Hellbastard
Hellbastard is an English crust punk/thrash metal band formed in 1984 in Newcastle.
Hellbastard
Newcastle upon Tyne, England
1984–1992
2007–present
Meantime, Earache, Peaceville, Combat, Acid Stings, Bomb Factory, Control, Black Konflik, Selfmadegod, Patac, Civilisation
- Malcolm 'Scruff' Lewty
- Danny Guy
- Josh Davies
- Nick Read
Early history[edit]
Members "Scruff" Lewty, Phil Laidlaw and Ian "Scotty" Scott formed Hellbastard, which was to be a combination of Crass-like politics and the music of Slayer. In 1990, after several EPs, full-lengths and line-up changes, the group appeared on the Combat-Earache compilation album, Grindcrusher, with the song "Justly Executed", from the Earache Records Natural Order LP.
They are considered to be a hugely influential band in the crust punk genre. The genre allegedly adopted its name from the band's first demo, Ripper Crust. They are also considered to be a part of the crossover thrash scene.[1][2] After leaving Hellbastard, Scotty later went on to form Hellkrusher. At one time vocalist/guitarist "Scruff lewty" and ex-guitarist "Nick" (Nick Parsons)[3] played for their friends' band "Energetic Krusher". Hellbastard also passed on a deal with Vinyl Solution Records in 1989 in favour of an opportunity with Energetic Krusher; their Path To Oblivion album appeared soon after. Hellbastard opted to sign with Earache.
Original vocalist/guitarist "Scruff" set about reforming the band in 2007 and Hellbastard concluded numerous American and European tours. Prior to this, "Scruff" had formed other acts, including Nero Circus, Sidewinder, King Fuel, Heavy Water, The Dischargers, and Moodhoover, all of which (with the exception of King Fuel) released albums and toured extensively. In 2018, Hellbastard were writing a new album, intended to be "vicious and different".