A one-off conversation between Andy Lefton and Charlie Claesson grew into a transnational crust project featuring members of Napalm Death, Skitsystem, and more.
What began as a casual exchange of riffs on New Year’s Day 2024 has become TOTALIS. Guitarist Andy Lefton (War//Plague, Fear of the Known) and drummer Charlie Claesson (Anti-Cimex, The Partisans) quickly realized their early ideas demanded a full lineup. They enlisted Mark “Barney” Greenway (Napalm Death), Fredrik Wallenberg (Skitsystem), and Kelly Halliburton (Resist, Severed Head of State).
The result is Griefstate, a six-track EP scheduled for late June 2026. The vocal work is split: Greenway on three songs, Wallenberg on the others. Hanna Stjernlöf (Dishumanitar) contributes additional vocals to “Control the Narrative,” a track sharpened by Jarrod Allen’s chaotic guitar leads.
Despite the geographical gaps, the recording process remained tight. Adam Tucker tracked, mixed, and mastered the core sessions at Signaturetone Recording in Minneapolis. Greenway’s parts were captured at Robannas Studios in Birmingham, Wallenberg’s at Studio Welfare in Gothenburg. Lefton also handled the artwork and layout, matching the grim directness of the music. Griefstate doesn’t aim for reinvention—it condenses decades of crust and hardcore experience into six focused blasts.
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ROMBO Editorial Staff
The collective voice behind ROMBO Magazine’s news, reviews, features, and cultural coverage.
