of the previous rock paradigm, using spoken word and experimental improvisation on some tracks. They also integrated performance art and multimedia into their approach. They started Crass Records, which released albums by other anarchist bands. Throughout their career, the group stated an intention to dissolve in 1984, which they did. The members went on to continue in music, go to art school, and participate in performance art, among other things. Penny Rimbaud and Gee Vaucher bought Dial House, to ensure that its tradition continued. In 2002, many of the ex-members collaborated as a group that has been known as The Crass Collective, Crass Agenda, or most recently Last Amendment. This group puts on many different types of work, from poetry readings, to performing Crass songs. The legacy of Crass lives on.
Recommended Albums:The Feeding of the 5000
Stations of the Crass
Yes Sir, I Will
Unofficial MyspaceCrass live (Live footage of Crass is pretty fucking rare stuff. You'd better appreciate it.)
Cynic is a technical death metal band from Florida. They added the influence of jazz fusion to their metal sound. They also used dual vocalists, one with death grunts, one with a robotic-sounding voice produced by a vocoder. Their lyrics are about deep philosophical and religious topics. They recorded one album, Focus, in 1993. They broke up the next year. Some of their members were in other technical/progressive metal groups, such as Atheist, Gordian Knot, Pestilence, and Portal. In 2006, they reunited to tour Europe.
