Were there a United Nations of Punk, the trilateral union of nationalities in Cross Stitched Eyes would make an excellent security council. Not only do they collaborate across American, German, and English boundaries, but they would probably scare rogue nations into submission!

Rightly compared to Amebix, Rudimentary Peni, and Killing Joke, Cross Stitched Eyes, formed in 2005, breathe new life into the anarcho-crust genre. Drummer and vocalist Jason Willer played in Lookout Records’ Enemies (with Dave Ed of Neurosis), The UK Subs, and Drain the Sky; guitarist Tim Crow was in Sworn Liars, Zygote, Bad Influence, and Smart Pils; and guitarist Chris Hutto played in Black Mass. Rounding out the rhythmic pedigree is bassist Mr. Stevie of Tourette Syndrome and Anger of Bacteria, plus Subhumans (UK) drummer Trotsky.

All this name-dropping and reference-checking only matters insofar as the music kicks ass with a steel-toed boot. After releasing a 7-inch on Ruin Nation and an album on Active, Cross Stitched Eyes pack fourteen short but perfectly compact songs on their Alternative Tentacles debut. Unafraid to let loose with noise damage on “Substance” or get melodic with “Breath of Lies,” the band shows a diversity of styles on Coranach. Dirgey and doom-y elements abound and the end result is unstoppable!