Greg Ginn's SST Records and Black Flag's relentless touring schedule essentially built the American underground rock infrastructure. Before them, there was no circuit for independent bands to tour on. Black Flag created it by sheer force of will.
Henry Rollins joined as vocalist in 1981 and brought a confrontational physical intensity. My War alienated hardcore purists with its slow, sludgy B-side, and in doing so anticipated sludge metal and grunge by nearly a decade.
Key Albums
Definitive American hardcore. 'Rise Above' and 'TV Party' as punk anthems.
The B-side's sludgy dirges alienated punks and predicted grunge.
Heavier, longer, and weirder. Ginn's guitar getting increasingly unhinged.
Why They Matter
Black Flag built American punk's DIY infrastructure from nothing. SST Records became the most important indie label of the eighties.