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Apocalypse: S/T 12” (Prank Records) Prank Records gives us a meticulously crafted US pressing of this enigmatic record that first surfaced in a tiny edition in 2021 on the Japanese label Mangrove. The record documents two different bands, both fronted by Crow (vocalist for the legendary Japanese hardcore band Crow), and at least one of which was called Apocalypse. Confused yet? The recording is dated 1987-1989 and “all lyrics and music” are credited to Crow, but beyond that, concrete details are scarce. I am a huge fan of Mr. Crow’s music. I love Crow’s early, heavily Discharge-inspired records, I love their later, Sabbath-infused records (perhaps even more), and I ride for Crow’s other projects like Grave New World, Death Comes Along, and Kaiboushitsu. Crow, as a musician, is artistically restless and always pushing limits, and this Apocalypse record contains some of his most challenging work. Indeed, the first track, “Apocalypse I,” may be the most challenging piece of music Crow has ever released. It’s a ten-minute long deconstruction of the Discharge style, and its first eighty seconds seem to ask, “what if you took the Discharge template and stripped away the riffs, the drums, the guitars, bass, and even the lyrics… what would you be left with?” The minute and twenty seconds of multi-tracked, abstract vocalizations that answer the question are not an easy listen, but perhaps “Why (Reprise)” is too easy a listen given what that music aims to express. (For a different frame of reference, imagine an a cappella rendition of Integrity’s “Vocal Test.”) Once the music kicks in, “Apocalypse I” sounds a lot more like Discharge, but instead of extracting almost all the elements, it removes just one—any sense of musical development or resolution—subjecting Discharge’s style to Krautrock’s hypnotic repetition. But rather than Can’s meditative quality, “Apocalypse I” sounds agitated, enticing you toward insanity with the riff’s relentless, uncompromising repetition. If you’re able to make it past that first track, the rest of the record is less difficult, but still soaked in Crow’s instantly identifiable aesthetic. “Apocalypse II” and “Inferno” lean toward the spooky, mid-paced 80s Japanese style of Crow’s Kaiboushitsu project, while “Dream” fiddles with the template of later Discharge songs like “The Price of Silence.” “Apocalypse III” is closer to free jazz than hardcore punk, while the album-closing “The End” (reprised on Crow’s 1995 The Crow EP) is more conventional musically, but lets Crow run wild with his talent for making strange sounds with his voice and finding uniquely eerie melodies. While there are probably only a handful of people on earth who are steeped enough in both Discharge-derived hardcore and avant-garde music to truly appreciate this record, those who do will be happy to make some shelf space for a record that is peerless in the singularity of its vision.

Zyklome A: Uitgesproken (1980–1985) 2x12” (Ultra Eczema) Lately there has been some conversation in the hardcore underground about reissue culture, specifically the tendency for labels to pad out reissues of classic records with (what many see as) unnecessary extra tracks and packaging bells and whistles like posters, booklets, box sets, etc. I’m all for getting the music out there as cheap as possible for the punx, and I also agree that, more often than not, this bonus content only dilutes a record’s original impact while making it needlessly more expensive. But, on the other hand, a well-done reissue can also deepen one’s enjoyment of an original punk artifact. Case in point, this reissue from the 80s Belgian band Zyklome A. I think even the most committed hardcore maniac would concede that Zyklome A’s 1984 LP, Made in Beglium is a good-but-not-great album. Zyklome A can play fast and hard, the production is strong, and the packaging is cool and punk, but the record is kind of samey-sounding, growing repetitive by the end of its 16 tracks. Just a couple of months ago, we had an original copy in the shop and I listened to it several times, trying to figure out if I liked it enough and would listen to it often enough to justify the expense of an original pressing. Ultimately, I let the record go (Usman bought it, LOL), and now we have this double-LP reissue in stock. I’ve been loving this reissue, but I don’t regret my decision to pass on the original because I think this collection does a better job of representing Zyklome A than Made in Belgium did. The first disc of Uitgesproken is a straight reissue of Made in Belgium, and while I don’t have an original copy to compare, I swear this reissue sounds better than the original. The mastering on Uitgesproken is clear, loud, and bright, and when I played disc 1, it hit me in a way Made in Belgium never has. Maybe I was just in the right mood or in the right environment, but without a doubt this collection (both discs) sounds great. Then you get to the second disc, which collects all the split EP and compilation tracks Zyklome A recorded along with a live set. Despite the disparate source material, disc 2 sounds just as good as disc 1 (even the live stuff, which must be straight from the soundboard as there’s no audience noise whatsoever). Maybe it’s because these songs are from different sessions, but disc 2 avoids the samey quality that plagued Made in Belgium, with the band shaking up the tempos and grooves just a hair while remaining very, very punk. And then there’s the booklet, a super thick, full-color tome that tells you everything you could ever possibly want to know about Zyklome A. It’s bursting with pictures, flyers, and ephemera, all of it beautifully photographed and reproduced. Flipping through this booklet while listening to the music, I’m transported to mid-80s Belgium, immersed in Zyklome A’s world. Of course some bands like the Misfits or the Stooges can build a world and invite you in like this on a studio LP… Zyklome A need a little more than that, but visiting that world is just as exciting, and Uitgesproken takes me there more effectively than Made in Belgium ever did. Certainly Uitgesproken is a treat for any 80s international hardcore fanatic (especially at the attractive price we’re selling it at), and while I don’t think we should suspend our skepticism of reissue culture, for me this is proof that a deluxe reissue can be done right.

Peter And The Test Tube Babies: Banned From The Pubs 7" (Bad Habit Records) Australia’s Bad Habit Records gives us a no-frills reissue of Peter & the Test Tube Babies’ first single. Originally released on No Future Records in 1982, “Banned from the Pubs” stands out as one of the strongest releases in a label catalog packed with all-time classics. This single flips the typical UK82 single script, putting the two rippers on the a-side and relegating the mid-paced, more tuneful “Peacehaven Wild Kids” to the b-side. But how are you not gonna put “Banned from the Pubs” as the lead track? It takes the big riffing and catchy choruses of Sham 69 and rips through them at a tempo that keeps pace with the emerging US hardcore scene. The other a-side track, “Moped Lads,” is similarly brisk and has a great chorus hook, and while “Peacehaven Wild Kids” is a solid song, Peter & the Test Tube babies would really perfect mid-paced melodic punk on their excellent 1983 album The Mating Sounds Of South American Frogs. This single is great ammo for your punk DJ night or an evening spent home alone with a stack of classic 45s, and if you don’t have an original, this repro fills the gap just fine.

The Brood: For The Dark 12” (Armageddon Label) Ten years after their first 7” and eight years after their previous release, we finally have the debut album from long-running Philadelphia hardcore band the Brood. Featuring members of Caustic Christ, the Pist, and Witch Hunt among many others, the Brood sounds like the veteran hardcore band they are, their diverse but coherent sound reflecting many years in the hardcore punk trenches. The core of the Brood’s style is heavy hardcore punk, reminding me most of American bands from the 2000s who incorporated the heaviness of Japanese hardcore into a straightforward, Poison Idea-influenced aesthetic. Other influences poke their heads in around corners: “Burning with the Sands of Time” and “Enemy” have street punk-ish rhythms, while “Shallow Graves” and “The Best Parts of You Died” have some Motorhead touches, and “Long Gone” goes for the throat with a straight Discharge-influenced attack. A two-guitar dynamic and Janine’s charismatic backing vocals lend additional depth and texture to each song, and (as you might have noticed from the song titles), there’s a vintage horror theme running through the lyrics, eloquently echoed in the cover illustration by Max from Invertebrates. With twelve songs in 22 minutes, the Brood offers an efficient, no-frills pummel that’ll leave you eager for the next spin.

Castigo: Escape 7” (Archaic Records) Archaic Records brings us this very limited (150 copies!) 7” from Mexican punks Castigo. Castigo reminds me a lot of Nightfeeder, with fast-but-not-crazy-fast tempos, riffing that’s inventive without being flashy, and playing that’s heavy on groove while keeping all the energy, rawness, and aggression you want from d-beat hardcore. You get the impression from moments like the tight punches in the intro to “Narcoestado” that the band could do something more technical, but they devote their energy to playing their hooky riffs with maximum power and style. I really like the vocals too, which are gruff and soaked in phlegm, but still perfectly comprehensible, which I think is important when you take on political topics like Castigo does. With four originals and a Disrupt cover, there’s no time for fucking around, and Castigo keeps things short and to the point. This might be hard to find given the small press run, but it’s worth the hunt if this is your style.

Dominación: Punks Ganan 7” (Discos Enfermos) Discos Enfermos brings us the debut by this band from Barcelona. They mention there are familiar faces in the band, and while I’m not sure what projects Dominación shares members with, it’s clear from the sound of this record that they know their way around a hardcore punk tune. Punks Ganan stays within the parameters of Japanese-style crasher crust—you could reference an older band like Gloom just as easily as a contemporary one like Physique—but Dominación finds plenty of room to make the sound their own. “Hora Final” is a straightforward rager with almost no bells or whistles, while the opening track “Inocentes” is a maze of dramatic stops, starts, and breaks that keep the listener on their toes. Dominación maintains that push and pull between straightforward rippage and more complexity across these seven tracks, with the last song, “Asesinados En Las Carceles Españolas,” climaxing with a show-stopping, inhumanly long scream. So sick.

