Against Empire / Iskra – Split – “Bring the war home”

Released in 2006 through labels like Rodent Popsicle Records, Threat To Existence, and Mangled Ankle Records, the split album Bring the War Home bridges the blistering underground sounds of Los Angeles anarcho-crust band Against Empire and Canadian blackened crust pioneers Iskra. The release represents a focal point of mid-2000s political punk, pairing intense lyrical themes of anti-imperialism with uncompromising musical urgency. Against Empire delivers a wall of d-beat rhythm and metallic crust heavily influenced by the crushing velocity of UK icons like Doom and Discharge, while Iskra counters with a frantic, black-metal-induced crust punk sound heavily indebted to the abrasive style of Swedish hardcore trailblazers like Anti-Cimex and Skitsystem. Together, the two bands deliver a cohesive, politically driven sonic document that serves as an essential staple of modern North American DIY crust punk history.

Track Listing:

1. Against Empire – Intro 01:52
2. Against Empire – Choose to fight 02:09
3. Against Empire – Nazgul Cometh 02:52
4. Against Empire – Imperial Domination 02:19
5. Against Empire – The Sword, the Whip and the Gun 05:38
6. Iskra – Sweating Walls 03:25
7. Iskra – Oka 05:40
8. Iskra – Irons 04:38
9. Iskra – My Country ‘Tis of Thy People You’re Dying 09:33