Aus-Rotten formed in the early 1990s in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Many of their songs have dealt with the government, sexism, capital punishment, religion, animal rights, as well as many other controversial topics.
They combined many different genres of music into their work, a unique blend of crustcore, anarchopunk, and street punk.
They are perhaps more famous not for their musical originality, but probably for their sharp and quotable lyrics (ie. "People are not Expendable, Government is." and "As long as flags fly above us, no one's really Free."), as well as for their strong anti-fascist stance, which, according to the interview on the ABC NO RIO documentary, got them threatened at least once.
In the lyrics, the politics are right up front, but phrased in an accessible fashion rather than obtuse intellectualisms or a PC sermon. Aus-Rotten's popularity may bring to mind the days of Discharge, Conflict and the Subhuman when political punk bands were just as well known and liked as commercial bands. Fuck Nazi Sympathy is a challenge to the punk scene not to tolerate Nazis and Fascism in the scene.
Tuesday, May 18, 1993 is a stark indictment of the genocide in Bosnia showing how little humanity has learned from the horrors of the Holocaust. Aus Rotten also released the Anti-Imperialist 7" which has recently been repressed as well as a split 7" with Naked Aggression. A full length LP on Tribal War followed in 1996.
Aus-Rotten have toured in Europe, Japan and the United States of America throughout their time together, reaching their message out to thousands — if not, millions, of people, and still are today.
They released The Rotten Agenda LP on their own Rotten Propaganda label in 2001. But, sadly, they broke up in early 2001 and the members have gone on to form various other bands.
Source: http://www.aus-rotten.t83.net/