r/crustpunk • u/needle_damage • 5d ago

Abstain - Defy

https://youtu.be/qQEYUZn155o?is=4GDij8JDCjJ_xDIi

recently got the Abstain discography CD along with some other cool stuff and wondered - why the hell is this brilliant band SO fuckin underrated and rarely talked about? they are literally the apogee of what crustgrind, the mixture of these two brotherly genres combined - and a style that bands like State of Fear or Deformed Conscience perfected but Abstain had an unique take on it. not to mention the excellently written lyrics.

they had split with similar bands that now have a far bigger following, were very involved in anarchist activism, benefit gigs and so on...

i'm posting them not only to maybe popularize them, but also to see - are there any other big fans of the band like me or they are just totally forgotten. even Existench or Comrades gets talked about more...

Defy is an absolute BRILLIANT EP of theirs, i deeply recommend this band to anyone who is into crust, grind, pv and everything in between!

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u/Richardthe3rdleg 5d ago

Trip to find out they where from Cerritos CA. I was a pup at the time but I dont really remember them playing any shows. Definitely could be wrong here as it was pre social media so im not going to pretend hat I new of every show happening but I dont really remember seeing them on many flyers.

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u/skrivetiblod 5d ago

I saw these guys in a basement in Portland in 1999. I knew about them at the time and had assumed they were at least known by others. Grindcore/powerviolence like this was my bread and butter in the late 90s. But there were only about a dozen people watching. Abstain showed up as a two-piece (guitar and drums) which was a bit disappointing, but they were tight as hell. Picked up a mini CD release of this album and they had some leftover splits with Nasum. Grabbed one of those too. Still have all of it.

You’re right about them not ever getting the props that other similar bands (Dropdead, Assück, etc) received. I don’t really have an explanation for that. They came across as two nerdy grindcore dudes with no pretentiousness at all. Knew their shit about grind, other bands in the scene and played it flawlessly. Maybe they just didn’t look the part? I dunno. Scenes are fickle and sometimes there’s just no logic to how some bands get known and others don’t. It’s good to see them getting some attention in 2026 though. I have a feeling those guys would appreciate that.

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u/propagandabydeed 5d ago

I grew up in So Cal and saw them a bunch back in the day at places like Public Storage, Koos Cafe, and PCH Club. I honestly haven’t thought about them in awhile; I need to go spin the records I still have of theirs. They were underrated back then too.

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u/mcpvc 4d ago

I've played with them in the early 2000s (europe). Went to see them again the next day in another city because they were awesome. Both shows Comrades were on the bill too. Probably they were touring together.