Panopticon may be more widely known as a "metal" band - I use that term loosely because Panopticon is a lot more than the black metal base genre it derives from - yet founder Austin Lunn finds his inspiration from many different genres, punk and hardcore being one aspect of his sound that doesn't manifest in the most obvious of ways.
Here, Austin lets us in to his formative years as a music fan and tells us about the kinds of sounds that influenced Panopticon on deeper levels that just the musical sphere.
Catch Panopticon on tour or listen to/purchase the latest album The Rime of Memory here.
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I decided, instead of doing what I usually do for playlists, which is focus on metal or Americana, I’d write about some records that had a profound impact on me in my teens and early twenties. I don’t write about this stuff often, since it’s a different genre and doesn’t show up in obvious ways in my band or a lot of the bands in my genre.
When I was a kid, I grew up listening to lots of progressive rock and metal, with a few more mainstream oriented bands in the mix in the mid-‘90s… but it wasn’t until the summer after 8th grade that I discovered a love for punk and hardcore… listening to classic bands like Dead Kennedys, Black Flag, and Minor Threat… like many young teenagers entering that time in their lives (rebelling against their Rush records, haha).
Those bands opened a door to a world of intense, political, passionate music that changed my perspective and set me on a trajectory in my life and in my perception of music… so I would like to share some albums that had a profound impact on me in my teenage years and early twenties.
Amebix – The Power Remains LP
Amebix was very much the soundtrack to my late teens and is something that has left a lasting mark on me. They scratched the same itch that Neurosis would later scratch for me, but in this raw and primitive way that I still often crave. I loved these recordings in particular because they were a rawer, more grimy version of songs that appeared on the famous Monolith LP. I love the sound and atmosphere of these recordings (half of it is live), and to this day it remains one of my absolute favorite records.
Nausea – Extinction LP
Nausea was one of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s bands that set themselves apart in the USA: their logo adorning battle jackets still to this day, a staple of American punk, affixed with dental floss across the entire country. The Extinction LP had amazing recording quality, gruesome and detailed art and a Crass-style foldout poster. They were heavy like Amebix, but with raging D-beats like Discharge, and the political passion and eloquence of Crass. This record, and both Nausea 7”s, are still regularly played around my house and mean the world to me.
Conflict – The Ungovernable Force LP
This is what I imagined Crass to be like if they were a raging, more hardcore-focused band (the album has appearances by Steve Ignorant on vocals!). This record is amazing with its media samples, layers, and snarling sound. It blew my mind as a teenager and is still a powerful example of what punk was, is, and can be.
Catharsis – Passion LP
Profoundly artistic, emotional, and political metallic hardcore…but fitting perfectly in the crust side of the genre. This album, with its poetic and thought provoking lyrics, dynamic riffs and arrangements, ferocious drumming and vocal performance, is a defining album for the era and remains unparalleled to me. People often ask me what inspired me to name my band Panopticon. Well, this album made me aware of the word and inspired me to find its origin, learning about Jeremy Bentham’s architectural model. Also, this album has references in the art to my absolute favorite movie, The Seventh Seal. This album both resonates with me and inspires me to this very day.
His Hero Is Gone – The Plot Sickens: Enslavement Redefined LP
This was the first album of the crust/dark hardcore genre I ever bought. It was released in 1998, and I managed to get a copy at a small record store in Memphis shortly after its release. I never got to see them live and have always been sad about it. They split up shortly after I got the LP and formed Tragedy shortly after (which also rules).
This record has this foreboding, brooding darkness to it…It’s so vicious and riffy, frantic, yet oppressively heavy, sending out its lyrical warning of the pitfalls of technology and glimpsing into the future of what would await civilization in the coming years. Truly a quintessential listen for fans of dark, heavy, fast music. The most recent Tragedy record seems to kinda revisit this sound, at least to my ears.
From Ashes Rise – Concrete and Steel LP
Easily my favorite Tennessee HC/punk record of all time. I got to see them play so many times during this era and they were so amazing: full of rage and passion, life affirmation and energy. Start to finish, this album is flawless, with impassioned lyrics expressing frustration and dissolution with society, anger at subjects from religion to worker exploitation and everything in-between. Truly the finest (half)hour of Tennessee HC/punk.
Wolfpack – A New Dawn Fades LP
My favorite Swedish D-beat record (well…along side Skitsystem’s Enkel Resales Till Rännstenen.
The other day I was chopping wood and listened to this album 4 times in a row. It’s that good. I have heard it countless times over the past 16 years…but I still will listen to it 4 times in a row on a Saturday.
Burned Up Bled Dry – Cloned Slaves… For Slaves… 7”
Amazing EP…incredible, urgent, furious southern crust/grind alongside bands like HHIG and From Ashes Rise. Both of the 7”s they released were amazing. Their singer was in From Ashes Rise for the first two full-lengths until Billy from Deathreat/ Tragedy returned for a bit. I love this 7”. Criminally overlooked.
Dearborn S.S. – 7”
This Chicago band only released a demo and one 7” on Council Records. I bought it alongside the Suicide Nation/Yaphet Kotto split and both of those records got played to death. Dearborn S.S. had a Nausea vibe to them with alternating female/male vocals, dark, and brooding riffs. It’s on Bandcamp for folks wanting a digital version…totally killer record.
Swallowing Shit – Love is the Act of Being Moved Into Action 7”
This 7” was so brutal…absolutely raging, political grind from Winnipeg. After they disbanded, Todd Kowalski joined Propagandhi, which kicked off my favorite era of that band. Later on, a discography CD was released on G7 Welcoming Committee and it was also really great.
Crass – Christ: The Album 2xLP
This album likely had the biggest impact on me of any record in this list. I heard it at a pretty young age, buying a CD copy of it in a mall record store, ironically I had heard of Crass but knew very little about them…and the booklet, with its loads of art and text as well as the album. Its multi-layered sonic attack, avant-garde moments, and sound/sample collages had a dizzying effect on me.
Once digested, Christ: The Album endeared Crass to me in a way that has remained for the rest of my life. To this day, there are glimmers of Crass in the music I write, which wouldn’t seem evident to most people due to the stylistic differences…but to me, it is are. The way Crass used samples and sound collage, the way they made their albums flow cinematically, their immersive aesthetic and live presentation -- they were truly a spectacle, unique to themselves and inspired generations of artists and musicians to come.
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I appreciate the opportunity to share some of these records. I hope that you enjoy something in this list.
Cheers!
Austin
