World Burns to Death
World Burns to Death, hailing from Austin, Texas, is a prominent American crust punk band established in 2000. The current lineup, as of September 2014, comprises Jack Control (vocals), Zac Tew (guitar), Craig Merritt (bass), and Jon Guerinot (drums). The band’s members, both current and former, have also been associated with other notable acts, including Kegcharge, Severed Head of State, and Butcher.
Name Origin
The band draws its name from a song by the early 1980s Finnish hardcore punk group, Bastards.
Musical Palette
World Burns to Death’s musical expression reflects the essence of 1980s American hardcore, with influences from bands such as Negative Approach and Poison Idea. Their repertoire also incorporates the grit of European acts influenced by or associated with Discharge, as well as Japanese hardcore punk.
Imagery and Lyrical Themes
Imagery
World Burns to Death adopts a stark black-and-white aesthetic in its imagery, mirroring the lyrical themes. The visuals encapsulate the band’s exploration of crimes against humanity, religious hypocrisy, class oppression, nationalism, and the general inhumanity of man.
The band’s logo, often depicted in Hebrew, notably features the tsadi symbol commonly used on Israeli army munitions. Jack Control, the vocalist, takes charge of designing fonts, crafting lyrics, and providing the band’s graphics.
Lyrical Themes
The band’s lyrics delve into war crimes and their repercussions. Vocalist Jack Control emphasizes the condemnation of atrocities committed in the name of democracy, capitalism, and freedom. References in the lyrics span from William Shakespeare and Friedrich Nietzsche to Susan Sontag, Herbert Marcuse, and political prisoner Stephen Biko. World Burns to Death also incorporates inscriptions from concentration camps, emphasizing the horrors of war and inhumanity.
Tours
World Burns to Death embarked on various tours, including the “Triple Terror Tour” within Texas, the “Queimando Para a Morte” tour of Brazil in 2003, and the “Burning Spirits” tour of Japan in 2007. They continued to tour across the United States, Europe, and Japan, collaborating with bands like Paintbox and Slang.
Members
Current Members
- Jack Control – vocals
- Zac Tew – guitar
- Craig Merritt – bass
- Jon Guerinot – drums
Discography
- World Burns to Death demo tape (2001)
- Human Meat… Tossed to the Dogs of War 7-inch EP (2001)
- The Sucking of the Missile Cock LP (2002)
- The Sucking of the Missile Cock CD (2003)
- Acid in the Face of Human Rights 7-inch EP (2003)
- Art of Self-Destruction 7-inch EP (2003)
- No Dawn Comes… Night Without End 7-inch EP (2003)
- Curse Them Forever split 7-inch EP with Sick Terror (2003)
- Split 7-inch EP with Disclose (2005)
- Totalitarian Sodomy LP (2006)
- Totalitarian Sodomy CD (2006)
- Cease to Exist DVD (2007)
- Graveyard of Utopia CD/LP (2008)
- “Black Becomes The Sun” 7-inch EP (2009)
- Split 7-inch EP with Blow Back (2009)
- Split 7-inch EP with Slang (2010)