Embracing the same anarcho-punk approach as like-minded British bands Crass and Conflict, Discharge took the musical and ideological influence of the Sex Pistols to its extreme. Formed in the late 1970s, the band embraced anarchism as both a lifestyle and an artistic framework, offering politically confrontational lyrics over a punk sound that was noisier, faster, and altogether more aggressive than almost anything that had come before it. The Discharge sound would give rise to both the crust punk and grindcore subgenres. The band underwent numerous line-up changes through the decades, but were releasing new material as late as 2002.