Choke’s two newest releases, “Hatred Smile” and “Hatred Embraced”, are out now via the band’s own 510grind records and available through their Bandcamp. Both EPs land as deliberately connected pieces rather than standalone statements, framing the opening movement of a longer idea that has been in motion for years.
Choke started in 2016, following the collapse of several earlier bands. For founder Gregg Deadface, the project wasn’t a continuation but a reset — a space for “full artistic, musical & creative freedom unlike any of my previous expressions.” From the outset, the band was positioned as a response mechanism rather than an outlet: a reaction to historical violence, current political realities, and the internal failures of punk and DIY scenes themselves.
The language around Choke has always been confrontational, but it isn’t built on empty provocation. Gregg pictures the band’s core impulse as observation first, emotion second. “The fuel to our fire that is our music, art & lyrics is what we experience & witness on a daily basis. What we read & learn about. What we open our heart, mind & soul to.” Anger, in this framing, isn’t aesthetic — it’s the aftereffect of attention.
That idea runs through both “Hatred Smile” and “Hatred Embraced”. Rather than offering contrast, the two EPs feel like parallel responses to the same conditions. Gregg describes them as the first two parts of a three-release arc, conceived as a fragmented concept album. “Hatred Smile & Hatred Embraced are the first two ep’s in a series of three… The final ep in the series will be called ‘Complete Hatred’.” Even the artwork is designed to interlock, each release carrying visual elements that will eventually form a single composite image.
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Thematically, the records sit in direct opposition to what Gregg sees as a hollowing-out of both society and the scenes that once claimed resistance as a core value. Asked about reacting against punk and DIY culture itself, his frustration is blunt.
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“When I see all of this ignorance, hatred and separation that plagues human society. This new MAGA mentalities & fascist ideologies. All of the commercialization, greed & capitalism.” What troubles him most is not opposition from outside, but silence from within. “The lack of all these punk/hardcore/grind etc bands not using their privileges and platform to speak up… is beyond me and frankly embarrassing.”
That refusal to soften the message shapes how Choke positions anger. There’s no attempt to aestheticize rage or package it as catharsis. Instead, it’s treated as consequence. “Choke is driven by information, education and knowledge. Anger is a byproduct of discovering how this modern world works against the planet, the animal kingdom and each other.” Confrontation, in this view, isn’t optional or performative — it’s a requirement. “Without confrontation there will never be an absolute resolution.”
While the worldview hasn’t shifted much since 2016, the internal structure of the band has. Gregg notes a change in how the project functions on a practical level, crediting the current lineup for raising the bar. He points specifically to Mike C and Gage for bringing “a whole new level of professionalism, dedication, friendship and a ferocity unlike this band has ever seen before.” The tone isn’t celebratory, but it does mark a sense of consolidation — a project that now matches its intent with execution.
That seriousness extends to how Gregg talks about art itself. When asked about responsibility in 2025, he rejects the premise outright. “Using art responsibly is a statement made by oppressors & fascists.” For him, art’s value lies in its capacity to unsettle. “Art is to be dangerous. Art is to be used as a weapon.” Music, in this framing, is not commentary but resistance — a tool aimed directly at systems of control, exploitation, and enforced silence.
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“Hatred Smile” and “Hatred Embraced” don’t offer relief or resolution, and they don’t pretend to. They function more like documents — records of accumulated observation, refusal, and refusal again. With “Complete Hatred” still to come, these first two releases establish Choke not as a band chasing reaction, but as one committed to sustained pressure. No slogans, no optimism-by-default. Just a steady insistence on staying informed, staying educated, and, as Gregg puts it, staying pissed.
