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What’s up Sorry Staters?

Welp, here we are again in January giving you our run down of the year we just got done with. Man, 2022… What a year it’s been! But now it’s time to say goodbye with a little reflection. Prepare for yet another year-end wrap up with lots of over-indulgent blabbing:

As the years keep whippin’ on by, I still think to myself things like, “Whatever, 2013 wasn’t that long ago.” And then I have to slap myself and realize like, WHOA, that was 10 YEARS AGO. How does that happen? Speaking of which, 2022 was kind of a blur for me. I don’t wanna seem crude, and I’m trying to tread lightly when I say this, but 2022 is kinda the first year since Covid happened that almost felt… normal? Which of course, normal for me meant doing the most traveling I’ve ever done in my life! But, I went back and read my year-end review from 2021 and you can tell I was still in a place of being excited at the prospect of punk gigs actually being able to happen. Kinda wild. But to review, my bands went to a couple fests here on the east coast, I flew overseas to Europe not 1.. not 2… but 3 times! And not to mention, played some amazing shows, met some great people, ate some killer food, and picked up a few records along the way. Not too shabby. Let’s hope 2023 has similar good times to offer.

Really, even in the midst of a pandemic, the last few years have been really great and exciting for new releases in hardcore & punk, and 2022 was no exception. There are so many great releases that came out in the past year, easily more than 10 worth mentioning. I wanna try to touch on everything I enjoyed this year, but I’m still going to fully commit to the “Top 10” format, and I’ve narrowed it down to these:

1. The Annihilated: Submission To Annihilation 12” - The UK powerhouse. What a band. After that demo cassette (which I somehow didn’t manage to get a copy of goddammit!), this LP delivered on so many levels. The poster sleeve packaging and art is top notch. The recording is powerful, but raw. And I just feel like this band, particularly Bobby, the singer, embody the genuine spirit of true hardcore. Real as it gets.
2. White Stains: Blood On The Beach 7” - Funny to include a record for 2022… in 2023.. that has a song called “2021.” The music was streamable online over a year ago, but Sorry State didn’t stock the actual 7” until like March or something, so I gotta include this bad boy. What a great record. Mean and snarling, but also tuneful and catchy in the style of the California punk these dudes are clearly influenced by. Now this band is over with, but great records came out while they lasted. Kills.
3. The Wanted: Demo cassette - People might think I’m funny for including this cassette because I only discovered it recently, but man, I just love it. If you haven’t heard The Wanted from Salem, MA yet, then make sure you track down this cassette. Seriously one of my favorite hardcore recordings in recent memory. Great songwriting. Straight to the point. The singer to me is practically a dead ringer for Alec MacKaye, and the band even kinda sounds like early The Faith. The vocals feel intense and sincere. The drummer Nate was nice enough to mail me a couple cassettes with a hand-written note included pen-pal style. In the note, he said The Wanted has newer material coming soon that he thinks is better than this cassette. If that’s the case, I better buckle up.
4. Long Knife: Curb Stomp Earth 12” - The Portland vets have done it yet again. I feel certain that with the buzz that was happening around this LP that this will make many other people’s year-end lists as well. From their first LP Wilderness, I’ve kept track of Long Knife’s releases through the years. But this new LP felt really ambitious and kinda out there with the song arrangements and production. It felt almost risky to me, which I like. Almost like when The Damned got super lush with the instrumentation on their later records. Maybe not exactly, but you get the idea. Definitely a fun listen that remained on my turntable for several weeks.
5. Invertebrates: Summer Tour CS - My homies! This isn’t nepotism, I love this band. I liked the first cassette that Sorry State released, but the batch of songs on this cassette really knocked me out. Playing that ripping Career Suicide-style clean guitar kinda hardcore, which is what the world needs. If the amount of activity and attention this band has gotten within the last year or so is any indication, then they’re doing something right. Talk of the town is that Invertebrates are gonna release a 12”. These punks will lead us into the future.
6. Warthog: 5th 7” - I would be remiss if I didn’t include my Warthog boiz. More than 10 years strong, and now a ripping 3-song EP in 2022. All crushers. When I look back at my summer in 2022 and think about the run of shows Warthog and Public Acid did together, it really was the time of my life. Hope I get to see my Hogz destroy more audiences in 2023.
7. Indre Krig: Destroyer 7" - A band that snuck up on me in 2022 and now I feel like is going to murder it in 2023—especially after seeing them and hearing this 7”. I met most of the members of this band within just a few minutes of being at Ungdomshuset in Copenhagen when I was in Denmark for the K-Town Hardcore fest. All great people. But then, seeing them play later in the summer, I was like FUCK. When Scarecrow played with them, they covered “It’s OK” by Koro. Me and Daniel met eyes in the crowd and were like “hell yeah.”
8. Vidro: Glöd 12” - I could go into depth about how great this record is again, but you should just read my staff pick from like a week ago.
9. Gefyr: S/T 12" - A a sorta under-the-radar Swedish hardcore release this year. So stoked Sorry State was able to lock down a few copies for distro. Total No Security style. RIPS.
10. Peace de Résistance: Bits and Pieces 12" - I debated whether or not to include this in my Top 10, just because this release was so closely knit with Sorry State happenings this year. But if I’m being honest with myself, I listened to this LP consistently and regularly throughout the year. I remember a friend of mine saying early on when this record first came out, “I guess Peace De Resistance is cool, but I’d rather have another Glue record.” I couldn’t disagree more. What Moses created in this project checks so many boxes for me. Like a creepy Bowie or Lou Reed with Eno-esque melodicism and an aloof yet poignant vocal performance like Mark E Smith or Howard Devoto. Tasteful and understated, yet full of rock’n’roll swagger. What a great record.

Weirdly, I always feel strange including Sorry State releases in these sorta things, almost like we’re patting ourselves on the back or something. But man, I gotta acknowledge Shaved Ape, Yleiset Syyt, and Sirkka that we released this year. This is kinda cheating I guess, but if I had decided to do things differently, then they would also absolutely appear in my “Best Of” list.

