RIGOROUS INSTITUTION
Portland Oregon's crust punk cult Rigorous Institution arose in 2018 coalescing around veterans from their punk and metal scene and soon developed a highly visionary syncretism of punk, metal, and avantgarde experimentalism enhanced by DYI art and visuals, poetical spoken word-like vocals and lyrics, apocalyptic atmospheres and a profound influence coming 19th and 20th century philosophy and religion, particularly those currents dealing with dystopian anthropocentrism, human nature and literary retro-futurism. Several EPs and demos surfaced over a span of four years, invaluable documents showcasing the growth of a highly experimental band with a prophetic sound rooted in the evocation of future or alternative realities centered around the inevitable flaws and downfalls of man. Similar characteristics had been observed throughout heavy music history in other now legendary bands, particularly those emerged from the glorious 70s and 80s UK punk scene which eventually birthed sub and side genres like post-punk, anarcho-punk, crust and other vanguards like industrial and noise, particularly acts like Killing Joke, Amebix, Antisect, Rudimentary Peni, Throbbing Gristle, and Dead Can Dance. This similarity with the glorious UK scene can be traced back to the band's intent of using punk music as a mind-expanding medium for dark and cinematic intents, to provoke deep and conscious-moving thoughts in the listener and approach the music creation process from a visionary angle in which history, philosophy, art and literature are all combined into a prophetic and future-reaching approach. The band's sound and aesthetic incorporates keyboards, retro-futurist, post-industrial and post-modern inspired DIY visuals, and deeply philosophical and apocalyptic lyrics that all combined evoke a near-hallucinatory, tense, and otherworldly dreamscape clad in darkness and hopelessness. All this breadth of visions, sounds, influences and concepts found its sublimation in the band’s 2022 debut-full length album, “Cainmarsh”.