One of the cult acts of the 1990s sludge and doom scene, NOOTHGRUSH are bringing together their archival recordings from one of the most important periods of their career in their entirety for the first time. NESPITHE RECORDS will release the band’s scattered 1996 recordings on CD under the title "Man is His Own Tormentor" on October 30.

The compilation serves as an extensive document of NOOTHGRUSH’s work during 1996 in particular. Although the Oakland, California-based band never released a full-length album during their initial run, they appeared on numerous splits and compilations through key underground labels of the era such as SLAP A HAM, PESSIMISER, DEEP SIX, BOVINE, and SATAN'S PIMP.

At the heart of "Man is His Own Tormentor" is a live recording made at Stanford University’s campus radio station KZSU that same year. Recorded on May 1, 1996, the performance was duplicated onto used cassette tapes and circulated to different parts of the world through the tape-trading network of the era. While some of these recordings have appeared piecemeal on later NOOTHGRUSH compilations, this release brings the material together in its entirety for the first time.

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The 73-minute compilation is positioned not merely as an archival release completing the band’s recorded history, but as an extensive document of one of NOOTHGRUSH’s most creatively crucial periods. The compilation closes with a live track recorded at a February 9, 1996 show that has never previously been released on CD.

Formed in 1994, NOOTHGRUSH ended their initial run in 2001 before becoming active again between 2011 and 2018. During that second period, the band released splits with SUPPRESSION and COFFINS, put out an EP, and returned to the stage. Yet the impact NOOTHGRUSH had in the 1990s, particularly in bridging the underground sludge, doom, and hardcore punk scenes, developed independently of a full-length album discography.

Two tracks from the compilation are already available to hear: 'Stasis' and 'Dianoga (Live on KZSU, May 1, 1996)'. Both tracks can be streamed through NESPITHE RECORDS’ Bandcamp page, where the CD is also available for pre-order.

Alongside NOOTHGRUSH originals, the tracklist features a cover of the CELTIC FROST classic 'Procreation of the Wicked' and 'Friends of Mine' as a bonus track.

"Man is His Own Tormentor" Tracklist

  1. 'Stasis'

  2. 'Dianoga'

  3. 'Gage'

  4. 'DPS'

  5. 'Useless'

  6. 'Imperial March Alderaan'

  7. 'Sith'

  8. 'Gage'

  9. 'Dianoga'

  10. 'DPS'

  11. 'Evazan'

  12. 'Erode The Person'

  13. 'Jundland Wastes'

  14. 'Procreation of the Wicked' [CELTIC FROST cover]

  15. 'Friends of Mine' [BONUS]

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