RR19 Autarch / Soothsayer Split Formed in North Carolina in 2010, Autarch is a four-piece band from Asheville that combines elements of hardcore, crust, and post-metal to defy the limitations and expand the boundaries of each genre in order to forge their own path forward.  From the unrelenting drums and enduring melodies to the undying screams of three different vocalists, the band evokes a palpable sense of urgency in order to contest the choices mankind has made in both the past and the present that pose a grave threat to our future. Formed in Pennsylvania in 2014, Soothsayer is a five-piece band from Pittsburgh that combines elements of hardcore and crust to create an original sound that is all their own.  The band ebbs and flows between heavy riffs and melodic passages in order to shed light on mental health issues, queer issues, gender identification, racism, and anarchism. On June 12, 2016, Autarch released a split with Soothsayer through Replenish Records.  100% of the proceeds from the digital downloads of the album will be donated to Southerners On New Ground at http://www.southernersonnewground.org in order to help achieve LGBTQ liberation across all lines of race, class, abilities, age, culture, gender, and sexuality in the South. Pressing Information: Vinyl [ Test | Black | 10 ] [ 1 | Black | 300 ]
"Autarch play a dark and haunting style of music that incorporates elements of hardcore, punk, and neo crust within their sound.  Musically, Autarch can be loosely compared to bands such as His Hero Is Gone, Tragedy, Holy Mountain, as well as more recent bands such as Recreant, Amber, and Ancst.  Since forming in 2010, Autarch have released a four song self-titled EP in June of 2012, and a five song LP titled The Death Of Actiacus in April of 2013.  On their side of the split, Autarch offer up three tracks of vicious and brutal as fuck sounding hardcore, punk, and crust.  The second band on the split is Soothsayer.  Soothsayer is a five piece band from Pittsburgh, PA who formed in 2014.  Soothsayer play a killer style of hardcore, punk, and crust with alternating male and female vocals.  Since forming in 2014, Soothsayer have released a self-titled three song demo and a six song LP titled In My Chest Is The Sound Of A Thousand Oceans in May of 2015.  On their side of the split, Soothsayer offer up three tracks of killer hardcore, punk, and neo crust.  Overall, this is a fantastic split and should not be missed.  Highly recommended!"  Dead Air At The Pulpit "Those who enjoyed The Death of Actiacus will certainly not be disappointed with what Autarch have come up with this time around.  This trio of songs includes plenty of atmosphere.  “Guide” and “Trespass” each start out with a bit of a post-metal feel in the guitars, then trotting through fast crusty d-beat, with occasional furious bursts of blackened crust-punk, and then the third track “Plieades” kicks off with even more of a black-ish metal style with faster guitars and blast beats galore, until about two minutes from the end when it abruptly transitions back into post-blackened-metal, complete with jangly-toned tremolo picking.  Complementing this assortment of stylistic shifts we find the blend of multiple vocal parts that were a highlight of the previous album: led by a hoarse shrieking, sometimes doubled with more of a harsh roar, and later in “Trespass” an additional part that’s an especially nasty snarled rasp.  If you recall, I started out my discussion of this band’s debut with a brief dissertation about the “crust” genre itself, and with all of the various elements stirred into the mix here, listeners will again enjoy witnessing the boundaries inherent in that definition as they are pushed and expanded to new limits."  Valley of Steel “Neo-crust is a fickle genre, often difficult to pin down in the grand scheme of extreme music. On one hand, it is short and aggressive with more melodic tendencies, calling to mind such acts as Tragedy and His Hero Is Gone.  However, on the opposite end of the spectrum, it is a genre that revels in the space between the d-beats, an epic blend of doom and black metal, as well as crust punk, such as Fall of Efrafa and Nux Vomica.  With the newest split from Pennsylvania-based Soothsayer and North Carolina-based Autarch, both sides of the spectrum are shown in full.  Soothsayer focuses on the sludgy, drawn out end of neo-crust, crescendoing from desolate valleys to mist capped peaks.  The tone is epic, rarely falling back on a simple d-beat pattern for much longer than a few seconds, and creating such massive soundscapes to do genre pioneers proud.  On the other hand however, there’s Autarch, focusing more on the power-filled, intense blasts on the HHIG side of the spectrum.  The overall music is intense and fast-paced, but carries a strong melodic edge, often blurring the line between crust punk and the more melodic leanings of black metal.  The two styles mend well, different sides of the same coin, and provide a good starting place for anyone who might be new to the genre.  While neo-crust may be a fairly new subgenre of extreme music, it’s exciting to see how much potential it has, especially when it comes to new acts such as Soothsayer and Autarch.”  Heavy Blog Is Heavy "Today I would like to introduce you to a very special crust band.  A band that has the potential to become one of the very greats of the genre.  Autarch from Asheville, North Carolina, have played in my heart and I have to tell you honestly, I have not been as enthusiastic about a young band in this genre anymore as I was from this band.  The punks from Asheville describe their sound as "Space Crust" and have therefore created an interesting concept.  The space cover mainly comes with the lyrics and some trips to the post rock, but later more.  For me, Autarch sound like the perfect mix of Fall of Efrafa, Wolfbrigade, and Tragedy.  Swedish D-Beat brutality hits neo-crust melancholy and epic hymns.  So they unite the best that the Crust genre has to offer and bring the sound to a whole new level.  I say so, Autarch could be your new favorite band.  They have been active since 2010 and there is no mention of the members on any web presence. One would rather remain anonymous.  In June of the last year the split with Soothsayer from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania appeared.  On this disc, the tracks are shorter and the D-Beat edge comes out again.  Autarch sound here also much more punkier, but create it nevertheless again to create such an ice cold atmosphere. Songs such as "Guide" and "Trespass" offer strong stick crust, sawing riffs are combined with frosty melodies.  Tragedy fans will be thrilled again, after the great LP.  The split partner Soothsayer can definitely be seen, especially cool is the use of clean vocals and the really crass punk hit. Recommended: "War Of The Roses".  So far, every Autarch release has convinced me.  The concept "Space Crust" is the sheer madness and brings fresh wind into the crust game.  For me it is clear that this band will one day become the greats of the genre.  Just now, where Tragedy have not released a release for years, Autarch close a gap."  Trvefrykt Zine