Antiheroes: 1984-1989 7” (Twistin Bones Records) Archival single from this obscure 80s Argentine punk/post-punk band. The story here is rather interesting. Antiheroes was started by young Polish immigrants to Argentina who brought with them records by bands like Siekiera and Brigada Kryzys, and the gloomy grey vibes on this 7” evoke eastern Europe much more than South America. While the band was around for five years, they only got into a professional studio once to record these tracks at the studio of 80s Argentine pop singer Silvestre in 1985. The songs are dark, pulsing post-punk with understated but charismatic vocals and a keyboard adding subtle texture and counter-melody around the edges of the mix. The sound is grainy and washed-out, again bringing to mind brutalist architecture and heavy, neutral-tone overcoats. Adding to the mystery, Antiheroes’ vocalist Monica Vidal disappeared after boarding a flight from Bolivia to Brazil, never to be heard from again. It’s too bad we don’t have more songs from this group as their heavy vibes are something I want to soak myself in, but an excellent two-song single, well-produced with liner notes in English and Spanish, will have to do.

The Stalin: Kubi Dake Atsureki 7" (General Speech Records) General Speech does the world’s population of Japanese punk lovers a huge solid by reissuing this archival release by the Stalin. As General Speech’s description notes, this release is a dream come true for fans of the Stalin: four undiscovered studio tracks recorded in 1983, a few weeks after the band completed their third album, Mushi. Many people unwisely sleep on Mushi; that it was released primarily on picture disc and ends with a ten minute long song are both red flags, but it’s a great album, primarily carrying forward the sound of the all-time classic Stop Jap, but adding just a hair more each of complexity and restraint. These four tracks sound like they could be outtakes from that album, with a very similar writing and recording style, and just as much power and conviction in the band’s performance. As the liner notes explain, no one seemed to realize this recording session existed or knows what the songs were intended for, though if I understand correctly, one track appeared with some additional guitar overdubs on the Welcome to 1984 compilation. I’m particularly thankful for the format they chose for this release. They could have tacked these on as bonus tracks to a reissue of some previously released material that fans would have had to buy all over again at an inflated price, but instead we get this lean 7” EP, priced reasonably and featuring an awesome cover illustration by the same artist who drew the cover of the Stalin’s first album, Trash. When these songs first came out in Japan in 2023, the edition sold out quickly and immediately started selling for a premium on the second-hand market, and since General Speech says this is a one-time pressing, I strongly urge you to lock down your copy before the same happens with this pressing.

Aberrate: Grounded demo cassette (Acute Noise Manufacture) The debut cassette from this Tokyo crust group gets a US pressing on Acute Noise Manufacture, which is Patrick from Destruct’s label. Destruct fans will hear immediately why this caught Patrick’s ear, as Aberrate’s bulldozer sound has a lot in common with Destruct’s patented brand of eardrum obliteration. The rhythms are a little stiffer and less groovy than Destruct, leaning toward the E.N.T. end of the spectrum, but the wall of noise production and bursts of squealing, metallic lead guitar will be music to the ears of any Destruct fan (and obnoxious noise to everyone else). Aberrate features members of Frigora, Life, and Abraham Cross, and fans of those bands should definitely check this out, as should anyone who dug those Horrendous 3D 7”s that came out a few years ago. The sound is massive but intricately textured, and the performance has all the power and charisma you’d expect from a bunch of Tokyo scene veterans. Don’t miss this one.

The Scumbag: S/T 12" (Beach Impediment Records) Beach Impediment Records brings us a collection of studio recordings from this late 80s Tokyo hardcore band whose members would go on to groups like Dread Yankees and Rocky and the Sweden. If you’re a fan of that late 80s style of thrashy Japanese hardcore, that’s precisely what you get here… think records like Outo’s No Way Out 7”, Chicken Bowels’ Keep Our Fire Burning EP, and maybe even Systematic Death’s Final Insider album and aspects of S.O.B.’s early releases. It’s thread of crossover that was unique to the Japanese scene at that time, with chunky muted guitars, catchy punk riffs, and big choruses wrapped up in circa-late 80s metal production (biting guitars and big, boomy drums). One of my favorite aspects of this scene is the crazy fashion, which takes a lot from 80s skate culture (flip-up hats, board shorts, basketball shoes), but applies that uniquely Japanese, more-is-more aesthetic. You don’t get much of a sense of that from listening to this on bandcamp, but when you’re sitting down with the vinyl and blasting this while looking at all the photos on the insert, it certainly helps fill out the picture. I could deal without the casual misogyny in the lyrics, but it was a different time and hopefully the members have grown and matured since. While I think this strain of Japanese hardcore can be an acquired taste, anyone who loves the aforementioned records will certainly dig this compact 8-song collection.

Seudo Youth: Nobody Gets Down Like... 12" (Going Underground Records) After a couple of cassettes, here’s the debut vinyl from this LA punk band. Seudo Youth features members of People’s Temple and Diode, and it sounds to me like those two bands’ sounds smashed together. The music here is very much in the vein of People’s Temple’s hooky US hardcore, with sturdily crafted power chord riffs and a confidently minimal rhythm section. When the guitarist joins in on call-and-response backing vocals on “Meet Your Maker,” it almost sounds like an outtake from the People’s Temple EP, but Seudo Youth’s main vocalist takes a very different approach. Their vocals are bathed in distortion and echo, high-pitched and more rhythmic than melodic. While I definitely wouldn’t call Seudo Youth egg punk, the vocals pull it toward that sound, and fans of hardcore-leaning contemporary punk bands like Warm Bodies and Judy & the Jerks will like what they hear. I could see fans of People’s Temple and G.U.N.N. (with whom Seudo Youth also shares members) not liking the vocals and Diode’s fans thinking the music is too straightforward, but I think something unique and compelling arises from this unexpected mash-up.

T.S.T.: Vås Punx 7” (No Plan Records) No Plan Records reissues this Swedish punk grail from 1981. I was more familiar with the two records TST released subsequently—1982’s No Teenage Future 12” and 1983’s self-titled LP—and while those records have a tough, UK82-influenced sound, this first EP captures a younger, punkier version of the band. The main word that comes to mind when I listen to these four tracks is “anthemic,” with this early version of TST drawing influence from the Clash and Sham 69, influences I don’t think of as a huge part of the Swedish punk sound. While TST would get more locked-in and powerful musically on those later records, I love the spirit of discovery you hear on these four tracks; “I’m Looking at You” even lands on a similar doo wop-y rhythm to the Misfits’ “Some Kind of Hate,” and while one could see it as a stylistic detour, it’s also one of the EP’s most memorable moments. No Plan’s reissue adds an insert featuring a short essay about the band, lyrics for all the songs, and a bunch of photos and flyers from this period of the band’s development (they look like babies!), which is a welcome addition. While the music here is raw, unpolished, and youthful, it’s a treat for anyone interested in early 80s Swedish punk or the wider late 70s European punk explosion which this record has more in common with musically.

Cathexis: Demo 2024 cassette (Roachleg Records) 4-song demo of occult metal-punk from this one-person project based in New York, sort of like if first-album-era Bathory had been infected with the G.I.S.M. virus. The music is a little more toward the Bathory side with straightforward metal riffing and primitive pounding on the drums, but there’s definitely one foot in G.I.S.M.’s M.A.N. LP aesthetically, with a similarly cold and hollow sound and a penchant for echo effects on demonic vocals. There’s also an introverted quality to this that reminds me of Norwegian black metal… there are no fun parts, no rocking out, just cold grimness in a studiously primitive package.

Total Con / The Troops: split cassette (Scorched Noise Records) Split cassette from these two USHC-obsessed projects working at the highest registers of energy and the lowest registers of fidelity. The UK’s Total Con is a one-person project from Bobby of the Annihilated, and he’s had a prolific run lately with a few blasts of raw and immediate early 80s USHC worship on small cassette labels. These four new tracks are as nasty as one would hope, with some of YDI’s desperate but heavy energy, and the cover of Hüsker Dü’s “M.I.C.” is a classy hat-tip. The Troops from Florida have an even more blown-out recording, but they parallel Total Con by starting with a sample and giving us three originals and a classic cover. The Troops remind me of early 80s US bands that took a lot from Discharge—think Crucifix, Final Conflict, Against—and their Ultra Violent cover shows their bona fides while also reminding us that band had more than just one good song. Both sides here are raw, nasty, and punk as fuck.

Malignant Order: This Is Mankind? Demo cassette (La Vida Es Un Mus) La Vida Es Un Mus brings us a demo from this new (presumably) UK band. I’m not sure which bands Malignant Order shares members with other than Stingray, but their apocalyptic, metal-informed punk sound has a lot in common with London bands like Subdued, Second Death, and Permission. I hear a lot of 80s UK anarcho-punk in their sound, but I also hear something of Black Flag’s existential angst in Malignant Order’s vibe, particularly the desperate-sounding vocals. As with some of the aforementioned bands, there’s something unapproachable about how Malignant Order presents themselves that can make them a bit tough to listen to—there are no concessions to putting the listener in a more pleasant headspace—but these are supremely effective as gritty downer jams.

Frenzy: Beyond the Edge of Madness 12” (Distort Reality) Portland’s Frenzy has been at it for more than a decade, plowing their own very distinctive lane of noisy hardcore punk. Based on their records’ artwork—which tends to feature cartoon punks with spikes and studs and eye-searing combinations of fluorescent colors—you might peg Frenzy as Swankys worshippers, but they’ve actually developed a unique take on the noisy punk sound, particularly on this, their second full-length. The guitar sounds are appropriately fried to hell, but the singer’s hoarse shout sounds a lot like Pat Dubar of Uniform Choice to me, and the fast scissor/paddle beats give me Heresy / Ripcord vibes. Speaking of beats, Frenzy is rhythmically sophisticated, with a lot of different fast hardcore punk rhythms that are intense and immediate and keep this long-ish LP from getting repetitive. One thing Frenzy share with Swankys worshippers, though, is a willingness to work the odd sunny-sounding melody into the mix. I wouldn’t call Beyond the Edge of Madness an odd record, but its idiosyncrasies along with Frenzy’s finely honed chops make this record a unique and powerful statement.