--- Honorable Mentions! ---- I just have to throw these on here, because honestly, most of these should be on my Top 10 list because of how much I listened to them. Most of my favorites from this past year were actually cassettes, and I know that most of them are just previews of the proper records that will surely make my “Best of 2023” list:

• Electric Chair: Act of Aggression CS - Best of the best, as expected. Can’t wait for this record in LP format.
• Gripe: Déjame Solo CS - Even though I loved that LP on Neon Taste that came out this year, Gripe’s 4-song cassette is what really grabbed my attention. A band from Chile playing in ferocious style that reminds of Amde Petersen’s Arme? Sign me up.
• The Hell: Promo CS - This new band out of Cleveland gave me a stoke attack when I first heard it. I was almost hospitalized. Surely their LP coming on Not For The Weak will be a highlight next year.
• Nukies: Can’t You Tell That This Is Hell CS - Ripping new band out of Sweden. Members of Axe Rash I believe? I think this same recording is going to be a 12” on Adult Crash.
• Personal Damage: Violent Ritual CS - Another ripper from these LA punks. Do they have like 4? Maybe 5 releases now? This might be my favorite yet.
• Save Our Children/Stunted Youth: Split Tour CS - 2 bands that absolutely destroyed when they played in NC. Texans playing fast hardcore. Absolutely killer. I don’t play cassettes on the regular, but if this recording was pressed onto a split 12” and I’d listened to it more, I’m sure I would’ve put it in my top 10.

Also:

• Slan: Skiter I Allt 7” - Killer Swedish hardcore. US press coming soon ;)
• Stray Bullet: Factory 7” - My Sheffield hardcore punk boiz. They absolutely wrecked K-town. Hope to see my boy Crawford sooner than later.
• Straw Man Army: SOS 12” - I wish my tastes were refined enough to rank this in my top 10. It’s really that good. Adventurous and ambitious outer space kinda take on punk.
• Chainsaw: When Will We Die? 7" - A Boston ripper that came in right toward the end of the year. So fucking good.
• Ammo: Web of Lies 12" - NJ hardcore played mean, fast and tough the way it should be. Nuff said. Hope this band has more releases in the oven.
• Warchild: A Question For Today 12" - I know this band has other releases from years prior, but this LP really caught my attention. Swedish style riffing at its finest.
• Innocent: Architects of Despair 12" - Kinda crusty hardcore from Boston with high-pitched banshee vocals. Definitely killer. I think some of the same people are also in Lifeless Dark. Can’t wait to hear that new LP later this year.
• Savageheads: Service To Your Country 12” - Duh.

Another Top 10 of 2022 that has nothing to do with new records (more or less):

1. Best food. Damn, I ate so much so food in so many different places this year. But, it’s pretty hard to compete with a vegan full English breakfast with the company of Tom Ellis. We hit the same spot each time I visited London—once in the summer with Scarecrow, and the second when Public Acid went over for Damage Is Done fest. I’m craving some bubble just thinking about it.
2. Best record store visited. Really, I didn’t visit quite as many record stores in my travels this year as you might expect. If it were up to me, I would’ve hit a different record store in every city I visited this year. One of my favorites I did get to visit while in London was probably Lee Dorian’s store Rise Above Records. It was just cool to hang out in there, cool flyers all over the walls. But the punk section record bins were just stuffed full of og bangers in great shape for really good prices. I probably bought like every single Damned record I didn’t have. Another shop in London we went to was also great, simply called The Little Record Shop. Tiny little place, but cool and collectible records everywhere. Punk, but also reggae, psych, you name it. The owner was super friendly, just handing me and the gang huge stacks of punk singles he hadn’t priced yet. Okay, one more. I also had a great time visiting Second Beat Records in Copenhagen. I walked there from the venue in Copenhagen with no internet service haha. But I found it! Another pretty small shop, but they had a bunch of great rare punk 7”s for sale when I visited. I had to spring for one record, so I got my og Electric Deads at that shop. I had to buy something Danish, right?
3. Best record score. As far as collecting goes, 2022 really wasn’t my biggest year for scoring crazy rare or expensive records. Seriously! Of course, I grabbed a few records here and there, but I tried to watch my spending with all the traveling I did this year. I did manage one pretty big score. A special version of a record I wanted so badly that finally actually getting my hands on one… let’s just say it quelled my need to constantly hunt for records for quite a while. Most of my friends know I love Poison Idea. I may consider them my favorite band on any given day. This year, after many years of hunting, I finally locked down an original Portland Edition of Kings of Punk with all the posters, inserts, sticker, etc. A holy grail for me! Funny enough, 2022 also ended up being the year the Portland Edition was reissued with faithful reproductions of all the posters and everything. Who knew? While a copy with repro- posters probably would’ve satiated my hunger temporarily, I got the real deal on Pusmort, so I’m happy.
4. Favorite live band. Man, I don’t think I can narrow it down to just one. I saw so many great bands play this year. Seeing Warthog destroy crowds several nights in a row was pretty amazing. Uzi from Bogota was so killer. I got to see Electric Chair in Copenhagen AND New York, always a pleasure. Both Rat Cage and Stray Bullet annihilated at K-Town. Speaking of which, The Annihilated in Sheffield was raging. The whole gig at the new Lughole in Sheffield was a highlight of the year. Seeing Golpe like 10 times in a row (with Daniel on guitar!) touring with Scarecrow was awesome. Indre Krig in Copenhagen. I got to see Vidro twice, and they were totally killer. SHIT played the best set I’ve ever seen them play when I was in Toronto. They covered Crucifix and Blitz (mwah, chef’s kiss). I could go on and on, but I’ll leave it there.
5. Public Acid / Warthog. This trip was so fucking great. My first time in Europe! It was only 4 shows. Public Acid and Warthog played together at 3 of them, one show in Amsterdam and 2 shows in Germany, and then we made our way to K-town. A couple of these gigs were the best shows I’ve ever played. Even so, looking back the main thing I remember is just hanging out in the van and goofing off with everybody. At first, I definitely felt a little shy on the trip. But within a day or 2 I was having a blast. Those Warthog dudes are some of the funniest motherfuckers out there. I was laughing the whole time. Hope me and my dudes grab an Aperol Spritz and “do one” by a river real soon. Acid-Hog forever.
6. Scarecrow euro tour. What an adventure. My first full European tour, which is something I’ve always wanted to do playing in hardcore punk bands all these years. So many places, so many cool people. There’s so many details I could get into, but it would be a whole other full-length write-up. With the exception of breaking down in France and being stuck there for a few days, it was a life-affirming experience.
7. New band. My buddy Eric moved back to NC this year. Before too long, Meat House started. We recruited Alex who plays drums in Mutant Strain, and we got Keith who sang in White Stains to do vocals. I play bass, which is a nice change of pace from my other bands. I’m really excited about this band. We recorded in October, so hopefully we’ll have something coming out this year. Hell yeah!
8. Bunker Punks stuff. Me n’ Usman’s label put out 2 releases this year: The 2nd 7” by our band Scarecrow and a 7” by our other project Fatal. We’re stoked on how they both turned out. We’ve got some exciting plans for 2023. More news on all that coming soon!
9. New Year’s weekend. I’d never been to Canada before. Public Acid played a “SHITmas” showcase in association with Not Dead Yet. That ruled. Also, our show in Cleveland was absolutely amazing. You gotta check out Prototype Collective, it was the first show at this new spot and Cleveland is lucky to have it. But then, who would’ve thought I’d spend New Year’s Eve in Montreal? We were all wasted and went to get poutine at 4am. Pretty rad. Then, when trying to re-enter the country I got harassed at the border because apparently there’s a murderous criminal who has my same name? That was pretty wild. Then our show in Boston on New Year’s Day was killer. The show was over by 10pm, and 4 of 5 Acidz drove straight through the night back to Richmond. Woohoo!
10. Seeing old friends and making new ones. I don’t wanna get too mushy right at the end here, but one of the best things about this year was all the people I encountered. I mean, the last couple years before 2022, I felt lucky to get to see anyone at all. I don’t mean to sound cheesy, but one of the amazing things about all this punk nonsense is that it brings you to places you’ve never been and people you barely know are waiting with open arms and hospitality. Some of these people I got to see more than once in a single year. I feel so lucky. Some folks I only spent a little bit of time with, but now I feel like we’ll be friends for life. I was happy to see Jim and Amy from Philly several times this year. Richard and Lia in Cleveland. Christina hosting Public Acid and Scarecrow while we were in Copenhagen. Going to Sweden and having Mattis from Dissekerad just hop in the van and tag along on tour for a few days. Meeting Jocke from D-Takt and Poffen while we were in Uppsala. All the dudes in Golpe. Bry and Crawford in Sheffield. Paco and Tom Ellis. Nils and Monika carting around Warthog and Public Acid. Scarecrow’s tour driver Liese <3. I could go on and on. Puts a smile on my face thinking about everybody.

