Missiles Of October — Don't Panic Tape

Band: Missiles Of October
Title: Don't Panic
Label: Exit Music
Format: Full-length album, Cassette Tape, Reissue
Country: Belgium
Release Date: 2015 (Originally CD format in 2014)
Genre / Style: Sludge Punk, Noise Rock, Hardcore
Streaming Link: Missiles Of October

* Price excludes postage and handling fee.

Don’t Panic is the second full-length album from Belgian trio Missiles of October, a band that exists at the gnarly intersection of sludge, punk, and noise rock. Released in 2014 through a web of DIY international labels, the album solidified the band’s reputation for delivering raw, aggressive music steeped in distortion, cynicism, and underground spirit.

Following their 2014 debut Hangover Anatomy, Don’t Panic ups the intensity, tightening the songwriting while still embracing their signature abrasive, lo-fi charm. Missiles of October’s sound is a filthy blend of AmRep-era noise rock (think Unsane, Today Is The Day), ’90s sludge (Buzzov*en, Eyehategod), and punk/hardcore speed and brevity — Thick, overdriven bass lines that carry much of the melodic weight; guitar tones soaked in feedback and fuzz; hard-hitting, minimalist and repetitive rhythm and drumming; and vocals that oscillate between shouted hardcore-style delivery and tortured sludge growls. Despite the unattractive front cover art and the genre fusion, songs rarely meander—they get to the point quickly, often three minutes, delivering riff-heavy bursts of aggression with tight rhythmic precision. 

Lyrically, Don’t Panic is filled with nihilism, frustration, and sarcasm — aimed at society, the self, and everything in between. It channels existential dread and political anger without ever becoming preachy. Themes include alienation and disillusionment; destructive habits and internal decay; and societal rot and mass apathy. There’s also a dose of black humor beneath the surface—a kind of resigned laughter in the face of chaos.

The album has a raw and unpolished mix, in line with the band’s underground ethics. No overproduction, no digital sheen—just analog grit and tape hiss vibes. The drums are punchy but dry, the guitars bark with feedback, and the bass has a fuzzy, almost overbearing presence in the mix. Far from a flaw, this rawness gives Don’t Panic its power—it feels urgent and alive.

While not a household name, Missiles of October have earned respect in the European DIY/noise/sludge circuit. Don’t Panic is a testament to their uncompromising approach, carving out a unique sound among scenes that can often be overly rigid in genre definition. The album is a hidden gem for fans of underground heavy music — especially those who like their sludge fast, their punk dirty, and their noise angular.

Don’t Panic is a blistering slab of sludge punk that’s equal parts pissed-off and pulverizing. It’s not for the faint of heart, but for fans of noise-drenched chaos with an anti-authoritarian backbone, it hits hard and sticks around.