One of the most unique scenes within the genre, California Crust Punk can be interpreted as a wave of crusty punk/metal/
grind bands during the
late 80's and early to
mid-90's that played an important (albeit sometimes uncredited) role in shaping the sound of modern
crust. Early bands included Apocalypse, A//Solution, Carcinogen, Phobia, Plutocracy, Glycine Max, Neurosis, Mindrot, Confrontation, Dystopia, etc. Many of these bands hailed from southern California and/or the Bay Area and tended to blur the lines between the various strains of hardcore punk and extreme metal to create distinctly unique sounds within the scene at the
time. Some notable bands that came later in the scene's
history include Noothgrush, Skaven, Enewetak, Unruh,
El Dopa, Dead America, Despise You, Gasp, Suffering Luna and many more that are most likely buried by
time and dust. Although some of these bands can't be defined as
crust in the strictest sense of the term, they each had ties and sympathies towards crust punk in some way, whether it was in sound or ethos. The scene more or less dissolved completely by the early/mid-2000's, but it's influence can still be heard in the
sonic tapestries of many punk and metal bands around the world. The Oakland region of the Bay Area has continued to
play host to many notable "crusty" bands such as Stormcrow, (later) Graves at Sea, Badr Vogu, Brainoil, Embers, Cruevo, etc.