Alright all ya crazy punk-ass mofos, that’s all I’ve got. Here’s hoping 2023 is another good one. As always, thanks for reading, and being patient in indulging me and my incoherent ramblings.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

What’s up Sorry Staters?

How’s everyone doing? Lately, I’ve been feeling alright. I go through bouts where my spirits are up and down, but for whatever reason maybe 2023 is off to a good start. Last week’s shows that Scarecrow played along with Flower and Destruct were really great. I’m not sure if any of them would be reading this or are even aware of Sorry State, but there was a whole new crop of kids that came to the show at The Fruit here in NC. Tall, skinny teenage dudes with foot-tall mohicans. I love to see it. I was them once. I loved street punk and bands like A Global Threat (honestly, I still like AGT haha). Gives me hope that more younger people will start coming out to punk gigs in town. Maybe they’ll even start a killer band! Who knows?

Speaking of it now being 2023, we’re almost 3 weeks into the year and Sorry State is finally talking about “year-end lists” for 2022. It’s so hard for me to pick favorites. Shit, it’s hard enough to even remember what records came out in the last year. A record that I’ve seen appear on many people’s “Best of 2022” lists is the latest LP from Long Knife, Curb Stomp Earth. And I would agree! I definitely spun that record a lot this year.

Probably planned to coincide with the release of their new LP, Black Water just reissued the first 2 LPs by Long Knife. With all the people of the internets hyping Curb Stomp Earth, I wonder how many people are familiar with their earlier material. I will admit that it’s been many years since I’ve revisited those records. I bought both of them when they came out. I was thinking back, and I remember I bought Wilderness around the time my old band Mercy Killings played with Long Knife. If I remember correctly, I think we played their shows in NC and in Richmond on that tour. Maybe I’m wrong about that, but Richmond for sure. I had to check back and see when Wilderness came out, and I was shocked to see that it came out in 2013. 10 YEARS AGO! I was trippin’ on that. I had a brief moment of feeling like an old man and that I’ve been doing this punk shit for too long. But I then I threw on this LP and that feeling subsided pretty quickly haha.

This first LP holds up super well. Before I’d heard Long Knife back those many years ago, they were billed to me as, “Dude, they sound like Poison Idea.” Which, sure, I get it. They’re from Portland. They got those riffs. And yeah, the singer Colin’s snarling vocals do kinda recall Jerry A. But I think simply calling them a Poison Idea rip off is selling them short. Clear influence or not, I think Long Knife has their own stamp with the way they write songs. I would say when comparing it to Curb Stomp Earth, the first record is definitely less dense and ambitious with the arrangements and whacky instrumentation. Wilderness is obviously a more straight ahead hardcore record. That said, it’s clear within just a couple minutes that these dudes are seasoned and can really play. The record starts off a bit slow, with this pounding intro heavy on the toms on the drums. Then the first song “Artificial Heart Recall” is like this frantic, octane-driven mid-paced song. But then a song like “Ghost in the Hall” really stands out, kicking off with this sort of moody, minor chord style riff and sing-along chorus. It really caught me off guard. But I remember even back in the day when I first got this record, I was totally just blown away by the B-side. The one-two punch of “Reptile Smile” into “Back To Blackout” is like hardcore mastery to me. The B-side is just heater after heater. The last track “Move It Creep” comes in with this drum intro that has a kinda like phaser or flange effect. So really, even on the first record, they were experimenting with some cool ideas in the production. There’s like blazing harmonized guitar leads, ripping bass fills… some good musicianship sneaks its way into Long Knife’s songwriting. My only complaint about this record is that it feels short. It’s basically 9 songs played on a 45 RPM 12”, but it flies right by. As I’m writing this, I flipped the disc like 6 times. I guess it’s clear that I still like it!

So yeah, I’ve been gushing about Wilderness the whole time, but Long Knife’s 2nd 12”, Meditations on Self Destruction, is also back in print. Sorry State just stocked a bunch of copies of each record. So, if you missed out on these earlier releases in the Long Knife catalog, make sure you remedy that ASAP.

Anyway, that’s all I’ve got this week. As always, thanks for reading.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

What’s up Sorry Staters?

Even after getting back from my trip a couple weeks ago with Public Acid, it already feels like life is getting busy here at home again. As I’m writing this, I’m simultaneously gearing up for a gig happening in NC tonight. Tonight (which is Wednesday) Scarecrow is playing with Flower from NYC, along with our buddies in Destruct and a brand new NC band called Overgrown Throne. Should be a sick gig. Tomorrow night (Thursday) we’re also playing Flower’s show in Richmond. So where is there time to sit down and wax poetic about punk records? But when duty calls to bang out incoherent ramblings for our weekly newsletter, I’m up for the task!