Vaxine / The Last Survivors: split 7” (General Speech Records) General Speech Records brings together New York’s Vaxine and Tokyo’s the Last Survivors on a well-matched split 7”. Both bands rep a charged hair, combat boots, and bondage pants image, and their songs are energetic and hooky enough that whether you’re coming at that sound via the classic 80s UK bands or the less-cool-to-rep wave of 90s bands, you’re gonna leave satisfied. It’s funny, though, for all the similarities with their image, the two bands sound pretty different. Vaxine’s iteration of the style is razor-sharp and lock-tight a la Ultra Violent, while the Last Survivors are looser and fuzzier, with a UK Subs-ish rock’n roll flair in places. Some people might prefer one or the other, but both bands do the tradition proud. I don’t think you’ll see many people calling this a one-sided split.

A.O.A.: Satisfactory Arrangement 12” (No Plan Records) No Plan Records brings us a reissue of the 3rd and final LP by 80s Scottish anarcho-punks A.O.A., 1988’s Satisfactory Arrangement. I think A.O.A.’s first 12”, Who Are They Trying to Con?, is a supremely underrated record, an energetic and intense slab of ultra-fast UK hardcore. No Plan mentions they were sometimes called “the Scottish Discharge,” and I while I haven’t heard anyone say that myself, I imagine that comparison rests largely on that first 12”, which is a leaner and more to-the-point record than Satisfactory Arrangement. I think Satisfactory Arrangement is excellent, mind you, but the band has evolved and (dare I say) matured since their first record. The music is still undeniably hardcore punk, but A.O.A. sounds more flexible and confident here. One thing I appreciate is that they’re able to play locked-in when the situation calls for it—the early Amebix / Killing Joke-esque parts on here are suitably crushing—but they can change gears and sound really loose and wild as well. More metallic songs like “Acceptance of What” have some of the off-the-rails vibes of Venom or early Bathory, and other parts find them going full gluebag chaos mode a la Disorder. A new wrinkle on Satisfactory Arrangement is two tracks that feature spoken vocals over gentler instrumentation, and while (particularly by 1988) it wasn’t anything no one had heard before on an anarcho record, it adds even more depth and variety here than A.O.A. had on their earlier stuff. Plus, all this is transmitted through a much clearer, more professional recording that highlights just how good the band was. I know everyone has a soft spot for a band’s earliest, rawest material, but I think Satisfactory Arrangement is a logical outgrowth of that earlier material that’s a little more subtle and refined, but still powerful.

Electric Masochist / Smog: Split 12" (Burning Anger Records) Burning Anger Records brings together Macedonia’s Smog and Berlin’s Electric Masochist for this international hardcore split 12". Both bands sound inspired by Disclose, but put their own spin on things. Smog has the relentless d-beating drums and fried guitars, but their vocals are unique for the style, a higher-pitched howl that sounds more like primitive early black metal than Kawakami. The production is drenched in noise and reminds me of Paranoid’s harshest material, but the vocals give this one a fiendish atmosphere all its own. As for Electric Masochist, I saw them play in Berlin a few years ago and I remember thinking, “wow, they sound EXACTLY like Disclose.” On these four tracks they still sound quite a lot like Disclose, but their voice comes through a little more. This is true of the first two tracks, which have more complex, swingier riffs that aren’t as straight Discharge-inspired. I also really like the lyrical approach on the track “Out of My Way!,” which takes the impressionistic Discharge lyrical style and turns its focus on a treacherous night out in Berlin. Both bands give fans of the genre everything they’d want plus a little extra, and I just love the textured fold-over sleeve. Any d-beat maniac will be mighty pleased with this one.

Fine Equipe: Moral D’Acier 10" (Offside Records) Fine Equipe is a new studio project from some folks in Syndrome 81, and just as their Mentalité 81 project turned their attention toward early 80s US-style hardcore, Fine Equipe puts the classic late 80s straight edge / youth crew sound through these musicians’ distinctive filter. As with Mentalité 81, all the genre’s aesthetic signifiers are there—dynamic arrangements with instruments constantly dropping out and careening back in, big breakdowns, and gang vocals—but the French language and these musicians’ peculiar aesthetic sensibilities make this feel like more than a mere retread. I think the folks on the 185 Miles South podcast hit the nail on the head when they compared this to the late 90s Boston band In My Eyes. Like In My Eyes, Fine Equipe has a very classic take on the youth crew sound that minimizes the aggro and heaviness and flirts with Gorilla Biscuits-style melody (especially when the guitarist plays around in the upper octaves) without sounding poppy or wimpy. While the Mentalité 81 release was frustratingly short, we get 9 whole minutes of music on this 10” EP. For folks whose tastes encompass both the Syndrome 81 cinematic universe and the Revelation Records classics, this may well blow your mind. For those of you who find yourselves in one of those camps but not the other, this is so spot on that I think you’ll at least like it, if not full-on love it.

Wet Specimens: Dying in a Dream 7" (No Norms Records / Brain Slash Records) Dying in a Dream is the latest dispatch from this Albany, New York band who has been very active, releasing a spate of material over the past several years. I haven’t checked in with their recordings in a while, but Dying in a Dream caught my ear when I checked it out, with a sound that’s undeniably hardcore punk, but doesn’t sound like anyone else I can think of. The first track, “Dying in a Dream,” is built around this tense, skittering drumbeat that has a tension I associate with anarcho-punk, but the harsher textures also make me think of S.H.I.T., another master of building tension. The next track, “Curtain Call,” is another slow burn, with the addition of horror movie synth helping to evoke the feeling of wandering alone in some creepy-ass woods. Then the two tracks on the b-side turn the focus to charging d-beat, but keeping the progressive tinge you hear on the a-side and climaxing with the stretched-out mid-tempo part that ends the record. Dying in a Dream is heavy, raw, and aggressive just like you want DIY hardcore to be, but Wet Specimens push way past the established formulas that bog down so many other groups.

Impotentie: Zonder Titel Deze Keer 12" (Roachleg Records) Roachleg Records brings us the 3rd release from these punks who are based in Canada, but of Belgian heritage, singing in Dutch and turning their lyrical attention toward Belgium’s history and politics. I’d strongly recommend reading the label’s description for this release, as it succinctly outlines the political and social impetus behind each of Impotentie’s releases so far. They say that Zonder Titel Deze Keer focuses on themes of bleakness and hopelessness, but fortunately the music doesn’t sound dour. In fact, Impotentie’s songwriting chops have only improved, with Zonder Titel Deze Keer rich with interesting sounds, compelling melodies, and inventive arrangements. A cursory first listen might leave you thinking “this sounds a lot like Rixe” thanks to the similarly fuzzy guitar sound and penchant for catchy gang choruses, but the similarities end there, and there’s a lot more to this record than a cool guitar sound and catchy choruses. The guitarist has a real way with a melody (“Nat Vuile Land” almost sounds like early Blink 182 until the gruff vocals kick in), and there are a ton of unique moments like the monk-ish backing vocals in “In De Koolmijn” or the way “Wijken” has this woozy sound to it like the tape is dragging or something. Each song feels rich and substantial, and that Impotentie doesn’t beat you over the head with the same ideas for the entirety of Zonder Titel Deze Keer means that as soon as it finishes playing, you just want to hear it again. Anyone into raw and catchy international punk really needs to hear this.

Dream World: demo cassette (self-released) 5-song demo cassette from this new band from Richmond, Virginia. For Sorry State’s readers, “Richmond” is virtually synonymous with “ripping hardcore,” but Dream World is a little different (though still very punk). I got to see Dream World live before I heard the recording, and my main takeaway was how their music conveyed a tension I rarely hear in today’s hardcore punk. Rather than playing all-out fast and hard, their songs tend to ride along at this dramatic three-quarters tempo, just at the precipice of full-on explosion, but not really falling off the cliff until the final track, “Blood Philanthropist.” Part of that tension comes from the drumming, which I just love. The songs are based around these eerie pulses, but the drummer constantly interjects all these little fills and accents within the pulse, like he’s just itching to go off, straining against the songs’ measured tempos. I’ve heard people mention Icons of Filth as a comparison point for Dream World, but I think these songs sound like no one but themselves. Fans of contemporary punk in the anarcho mold should definitely give this a listen, but I think there’s something here that rises above the “recommended if you like” formula.

Various: Vending Machine: Live at ABC cassette (Archfiend Records) Vending Machine is a compilation featuring nine punk groups from Los Angeles, and it’s one of the most thought-through and well-executed compilations I’ve heard in some time. The projects on the tape are deeply connected; all of them are affiliated with the ABC rehearsal studios and House of Tomothy venue / record label / recording studio, and many of them share members. The standardized recording style provides further cohesion, with each band recording their contributions live-in-the-studio, Peel Sessions-style, during one of four marathon recording sessions. Most bands get three songs to show us what they’ve got, though Big Shot and Advoids get four tracks, and Sacred Bathers provide electronic interludes during the transitions between songs. Thanks to all, this, Vending Machine listens differently than most compilations... it’s almost like each band kind of bleeds into one another, as you might hear the same synth player or bassist on two consecutive bands’ tracks. In terms of style, most of the bands on Vending Machine fall broadly within the arty DIY punk spectrum... think bands like Uranium Club, Spread Joy, Shopping... bands that aren’t inaccessible, but definitely left of center. The only band I was familiar with was Rearranged Face, and while their three tracks sound great, they’re only one of many highlights on this substantial 32-track collection. The tape also comes with a booklet insert with artwork from the bands and some information about the project, much of which I’ve summarized here. Since Vending Machine isn’t streaming and it’s so embedded in its own peculiar world, in all likelihood, not many people are destined to hear it. If it sounds interesting to you, though, I strongly recommend making the extra effort it takes to get a physical copy.

