Anthrax (UK) - "Capitalism Is Cannibalism" 12-Inch EP

Crass Records, in association with One Little Independent, continues its vinyl reissue series with more key titles from the anarcho-punk archive. The series revisits over twenty rare releases recorded at Southern Studios and produced by Penny Rimbaud, originally issued through Crass’ DIY label network.

Formed in Gravesend in 1980, Anthrax delivered tight, politically driven punk with a sharp lyrical edge. Their 1982 EP Capitalism Is Cannibalism remains a standout, pairing raw energy with intelligent critique. As Penny Rimbaud puts it: “Anthrax chose to challenge the world’s profit-before-people conceit with fast, raw outcries of indignation … Babylon will fall. The future is ours if we only dare take it.”

Anthrax would later appear on compilations from Crass, Mortarhate and Fightback Records, and reform in 2010 to release new material – but this EP remains one of their defining moments. Loud, direct, and unflinching, it captures the band’s role in expanding the scope of anarcho-punk well beyond Crass’ immediate circle.

As Rimbaud notes, Crass’ intent was never personal fame or profit, but to share a revolutionary platform: “Ours wasn’t a show, it was a battle … rather than looking only to ourselves, we sought to share our gains.” This reissue celebrates that wider resistance – a community of artists confronting power through sound.