We’re proud to honor the legacy of defunct Canadian crustcore legion Raw War with a worldwide release of their long-lost debut full-length album and unreleased 7” EP, both conjoined in the final “Total Raw War” 12” vinyl and digital release.
The exclusive and long awaited work has been teased by iconic punk and hardcore blog IDIOTEQ who’ve revealed the song “Tsar Bomba”, remarking that the track “is a raw, unforgiving sonic assault that captures the essence of their primeval, bulldozing onslaught. Prepare to have your senses obliterated.“ - you can read the feature and check out the song HERE.
Victoria BC's Raw War were a lawless blown out nuclear crust assault that obliterated ears from 2009 to 2013. During that time the band decimated stages and spread total chaos all over the Pacific Northwest with pulverizing live sets and a sound made of pure apocalyptic terror doused in the ashes of humanity's end. Influenced by 80's and 90's UK D-beat and anarcho-punk bands like Doom and Discharge as well as by early Scandinavian crust bands like Anti Cimex and Totalitär, Raw War soon established widespread terror in their native British Columbia region, bringing their derailing and off the chain assault of primitive, ear-splitting noise-punk cacophony to its inevitable end and extreme conclusions. An unnamed full-length album and 7" EP tentatively tiled "Raw Terror" were recorded but never saw the light. Marred by debauchery, lineup instability and their very nature as an entity that far too soon had decided to explode in a shockwave rather than quietly fade away, Raw War disbanded sometime around 2013 leaving a thirty-five minute unforgiving, primeval, bulldozing, crustcore onslaught unreleased and completely unheard of for ten long years. Fast forward to 2023, and Sentient Ruin stepped in to honor the legacy and work of one of BC's most uncompromising and visceral hardcore crust bands by finishing the work and releasing the entirety of the band's long-unreleased material (the untitled full-length album and the "Raw Terror" EP) as the comprehensive 12" vinyl/digital full-length release "Total Raw War".
Total Raw War is scheduled for a February 9 2024 release worldwide via Sentient Ruin on 12” vinyl LP and digital formats and can now be pre-ordered via all our channels.
Raw War were started in Victoria BC. The band immediately distinguished itself in the region for their off the rails nuclear crust assault, the apocalyptic vibe of their songs, and the raw intensity of their live performances. This reputation as a primal and lawless force in the Pacific Northwest punk scene was further cemented by the release of their 2010 debut 7" titled "Population Control", which lead to more shows, tours, debauchery and opening slots for bands like Oi Polloi and Doom, all of which in turn began to stir up even more attention around the band, generating considerable label interest. On the heels of label agreements and continued interest from the punk scene, Raw War decided to enter the studio and record a full length album, immediately following those recording sessions with further recordings, this time in the form of a planned second 7" tentatively titled "Raw Terror". However, neither of these two releases ever surfaced.
Frustrated by the departure of then bassist Justin and by the inability to maintain a solid bassist slot (bassists Brandon and Alan had already preceded him), the founding unit of guitarist Cordie, drummer Bryce and vocalist Dylan opted instead to continue as a trio and changed the band's name to Kaiten, relocating it to Vancouver BC in the process. This change generated hesitation from labels, and threw the two recently recorded and still unfinished Raw War releases into a limbo, that would last for ten long years. Ten years that were declared over when Sentient Ruin stepped in to have the entire unreleased recorded output mastered and released on vinyl/digital as the posthumous “Total Raw War” 12” containing both the untitled debut full-length album and the “Raw Terror” 7” tracks, to give proper homage, peace, and resting place to one of the most decimating and unforgiving hardcore crust entities to ever desecrate Northwestern soil. Long live the Raw War. Long live TOTAL. RAW. WAR.