Betrayer: demo cassette (self-released) Crossover-tinged hardcore from this new band from Portland. These three songs fall on the more hardcore side of the crossover equation, with metallic riffing that reminds me of Attitude Adjustment or DRI and a barking singer who sounds kind of NYHC. A lot of bands like this go for short, simple songs, but Betrayer’s songs are longer with a lot more parts a la mid-period Poison Idea, and while the singer’s range keeps things pretty straightforward, they also have an ear for a hook. The production is the perfect amount of lo-fi for me, very 80s sounding, but proficient in all the right ways. With another layer of polish, I could see Betrayer catching on with a bigger crowd, but personally I hope they stay on the raw and nasty path.

Self Defense: 12 Track EP 7” (Slow Death Records) This British Columbian band crams twelve tracks of primitive but hooky hardcore on their vinyl debut. Sonically, Self Defense is firmly grounded in the early Dischord / Touch & Go aesthetic, with songs primarily taking the form of 30- to 50-second blasts of aggro. One place Self Defense excels is in their arrangements. They have a Negative Approach-ish knack for doing these tightly executed drop-outs and trade-offs that make the songs really dynamic, and with twelve songs it’s great that they don’t repeat the same patterns over and over. As with the Betrayer demo we also looked at this week, the production has that perfect early 80s patina, though the vocals could have been allowed to shine a little more I think, as a charismatic performance could have really pushed this over the top. As it stands, though, this is a ripping slice of retro 80s hardcore punk.

Breech Boys: Greetings from Paradise 7” (Slow Death Records) Slow Death Records brings us another new band from their neck of the woods in western Canada, with Breech Boys’ first vinyl release after a few digital releases. The Black Flag and Beach Boys references in the band name and artwork had me expecting something taking inspiration from southern California, but Breech Boys aren’t so easily pinned down. When they pair a woozy-sounding riff to a big pogo beat, they remind me of Glue, but the presentation is much different. The guitars are loud and thick, with a recording that’s raw and punchy but not trying to sound old, and the band likes to ride the edge of chaos as much as they like to lay down those groovy pogo parts that make the kids move. The vocalist is particularly chaotic, making all types of wild noises, though it’s mixed with distortion and frequently drown out by the waves of guitar. The energy level is high too, with the band sounding inspired and explosive throughout these five tracks.

Slevy: Vol. 1 12" (Petruska Records) Slevy is a one-man project from Basque Country and Vol. 1 collects a bunch of recordings made around 2005. According to the liner notes, most of these tracks were released across two EPs and a few compilations, but when I search the names of those EPs and compilations nothing comes up… have they been scrubbed from history or did they exist in the first place? Who knows? I’m not doubtful that the tracks on Vol. 1 come from different sources and sessions, though, as the recording and songwriting styles change from track to track. The quality is uneven, but fucking hell some of these songs are scorchers! While the label’s description references Eastern European punk as a key influence on Slevy, I hear a lot of classic Spanish punk in the sound. Perhaps it’s a side effect of the lyrics being in Spanish, but I hear some of the trademark Clash-isms of early Spanish punk in Slevy’s sound, albeit with many other influences mixed in. “Hadas En El Infierno,” creeps along at a menacing Q: Are We Not Men? tempo before erupting into one of those anthemic, Clash-y choruses. “Pesaje a Utramar,” on the other hand, has a bigger, Buzzcocks-influenced sound. With over 40 minutes of music spread across these fourteen tracks, there’s the feeling that you’re sifting through a lot, but the highs here are undeniably high, and the last handful of tracks where they really lean on the pop melody are worth sticking around for. If Slevy buckles down and puts out a wall-to-wall banger a la Blood Visions, I could see Vol. 1 becoming a very desirable record. For now, though, it’s one of those great little secrets we lovers of international punk can’t get enough of.

Consec: Biohackers 7” (11PM Records) Putting out a 7” with only three minutes of music is a bold move, but I’ll take new Consec material any way they’re willing to serve it up. We last heard from Consec on 2023’s Wheel of Pain, and while I loved that record, Biohackers’ higher concentration makes it even more potent. Hailing from Atlanta, Consec isn’t too far from Koro’s stomping grounds, and I feel like that influence is all over the title track, which crams an insane amount of twists and turns into its furious 31 seconds. “Coward” and “Misanthrope” stretch out a little more with broader riffs, the latter even featuring a tempo-change, but the whole record is still over long before you can find your footing. Pundits may debate the pros and cons of this having a physical release on 7”, but the minimal DJ-style packaging (which reminds me of Urban Blight’s More Reality) doesn’t oversell what’s here, and one would be hard-pressed to identify a single second of filler.

Faux Départ: S/T 7” (Disques Mutant) We’ve been following France’s Faux Départ for years here at Sorry State, and now they’re back with a new 4-song EP. The first two tracks lean toward the poppier side of Faux Départ’s sound, with upbeat tempos, jangly guitars, and plaintive melodies that remind me of Ebba Grön (and, by extension, the Vicious and Masshysteri), but also have enough near-twee melody to slot in next to Neutrals’ neo-Television Personalities style. The songwriting is great, and when that burst of lead guitar erupts toward the end of “Drone,” it’s a magical moment. The two songs on the b-side are faster and more jittery, and while the Marked Men are an obvious comparison thanks to the blistering hi-hat work, “Toujours Là” is a catchy enough song to warrant it. I think this band might fly under the radar of many people in the US, but if you’re into well-constructed melodic punk, they’re not to be missed.

SOH: Cost to Live 12” (No Norms Records) Los Angeles’s SOH follow up 2022’s Life in Edge EP with their first full-length record, showcasing their musical chops and forging a path that’s totally punk but also fully unique. SOH doesn’t sound like anyone else out there, and while you can hear antecedents in their galloping d-beat rhythms, metallic riffing, and charismatic vocals, it all comes together into the band’s distinctive sound. Part of what defines that sound is its eclecticism. You never know what SOH is going to throw at you next, and each song offers something new, whether it’s a different rhythm from the drummer, a new style of riffing, some bubbly bass lines, or a new vocal technique that you haven’t heard on a previous track. It feels like SOH took pains to make sure they weren’t just writing the same song over and over, with each one adding something distinct to the band’s oeuvre. This means the record is full of highlights, and if you get hooked, for instance, by the crazy demon vocals on the second verse of “Walang Paglaya” or the reverbed-out East Bay Ray guitar stylings in “Annihilate,” the band won’t beat you to death with that idea for the rest of the record. SOH’s vocalist is a total chameleon, using everything from shouts to screams to grunts to speak-singing to keep every moment on Cost to Live fresh and exciting. Much like the record’s eye-catching artwork, Cost to Live is fully thought-through but not belabored, holding itself to a high standard of originality and execution without losing the rawness and personality you want from underground punk.

Traume: Wrzask 12” (Quality Control HQ Records) Quality Control HQ brings us the debut LP from this Polish punk band who fuses their country’s tradition of intricate yet hooky punk with the stripped-down drive of contemporary hardcore. Those of us who have spent time appreciating classic Polish punk bands like Dezerter, Siekiera, and Post Regiment will certainly hear the through line in Traume’s music, particularly in the guitarist’s dense, intricate riffing style, the rhythm section’s blistering yet agile grooves, and the singer’s ability to balance hooks and aggression. Of the classic Polish bands I know, Post Regiment is the most obvious point of comparison for Traume (they even cover the Post Regiment song “Wstyd,” which is a vinyl-only bonus track on Wrzask), since their singer sounds a lot like Dominika from Post Regiment in places. Traume also share Post Regiment’s rhythmic precision and density, but the way they can also bludgeon you with simple and fast pogo rhythms and driving, down-stroked riffs in the S.H.I.T. school feels totally modern. And as with Siekiera and Dezerter, the guitarist has a way of taking angular post-punk-inspired riffing and squeezing it into hardcore’s faster, more charging rhythms, which (as with those older bands) is a thrilling combination. The songs themselves are sturdy, well-constructed, and engaging, and will keep you listening whether or not you appreciate the influences Traume’s sound draws from.

Atomic Prey: S/T 12” (Iron Lung Records) Iron Lung Records brings us the debut release from this new Portland band, which they aptly describe as “a total psychedelic d-beat smasher.” While the phased-out noise guitar and heavy delay on the vocals are definitely giving psych, to me what feels more psychedelic about Atomic Prey is the way this EP takes you on this crazy journey. It’s very brief—six songs in 14 minutes—but Atomic Prey touches on a lot of hardcore punk sub-styles here, from full-on crasher crust pounding to brooding and organic anarcho rhythms, to driving pogo-punk, galloping d-beat, ENT-influenced chaos, and beyond. While Atomic Prey is pretty much always in full-bore attack mode, these subtle variations keep things from falling into a rut, making it feel as though the energy level is constantly spiking. On the surface, there seem to be no dynamics here at all because it’s all so harsh and noisy, but there’s so much happening in these songs in terms of tempo, rhythm, and atmosphere that each one feels like it contributes something unique to the record. A real scorcher.

