Don't Say Please -- The Oral History of Die Kreuzen

“Die Kreuzen are one of those bands that influenced a thousand other bands that went on to have huge success.” —Butch Vig

Step back to the early eighties in the Rust Belt of the Midwest, where underground newsletters and ‘zines ignited a creative revolution. Amidst this explosion of American punk and experimental music, a band from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, emerged with a groundbreaking sound. Die Kreuzen, a group that defied genre boundaries, fused punk and metal influences to create something entirely new.

Were they punk? Were they metal? Die Kreuzen recorded what fans and critics hail as a defining album of hardcore punk, only to reinvent their sound with each subsequent release. They toured the world, made little money, and eventually broke up. Yet, this seemingly brief stint in music history has rendered Die Kreuzen legendary. But why?