I feel like I gotta talk about this Vidro record. Vidro is based out of Stockholm, Sweden, but a few of the members are transplants from USA and Brazil. The band’s latest LP Glöd came out in Europe in the earlier half of 2022, but the States are now blessed with a fresh vinyl pressing courtesy of Beach Impediment Records. I was lucky enough to see Vidro live a couple times this summer in a few of my ventures overseas. The first time I saw them was in June at the K-Town fest in Copenhagen when I was there with Public Acid and Warthog. I can’t remember if they played Friday or Saturday, but they played later on the bill and at the time I was more or less unfamiliar with them. The room at Ungdomshuset was PACKED with sweaty punks. As Vidro began to play, the stage was dimly lit and these 4 figures on stage were shrouded in a cloud of mystery. I just remember standing toward the back of the venue and thinking how powerful they sounded. It was intense. Maybe even a little scary. But then later on that night, I was chatting with Tadzio from Golpe over by the merch tables. It somehow came up in our conversation that Staffan, who plays drums in Vidro, also played in Kurt I Kuvös and an incarnation of Headcleaners. Now, me being the Swedish punk nerd that I am, I totally flipped out when I learned this information. Staffan came over to us at some point when we were talking, and I proceeded to punish him for a few minutes about his bands of yesteryear. He was super friendly.

THEN, fast-forward to a month-or-so later when I was in Germany on Scarecrow tour… In Hamburg, Scarecrow ended up playing Vidro’s last gig of their tour. This time, instead of appearing dark and mysterious on a big stage, I got to see Vidro perform in a more intimate and exposed environment. All the bands that night played on the floor of this squat in Hamburg (which I can’t remember the name of). Vidro delivered a powerful performance once again, but intense and convicted as they are, I remember the energy in the room being more fun and lighthearted. But people in the crow did go the fuck off. It was killer. At the end of the night, Scarecrow and Vidro hung out outside by our respective tour vehicles, and we all chatted for a while. They all seemed like super cool people.

And even after all of this, I STILL hadn’t heard Vidro’s new LP yet. Now, having listened to it many times, it’s safe to say that it’s killer. I think Vidro’s sound really stands out. They’re something special, like a breath of fresh smoke. I find Vidro to be pretty unique in the landscape of current punk and hardcore. Lucas the guitar player’s sound is blaring on this record. And I’m not sure if they have chorus on them or what, but the guitars have this wobbly, dissonant, kinda other-worldy effect on them. While the riffs come through clearly, the wash of noise underneath gives Vidro’s sound this eerie and cloudy atmosphere. Almost kinda droney in a way. That said, Lucas and the bass player Melody weave through these kinda slithering riffs that are heavy and nasty sounding, but also incredibly catchy. Like wobbly, slithering ear worms. While I’d certainly say that Vidro is a hardcore band, I would also say they play at this pounding, heavy mid-paced tempo more often than they play ripping fast. Staffan plays the drums with this heavy-handed, straight-down-the-middle kind of attack… almost kinda like 4-on-the-floor but if it were hardcore drumming! No wonder it’s so dancy. Then the singer Vendela just delivers the vocals with a powerful, commanding presence, barked and chanted with such intensity. I remember watching her just kinda owning her space and staring down the crowd while Vidro played in Hamburg. I probably tried to avoid eye contact haha. This record sounds explosive. You can really hear the dynamics and energy in the room. It feels as exciting and has a total vibe as if you were in the room with Vidro while they’re playing. You can taste the blood, you can feel the sweat, you can smell the crusty armpits.

So yeah, check out this record if you haven’t yet. I heard through the grapevine that Vidro might be coming to tour USA in 2023. Look forward to that.

Alright you freaxxx, that’s all I’ve got this week. As always, thanks for reading.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

What’s up Sorry Staters?

It’s a New Year! Exciting, right? At least I know it’s already been off to a good start for me. I just returned from my trip with Public Acid. We played 4 shows, all with exceedingly long drives from one location to the next. But all the shows were so good that it was worth it. We started off in Cleveland. We played the very first gig hosted in this brand new warehouse space that is being run by friends of ours. It was killer. Yambag and Sorry State alumni Woodstock 99 also played. Then we were off to Toronto. My first time ever in Canada! The show was basically a Not Dead Yet offshoot. We played with our friends in Poison Ruin, and SHIT closed out the show and totally tore the roof off the place. Then we spent New Year’s Eve in Montreal. Played once again with No Fucker. Public Acid got playing after some technical difficulties, and the clock struck midnight while we were still in the middle of playing. So there were no big cheers to “Happy New Year” or anything, but the bar did have free champagne for us, which was nice.

Then our last show was in Boston. This was my first experience playing in a proper VFW hall. I guess technically they called it a “legion hall.” To be honest, I don’t really know what that means. There was a small bar in the middle of the hall where a bunch of old men were hanging out drinking Budweiser. Probably just scowling at all the punks filling up the place. The bartenders were super friendly, but there was a still a part of me that was thinking these people do NOT want us here haha. In the big open room where all the bands played, a giant American eagle sculpture towered above the drum set. Pretty funny.

By the time we arrived, we only caught a few songs of that band Intensive Care Unit. Then, The Massacred played. It was the record release show for their new EP Post-Mortem. To me, it always seems like Boston bands have a high bar for sound, presentation and the way they play. Tight as FUCK. I was watching the guitar player’s picking hand, and there was no triplet or fast picking played outta time. Military style. The same goes for this 7”. You can hear how well-executed it is. The gruff, barking vocals are commanding and the riffs are super catchy. It seems like they’re going for kind of a UK82 style, but there’s an element of how the band puts it together that still undeniably US hardcore. But even the sleeve looks like it could a release on Riot City or something… outside glue tabs, thumb cut, and all that. The stamped dust sleeve is also a nice touch. Beautiful packaging. Sorry State already had copies in stock by the time we got to Boston and played this show. Definitely make sure all you punks grab a copy from us.

Savageheads also played and were great, as always. The show was over by 10pm, and we decided to break up the drive so that we didn’t need to drive straight to Richmond from Boston in one drive (and in my case, then head to North Carolina after that). We hopped in the van and discussed our options. We talked about possibly staying in Philly on the way home. I dozed off in the van expecting to take a shift driving if someone got too sleepy. I woke up who knows how much later in a McDonald’s parking lot. One of the dudes in the band said, “Guess what? We’re in Virginia.” Without knowing it, I found myself in Richmond at 8am. What a wild ride.

