Hailing from the crust punk mecca of Minneapolis, Minnesota, War//Plague last appeared on No Echo via a review of their excellent 2022 Manifest Ruination album
The band is back with a new ripper in the form of The Rot Thickens, an 8-track collection that fans of Exploatör, Disfear, and World Burns to Death will go nuts for. War//Plague was formed by musicians from the Twin Cities who previously played in such bands as Provoked, Calloused, and Pontius Pilate.
With the new record out now, and a European tour launching in this month, I spoke with War//Plague’s Andy Lefton and Andy Lutz to learn more about their history, their thoughts on crust and its stylistic branches, and the concept of conservatism in the punk scene.
Give me the story behind the formation of War//Plague. I know there was some prior history between some of the members before you started playing together.
Andy Lefton (guitar): We have a long history of being involved in the Minneapolis community prior to War//Plague. Initially, I was from Colorado and would come visit Minneapolis starting around 1995 and then visits became much more regular to where I just moved here in ’99.
A very long story short, I joined up with Lutz in Ponitus Pilate as a second guitarist and from that point on, he and I have been playing together since. After Pontius Pilate, we moved on to form Provoked, which lasted a good number of years, once that went belly up in ’07,
War//Plague was formed in the spring of ‘08, where we’ve been churning out noise ever since.
Andy Lutz (guitar/vocals): I’ve been in Minneapolis since the mid-’90s. Lefton and I have played together in numerous bands, picking up where the last band left off. We’ve also been friends with Chad for decades. All our old bands played tons of shows together over the years.
Though War//Plague is the first time all of us played as a group. And it seemed natural that we should all be in a band together. I knew Vern from shows and working together at a restaurant back in the day. We always had a good laugh together and he joined the band shortly after. That’s pretty much it, the four of us have been making noise and having fun for almost two decades.
When it comes to crust, Minneapolis is the Holy Land in the States. How true is that statement in 2025? It’s been decades since I was last there. How entrenched are you guys to the scene there?
Andy Lutz: The city and scene have changed a lot over the last 30 years. Just like anyplace there’s ups and downs. But Minneapolis has remained a consistent force not to be overlooked. There are cities in the states with far bigger scenes for sure, but there’s always been something special about this city. People really give a shit here and strive for change.
As I watch a whole new generation of punks starting to take the reins, I’m blown away by the comradery and energy they have. We are still very much involved with the scene, but it’s good to step back a bit and let the new generation do their thing. They support us, we support them – punk does not have an age limit. I love seeing all the great new bands popping up lately. I’m excited for what’s next and to see the scene enter a new era.
Andy Lefton: Minneapolis seems to be self-sustaining in the punk rock realm, but with the new gen of rockers, we’ve had a wide array of crust, hardcore, punk and even metal come barreling into the DIY underground. You’ve got the old stalwarts still going strong as I feel the community here is in it for life…more function over fashion it seems. Sure, we’ve had ups and downs over the ages but at this time, the music, events and vibe are incredibly strong with the kids (ahem, and some elders).
I’ve never seen things so robust and energetic as they are now, and I feel we can chalk that up to the state of the world and the need for belonging. With how life has been on a political level, many are looking for refuge and sanctuary away from this world that’s leaning more towards cruelty than compassion.
As for us personally, I feel we’re just as active now as we were 25-30 years ago, just without the youthful stamina and carefree lifestyle. It’s been quite an experience, as we never stopped doing what we do, but instead have been consistently involved in the scene, the music and all the in-betweens.
What’s eye-opening is now we’re catering to the next generation, and that has been crazy to experience. For a while, we had the same crowds interact with us, but now it’s new and younger faces doing what we did all that time ago, so seeing that transition has been amazing.
Tell me how the material on The Rot Thickens came together. This is the band’s 13th release since you formed, but I’m guessing there hasn’t been a time since then that has been so ripe for lyrical inspiration?
Andy Lutz: When we started writing new material, the four of us really wanted to focus and dial in the sound of the next record. While also experimenting and trying to express our outrage the best way we know how. But yeah, lyrically there has been no shortage of things to write about. I don’t know… things hit different now though. Before it felt more like warning people of what’s to come, now it’s like, “shit, we are really in the thick of it.”
None of us expected another 4 years of this clown in office. Things are spiraling out of control fast – there are a lot of people struggling and dying out there. That was really the main inspiration when writing lyrics. Authoritarianism, corruption, greed, nationalism, and hate are taking over every aspect of this country. That’s why I think punk is more relevant now than it has been for a long time.
It’s important to not become complacent or desensitized right now. Do what you can. Be it screaming into a microphone or marching the streets. Make your voice heard. Show the bastards we won’t put up with this terrible reality show we’re living in right now.