Human Trophy: Primary Instinct 12” (Iron Lung Records) Iron Lung Records brings us the second album from this grimy, noisy death rock band. Their first album came out on Drunken Sailor in 2021, and while we actually still have a couple copies in stock at Sorry State, I don’t think I listened to the band closely until now. Perhaps it’s that I approached Human Trophy at the right time of year—fall seems like the perfect time for death rock—but Primary Instinct has really been hitting the spot. Rather than “goth” or “post-punk,” “death rock” seems like the most appropriate genre tag for Primary Instinct because it’s so heavy and driving, and while the baritone vocals have shades of Ian Curtis, the more direct musical influences are in the Christian Death / Samhain school. As with those bands, there’s a sense of restraint to Human Trophy’s sound that imbues their music with ever-escalating tension that they rarely release. The first three songs on Primary Instinct feature ever-slowing tempos, and when they finally break out into something like a hardcore rhythm on “Devotion,” it feels like the first gasp of air after you’ve been holding your breath for a long time. One benefit of weaving this tension through Human Trophy’s music is that is focuses the listener’s attention, and when there’s a hook like the slightly bluesy, Cult-ish chorus in “Only a Knife” or the big guitar hook in “The Cabin,” it sinks in much deeper. The back half of Primary Instinct also offers some unique moments like the (comparatively) upbeat, sunny rhythm of “Serpentine Grin” (which reminds me a little of “I’ll Melt with You” by Modern English) and the shoegaze-y “Bright Like Perspex.” The murky sound and muted rhythms of Primary Instinct may take you a few listens to warm up to, but once it hits you, this record’s dense atmosphere and ambitious songwriting will keep you absorbed

Closetalkers: Path to Peace 7” (Neon Taste Records) Neon Taste brings us the debut vinyl from this three-piece hardcore band from Calgary, Canada. While the label describes Closetalkers as d-beat, I don’t hear much Discharge in their sound, except in the roaring maximalism of the production and the sense of menace that pervades these six tracks, which also makes me think of creepy mid-80s Japanese bands. The riffs are catchy (just on the verge of melodic, in fact), relying primarily on furious downstrokes that make me think of S.H.I.T. or Blazing Eye. Closetalkers’ secret weapon, though, is their drummer. The guitarist’s furious downstrokes hold down the driving rhythm, freeing the drummer to pack these songs full of inventive rhythms, creative fills, and unexpected accents. Closetalkers are ripping enough to grab you within a few seconds, but as these songs sink in, you’ll realize there’s a lot more going on than you might notice at first.

Guiding Light: S/T cassette (Down South Tapes) The cassette label Stucco (and its many sub-labels like Impotent Fetus and Down South Tapes) has been bringing us some of the most creative and exciting music from the hardcore-adjacent underground for the past several years, and their latest from Texas’s Guiding Light is one of my favorite releases yet on what has become one of my favorite current labels. Guiding Light’s sound is difficult to pin down. Broadly, I’d put them in the tradition of forward-thinking, progressive hardcore bands like the early Meat Puppets and Saccharine Trust, but if you come to these five songs looking for an homage to a certain band or era, you’ll be disappointed. Instead, Guiding Light has firmly established their own voice, built around furious hardcore drumming, propulsive bass playing that isn’t afraid of melody, distant, mannered vocals that alternate between German (I think?) and English, and a brilliant guitarist who sounds like Johnny Marr trying to squeeze himself into an early 80s Midwest hardcore band. While the overall sound is definitely hardcore, it’s a brand of hardcore I’ve never heard before, and one that belongs entirely to Guiding Light. Even more impressive is the way Guiding Light explores their sound over these five tracks, showing how fertile their peculiar chemistry can be. While the opening track, “Sterb Doch,” leans into an artsy aggression that makes me think of Essential Logic, mellower moments in “Lost in Voices” and “Simmen” have a sun-bleached , Southwestern vibe that actually sounds a bit like the Meat Puppets. These adventurous songs—particularly with their rough, analog-sounding production—remind me of the creative explosion of UKDIY, but the more aggressive aspects are bound to alienate the modern iteration of that scene. On the other hand, Guiding Light is a fucking weird hardcore band; like the bands I mentioned at the top of this description, though their music sounds like hardcore, they do not feel like a hardcore band, but a band whose different paths intersect with hardcore’s extremes of tempo and volume. But for someone like me who loves the Raincoats and Mecht Mensch in equal measure, this tape is pure gold.

Bottled Violent: No Rules 7” (No Norms Records) No Norms Records brings us the vinyl debut from this hardcore band from Bandung, Indonesia. While Bottled Violent is from Southeast Asia, their sound draws most explicitly from early 80s US hardcore, with hyperactive rhythms, shouted vocals, and a thin and scratchy guitar sound that marks them as sonic allies of 2000s bands like Regulations, Social Circkle, and School Jerks. Like those bands, Bottled Violent’s decision to keep the distortion in check prevents their simple and catchy riffs from getting subsumed into an inchoate roar, but my favorite part of No Rules is how youthful it sounds. The riffs are dead simple, the band is slightly sloppy, and the production isn’t 100% dialed in, but while it’s easy to dismiss these things as shortcomings, it’s precisely these aspects that communicate Bottled Violent’s infectious enthusiasm… they’re just so stoked on hardcore that they’re making it happen and not sweating the details too much. And in a scene full of 30- and 40-something bands who are so good at what they do and so self-aware as to sound sterile, No Rules sounds refreshingly like a hardcore punk record and not a simulacrum of one.

Alambrada: Ríos De Sangre 12” (Unlawful Assembly Records) Ríos de Sangre, the debut LP from Bogotá, Colombia’s Alambrada, arrived earlier this summer in a small edition that disappeared instantly, and now that we have a restock in-house, I wanted to hip anyone who might have missed out on this monster record the first go-round. While displaying the trademark intensity we expect from the contemporary Bogotá hardcore scene, Ríos de Sangre fits with a particular strain of hardcore I’ve often championed at Sorry State. I don’t think there’s a name for this sub-scene, but I think of it as true psycho shit, bands that play at ridiculously fast tempos, cramming their songs to overflowing with musical ideas and whose unbalanced, evil-sounding vibe borrows from the outsider hardcore canon of Cheetah Chrome Motherfuckers, Spike in Vain, and Septic Death. Allergic to safety of convention, this is music that keeps the listener off-balance through a carpet-bomb deployment of odd rhythms and whiplash tempo changes. Incredibly, Alambrada keeps up the intensity across this record’s entire 20 minutes, not only abandoning hardcore’s genre-wide conventions, but rigorously avoiding repeating themselves or falling into their own patterns that might deaden the impact of their constant jump scares. It would take longer to catalog Alambrada’s seemingly endless bag of tricks than it would to actually listen to Ríos de Sangre, but even the final quarter of the album feels full of surprises, like the exceptional Buzzcocks-esque guitar solo in “Silencio Sepulcral” or when the drummer finally does a full-on blast on “Rabia.” It’s a wild ride, and like similarly over-the-top recent records from Psico Galera and Idiota Civilizzato, these twelve tracks will crank your heart up to hummingbird tempo and not let you rest until they hit the last note.

EXO: demo cassette (Roachleg Records) This cassette is the debut release from New York’s EXO, out on their hometown label Roachleg Records. While Roachleg’s primary focus is the more abrasive end of hardcore, EXO isn’t afraid of melody, trimming their antsy pogo beats with breathy, ethereal vocals and touches of what sounds to me like xylophone. It still sounds raw and punk, but there’s also an artsy, introverted feeling that creates a unique tension. The latter qualities also manifest in the lyrics, which focus on the lives of insects. The songs are all a little different from one another: “Mantis” is the most ferocious, while “Figwasp” has an upbeat, garage-punk feel and the closing “Plastic” foregrounds the vocal melody and has more of a C86 feel. Yet it all sounds like New York punk, albeit of the more enigmatic variety. Fans of artier New York bands like Nandas, Pinocchio, and Dollhouse will certainly enjoy this, as will folks who love bands like Zounds, the Mob, and others who pulled pop and art-punk tendencies into rawer punk aesthetics.

Grimly Forming / Rolex: Split 12” (11PM Records) 11PM Records brings us a split from these two perfectly matched LA punk bands. While Grimly Forming and Rolex sound pretty different when you describe them—the former plays weird hardcore with black metal touches, while the latter plays arty proto-hardcore—their music has a similar overall tone and feel: fast, minimalistic, agitated, and progressive. Rolex—a band we’ve been following for many years at Sorry State—delivers their most compelling material yet with a set of skronky, bass-led numbers that sound like the moments in the early Minutemen and Saccharine Trust catalogs most influenced by Wire’s Pink Flag. Here Rolex also reminds me of Texas’s Blue Dolphin in the way they embrace both the freewheeling, anything-goes hippie mentality and intense musical chops (see: the crazy drumming on “Destination Moon”) that characterized the early SST set. As for Grimly Forming, their sound is similarly thin and arty, but their vocals are nastier and more guttural and their drummer incorporates blasting techniques that remind me of Norwegian black metal, particularly those moments that feel eerie and weightless. While that’s a big part of Grimly Forming’s sound, they also have a knack for writing killer mid-paced riffs, which you hear on “Killing Spree,” “Passing Cars,” and the climactic “The Mirror,” whose riff approaches Warthog levels of battering ram catchiness. The split record is kind of a dying art, but this one knocks it out of the park with a full helping of grade-A material from two bands who are well-matched but different enough to complement one another.

Heaven: 4-track EP 7” (Iron Lung Records) Iron Lung Records brings us the second EP from this hardcore band from Texas. As the label’s description notes, these four tracks have a crustier sound than the band’s more straightforward debut, with low, guttural vocals and a monolithic, wall-of-sound production informed by masters like Framtid and Physique. The first track, “Stagnant Dream,” is a full-bore bruiser, but other songs conjure eerier and more demented sounds, like the demonic interval in “S.C.U.M.” and the closing “Peace Lies,” which winds itself up into a real frenzy. The band writes that “The inspiration for this record is the hopelessness we often feel in our survival as the cogs in a vile and inhumane machine of capitalism,” and that rings true when I listen… these four songs feel vital in a way mere genre exercises don’t.

