Appalachian Terror Unit – Black Sands

For me, APPALACHIAN TERROR UNIT is a band that truly defines what crust should be. Hard and heavy punk, with in your face politics. In an age where the punk scene seems to be defined more by the size of one’s record collection or how perfectly one can clone an obscure overseas hardcore band from 25 years ago, the ATU approach is more than welcome. It seems like forever since I’ve listened to a new record which focuses on environmental and animal concerns, which actually concerns me. In the internet age, has our culture stopped giving a shit about anything? Are the times we’re living in too far gone to even bother doing something as simple as make conscious dietary choices?
Thankfully on this raging new slab of vinyl, ATU has continued on their path of shoving these concerns down our collective throat – we need it. We start off with “Shocked, Shackled and Hanged”, a very potent animal rights song about the horrors of the slaughterhouse. Lyrically, this could be a long, lost CONFLICT tune from way back when they were still relevant. A truly stand out song, for sure. Other topics discussed on this EP include heroin addiction (“Lost in the Darkness”), how fucked up the world is – and how disgusting apathy is in response (“The End of Complacency”), and finally the oil industry – more specifically, the horrific British Petroleum oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico (the title track “Black Sands”). ATU is one of the most important and relevant bands in the punk scene today, and this 7” is among the best material they have recorded to date. It’s my hope that this band will inspire more kids to start thinking about the horrific conditions we face today, and at the very least start putting politics back in punk. (Inbred)