Formed in 2014 by guitarist/vocalist Hambone, Haggus began as a mission to merge the political aggression of mincecore with the visceral sonic assault of old-school goregrind—without resorting to the misogynistic tropes that plagued so much of the genre’s fringes. Deeply inspired by the Belgian founders of the mincecore genre, Agathocles, they carved out a space for gore-drenched vocals and pitch-shifter chaos that didn’t rely on pornographic shock or hate-fueled lyrics to be extreme. Instead, Haggus stands as a testament to what the grind scene could be: relentless, inclusive, and unafraid to speak out against misogyny, sexism, and homophobia.
“Since its inception in 1985 by Jan from Agathocles, mincecore was defined by protest. It was coined as a rebellion to the current state of grindcore and the abundance of homophobia and sexism. They spoke out against fascism, animal cruelty / factory farms, and misogyny within the scene and to me THAT is what mincecore is and always will be,” states Hambone. “Underlying politics are, and will always be, a big part of Haggus as well and we have always been vehemently antifascist, antiracist and anti porno grind. Bigotry has no place in punk and goregrind and way too many bands these days either just stay silent and neutral or say ignorant ass shit strictly for shock value. But there is no such thing as neutrality. Fencewalkers can fuck ALL the way off.”
From their earliest days, Haggus has taken a no-compromise DIY approach. Within six months, the band had recorded nearly 100 songs and self-released dozens of splits and EPs, eventually clocking in over sixty collaborative releases and three full-length albums—all while touring more than 20 countries. The output was prolific, but they were never too prepared. “The best Haggus material is always the material I don’t think too hard about and just crank out organically and this album was no different,” he laughs. “I truly believe with any form of art that if it’s forced it isn’t the way it was meant to be.
With their newest LP, Destination Extinction out now via Tankcrimes Records, Hambone took this mission to a new level—sonically, politically, and personally. The album, though meticulously crafted, came together in the most Haggus way possible: instinctively. With studio time booked for January 2025, Hambone returned from tour with labelmates Ghoul in November 2024 without a single riff written. “That in a nutshell is how I’ve always operated the band—less thinking… more action,” he says wryly. “The most important part about writing this album was making sure every song was iconic in its own way. I didn’t want any repeat parts just for sake of “having another blast or mince beat”—it was either killer or filler and all filler had to kick rocks.”
Determined to make this the most dynamic Haggus release to date, the vision was clear: an album that could swing from “straight up street punk solos (to) brutal guttural slam sections” without sounding forced or novelty-driven. “On this album we really busted out all our tricks,” he says. “I’ve always been a musician who strives to intertwine the many different genres that I enjoy into my songwriting, but I wanted to make an album that quite literally had a part for everyone. A piece of the album that, even if you hated mincecore, you could be like “daaaamn, now THAT was sick!” The result is a whirlwind of genres—death metal, crust, slam, pop punk, grind—woven together seamlessly. The record also features standout guest spots from Digestor (Ghoul), Max (Lipoma), and Dan (Archagathus), bridging past and present mincecore eras.
Perhaps the biggest shift came in the recording process. For the first time, Hambone handed over production duties to Greg Wilkinson at Earhammer Studios. It marked a departure from the band’s usual DIY ethos—Hambone typically handled recording duties himself with minimal gear—but Wilkinson’s expertise elevated the record in unexpected ways. “Greg had twenty mics on the drums. We ditched all our gear and used his stuff,” Hambone laughs. “At the end, I was like, ‘damn Greg the only thing of mine I used was my pick!’”
Still, Destination Extinction is unmistakably a Haggus record in spirit and message. “We’ve always been the outlier. I know there are people who call us ‘soyboys’ or whatever, and I don’t care. They grew up on Pantera and Slipknot. We grew up on anarcho punk. We’re not the same.” Hambone cites Dropdead as a shining example of a band that’s used their voice to advocate for animal rights and anti-fascism with consistency and integrity. That said, Haggus’s message is often tempered with humor. “If you can make someone laugh but also question and think for themselves, I consider that a win,” he notes.
And Haggus doesn’t just talk the talk. Their recent benefit t-shirt raised $7,000 for undocumented families affected by ICE raids in L.A. in just 36 hours. “If bigger bands who also claim “punk” and have a much bigger platform could just do the same,” he entreats, “think about all the change we could make together.”
Musically, Hambone finds inspiration well beyond the grindcore world. When writing, he often steers clear of listening to goregrind in favor of “punk, crust, crusty pop punk, slam and death metal “—genres that challenge him to push songwriting boundaries. Recent favorites include Pissgrave, Militarie Gun, 80HD, and Paranoid (Sweden). “This helps me really spark new and creative ideas and create songs that truly sound like no other band out there,” he says.
Known for their legendary list of splits, Haggus continues to champion collaboration, especially with younger bands. This year will see new splits with West Coast upstarts Tripas Sangrientas and Fentacart, as well as seasoned peers like Mexico’s Ambulance and Russia’s Toughguy. For Hambone, these projects are more than just releases; they’re bridges. “Theres a million bands I would love to collaborate with, and I especially enjoy collaborating with bands from different genres and booking shows with mixed bills. It’s absolutely the best to turn new people onto mincecore or turn pre-existing mincecore fans onto some new and current bands that are killing it.”
As Destination Extinction rolls out to a wider audience than any Haggus release before, one thing is clear: this isn’t just a record. It’s a political statement, a genre experiment, a DIY triumph … and a full-throated refusal to stay quiet in a time of crisis.
Destination Extinction is out now, and you can order it from Tankcrimes Records. Follow Haggus on Instagram for future updates.
All photos by Roman Danger Gomez except where otherwise noted