I feel like less than a week into 2023, we’re already getting some fresh bangers. Can’t wait to see what other killer punk releases this year yields. Speaking of which, all you Sorry Staters make sure you pre-order that Sirkka 7”. It’s one of my favorite releases we’ve put out in quite a while. Don’t sleep on it!!

That’s all I’ve got I suppose. As always, thanks for reading.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

What’s up Sorry Staters?

The weather is nasty as hell today as Dom and I are standing behind the counter at the store trying to bang out some words for y’all to digest. Funny enough, we’ve been super busy early on today at the store, which is a nice shift from last couple weeks. I guess there’s not much to do in Raleigh on a rainy day besides shop for records. The holiday season usually yields a surge of people coming in looking for Elton John and shit like that, so maybe this last week or so we will be slammed.

So, I’ve got something different this time around. Rather than talking about a record we’re stocking here at Sorry State, I’m gonna talk about my indulgence in silly internet entertainment. I spend a lot of my downtime watching YouTube videos. Like, more than I’d like to admit. One new trend I’ve noticed that seems to be a total product of what you can do with technology these days is people remixing or reworking classic records. That sounds kinda vague, but does anyone know what I’m talking about?

I’ll try to get into this in a roundabout way. Has anyone heard the new Metallica song? It’s called “Lux Æterna,” and it’s admittedly not the greatest thing ever. I heard one person review the song and refer to the main riff in the song as a “boomer riff,” which I found funny for some reason. But honestly, I love the first 4 Metallica records. And knowing how awful their recorded output was in the 90s and onward, I always set a pretty low bar for expectations when a new Metallica track comes out. And with this new song, I didn’t love it, but I don’t exactly hate it. It’s just kinda phoned-in, I think. I bet it’s hard to make aggressive music when you’re sleeping on silk sheets. I immediately recognized the references to “Overkill” by Motorhead and Diamond Head, so at least it doesn’t sound like St. Anger or something.

But here’s the thing. Has anyone heard these things where people re-record band’s songs with tones to sound like they’re on a different record? Like for example, “What if ‘Enter Sandman’ was on Master of Puppets?” I’m not joking, people really make videos like this. To my knowledge, it seems like what these people do is totally reconstruct the songs from the ground up and re-record the performances themselves. Which is NUTS. Recording technology has come such a long way that I guess you can download a profile of a guitar tone that is pre-made and that sounds pretty damn accurate to the tone on the record. And I guess you can do that with drum sounds too. So what I assume happens is these dudes program a drum track with some sort of program like EZ drummer, then plug their guitar directly into an interface and use a plug-in to nail album-appropriate guitar sounds, and THEN take the vocal track from the original record and chop it up to fit their reworked track. Sorry, that’s a lot… You following what I’m saying? I gotta say, lots of YouTubers do this kinda thing, and the quality of people nailing the sound and character of different Metallica albums really varies. But this one I stumbled across recently, this YouTuber StateOfMercury took “Lux Æterna” and totally re-did the song so that it sounds as if it were on Kill ‘Em All. Now, James Hetfield’s vocals on this new song would probably sound out of place on Kill ‘Em All these days, so this dude got someone to do his best young Hetfield impression. It’s also interesting, because StateOfMercury in his reimaginings doesn’t necessarily replicate the riffs exactly like the original. He sort of alters them to sound more like something the band would write during the era which he’s trying to replicate. I find it super clever.

Anyway, this is all incredibly nerdy, but I find it pretty interesting. He has several videos where he totally reimagines Metallica songs as if they were on different albums. New songs on old albums, but also old songs on newer albums. It’s wild. And funny enough, “Lux Æterna” being redone as if it were done by a young and hungry early Metallica almost fools me into thinking it’s a rad song. Check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qONdZg95Vi8

I guess this is kind of a weird write-up for the newsletter, but I thought it’d be fun to talk about. That’s all I’ve got this week. As always, thanks for reading. Happy Holidays!

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

What’s up Sorry Staters?

It’s so funny that Daniel and I both wrote about the Stains last week. It was definitely kind of a face-palm moment for me. Especially because Daniel’s assessment of the hysteria surrounding the reissue was constructed much more eloquently than my usual sub-level-IQ ramblings.

This week, I think I’ve got something a little different. I’m even gonna talk about some Sorry State releases of years past! Sorry State has a work chat which we sometimes use for the sole purposes of bullshitting about music and turning each other onto new records. Former SSR employee, buddy, and all-around legend Seth still chimes in on our thread every once in a while. Recently, Seth brought up the UX Vileheads 7”, which admittedly I hadn’t listened to in yeeeears. I dug my copy out of my 7” bins and threw that sucker on and MAN, I forgot how good that record is! Listening to the record though, I can safely say that not only has it aged well, but it’s amazing. This made me feel… well, not nostalgic exactly, but listening to UX Vileheads made me want to revisit some other records I hadn’t listened to in a while. I just got a lil flutter in my stomach remembering being a teenager and loving hardcore circa 2007 or whenever it was.

I think about this all the time, but there was really something special going on with hardcore in the Scandinavian region during the early-to-mid 2000’s. I still listen to those Regulations records on the regular. And when I talk with friends of mine, it seems like Amde Petersen’s Arme has reached legendary status. But when I was breaking out my old 7”s the other day, I had forgotten how much I love those Instängd records. I listened to all 3 of them in a row the other day and was just raging in my living room. Funny enough, I’m pretty sure the band featured one of the dudes from Refused. But I remember Daniel telling me that conceptually, the band was formed with each member purposefully playing an instrument they’d never played—or at least playing the instrument they were least proficient at. And you can totally tell. Those records sound so sloppy, urgent and raw in the best possible way. I dunno man, I think about this a lot. Sometimes when punk bands are too good at their instruments, it reads as more stiff than it does exciting. The way those Instängd records sound is so intense, in part because it feels so primitive and like the band might fall apart at any second. It’s so awesome. But I think the main aspect the band did have going for them is they wrote really cool songs. Simple, but also fresh and with songwriting ideas that catch you off guard at times. On their first 7” Mitt Svar På Ingenting (released on Sorry State Records in 2007 😎), the first song “Vansinne” opens guns-a-blazing with this kinda nasty, hap-hazard guitar lead. And while I love the first 7” so much, I will say my favorite is probably the 2nd EP, Konkret Och Brutal. The opening riff on the title track just sounds like classic hardcore, but still played with that explosive, but cavemanish ferociousness. So damn catchy, too. I think all 3 of the bands 7”s are like modern classics.

