Skarp is a

grindcore Grindcore is an extreme metal, extreme fusion genre of heavy metal music, heavy metal and hardcore punk that originated in the mid-1980s, drawing inspiration from abrasive-sounding musical styles, such as thrashcore, crust punk, hardcore punk, e ...

band from

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is the List of municipalities in Washington, most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the List of Unit ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. The band has released one split EP with

Human Error Human error is an action that has been done but that was "not intended by the actor; not desired by a set of rules or an external observer; or that led the task or system outside its acceptable limits".Senders, J.W. and Moray, N.P. (1991) Human Er ...

, one EP, and two full-length studio albums. The band has been heavily influenced by

Choking Victim Choking Victim was an American punk band formed in New York City, which lasted from 1992 to 1998. They played a mix of hardcore punk and ska (sometimes known as ska-core). Following the breakup of the band, which occurred the same day as the ...

History

The band was formed by former David Koresh Choir members Renae and Robert in 1999, and they were soon joined by Brent McKnight of Act of Heresy on bass and Eric Brose of Crisis Rebirth on drums. Brose was soon replaced by Joe Axler on drums, with Brose moving to second guitar. The line-up stabilized when McKnight left to concentrate on the November Group, with Brose leaving soon after. Skarp continued as a three-piece for six months, Tim Lewis joined on bass, and this line-up played on the band's first release. When Tim was injured, Andrew Kress joined to replace him. The band have released two albums, the first ''Bury Your Dead'' in 2004, subsequently signing to

Alternative Tentacles Alternative Tentacles is an independent record label established in 1979 by Dead Kennedys vocalist Jello Biafra and guitarist East Bay Ray in San Francisco, California, with the intention to release the Dead Kennedys' self-produced single " C ...

after touring Europe in support of

The Melvins ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

, and releasing the Billy Anderson-produced ''Requiem'' in late 2005.Sharpe-Young, Garry (2005) ''New Wave of American Heavy Metal'', Zonda Books, , p. 269 Drummer Joe Axler is also a member of

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

-based Splatterhouse and played on Book of Black Earth's 2006 album ''The Feast''.

Musical style

The band have labelled their style "blackout grind", combining elements of

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (commonly abbreviated to hardcore or hXc) is a punk rock music genre#subtypes, subgenre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots ...

crust punk Crust punk (also known as stenchcore or simply crust) is a fusion genre of anarcho-punk and extreme metal that originated in the early to mid-1980s in England. Originally, the genre was primarily mid-tempo, making use of metal riffs in a stri ...

, grindcore, and

metal A metal () is a material that, when polished or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electrical resistivity and conductivity, electricity and thermal conductivity, heat relatively well. These properties are all associated wit ...

.Skarp
,

MusicMight MusicMight (formerly RockDetector) was a rock music website that provides artist and product information through a global website and an ongoing book series. Based in New Zealand, the site was founded by British writer Garry Sharpe-Young, and wa ...

, retrieved 11 November 2009Magilow, Andrew (2005)
Skarp ''Requiem''
", Splendid Magazine, 12 November 2005, retrieved 11 November 2009Pratt, Greg (2005)
Skarp ''Requiem''
,

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly ''Exclaim!'' print magazine publishes seven ...

, November 2005, retrieved 11 November 2009Alisoglu, Scott (2005)
CD Reviews: SKARP - ''Requiem''
",

Blabbermouth.net ''Blabbermouth.net'' is a website dedicated to metal and rock news, as well as album and music DVD reviews. It is run by the website's founder Borivoj Krgin. The first version of the website was launched in March 2001. In October 2001, the rec ...

, retrieved 11 November 2009

Members

*Renae Betts - vocals *Robert Daniels - guitar *Andrew Kress - bass guitar *Joe Axler - drums

Former members

*Brent McKnight - bass guitar *Eric Brose - drums *Tim Lewis- bass guitar

Discography

Studio albums

*''Bury Your Dead'' (2004), Inimical *''Requiem'' (2005), Alternative Tentacles

EPs

*Split EP with

(2001) *''Skarp'' EP (2003)

References

{{Authority control Punk rock groups from Washington (state) Musical groups from Seattle Alternative Tentacles artists American crust and d-beat groups