Andy Lefton: Over the years, it’s been one socio-political upheaval after another. I feel for how long we’ve been at it, we just see history repeating itself, so subject matter tends to be ripe as we go on.
READ MORE: Fast Hardcore, Fireworks & Police Shutdowns: The Oral History of Chicago Fest
Speaking of the political climate in the U.S. right now, what are your thoughts on conservative-leaning punks? Is it an oxymoron?
Andy Lefton: It’s a laughable concept as it simply can’t exist…so yes, it’s an oxymoron. I’m not one to school anyone on what punk is, but the one thing the spirit of punk is not, is right or conservative leaning, that simply defeats the purpose. Punk has a very lengthy history and for anyone to claim some bullshit neo-con or right leaning ideology, needs to fuck off.
With how information is now shoved down our throats (be it misinformation or bias nonsense) we’re living in a time where some of the pioneers of the anarcho or hardcore punk movement have fallen by the wayside and are now these hardened bigots or conspiracy wingnuts that have devolved with some god-complex that makes them sound very stupid.
So, we can’t rely on what our supposed forefathers preached but rather rely on free thinking and what our eyes tell us. It’s about being aware and staying active in a world that has gone completely insane.
Andy Lutz: I’ve never met a conservative punk, though I’m sure they exist. To be blunt, it’s fucking stupid. Punk has always been about going against the establishment, not joining it.
These are the same morons that say politics don’t belong in punk and metal – and they are completely delusional. Sit down and shut up you fucking dinosaur, change is inevitable, either evolve or get left behind in the wreckage. There is no future with conservative thinking.
For the No Echo readers who might not be well-versed on crust punk, or for those younger readers who are just learning all this stuff, what are some essential records everyone should check out as a foundation? Also, how do you feel about the sub-genres like “stadium crust” and that kind of stuff?
Andy Lefton: Crust punk has such a deep-rooted history which evolved from the ethos of anarcho punk. Just like any genre of music, you’ve got some facets that live under the same umbrella. Crust (also regarded as stenchcore ) is that, as it surfaced during the early to mid-’80s after the first wave of UK punk, but with a slight metallic tinge.
Once bands like Antisect, Deviated Instinct, etc. came onto the scene, it really homed in on the crust element. There’s a lot of debate on where the term was coined, and not that it matters, but after many conversations it can stem from the downtrodden era of the Reagan-Thatcher regime that decimated the social and political landscape.
These days, “crust” is used quite loosely (ie. Crasher crust) as it’s made its way out of the early squatter and biker scenes of the UK. It seems any hardcore punk or “dbeat” band will liken themselves to the crust genre, which at times is debatable. Crust has always had it’s mid to fast tempo vibe with a definitive dirge and down tuned sound, but there’s a good number of bands that do fall directly into the “crust” realm with no outer sub-genres to confuse it.
There are plenty of bands to name regarding the crust punk genre and I think a good starter pack would be classics like Axegrinder, Deviated Instinct, Amebix, Doom, Concrete Sox. As for recent bands, the list is infinite, but a good place to start would be Instinct of Survival, Stormcrow, SDS, and Warkrusher.
As for “stadium crust,” I have mixed feelings on the term but also understand why it exists. The music that’s churned out by so-called stadium crust bands is a honed-in sound and most of the time very polished. So, to some degree it defeats the purpose of the crust genre, but on the other hand, a good number of bands falling under that guise isn’t really crust, but more of a sterilized hardcore punk (ie. d-beat).
And again, this comes down to splitting hairs, but I think both arguments have their points. I do love bands such as Wolfbrigade, Martyrdod etc. and if playing bigger stages on an indie level occurs, then more power to them.
From my perspective, I wish more crust bands played on more traditional hardcore bills. I think there’s too much separation between these worlds. What’s your take on that?
Andy Lefton: This is a very good point and agree that more integration with the genres need to occur, as most of the time we’re all on the same team. I do appreciate it here in the Twin Cities as you tend to see bands mix up the vibe quite a bit, so you’ll have a hardcore, d-beat and metal band on the same bill, which brings much more solidarity into the community.
As I previously mentioned, the new generation of kids are going ballistic for this stuff, and you can feel the excitement in the air. So, everyone is ready to be a part of something as it feels more about camaraderie than competition.
As a side note, myself along with a couple close friends do an annual fest called Northern Ruin where we have two days of all ages event with a diverse range of music, but all stemming for the DIY scene. It’s a great time where we all get together and appreciate the sense of belonging in a fucked-up world. If you’re ever in the Minneapolis area around March, stop by!
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The Rot Thickens is available on vinyl via Organize and Arize.
War//Plague on social media: Instagram
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