You can still find these records used out in the wild for just a few bucks. To me that’s a more-than-worthy investment. I’ll probably be spending my weekend drinking beer and revisiting more Swedish punk of yesteryear and totally loving it. Hope you take some pride in your favorite dollar-bin 7”s this week as well. Who knows? Maybe one day those records will be hard to find.

Anyway, that’s really all I’ve got to say. As always, thanks for reading.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

What’s up Sorry Staters?

Wow, is this my first newsletter back since I went to London? Kinda wild. That trip already feels like it happened a while ago. I’m already back in the swing of things here at the good ol’ SSR. I had such a blast with my Acid in London, not to mention all the cool people I got to hang out with during Damage Is Done fest. Ola did such a great a job with the fest and I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to spend a long weekend in London. Hot groups tearin’ it up, 2 of the best record stores I’ve ever visited in my life, oh and of course a crew of people taking mushrooms and pounding Buckfast in a park at 4am. Good times.

So now on to talking about my so-called staff pick. It might be low-hanging fruit, but I’m gonna talk about the Stains reissue. Should “reissue” be in finger quotes? When Daniel told me, much to his surprise as well, that Sorry State would be stocking a brand spankin’ new version of the legendary 1983 debut by the LA Stains, I thought to myself: “FINALLY.” The Stains LP has gained a lot of mystique you might say, in part because it’s one of the major early SST releases that has never been back in print since the 80s. Criminal, if you ask me, because the record is GOOD. Top shelf in my book. I threw on my copy again recently, inspired by the excitement surrounding this long-awaited reissue. Hate to use this turn of phrase, but this is another one of those greatly underappreciated hardcore records. Not unlike many SST releases, in-house engineer Spot worked on the Stains record – and you can tell. You can hear that dirgey, Black Flag-esque production in the guitar sound. But compared to other bands on SST, The Stains were just meaner, grittier, more frantic, more powerful, more unhinged. And why don’t more people feel this way? I would have to guess it’s because the record hasn’t been maintained in the historical consciousness of punk.

Almost like an accidentally well-kept secret of 80s LA hardcore, I think for a long time people weren’t really familiar with the record. I’ve heard a lot of stories from dudes a few years older than me who said you’d come across original copies used for like $20. Then one day, it cost more like $100, and in the post-pandemic record fiend economy, people are trying to sell the record for insane prices. But with no announcement, no advertisement, no warning, suddenly distro copies are available? Did SST finally cave and make this thing happen? Sorry State tried to get as many copies as we could, but ended up only being able to stock a handful. Of course, they sold out instantaneously. I could have called it ahead of time, but depending on how many copies SST produced, naturally there were not nearly enough copies available to satisfy the demand. Weirdly, it’s starting to feel like the reissue is becoming instantly hard to find, much like what happened with the original record. Which would really suck.

But that’s when the conspiracies started… If you haven’t been following along, let me fill you in: First thing I saw was people on the internet not even believing the reissue was real. Buuuut, obviously it is. People are buying them. I saw Sorry State’s copies with my own 2 eyes haha. The next thing was that people were saying these copies are actually bootlegs. Which is silly. They came from SST with their other titles, and if Greg Ginn was stocking a recently produced bootleg, then that would be totally hilarious. Then I started seeing several people purporting the idea that these Stains records that popped up out of the ether are not even reissues at all. Rather, maybe they are actually well-preserved deadstock copies that have been sitting in SST warehouses since the 80s. I could see where someone could get this impression. Apparently, the matrix is exactly the same as the original and the jacket layout is pretty convincing. On the internet, a bunch of people have been like, “It even still says $6.98 on the spine.” Which like, yeah cool, I guess. I dunno, I’m under the impression SST just used the same plates to press not nearly enough copies, and then reproduced the exact same jacket layout out of laziness. When I compare it to my 80s copy, the new jacket just seems too glossy and flimsy anyways. As I’m writing this I don’t have my copy in front of me to double check, but I can’t remember if mine’s a tip-on sleeve, but it definitely feels heavier. But then maybe the bigger ring indentation pressing of the first press is different from the 1987 pressing… Whatever, nerd shit. I have no idea. Maybe I’m wrong and these totally are 1987 deadstock copies.

Anyway, from afar, I’ve found the online frenzy surrounding this “reissue” (yep, finger quotes) wildly entertaining. Who knows? Maybe Lord Ginn will emerge from the shadows and illuminate us all with answers to this mystery. Until then, I really just fuckin’ hope that people who have been wanting this record for a long time (and for a reasonable price) can finally get their hands on it. That’s the point, right?

Anyway, that’s enough rambling from me for one week. As always, thanks for reading.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

What’s up Sorry Staters?

Don’t you find it funny when you discover unexpected things about yourself? I don’t talk about it too much here in our newsletter, but I do appreciate a bangin’ 60s psych tune from time to time. Whether it’s “Send Me A Postcard” by Shocking Blue or SF Sorrow-era Pretty Things, I do have a soft spot for this era of rock’n’roll. Another band who I’ve discovered has a few tunes that I think are bangers is Nazz. Whenever used Nazz records roll through Sorry State, we never price them super high and I’m not sure how well appreciated they are in the psychedelic rock community. But a song like “Forget All About It,” the opening track from Nazz’s 2nd LP, is just a total gem to my ears.

So, the thing about Nazz is the band featured a young Todd Rundgren. Rundgren’s solo stuff has never really grabbed my attention. Even with me digging into some Nazz stuff, I always assumed Rundgren’s solo stuff was more aligned with like proggy, flute-laden adult contemporary. Like a more hip Michael McDonald or something. Even with Greg Graffin from Bad Religion name-checking him as a favorite artist, I still never cared to give Rundgren the time of day. That said, at one point the dude must’ve been pretty damn popular because we get tons of used Todd Rundgren records from people’s collections constantly. So many, in fact, that we have a dedicated Todd Rundgren tab in our used classic rock section. When I’m filing records, I still give the occasional eye-roll as I flip past Rundgren’s thickly beefed out section, collecting months of dust as they don’t sell too often.

Now here’s where it gets interesting: the other day I was listening to a podcast about Big Star. Yes, I know. I’m one of those dudes. I can’t help it. Big Star’s obscure, sweet melodies get me in the feels like many-a cliché record nerd. Anyway, in the podcast, the hosts are discussing the making of Big Star’s 2nd album, Radio City. This album, of course, sees the absence of Big Star forming member Chris Bell, and has Alex Chilton taking over a grand majority of the songwriting and vocal performances. The hosts of the podcast were talking about Chilton’s influences and mentioned that at the time Radio City was being recorded, Chilton was super into Todd Rundgren. They go on to say that some of Rundgren’s early solo material was a glowing example and highly influential on what would later be described as “jangle” or “power pop”… to which I thought to myself, “Uh, seriously??” They played a short clip of a Todd Rundgren song I had never heard before... So, here’s me, sitting listening to this podcast, hearing this clip of an artist who I had rolled my eyes at for years and I think… “OH NO, do I actually LIKE Todd Rundgren??” Bahahahahahaha!!

