About

Genre
Sludge Metal / Crust Punk / Grindcore

Founded
2016 – Denver, Colorado

For Fans Of
Dystopia, Eyehategod, Acid Bath

Bio

Crushing, aggressive, and uncompromisingly heavy, VULGARIAN has sought to bring sludge metal back to its roots: hardcore punk aesthetics and ideology meet walls of tube amplifier distortion, heavy doom riffage, and agonizing passages of feedback.

Since 2016, the band has integrated the frenetic energy of punk influences like DISCHARGE and EXTREME NOISE TERROR with a heavy dose of old school southern sludge like EYEHATEGOD and ACID BATH. Compositions on their latest album “End Stage” weave together the extremes of these genres — in-your-face, uptempo passages peppered with hardcore shouting, excruciatingly slow funereal dirges, swaggering heavy rock riffs straight out of the deep south, and everything in between.

True to their punk roots, VULGARIAN’s lyrics explore the post-2016 political landscape of theUnited States and the western world at large, attacking or lamenting its systematic violence, inequity, oppression, excesses, and failures. Live performances feature rants that antagonize and energize the audience, and frequently see the vocalist departing the stage to perform from within the crowd — or, more frequently, the circle pit.

VULGARIAN has played dozens and dozens of shows with this attitude, establishing a reputation for engaging, invigorating, and exciting live performances that attract punks and metalheads alike, which has grown a devoted and uniquely heterogeneous fanbase.

The band started as a four piece (vocals, guitar, bass, drums) before adding a second guitarist in 2022. “End Stage,” released September 28, 2023, is their second full-length album and the first one featuring a five piece lineup, with a heavier emphasis on southern sludge, methodical riffage, feedback passages, and more expansive lyrical topics. “End Stage” was produced and engineered entirely in-house.