Taifun: Kaiju Power 7” (Black Water Records) I listened to these two tracks several times without the thought even crossing my mind that this band wasn’t Japanese, then I sit down to write this description and find out they’re from Germany. Who woulda thunk it? Taifun features at least one member from Burial, though, so they have years of experience looking to the east for hardcore inspiration. One reason it never occurred to me that Taifun wasn’t Japanese is that these songs are so idiosyncratic. Typically, when a band looks to a far-away scene for inspiration, they are careful to include touchstones everyone accepts as markers of that style, but Taifun doesn’t. I can’t pinpoint moments where I’m like “that’s a Death Side move,” yet it’s clear Taifun takes inspiration from the grandiose quality of so much Burning Spirits hardcore… they just summon that quality in their own way. I particularly like how they stretch out motifs, like the extended outro for the a-side song and the way the b-side track pounds on those epic punches at the end until they achieve a hypnotic effect. I’m sure folks who are interested in contemporary bands in the Burning Spirits style will enjoy this, but I think what Taifun does here is interesting and unique, and worth the time of anyone who likes progressive hardcore punk.

Gen Gap: Hanging Out with Gen Gap 7” (MF Records) MF Records—the record label arm of the Delco MFs rock and roll group—brings us the debut 9-song (!!!) EP from this new Philadelphia band featuring 3 members of the current MFs lineup along with two other Philly punkers. As you might expect from a 9-song EP, this is hardcore punk, but hardcore punk of the snotty and hooky variety. Tracks like “First Gen” and “Used Up” blaze at hyper-fast, near Delco MFs speeds, but “Fuckshit” and “Scumbag” are punkier, with chunky, major-key riffs and the occasional burst of lead guitar providing an extra bit of hook-age. A couple mid-paced sections like the breakdown in “Strut” and the stomping “Five” keep the pit moving, while the vocals are fast and snotty, occasionally rising above the din with a memorable line or phrase. Hanging Out with Gen Gap presents itself as no-frills, but airtight song construction and blistering performances ensure this is a cut well above. Limited to just 300 copies too, so scoop one quick.

Fulmine: Randagio 7” (La Vida Es Un Mus) According to the label’s description, Fulmine came together as a band and recorded these six tracks in a mere six hours without a single rehearsal. Amazing! Maybe it’s because they kept things so loose, but Fulmine ended up with a unique modern oi! record here. The recording is raw and nasty, the bass sound blown to shit and vocals so guttural as to sound almost demonic (I think Nick who sang for Arms Race also sings in Fulmine). Especially with the Italian vocals, you can’t help but think of those grimy Italian classics from the 80s. However, while the songs and performance are raw and direct, there are all these details in the recording that give Fulmine a unique sound, whether it’s the Camera Silens-esque sax that pops up now and again, the ethereal backing vocals in “Vita Di Sudore,” or the layers of noise in “Puro Odio” and “Insurrezione,” whose origins I can only guess at. The bruising street punk on this record pulls you right in, but those more idiosyncratic touches really separate Randagio from the modern oi! pack.

Excess Blood: self-titled cassette (Impotent Fetus) Excess Blood is a new death rock band featuring members of Electric Chair, and their debut cassette comes to us courtesy Impotent Fetus, a sub-label of Stucco, who originally introduced Electric Chair to the world with their Public Apology EP (which we need in print on vinyl, by the way!) back in 2018. I think death rock is a tough style to do well, but I loved this tape from the minute I heard it. Part of that is that it’s definitely hardcore adjacent, more like the gloomy hardcore of TSOL, False Confession, first LP Christian Death, and other hardcore bands who you might catch sporting all back and maybe even some eyeliner. As with Electric Chair, the music is all excitement and the playing is top-notch, and these songs’ breathable tempos allow the hooks to shine through even more. There’s also a touch of camp, which I think is an often overlooked ingredient in this stew... there are some straight up Dracula vocals, and I’m totally here for it. I’m curious to see where this project goes, but even if this tape is just a one-off, you really need to hear it.

Assistert Sjølmord: S/T 7" (Static Shock Records) Seven-song debut EP from this Norwegian hardcore punk band featuring members of Draümar and Indre Krig (among many others, I’m sure). Assistert Sjølmord’s style is the kind of 80s hardcore throwback we love at Sorry State, and while there’s some of the combination of hooks and speed that makes 80s Norwegian hardcore so special, I have to think there’s a strong 2000s Danish / Swedish influence at work here too. Maybe it’s that scratchy guitar sound, but these songs make me think of Regulations, Amde Petersen’s Armé, UX Vileheads, and the like, taking the big hooks of early west coast punk and melding them to DC-style rippage. “Toxicity,” on the other hand, is all UK-82 with its pounding 1-2 beat and cheeky police siren guitar intro. Fans of everything from Government Warning to Chain Whip should definitely check this out.

Bad Breeding: Contempt 12" (Iron Lung Records) One thing I really love about collecting old anarcho-punk records (and some well-done reissues) is how intensely local to particular times and places they can be. Sometimes reading those dense, text-heavy inserts and poster sleeves can feel like flipping through yesterday’s newspapers, and while that might seem like a bad thing on the surface, I love it. By contrast, in today’s increasingly globalized punk scene, even the most political bands tend to focus on concerns that are more abstract and universal, reflecting the more homogenous, globalized world most of us inhabit. Bad Breeding has always been an exception to this rule. While their anarchist, anti-capitalist philosophy might be abstract, they’ve always pushed their music and the materials that accompany their records to find the point where the rubber meets the road and these ideals get put into practice. For instance, there’s an essay in Contempt’s insert about badger culling in the UK. It just so happens that I have a habit of tuning in to BBC4 as I’m going to sleep, which often falls at precisely the time the program Farming Today airs. So I am (improbably) familiar with badger culling, which many farmers support in order to curb the spread of bovine tuberculosis. I’ve listened to a few stories about the topic, but none of them even hinted at animal rights activists’ efforts to disrupt these culls. The essay in Contempt is from the perspective of one of these activists, writing vividly and concretely about the work they do, often in dangerous circumstances. While badger culling might seem like a niche interest for a North Carolinian punk, I love that Bad Breeding has taken me out of my world and transported me somewhere completely different, giving me the opportunity to reflect on those differences. While different camps within Bad Breeding’s fanbase might get more or less out of the political element of their output, their music continues to grow and evolve. In some ways, Bad Breeding is the quintessential Iron Lung Records band, a near-personification of the label’s aesthetic of thoughtful, forward-thinking (but still maximally intense) hardcore punk. Another thing I’ve always loved about Bad Breeding (this is their fifth 12" record by the way, and I have loved them all) is that they aren’t constrained by the retro sensibilities that limit so many bands inspired by the politics and the aesthetics of 80s UK anarcho-punk. While there are a lot of sounds on Contempt that fit that mold, there are a lot more that don’t, including the scorching metal guitar solos (a new wrinkle on Contempt), the harsh industrial / power electronics production choices (Ben Greenberg from Uniform recorded and mixed Contempt, and there’s a lot of “studio-as-instrument” stuff going on), surprising flashes of melody, and plenty more. I’ve always thought many anarcho-punk bands took musical inspiration from Killing Joke’s early records, and Contempt makes it sound like Bad Breeding took the whole journey with Killing Joke, with the more bombastic moments recalling that band’s self-titled record from 2003 with Dave Grohl on drums. As with every Bad Breeding record, there’s so much here, from the music to the politics to the production to the lyrics to the supplementary materials, and it’s all thoughtful, exciting, and bitingly relevant in 2024. It can be fun to flip through yesterday’s newspapers, but it’s even more gratifying to get real insight into what’s happening in the here and now.

Thought Control: Sick and Tired of the Talking Heads 7" (Crew Cuts Records) The UK label Crew Cuts Records brings us the 3rd EP from this New Jersey band, and these eight new tracks continue along the same pummeling path as their earlier records. This is basically hardcore punk with a slight street punk influence, along the lines of S.O.A., Negative Approach, Negative FX, and all the bands they inspired. Thought Control particularly reminds me of the bands from the No Way Years who leaned into those influences: Dead Stop, Violent Minds, 86 Mentality, etc. Like those bands, Thought Control has the aesthetic down pat, from the songs to the performance to the perfectly gritty recording. I particularly love the anthemic title track, the mid-paced banger that really leans into the oi! / UK82 influences. It’s a timeless sound, and Thought Control does it proud here.

The Drin: Elude the Torch 12" (Feel It Records) Feel It Records brings us the fourth record in as many years from this great band from Cincinnati. The Drin had a distinctive sound right from the jump, weaving post-Velvet Underground art rock together with dub reggae, noise and electronic music, and god knows what other influences, and they’ve both honed and expanded their sound with each subsequent release. The Drin is currently operating as a sextet, and as you might expect the sound here is dense, reminding me of the Jesus and Mary Chain’s “Phil Spector through a transistor radio” aesthetic, but shot through with American indie rock like Pavement, Guided by Voices, and all their associated influences like Krautrock, psych, Kiwi pop, etc. It’s a whole damn wild world of sound, and the Drin wanders through it all over the course of Elude the Torch’s 46-minute runtime (which, to be honest, goes by way too quickly). Any art rocker will appreciate this iteration of the Drin, but it’s even better if you’re here for the band’s whole journey, so god bless Feel It Records for supporting prolific yet consistently brilliant bands like Class, Why Bother?, the Cowboys, and the Drin.

Faucheuse: Rêve Électrique 12" (Symphony of Destruction Records) We carried an earlier cassette from this French hardcore band and while I really liked it, Faucheuse has created something special with their debut vinyl. You could describe it simply as käng hardcore with melodic vocals, but that would imply Faucheuse is a one-trick pony, which is definitely not the case. Maybe a better way to describe Rêve Électrique is hardcore punk that’s not afraid of melody, and there’s definitely something that warrants a Paintbox reference in the way Faucheuse opens up hardcore’s traditionally narrow boundaries. And as with Paintbox, you really don’t know what the next track is going to bring. I love the brief electronic interludes, for instance, but the songs are adventurous on their own, the band often nimbly changing up grooves in ways that make these songs develop in surprising ways. I worry I’m describing this as pretentious, but really it’s just hardcore punk that’s not boxed in by the rules of any microgenre, happy to pull from the best aspects of several of them. The label’s description sums it perfectly: “who said d-beat hardcore was bound to be unoriginal?”

Paranoid Maniac: Garden Plot cassette (self-released) Second cassette EP from this killer Raleigh hardcore band. In case you were wondering whatever happened to Sorry State’s Das Drip and/or you’re curious about how Paranoid Maniac fits into the Raleigh hardcore family tree, this band is basically the final lineup of Das Drip with the vocalist swapped out for Jeff from Essex Muro and DE()T and longtime staple of the Triangle noise scene Alex Swing on second guitar. While Paranoid Manic definitely takes up where Das Drip left off, there are a lot of differences too. Paranoid Maniac takes a lot of influence from gnarly 80s Japanese metal-punk, and while that’s something I might not have picked up on if I was coming to this recording cold, when you compare the more pulled back rhythms here to Das Drip’s nervous energy, the difference is pretty clear. Paranoid Maniac is also way more maximalist than Das Drip was, their sound a cacophony of musical ideas producing constant unexpected collisions. The bass, vocals, and the two guitars often pull in different directions, and if that wasn’t enough, it sounds like they’ve added some additional harsh noise elements to the recording just to make things even dirtier and crazier. The dense but clear recording makes sure everything hits, and the packaging on the physical tape is a real object d’art in the way so many cool small-run noise releases are. While this isn’t retro enough that someone who gets excited at the mention of 80s Japanese punk should rush out and grab it immediately, those of us who see rooting through the past as an ideal way to springboard toward new musical horizons should definitely check out Garden Plot.

Light Metal Age: self-titled cassette (self-released) Light Metal Age is a new project featuring Ian from the sadly departed Gen Pop, and fans of that band should definitely be interested. My favorite moments in Gen Pop’s music recalled the icy, serene pop of Wire’s second and third records, and Light Metal Age leans even further into that, but it’s a long way from homage as there are a lot of different sounds on this hefty 7-track EP. “What He’s Done” and “Weathervane,” for instance, have some of the stoned jangle of the first few Pavement albums, while “Oakland 2017” is a nine-minute Eno-esque synth meditation that carries so much feeling it almost feels religious. It’s clear, though, that Light Metal Age isn’t about sound and style so much as the songs themselves, and the promotional blurb for the tape focuses on the psychological and therapeutic motivations for these songs rather than the musical influences. Gen Pop fans should be sure not to miss this, but anyone with a taste for the arty underground sounds on labels like Post Present Medium and Cleta-Petra could be a potential fan.

N.E.O.: S/T 12" (Media Nox) Debut record from this band from Helsinki, Finland, and it is a total ripper. While N.E.O. definitely sounds like a contemporary band, the way they synthesize many of the most interesting strains in the worldwide punk scene reminds me of how so many of the classic Finnish bands from the 80s did the same thing. The foundation here is energetic, stripped down hardcore punk, with dashes of other sounds keeping things interesting, like the crossover-ish intro to “Kulutusjuhla” and the cool, post-punky guitar lead that ends the final track, “Kukan Ei Vastaa.” The recording is crisp and clear, and the playing is incredibly tight and powerful... in those respects, they remind me of Kohti Tuhoa, and I think fans of that band will find a lot to like here (speaking of which, Ville Valavuo from Kohti Tuhoa mixed and mastered this record). Even if you aren’t familiar with the contemporary Finnish scene, these airtight songs and the commanding vocals will win you over. I don’t think too many people in the US are hip to N.E.O. yet, so check ‘em out and get on the train before this record is impossible to find.

Traumatizer: S/T 7" (Neon Taste Records) While I associate Neon Taste Records with the punkier sounds of bands like Chain Whip and the Imploders, they have a pretty solid sideline in gnarlier sounds, of which this debut 7" from the Dutch band Traumatizer is a fine example. The core of Traumatizer’s sound is rampaging, everything-in-the-red d-beat, with at least a toe in the corner of this sound where it meets tougher, graffiti-letter type hardcore. The pedal is on the floor for the entire first two tracks, but when they get to their theme song “Traumatizer,” the style widens with a cool, John Carpenter-through-a-fuzzbox synth intro and some Death Side-esque lead guitar histrionics. The straightforward parts will peel paint, but it’s the subtler moments in these six rippers that really catch my ear.

Gimic: We Are Making a New World 7" (Crew Cuts Records) This is the second EP from this scorching and unique band from Bristol, England. If you haven’t heard Gimic yet, I’d put them in the category of bands like the Minutemen and NoMeansNo who clearly pull a lot of inspiration from the abstract qualities of energy and intensity that are a hallmark of hardcore punk, but who are indifferent—maybe even hostile—to the other formal conventions of the genre. In other words, they make a kind of boundary-less hardcore punk, largely avoiding d-beats, power chords, and breakdowns in favor of a sound that’s all their own. And like the Minutemen and NoMeansNo, the level of musicality is super high, rhythmically and melodically inventive, but never in a show off-y or virtuosic way... it’s more like these are just punks forcing themselves to develop the unique aspects of their playing as far as they can. The lyrics and vocals are similarly impassioned, trying desperately to wrench sense from the decaying environment we all live in. Gimic might not be for everyone, but if you have a taste for progressive and passionate punk, I think they’re one of the best bands going, and these three songs are their most powerful statement yet. Let’s hope they keep ‘em coming.

Disarm: Existence Demo 1985 12" (Beach Impediment Records) True Sorry State heads know that, while we’re strongly associated with North Carolina (and rightly so!), I actually grew up in eastern Virginia and only moved to North Carolina in my early 20s. So I feel more than a twinge of hometown pride when I listen to Virginia Beach’s Disarm, whose 1985 demo Beach Impediment just lovingly re-released on vinyl. Honestly, though, I’d be into Disarm no matter where they came from, as their influences and aesthetic are like catnip for me. Their sound is a kind of Americanized take on peace punk, reminding me a lot of California’s Final Conflict and Richmond’s Unseen Force, and while most of the lyrics deal with the kinds of social issues you might expect, there’s a healthy side of skateboarding too... three of the band’s members were hardcore skaters, and their drummer Mike Crescini eventually went pro for Vision. Disarm also had strong connections to the 80s Raleigh scene, as their bass player Bryan S was from Raleigh and had previously played in UNICEF, and many of Disarm’s out-of-town shows were in North Carolina. In the booklet, Disarm also lists the No Core compilation as one of their most important influences, alongside European hardcore bands like Wretched and Anti-Cimex and, of course, your standard punk and early hardcore classics. Speaking of the booklet, it’s beautifully done, up to the standard of top-shelf reissues on Radio Raheem (which makes sense, since that label’s co-owner Chris Minicucci handled the layout), compiling a bunch of archival material along with a detailed interview conducted by hardcore historian Tony Rettman. The music here is great, and the packaging is killer. If you have a personal connection to Disarm’s story like I do, this release is essential, but anyone with a taste for obscure 80s hardcore archival releases will get a lot of enjoyment from this.

Industry: A Self Portrait… 12” (Static Age Musik) The full title of this debut record from Berlin’s industry is A Self Portrait At The Stage Of Totalitarian Domination Of All Aspects Of Human Life, which gives you an indication of where this group is coming from both politically and aesthetically. Industry has a lot to say about why the world is fucked up, and their songs take the ranting vocal style of Crass and meld it to a mid-paced, churning sound in the vein of Exit Stance or early Amebix. While the sound is heavy and chunky, Industry doesn’t sound like metal, but instead like a new shoot from the Killing Joke branch of punk’s family tree. “Industry” is a great name for the band, as their music sounds a bit industrial, particularly given the cold, slightly shrill recording, which makes the songs sound like they’re echoing through the rubble of a bombed-out factory. A Self Portrait... seethes for its entire 20-minute runtime, and like the society it critiques, it constantly threatens to boil over, yet remains in a tense, uneasy equilibrium. A gripping listen.

Marcel Wave: Something Looming 12” (Feel It Records) Marcel Wave is a new UK group featuring a couple of folks from Sauna Youth and a couple of other folks from Cold Pumas backing up lyricist and vocalist Maike Hale-Jones. A quick Google tells me Hale-Jones is a screenwriter for their day job, which makes sense as Marcel Wave’s songs have a writerly flair, with a vividness to the lyrics that’s a cut well above your standard DIY punk fare. The lyrics are striking whether they’re character studies like “Peg” or “Elsie,” social critiques like “Great British High Street,” or more traditional-ish tales of misspent youth like “Something Looming” and “Linoleum Floor.” Something Looming also has a strong sense of setting, its cover artwork perfectly capturing the tar-stained pub back room ambience that runs through the entire album. As for the music, it borrows some of its aesthetic from the early Rough Trade catalog, with layers of simple melodies coalescing into a psychedelic swirl, but the recording is crisp, bright, and modern, which suits the ongoing dialog between past and present that is a recurring motif in the lyrics. And fans of the Fall’s early records are gonna hear a lot they love in those great organ lines. Something Looming is a really fantastic album, and while it’s bound to catch the ear of anyone into contemporary post-punk-influenced music, its distinctive lyrics make it stand out from a crowded field of very good bands.

Osbo: S/T 7” (Blow Blood Records) We carried a demo tape from this Sydney, Australia band a while back, and now they’re back with their debut EP on Blow Blood Records. Osbo’s brand of hardcore is noisy, dark, and desperate, their loose and unpredictable style (as well as their snotty vocals) bringing to mind Cleveland classics like the H100’s and Gordon Solie Motherfuckers, but with a touch of Saccharine Trust-esque artiness rather than a full dirtbag aesthetic. The twin guitar lines give these songs an extra layer of interesting texture, particularly on the dirge “Time,” a No Trend-esque deconstruction that gives the musicians space to wander off the main groove and conjure some really interesting sounds. Recommended for those who like their hardcore raw, dark, and weird.

Mirage: Legato Alla Rovina 12” (Roach Leg Records) Debut vinyl from this New York group who sings in Italian and whose music takes a lot of inspiration from 80s Italian hardcore. While the label’s description mentions Nerorgasmo and Upset Noise as points of comparison, the one my mind keeps jumping to is Cheetah Chrome Motherfuckers. Mirage’s vocalist has a similarly biting tone to CCM’s vocalist, and like CCM at their best, Mirage has a way of moving between frantic, clipped rhythms and spacier parts where the lead guitar takes center stage with intriguingly off-kilter melodies. The weird-but-intense vibe also reminds me of Die Kreuzen in places, but then again, so does CCM. Like Idiota Civilizzato, Mirage really seems to have cracked the code on how this gloriously strange and intense strain of Italian hardcore works, but rather than produce mere pastiche, they’re able to infuse their music with energy, power, and progressive spirit.

Dishrags: Four 12” (Supreme Echo Records) Supreme Echo Records brings us a second archival compilation from Vancouver’s the Dishrags, North America’s first all-woman punk band. While the earlier release Three compiled material by the band’s three-piece iteration, Four chronicles the expanded lineup, including their 1980 EP Death in the Family, a nine-song studio demo, and some excellent sounding soundboard recordings. Like the material on Three, Four finds the Dishrags sounding very much of a piece with what was happening across the world as punk shot its tendrils across oceans and continents, which is certainly not a bad thing, as these tracks are imbued with the revolutionary spirit of the times. The music is three-chord punk that frequently accelerates to hardcore tempos, much like Dangerhouse bands such as the Dils and Rhino 39 were doing at the same time further down the west coast. Where Four really distinguishes itself, though, is in the vocal arrangements, with back-ups and trade-offs making these songs come alive, like on the standout opener “Quiet Little Table.” While the production on most of these tracks is bare-bones, one senses there was enough raw material here that the Dishrags could have made a classic punk album. Had that happened, the Dishrags’ place in history might have been different, but as things stand, both their compilation LPs are full of gems.

Vidro: Upp Till Dans 7” (Beach Impediment Records) Stockholm, Sweden’s Vidro follows up their 2023 full-length Glöd with a brand new 4-song EP on Beach Impediment Records. The title track, “Upp Till Dans,” is first, and I think it’s one of Vidro’s best songs. The main riff is different for them, a chunky fist-pumper that really comes alive in the second verse when they throw in these super cool accents on the off beats. It’s a bit like Judas Priest’s “Breakin’ the Law,” and just as infectious. The second track, “Allt Brinner,” is one of Vidro’s most brutal and straightforward songs, feeling super lean at 71 seconds long, but still making room for a bunch of dramatic rhythmic accents. The two tracks on the b-side spread out a little more, the rhythm section laying down heavy grooves while the vocals jab and dodge and the guitars waft, melodies lilting like an untethered balloon. It’s over in a flash, but there’s so much to hear that you can’t resist starting it again from the top. A brief but vital missive from one of today’s most distinctive and exciting bands.

Gefyr / Rat Cage: Split 7" (Bunker Punks Discs & Tapes) If you’ve been following the Bunker Punks Discs & Tapes discography so far (and you should be... Jeff and Usman from Sorry State and Scarecrow run the label), you’ll know exactly what to expect from this split: ripping, riff-soaked hardcore punk. Sweden’s Gefyr is first up. Gefyr is from the same city as Totalitär, and how similar they sound makes you wonder if there’s something in the Hudiksvall water supply. The riffs are totally dialed, the light-on-distortion guitar sound (don’t worry, there’s plenty on the bass) highlighting how hooky they are. The vocals are just incredible, shredded similarly to Poffen from Totalitär’s, but with their own personality. As for Rat Cage, it’s their second appearance on a Bunker Punks release after the Screaming Death compilation, but surely you’re familiar with them already. These three tracks continue the emphasis on hooky vocals we’ve heard on the past several Rat Cage releases, and as on those records, they explore their roots in late 70s / early 80s UK punk without compromising the intensity of their earlier material. You gotta love the “aaaah-ah” vocal part on “Thatcher’s Back,” particularly when it’s laid over a paint-peeling No Security-style riff and leads into a gnarly breakdown. Each band contributes three tracks, and it’d take a real stick in the mud not to walk away satisfied.

Norms: 100% Hazaarulas 12" (11PM Records) It looks like 100% Hazaarulas is the 3rd LP from this wild hardcore band from Budapest, Hungary, but their first for a US label, 11PM Records. While it sounds like Norms take a lot of inspiration from early 80s Italian groups like Negazione, Wretched, and CCM, their take on raw and fast hardcore has full-on avant-garde touches. The off-time riff in “Magyarmagyarmagyar,” for instance, wouldn’t be out of place on a John Zorn or Boredoms record, but it also sounds more like Die Kreuzen than those bands ever did. I also hear some resemblance to projects like Cicada, Closet Christ, and Cryin’ Hand, particularly the Neos-esque drumming and the artfully lo-fi recording. As with some of my favorite Italian records, it can take a couple of listens to hear past the brick-wall intensity, but the music is so dense with original ideas and truly face-melting musicianship that 100% Hazaarulas totally rewards that extra time investment.

Diode: 2 12" (Under the Gun Records) I thought this LA band’s first LP was killer, and so far I like 2 just as much. The lo-fi aesthetic, synths, and jittery rhythms are gonna make some people think egg punk (I notice the label’s description studiously avoids the term), but this feels like it’s part of a longer tradition of punk music with synths. Diode alternates between stiff rhythms that might make you think of early Devo or the Deadbeats and moments of pure pop that recall more mainstream 80s sounds. Now that I think about it, it’s like the mix of tones on Devo’s Freedom of Choice, which is an excellent album to model yours after. It’s not really retro, though, as “Card Dealer” and “Fear” both sound very modern, like music that couldn’t have been made before now (Powerplant gives me a similar feeling). I also like that while the first album was a short burst, Diode takes their time on 2, sitting with parts a little longer and making room for experiments like the unique-sounding intro.

Alienator: Time to Die 7" (Unlawful Assembly Records) I’ve been a big fan of all Alienator’s previous material, and this new 5-song EP continues to tread the same bruising path. Maybe it’s just me, but every Alienator release seems a little more over the top than the last, and it certainly doesn’t feel like the band is holding back on Time to Die, from the countless dive bombs to the gratuitous breakdowns to the killer cover illustration. It’s all way over the top, but at the same time Time to Die delivers riff after riff, the band generating punishingly heavy rhythms. The last time I saw Alienator they covered “Lifestyles,” and Kings of Punk is a solid reference point for the brawniness of their sound on Time to Die. There’s also a nod to Sick of it All on the cover, and there are moments here that wouldn’t be out of place on Blood, Sweat, and No Tears either. A killer, punishing hardcore record.

Parsnip: Behold 12" (Upset the Rhythm) It’s been a few years since we heard from this Melbourne band whom I’ve always really liked. Even before I listened to Behold, its artwork (particularly when taken alongside the long gap between releases) seemed to hint at a shift in direction, with its earthy color palette and fisheye cover photo bringing to mind The Left Banke’s Too. I don’t know if Parsnip meant the artwork to be a signal that they’ve gone baroque pop, but Behold is certainly poppy and there’s a hell of a lot going on. The music is densely layered, diving fully into psychedelia with “Duality,” but at other moments more in the vein of the Fall / early the Clean-influenced clatter that’s been a through-line in Aussie punk of the last decade or two. Interestingly, while Behold seems like an ambitious album to me—its thirteen songs and 34-minute running time feel epic by today’s standards—its release has been fairly low-key, with only a UK pressing on Upset the Rhythm so far. Behold’s length and density mean I’m going to need to sit with for a while to fully appreciate it, and my fellow stateside fans should nail down a copy while they can.

Despertá: demo cassette (self-released) 8-song demo cassette from this band that’s based in Newfoundland in the far northeast of Canada, but whose members come from across the Americas. While the presentation is raw, heavy, and hardcore, Despertá’s music isn’t monochromatic in the way so much hardcore is. Many parts are pretty and haunting with a post-punk / death rock influence, some parts that are fast and intense, and other parts are heavy and bruising. The band makes all these sounds their own, particularly given their drummer’s distinctive stuttering rhythms, which carry through all the tones and styles on the tape. The vocals are cool too, high-pitched yelling that makes me think of Sad Boys. Recommended if you like sounds from out-of-the-way places that couldn’t have come together anywhere else.