The clip of the Rundgren song that played is called “Couldn’t I Just Tell You”. I went and looked up the song on YouTube and immediately just loved it. When I hear this song, to me it’s totally obvious how it would have been influential on Chilton’s songwriting. Lush, jangly guitars, hooky melodies, a sense of melancholy underneath the surface. It’s all there. Almost even kinda reminds of the good moments of Badfinger and bands in that vein. This track is from Rundgren’s 2nd solo record, Something / Anything?, which is a double album. Have I dived into the rest of songs on this 25-song album? HEELLLL no hahaha. Maybe I’ll give it a shot. I wouldn’t be surprised if I don’t like nearly as many songs as “Couldn’t I Just Tell You,” but hey, who woulda thought? From what I hear, a huge, expanded box set version of Something / Anything? Is coming out for the Black Friday Record Store Day drop in a couple weeks. Just in time to ruin my life. Will I actually end up taking one home with me? Probably not. Maybe I can get “Couldn’t I Just Tell You” on a single or something haha.

Before I get crucified for writing this, if any of you readers like a good melody and haven’t heard this song before, humor me and give it a shot. Even if you never listen to any other Rundgren song ever after that.

That’s all the nerding out I’ve got for ya this week. As always, thanks for reading.

Y’all probably won’t hear from me next week because I’ll be outta town gigging with Public Acid. But ‘til next time,

-Jeff

October has passed us by and I find myself feeling a bit of post-Halloween depression. I did feel a bit sad removing the decorations, pulling down all the spider webs and removing all the skulls and pumpkins we scattered all over the store. It was fun while it lasted. Appreciate all you locals who showed spirit and came to the store dressed in costume!

So what can cure these blues? How ‘bout some Charged GBH? I’m not sure how long it’s been since the classic records by the UK rippers GBH have been in print. I know every now and then we would get in used copies of those 00s Earmark pressings, which are fine. They had glossy looking packaging, but I feel like they were kinda pricey. Jah bless Radiation though, because now both iterations of “City Baby” and the singles collection LP are back in stock at Sorry State. I was talking to Dom at the store, and he was telling me that he and John Scott were jamming City Baby Attacked By Rats. I love that record, but I was like did you jam the first one? While of course I was a fan of City Baby, these days I still always gravitate toward Leather, Bristles, Studs and Acne. The reissue we just stocked is actually titled Leather, Bristles, No Survivors, and Sick Boys, which has the first 12” and a couple of the early singles squeezed onto one LP. Don’t get me wrong, City Baby’s Revenge has some bangers on it too. “Drug Party in 526”? Come on, classic.

I’ve loved GBH since I was like 14, the little spikey street punk that I was. While some bands from my street punk days have not aged quite as well for me, GBH still sounds as good to me, if not better than they ever did. That intro to “Race Against Time” still gets my blood boiling and makes me clench my fists. A stoke attack occurs every time I drop the needle. Whereas Discharge represented the stark, serious side of the Clay Records catalog, GBH captures the crude, mutant, brutish meathead, almost even funny side of UK82 hardcore. They’re equal parts Motorhead and Saturday morning cartoon. They’re simultaneously exciting and violently dangerous. Dead serious and cool looking in leather, while also goofy. Classic tracks like “Big Women” always come to mind. The lyrics in Sick Boy, “I’m like a sardine in a can… people taking notes, people in white coats!” Mental case, leather-clad mutant music. And because of that, I feel like GBH is sometimes underestimated. Great songs with catchy, crowd-chantable choruses that contain the perfect dose of heavy metal power. Huge guitars, powerful production. It’s rebellious, street-wise bad boy shit in the best way. I love it.

If you’re a sick boy who’s living their life on the edge of a knife, maybe it’s time to blast some GBH this weekend. This reissue comes with a poster that’s just a giant foldout of Colin, the singer. Kinda centerfoldish… Was he a punk heartthrob back in the day? I dunno…

Anyway, that’s all I’ve got to say this week. As always, thanks for reading.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

What’s up Sorry Staters?

Welcome to an especially spooky edition of our newsletter. I’m hoping the rest of the gang’s staff picks will similarly be in the spirit at the tail end of this October. Halloween is only a few days away and we’re trying to make sure the store is a comfortable place to visit for all the fiends and ghouls out there. I try to celebrate Samhain in as many ways as I can. I wish I were more on the ball with decorating, finding a cool costume, and making big Halloween plans like going to a haunted house or whatever. One thing I do always manage to squeeze in is watching movies.

Over the last several years, the 1989 movie Night of The Demons has become one of my all-time favorites. There’s so much to love about this movie. First off, I love that the events of the movie actually occur on Halloween night. I watch plenty of movies during the season of the witch that are spooky or have some sorta creature or crazed killer running around, but I love a movie that visually exudes the Halloween spirit. The basic plot of the movie is that a group of teenagers all meet at an abandoned crematorium to have a spooky Halloween party. The animated opening credits sequence is so awesome and really sets the mood. The cast of characters is great, namely my favorite dude Stooge, the heavy-set, foul-mouthed punker wearing the pig nose. Not to mention Amelia Kinkade as the party host Angela and the always great scream queen Linnea Quigley as the vain and boy-crazy Suzanne. There’s an angry old man who says horrible shit about kids having fun on Halloween, but then gets what he deserves (I won’t spoil it). The demon make-up effects are top-notch and super memorable, namely Linnea in the lipstick scene. While the film reads as low budget, there are some amazing dolly and POV shots that are super well-done. Blah blah, I could go on and on.

