Minus (pronounced ‘Me-noose’) are built on five years of frustration, confrontation, volume and ice-white noise. They are the most innovative the country has produced since Sigor Ros, the hardest in Iceland’s history.

Everything this groundbreaking five-piece commit to plastic is pure – in intention, in aesthetics, in delivery. Formed in 1998 as fresh-faced teenagers and inspired by bands like Converge, Dillinger Escape Plan and Refused (*NB – get the bands to change these references if necessary*) they quickly became leaders of Iceland’s nascent hardcore scene, supporting passing heroes such as Fugazi and Sick Of It all and watching as their cult of followers expanded. Their brutal sound was first captured on 1999’s ‘Hey Johnny!’, an album sung in their native Icelandic. Back then Minus were a blur of flesh and buzz-cuts - youthful negative energy laid bare - perfect yet constrained by the boundaries of the genre. During this time they also set up their own label, Msk (short for "mannaskitur", or "human shit").

A breakthrough came when 2001’s ‘Jesus Christ Bobby’ album saw Minus switch to English (like it matters – the entire album is one crushing tsunami of bile!) and sonically step up a gear. Released on The Sugarcubes’ Smekkleysa Records and produced by Ken Thomas and noise soundscaper Curver, ‘Jesus Christ Bobby’ was an exercise in aural extremities, a sound which can only be described as fuck-you-core, a genre of one that we’ve just this minute invented.

‘Jesus Christ Bobby’ introduced Minus to the world and garnered instant praise from the likes of NME, Metal Hammer, Terrorizer and Kerrang!, whose 5/5 review frothed that Minus create “a brilliantly abstract, tumultuous, paranoid squall – they’re the most important noise band to emerge in years”. Victory Records - America’s leading hardcore label – immediately signed the band Stateside.

But there’s beauty in that there noise, poetry in those lyrics. When Minus play Reykjavik their shows are an explosive celebration/emancipation drunk on volume, violence and danger. In early 2002 they left Iceland for the first time on a mammoth UK tour with Charger and Matter. More glowing reviews followed. Reported cases of tinnitus increased ten-fold.

2003 saw another giant leap with ‘Halldor Laxness’, titled in tribute to Iceland’s Nobel Prize-winning author (1908-98) and a self-contained world where all vestiges of hardcore were replaced by a set of frozen tundra rock songs like lead single ‘Romantic Exorcism’, the heady ‘Angel In Disguise’ (“lascivious, arch and pilled-up like Queens Of The Stone Age” – Kerrang!) and the Portishead-style ‘Last Leaf On The Tree’, featuring Queen Adreena’s Katie-Jane Garside.  Hair became lank, pants got leathery and more glowing reviews followed.  “Mínus are not gonna leave the world without their stamp. Shattered eardrums, energy drained bodies, convulsing eyeballs - THIS is just the beginning” noted Drowned In Sound. An ‘eventful’ UK tour collapsed in a chaotic heap of misfortune and over-indulgence. The band were robbed by crackheads, beaten, physically burnt out from their own balls-out appetite for destruction. Thanks Britain. Instead they took to the highways of America for a two month tour, cut short when bassist Johnny broke his arm.
 
On the back of an appearance at Iceland’s Airwaves festival and shows with friends Hundred Reasons (*to be confirmed*), November 2003 sees Minus’ first official UK-based release. Entitled ‘A European Union’ it’s a split-mini album with cult Swiss pile-driving melodicists Favez on the newly-formed Captains Of Industry collective - Minus reportedly signed because they were the loudest band ever witnessed in London. Ear-bleedingly fucking loud.

True innovators are rarely recognised until they’re gone. Get in on Minus while you can. 

Let the hole in your life be filled.