All this said, I gotta talk about the music in the movie. During the main party scene in the movie, all the characters are dancing and pounding beers to this heavy metal tune blasting out of a boombox (which happens to be covered in stickers, and a sneaky COC sticker makes an appearance, hell yeah!). The song that plays in the background is a song called “Computer Date”. If my brief research has any validity to it, I’m pretty sure the song was recorded by the director’s brother Dennis Tenney. If I imagine the scenario when Night of The Demons was being made, I could totally see the director Kevin Tenney being like, “Oh sure, brother Dennis, we can use one of your songs in the movie.” In the background of the scene, the song sounds pretty rockin’. It comes across like the perfect general beer-guzzling heavy metal tune a bunch of rowdy 1980s teenagers would rage to. But what’s crazy is that I’ve read Youtube comments on different uploads of “Computer Date,” and there are several people saying things like, “I remember waiting for this movie to play on HBO just so I could hear this song!” Which is super cool. I’m also pretty sure there wasn’t a soundtrack readily available when this movie came out. It’s interesting to imagine an era when a song that played in a movie was kind of a mystery. This was before internet sleuthing allowed all the information you needed to be right at your fingertips. Before you could watch Night of The Demons on streaming as many times as you wanted, or look up the song on Discogs. You either had to go rent the VHS tape at a video store or hope that it would play on late-night cable. Now, when I pay close attention to the song… Is it the most amazing heavy metal song I’ve ever heard? Not exactly haha. But I will admit that I do kinda love it, maybe in part because of its close association with this movie. It’s corny in some ways, but also charming, tongue-in-cheek, clever, kinda funny, and put together ambitiously. Most of all, the song is super catchy with cool backup harmonies that get stuck in my head. Also, some pretty killer shredding guitar. I would love if there was randomly a 7” single from 1989 with “Computer Date” and some other song from the movie on the b-side. Perhaps featuring some cool cover art with Stooge wearing the pig nose and holding the boom box… Maybe with a speech bubble that says, “Alright dudes!” Or something like that haha.

Songs that accompany horror movies and that don’t have much life beyond the context of the film are so interesting to me. Or cameos from bands, whether it’s Dokken or WASP appearing in Nightmare On Elm St or Ragewar, respectively. I hope you readers out there have your own favorite horror movie banger that you love. Jam “Computer Date” if you haven’t and I hope you love it in the same way I do.

Anyway, that’s all I’ve got this week my fiends and ghouls. Hope you have a killer Halloween. As always, thanks for reading.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

What’s up Sorry Staters?

As I mentioned earlier this month, for me, October is all about trying to binge as many horror movies as possible. The other night, I went to go hang with my buddy Alex, whose VHS collection would make the selection at a 90s video rental store look like it had slim pickins. We decided to watch 2 movies: The 1988 remake of The Blob and the 1989 Brian Yuzna classic Society.

Both of these flicks have fantastic slime and gore practical effects. While I had seen the classic 50s film The Blob, I had never seen the 80s remake. Alex pitched it to me as being not unlike John Carpenter’s treatment of The Thing. I definitely enjoyed it. Gross, gelatinous fun all the way through. Now, Society I had seen before. It had been a number of years, but what I’d forgotten is that the movie is kind of a slow burn that all builds to the amazing payoff in the final scene. For those of you that have never seen Society, I’m going to try my best not to spoil the big reveal at the end of the movie. But just expect a gooey and gorgeous finale.

Not unlike Society, this has all been a long build up to get to my point in writing this staff pick. Society is truly a glowing example of practical effects in body horror. More importantly, along with his work on many of Yuzna’s other films, the special effects were done by Screaming Mad George! I’m sure many horror fans are aware of Screaming Mad George’s effects work. Some punkers out there may think his career didn’t move far beyond his playing in the seminal KBD band The Mad. Screaming Mad George has done work on one of the Nightmare On Elm St movies (one of my personal favorite franchises), Bride of Re-Animator, and even Predator, among many other genre film bangers. George seems like a true freak and I love it. I was chatting with a friend online the other night after watching Society and she told me about Screaming Mad George’s 90s goth project. She sent me the music video… not as good as Society to say the least. I joked that I wonder if there are people out in the world who ride for 90s goth Screaming Mad George and don’t care about The Mad at all. I guess it’s possible haha.

Anyway, check out these 2 movies, they’re both pretty fun watches. Also, couldn’t hurt to work your way through Screaming Mad George’s IMDB page.

Expect more spooky content next week ;) As always, thanks for reading.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

What’s up Sorry Staters?

So, the season of the witch is upon us… I dunno if any of you fiends and ghouls are like me, but every time October rolls around, I start getting really excited. October is always my favorite month of the year. The air starts getting cooler, Spirit Halloween has opened its doors down the street, and all I want to do with my time is watch trashy horror flicks on VHS.

For all the grainy, lowbrow Grindhouse films I binge, there are a few more classy, high budget gore romps that make their way into my list of films to watch every year. I kicked off the 1st of the month with Dario Argento’s classic Demons. When I posted about this movie on social media, I jokingly referred to it as the “Negazione of zombie flicks.” Daniel even commented and asked me why I described it that way, to which I responded, “Uh, cuz it’s Italian and it rules!” Hahaha. But of course, the movie is similarly intense and unhinged. While Demons was directed by Lamberto Bava, Argento produced the movie and surely provided some strong credentials for the movie’s notoriety. I’m sure many people are familiar with Argento’s artsy and moody take on horror in films like Suspiria and Inferno. Demons is definitely a more old-fashioned, fun-filled escapade, but beautifully shot and cleverly done. Real quickly, the plot basically revolves around a couple of teenagers who, along with another colorful collection of characters, are given tickets to a free screening for a movie. The audience slowly begins to realize that a mysterious metal mask, which they see in person in the lobby of theater AND depicted in the film, that transforms the characters in the movie into demons is doing the exact same to all people trapped inside this movie theater. And then chaos ensues. It’s great!

One of the main things I wanted to mention about the movie, though, is that in addition to film’s sparse synth-based score, there’s a killer heavy metal soundtrack! A deep cut by Motley Crue plays in one of the early scenes. Funny enough, there are these punker characters that appear mid-way through the movie, cruising the city streets while snorting drugs out of a soda can through a bendy straw. While they’re driving around, “White Wedding” by Billy Idol is playing on the car stereo. Only the most badass tunes are acceptable for these delinquents! Haha. There’s a killer scene where one of the main dudes comes out blazing into the aisles of the movie theater riding a motorcycle while wielding a katana to slice up demons, and “Fast As a Shark” by Accept plays in the background. It’s so sick. “Fast As a Shark” is the ripping opening track on Restless And Wild, which is my personal favorite Accept record. While not listed on the soundtrack, a sleeper banger “Night Danger” by the Danish metal band Pretty Maids plays during the scene where the hostages are tearing apart the theater trying to escape. There’s some Saxon, some Scorpions, tons of fun and heavy rippers to accompany the bloody entertainment contained within.

Hopefully, me talking about horror and heavy metal isn’t too boring for any of you Sorry State readers out there. Expect more spooky-themed musings in the weeks to come as we countdown to Halloween. That’s all I’ve got this week. As always, Thanks for reading.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff