News

Hello and thanks for reading. I recently acquired this AVSKUM tape, and I wanted to write about it. This is the kinda shit that gets me weak in the knees! I never thought I would see a copy of this in real life, let alone have a copy of my own! I have no idea how many of these tapes were made, but I know it’s at least around 200. The tapes are numbered on the inside, and I have seen up to the number 198 online. I feel like AVSKUM is a band that needs no introduction. They began during the first wave of Swedish hardcore and have (more or less) kept it up since. I previously wrote about them when Prank did the recent reissue of Crucified By The System. I talked about how essential I consider that record, but I also mentioned how much I LOVE their unreleased material. They recorded for their 7” in February of 1984, but there were several recording sessions between July 1984 and September 1985 that were never properly released. Luckily, all that stuff was later compiled onto LP and CD releases, though. If this is all new to you, you can listen to most of these unreleased and early sessions here.

Anyways, this tape is a live AVSKUM performance recorded at Blitz, legendary Norwegian squat. The audio is not from the soundboard, but if you love AVSKUM, it will certainly hit the spot. Yeah, you can hear the crowd sometimes between songs, but AVKSUM sounds like they are on fire!! When I actually got this tape in my hands, and I realized this gig was recorded April 1985 - my mind started to race! I wondered, “Would they play any tracks from the unreleased Mortarhate 12”?” That session was recorded only five months later, and they are some of my favorite songs AVSKUM has done. I thought more as I examined the j-card, “Would they play stuff I have never even heard before…?” Between the 7” and the Mortarhate session they recorded several times, but just like the Mortarhate session, none of this stuff was released. Ah actually, Really Fast Vol 3 features AVSKUM, and they didn’t use any 7” tracks. I am not sure which session those songs are from without looking it up, which I won’t do right now... I know they appeared on a ton of cassette compilations as well, but I am not that familiar with these comps off-hand either. Anyways, most of this unreleased stuff was compiled onto a CD in the 90s by Finn Records, so luckily it could be heard and in one place. Then, later in the 2010s, Skrammel released a double disc compilation that included everything on that Finn comp plus even more unreleased shit that I didn’t know existed. Some double disc compilations like that can get old, but I don’t think AVSKUM is a band I could ever get tired of.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get to hear any tracks from the Mortarhate session on the Live at Blitz tape. They play the entire Nov. ’84 session, two songs from the July ’84 session, plus two songs from the 7”. But oh baby… there sure was a song I had never heard before! On the Skrammel comp there were a bunch of songs or alternate versions of songs I have never heard, but this track “Violence is Solution to Create Peace” doesn’t seem to appear anywhere aside from this cassette. I dropped that link above to the cassette, so you can hear it as well if you have not. I could be crazy, but the song sounds really similar to “Gold Digger,” which is recorded later on the Mortarhate session. I know it’s not the same structure, and they drop the guitar solo, but maybe they decided to rework the song or something. They play “Glöm Aldrig Hiroshima” a bit differently than they did on the record as well. Alright, I should wrap this up. Before I go, I wanted to drop this link to this translated interview with AVSKUM. It doesn’t look like I shared it last time, and if you don’t know about it already, it’s a fun read. Cheers and thanks for reading.

Hello and thanks for reading. This week I wanted I write briefly about this No Genocide compilation we’ve had it stock for a little while. This was originally released on cassette format and we had copies of that as well. I can’t remember how many sold, but after that they decided to press it to 12” as well. They made 300 of these and all proceeds are directed to mutual aid in Gaza. I know they’ve sent over a ton of money before the 12”s were made and that was great to hear. SCARECROW was asked to be on the compilation. They were looking for exclusive songs mostly, which we don’t really have, haha. We have done a number or cover songs though, and those can only be heard on cassette or flexi, so we went with one of those. A while back we covered Raleigh’s own C.O.C. for a tour tape, and now you can hear our version of “Rabid Dogs” on this No Genocide 12”. They properly mastered all the songs too, so it sounds a lot better than what we released on tape, haha. I was surprised how good it sounded, since we recorded with a portable recorder. The 12” compilation comes with a booklet that the cassette version did not, and Jeff did a sick page for us ripping off some old C.O.C. shit. On the compilation you can find some great contemporary bands, but they also featured some classics like OI POLLOI, THE MOB, and PART 1. Those bands probably don’t give a shit, but I can’t believe my band is on a record with them!! Haha. I was stoked to see RAT CAGE on the compilation too, as we’ve already done stuff with them. They also did a cover, by VARUKERS. While the comp is comprised of punk bands, the sound is all over the place. Actually, the final track is not a punk band at all, it’s a choir singing an anti-war song. That might sound cheesy to some, but I find stuff like that awesome. Anyways, I’m sure most everyone already knows about this compilation, but I wanted to take some time to mention it. If you’re not interested in buying the comp, you can stream the entire thing here. Of course you could donate by buying a digital version, but there are also a ton of links at the bottom of the page for direct ways to send funds to Gaza. Alright, I think that’s about it for the week. Cheers and thanks for your support. We really appreciate all the Sorry State customers.

Hi and thanks for reading. I saw we had this reissue of ANTI-CIMEX’s s/t 12” in stock and I wanted to write about it a bit. I’m sure everyone knows this record, aka Criminal Trap. This specific reissue was done by Nada Nada Discos / Spicoli Discos over a decade ago now, and that’s why I wanted to mention it. I think you can still pick up all the CIMEX 12”s on that label Back on Black, but to be honest I have never checked those reissues out. I’m guessing they are kept in print? I am not sure.

I remember when this reissue of their self-titled came out, er really when they were reissuing every CIMEX record. It was a huge deal, at least to me, haha. I think it was the first time any of this shit was ever being properly reissued, especially in the replica-type format. Shit man, I remember riding my bike up to the record shop back in Indy, Vibes Music, to order the Victims of a Bombraid and Raped Ass reissues off the computer there. My silly ass didn’t have internet at home, and I definitely did not have a smart phone back then. I was so excited I bought five copies of each Raped Ass cover variant, haha. Whoever fulfilled my order probably thought I was an idiot, but I made a lot of friends happy over the years with those copies. All these reissues done by Nada Nada Discos / Spicoli Discos were super-duper nice, easily the best CIMEX reissues out there in my opinion. I think the 7” reissues they did were actually getting a bit hard to find, but luckily there was the box set reissue that came out a few years ago as well.

Anyway, I remember picking up this reissue of their self-titled and it is killing me right now that I can’t find it. I guess I sold it? I remember the cover being so nice. Just like how they did the foil printing on Victims of a Bombraid reissue (that the most recent box set reissue painfully lacked.) While the 7”s were more like replicas of originals, the 12”s they did added bonus shit. Inside the s/t I remember reading some liner notes from Charlie (drummer of ANTI-CIMEX) about the record. He confirmed “Make My Day” is a Clint Eastwood reference, haha. Maybe that didn’t seem as cheesy back then, but damn it just makes me think of my dad now or something, haha. And I remember him saying they re-recorded “Set Me Free” cos they didn’t like the sound on Victims of a Bombraid or something like that. Which is nuts to think about, cos that record rules.

I would say the s/t 12” captures CIMEX in their prime. I think their demos rip unbelievably hard, and obviously, nothing can beat Raped Ass (except for maybe GBG 1982…), but you hear how damn good they’ve gotten at their instruments when it comes to the s/t. Victims of a Bombraid is an absolutely killer EP, but following up Raped Ass is no easy task. The sound is still powerful, but in a different sense. The songwriting is more pulled-back and they have more of a heaviness to them. Really, I don’t think there is anything that sounds like it at the time. It’s like the perfect example of proper kång. Anyway, on the 12” I feel like they deliver this extra ferociousness Victims of a Bombraid was kinda missing. While they still have that heavier sound, they picked up the pace a bit and added some new elements to the mix. Namely, some proper guitar leads, a rocked-out mid-tempo track, and a whole new mofo to deliver some extra percussion. While today I would probably think seeing a guy on stage solely beating the shit outta stuff would be cheesy, ANTI-CIMEX delivered it with pure originality.

I’m guessing everyone has this record who is reading this? If you don’t - you need a copy, and this Nada Nada / Spicoli Discos reissue we have in stock is the one you want. Since I am on the topic of CIMEX, and I also wanted to mention quickly this demos 12” we have in stock. We’ve had these for a minute, and they’ve been recently marked down. If you don’t have this record, now is the time to scoop it for cheap. I think some people were turned off by the cover. Or obviously, do you really need yet another ANTI-CIMEX demos reissue? In this case, the answer is yes. I wrote about it when we initially stocked it, so you can read about why I think this is easily the BEST demos reissue if you want. Alright, I think that sums it up for this week. Thanks for reading.

Hello and thanks for reading. Today I will write about this fairly recent TST reissue we’ve had in stock for a little bit. I feel like TST is a band that is not well known outside of Sweden, unless you are one of those Swedish punk/hardcore fanatics. They were from a relatively small town named Västerås, which this EP Vås Punx is named after. There were not a lot of bands there, but the city is only 60 miles from Stockholm. When I compare them to bands like MOB 47, TST doesn’t really come off like a råpunk band, but they quickly developed much more hardcore tendencies after their first 7”. I would say their 1983 s/t LP was probably the prime of their hardcore shit. All that material was recorded in 1982, and it is furious. There are a few different recording sessions on the LP, and you still get a serious taste of the band’s ’77 sound. TST started all the way back in 1977, while Vås Punx didn’t come out until 1981. They recorded a demo and broke up for a while before releasing that 7”. I read that they used two songs from the demo, but I am not sure if it was literally the same tracks or just the same songs re-recorded. They only pressed 300 copies of this 7”, and oh baby, it’ll cost you a paycheck for an original!!

If you aren’t familiar with all this stuff, I’ll say my favorite TST material is easily No Teenage Future. This record was recorded in 1981 and released on a 12” between the 7” and the s/t LP. I wish I could find a full rip on YouTube cos it RULES. It’s the perfect blend of punk and hardcore with those anthemic choruses that get your blood boiling. Ah, here we go, I found something. If I pasted this right—it’s a playlist. The kinda silly video with the cool pics that starts the playlist was done by this Swedish label Birdnest Records, who released a TST compilation some years ago. That double disc reissue would be a discography, but it’s missing Sweden, a 12” they released in 1984. I haven’t listened to it in a long time, but I don’t remember liking it very much. Oh shit, they have a 1988 LP too, haha, I never knew that. Anyway, since I have that comp on Birdsnest, I was on the fence about scooping up this Vås Punx reissue. The comp has great sound, but man, nothing beats a repro-reissue. I’m a sucker, but I have other reasoning as well, haha. The comp does sandwich these tracks between others, which didn’t make a lot of sense to me. Besides that, this 7” reissue added some cool photos of the band I have never seen before. I wish either reissue added a bit of a band biography or interview or something, cos it would be super cool to read some more about them. The Vås Punx reissue has some brief liner notes, though. Ah yes, if you aren’t familiar with this EP you can jam it here. Alright, that’s all for this week. Cheers and thanks for reading everyone.

Hello and thanks for reading. I’m wondering if any readers have ever moved across the ocean with a few thousand records, and how they did it? I’m pretty sure everything is going to for real go down the shitter here in the next four years with the latest dickhead in charge. On top of all his twisted views and tyrannical political agenda, it’s hilariously scary how many times this guy has filed for bankruptcy. Every business he touches fails. Our economy is already bad enough, haha… It’s also insane that he is a convicted felon, cos like 99% of felons are prohibited from voting in presidential elections. I could go on forever, and I’m sure you could too. I really hope he doesn’t privatize the postal service, like he has repeatedly mentioned. It would fuck things up on a lot of levels, including anything that deals with mail ordering records.

Do you remember when media mail did not come with tracking? It was super cheap to ship back then, too. You could pay a little extra for tracking, but that wasn’t the standard (for me at least). It was literally like $2 at USPS to ship an LP. You could ship a stack of 15 or so LPs, and it would still be only like $5. These days, to ship a single LP it’s going to cost $5.38 alone in shipping charges. If you can make it less than 1 lb, you can ship it for $4.63, but LPs more than likely go over that 1lb threshold after they are packed. On the plus side, tracking has been a standard that came with media mail with no extra cost for like over a decade now it feels like.

I feel like tracking numbers are a blessing and a curse, or however that saying goes. It’s obviously nice to have tracking on a parcel for a number of reasons, especially if you are running a distro and need to keep track of everything coming in. But I feel like some people who are just mail ordering a few records trip way too hard about tracking numbers and updates. Do you ever buy a record from overseas without tracking? I definitely do, haha. Yeah, a bit of anxiety could come along with the gamble, but it’s nice just to kinda let the days pass and just have faith everything will go as it should. I know some people have porch thieves and cities like NYC are a zoo, but luckily, I have always had a relationship with my mail carrier, so I was never too concerned about a parcel being stolen cos it was left out or something like that. But yeah, tracking numbers have given me so much anxiety. From both sides, selling and buying.

When I do my own mailorder, my process is a lot more tedious than Sorry State. Packing records is easy enough, but of course there is more to it than that, and I don’t have the website integrations that drastically save time. When I do mailorder, I typically print out all my shipping labels first, then write on the back what the order includes. I could print packing sheets if I wanted to save time, but I don’t think it’s needed since BPDT is pretty basic and I’d rather not add more paper to the process. Man, I remember when I still hand wrote all my packages. I would probably still be doing that if not for Sorry State and learning about a thermal printer, haha, talk about saving time. Anyways, so my process means that everyone in my current mailorder queue got a tracking number, but if there is a ton of orders, some people’s order won’t get packed until the following week. If you’re someone like me, you understand that “shipping label created” doesn’t mean shit. This could mean USPS already has your parcel and it’s actually en route, but USPS neglected origin scans. Or this could mean your label is just printed, and it’s sitting in a huge stack of other orders waiting to be packed on some dude’s desk that scattered with empty beer cans or some shit. I know some people pay attention to these shipping updates, but some don’t.

I feel like Amazon, and online shopping in general, has really changed the threshold of people’s patience when it comes to waiting for their product. Most people expect same day shipping. Luckily at Sorry State, we are generally selling to like-minded punks who understand the layers of a small operation. But there are always exceptions of course. I feel like we generally stay on top of mailorder, though. Every now and again we get slammed when pre-order comes in, but I feel like we got it down pretty smooth.

Anyway, so that’s my perspective from the seller’s side. Do I even need to talk about the anxiety that can come from buyer’s side? We all know that “estimated delivery date” doesn’t mean shit, haha. It sucks when you watch your beloved parcel bounce around places it has no business being. A record we shipped the other day to New York scanned into Puerto Rico? What the fuck? I am sure it will show up though, just hopefully in one piece, haha. One of the worst things is when the parcel goes out for delivery, but then it never shows up, and the tracking updates to like “awaiting delivery scan,” and then you wait for days for it to show up. Or better yet, when the thing scans delivered, but it actually hasn’t showed up, haha! That’s maybe one of the worst. I think what has happened there is your carrier said, “fuck it, I will just scan these delivered” (for a number of different reasons that I will not take the time to explain here) and then deliver them later in the week. I’ve seen that so much, it’s wild. Sometimes they show up the next day, or sometimes it’s nearly two weeks later. Alright, I just wrote way too much about shipping, sorry. At least I am talking to the right crowd, haha. In summary, all I mean to say is that I am grateful for those who are patient with stuff. I wish everyone was like that. Sometimes stuff takes time, and then when it’s outta of our hands, USPS does something crazy with it. But it works out just fine 99% of the time. Update scans don’t really indicate shit at the end of the day. I need to remind myself sometimes to stop checking the status of an incoming parcel. If something seems to be going wrong, I have all the time in the world to worry later if it actually ends in misfortune.

I will finish off here with some brief words about ZYKLOME A. I don’t know shit about Belgian punk/hardcore honestly. ZYKLOME A was my introduction, and I learned about a few more bands from some compilations that were also released on Punk Etc: namely Alle 24 Goed! and Second Time Around. Some favorites from those comps are SUBVERSION and CAPITAL SCUM. SUBVERSION is such straight DISCHARGE worship, it’s sick. Game of the Arseholes reissued some of their material on a 7”. If you’ve never heard it, check it out. So, this ZYKLOME A reissue is super-duper nice. It includes their tracks from the aforementioned comps, their tracks from the MORAL DEMOLITION split, the Made in Belgium LP tracks, and some live shit. Oh man, there is an unreleased song from their Alle 24 Goed! recording session as well, actually. I was kinda disappointed at first when I saw they separated that track and started off side D with it, followed by the live shit. But after I heard the live stuff, I was stoked. The sound quality of the live material is excellent. It sounds like it’s gotta be direct from the board, and mixed well. It was recorded in 1984.

Alright, let me back up a bit. So, this discography was released by a label based in Antwerp, Belgium called Ultra Eczema. From my understanding, this reissue was done as a tribute to Markus, ZYKLOME A’s singer, who passed away some years ago. The reissue is super deluxe and obviously done with love. I explained what material they compiled already, but I didn’t really explain it comes on two separate discs. They each come in a printed inner sleeve, housed in a gatefold jacket. The really sick thing about this reissue is this killer 75+ page booklet that comes with it. It’s printed in color and it’s loaded up with tons of photos, flyers, scans of old adverts and zines, and most importantly, the label conducted an interview with some of the band. This reissue actually came out a few years ago, and I think it just had pretty poor distribution in the US. It was distributed well overseas, and the label is now left with some dead stock. We were lucky enough to get these at a very low cost, so they are retailing for only $30. I really can’t get across how insane of a price that is for how nice this thing is. I am glad we were able to get these copies and pass on the deal to everyone else. If you’ve loved them for ages or if this is your introduction to ZYKLOME A, this is a great way to get all their material in one place with killer extras—all for a great price. I consider this one essential. Alright, that’s all for today. I blabbed for too long about shipping earlier. Cheers and thanks for everyone for your support.

Hi and thanks for reading. It’s funny I am starting off the year by writing about two tapes back-to-back cos I usually am not a fan of tapes for a number of reasons, but of course there are exceptions. If tapes were all still just $5 or less, I would probably still buy the hell out of them, but that’s not the standard anymore. There are times I write about a record that I enjoy but don’t buy a copy in the end cos I am pretty selective about records I buy these days as well. I am even more selective about cassettes, but I would not write about a tape that I haven’t bought myself as well. Anyways, if you’re someone like me who is a RAT CAGE fan and never seen them live (and probably never will), this tape is perfect. It’s not a sound board quality recording, but it certainly captures their raw intensity I always hear about from those who have seen them live.

RAT CAGE’s sound has evolved quite a bit over the years, but they’ve always had a pummeling sound. I’ve definitely heard more melodies or unexpected bits recently, but it’s always delivered with such intensity and speed. “Spitting on the ceiling” is a perfect example of some shit that came way outta left field or whatever for me, haha. That record is kinda all over the place, but fuck it rips. Some songs are so fast but played so damn tight, it’s insane. I kinda forgot that Sorry State had an exclusive color of that one. I am all for changing shit up a bit, especially when you can really pump out releases like RAT CAGE can. I feel like people already know, but it’s Bry playing everything on the recordings, and then live he sings with some mates playing the instruments. Regardless of his song-writing approach changing subtly, it’s always fucking ripping. This live cassette is a testament to that. They sound so intense it’s nuts, haha. Bry’s vocals rule, too.

A big reason why I hate tapes is cos they are too short. Typically, the program repeats on both sides as well. So much material can fit on one tape, but I also understand that demos are typically short and released exclusively on tape. The ABERRATE demo I wrote about last week, (which is now in stock!) featured their demo on side A, and a live recording on side B. I loved that. I feel like they made better use of the tape by adding an alternate B side, and I will never see them live, so I really appreciated that. Anyways, this RAT CAGE tape isn’t short by any means. It’s nearly 30 minutes total. It doesn’t seem like they cut anything out from the live set, so you can really pretend you are there, haha. Don’t worry about weird or boring gaps between songs though, these guys are like seasoned veterans; if they stop between songs, it’s not for very long. We also get Bry’s stage banter as well. I guess it’s not so much banter, as he talks mostly of politics on stage. He does say “fuck” a lot though, so it’s not weird pretentious or preachy politics, if you know what I mean, haha. I know the longer the tape, the more expensive. But they kept the price fairly low on these regardless, especially with import shipping costs etc. DIY to the core. OK, I think the sums it up for this week. Cheers and thanks for reading, and thanks to everyone for your support.

Hello and thanks for reading. SCARECROW played a benefit the other night in Richmond. I was really happy to do something like that and spend quality time with some friends. I got some really sad news last week when a friend passed away. A few days later, my BFF from back home called me to let me know the drummer of our old band had just passed away as well. Death is hard for me to accept. I understand that every living thing on this planet must die. It is something we all have in common. But still, I fear death. Like most, it brings me great pain when someone dies who I know and love. Even with strangers, it always makes me really sad to hear about someone passing away. I guess this is why people probably look to higher powers for acceptance and understanding. It is times like this when I am reminded life is shorter than I expect. Too short to waste. Too short to spend dwelling in negativity or hating on other people’s shit. Too short to let days float by without slowing down to admire all the beautiful things, no matter how small they seem. Too short to not constantly show those around us how much we love and appreciate them.

When we were in Richmond, we met up with Patrick from DESTRUCT and picked up his latest release on Acute Noise Manufacture, ABERRATE. I imagine this tape is probably not on most people’s radar, unless you know Patrick or you’re one of those nerds who pays close attention to the Japanese scene. You can’t hear it online as far as I know, and this is the band’s debut. ABERRATE is from Tokyo, and I think it’s awesome that Patrick made this tape available outside of Japan with a US version. ABERRATE consists of guys who were in FRIGORA, ABRAHAM CROSS, and LIFE. For anyone that knows those bands at all, that’s probably all they need to hear, haha. That was the case for me at least. If you don’t know those bands and love the 90s/early 2000s Japanese crust style, ABERRATE hits the spot. When I say crust, I mean the crasher side of things of course. ABERRATE delivers a classic, unrelenting pummeling sound with wall-to-wall noisy guitar. I feel like demo tapes are generally pretty bare bones, but I was really happy this tape included a rather large double-sided insert, and it’s not just a tape with a few songs on each side. The A side features the complete demo, but rather than having the program repeat on the flipside, they gave us a taste of their live performance instead. ABERRATE’s lyrics cover topics like war and capitalism, but there are also lyrics that focus on self-reflection. I always appreciate coming across messages like this, and it’s something I have always loved about ABRAHAM CROSS. This is the second release on Acute Noise Manufacture, and I know their third release is in the works. I guess I shouldn’t say much about it, but I know it’s a proper record this time and I think people are gunna be super stoked about it. I hope the label can stay more active, as their first release was back in 2022 and it’s great to see a new/small label releasing cool stuff. Alright, I guess that’s it for the week. Thanks for your support.

Hello and thanks for reading. We’ve got this ripper from Greece in stock, a debut from ΠΛΕΚΤΑΝΗ (PLEKTANI), and I wanted to write about that a bit. However, as you can see the photo I have taken for this week’s staff pick is not of this record. That is cos I have also written a bit about my scores of 2024, since I didn’t take the time to mention any personal record scores in our last newsletter.

So ΠΛΕΚΤΑΝΗ is from Athens, Greece, but I hear a lot of Swedish influence in there. We also had a small restock of the ΠΥΡ ΚΑΤΑ ΒΟΥΛΗΣΗ (PYR KATA VOULISI) 12”, but it has sold out. While ΠΥΡ ΚΑΤΑ ΒΟΥΛΗΣΗ also takes a huge influence from Sweden, these bands have different approaches to it. ΠΥΡ ΚΑΤΑ ΒΟΥΛΗΣΗ leaned more into the catchy side of things, reminding me of bands like HERÄTYS. While ΠΛΕΚΤΑΝΗ rips in a similar fashion, the riffs are less rocked-out and delivered with a bit more DISCHARGE. It’s hard to describe what I mean exactly cos I am not the best writer, but I often find myself thinking of INFERNÖH when jamming their record. ΠΛΕΚΤΑΝΗ aren’t religious to the d-beat formula though, with some bouncy pogo parts and breakdowns here and there. I don’t hear a ton of bands from Greece, and this one instantly caught my attention. Definitely check this one out, especially if you were into that PYR KATA VOULISI 12”.

Alright, let’s talk about the heat in the photo. I buy a lot of records. I love to buy new releases just as much as “collectable” old records. I guess often I find that older pressings tend to sound better than the records I come across that are manufactured these days. They are typically cut louder at least. Anyways, I seriously consider each record in the photo a score of a lifetime. When I say it like that, I can’t believe I landed three of those in one year. Now, one of these I was not actually looking for, as I did not know it existed. I will save that one for last and start with the VARAUS 12”. I previously wrote about this record when I landed it a few months ago. I explained how this is the most expensive record I have ever bought. Yep, it was more expensive than the test press up in the photo too, which is kinda nuts to think about. Maybe it just means I got a great deal on the test though, haha. I won’t take more time with VARAUS though, cos you can just hit that link and read what I previously wrote.

Moving onto the WRETCHED / INDIGESTI split 7”. Oh baby...I have been dying for this one for a long time now. It’s sick that Daniel and I both got a copy this year, haha. I tried to buy this record a few years ago online, and I got ripped off. I paid out the ass and never got the record. It was some elaborate Discogs scam where a reputable seller with thousands of positive feedback got hacked temporarily. Who knows if their story was true, but I am lucky enough to have gotten all my money back from PayPal. This copy of the split ain’t a top copy like that one I originally tried to buy, but I am just as happy to have it in the end. Sometimes it’s kinda nice to get a rare record for a bit cheaper cos it’s a little beat up. I don’t stress as much about handling it, and of course I know there will inevitably be surface noise, pops and ticks. I absolutely hate it when I am playing a record that has always played super clean, and then one day I have a pop in there. Ugh.

Alright, let’s wrap this up with the ELECTRIC DEADS: Mind Bomb 7” TEST PRESS!!! What the fuck!!!! Still speechless about this one. I got this copy from a guy in the US I’ve known for a while now. He mentioned he was thinking about selling it and I couldn’t get it outta my mind. I didn’t even know one of these existed. I have no idea how many were made, but he told me he got it from a guy who helped release the record. I should probably ask him some more questions to see what else I can learn, haha. I love collecting test presses… but never has it been a test from the ‘80s!! I almost bought a HEADCLEANERS test for $300 and I talked myself out of it. I still think about that day often, sucks. Especially now cos the same guy who once was trying to sell it for $300 now has it for sale for like $1,200… Jesus. Alright, I am about to be late on the submission deadline for my staff pick, per usual. Thank you for reading, and thanks to everyone for your support. Check out ΠΛΕΚΤΑΝΗ!

Hello and thanks for reading. 2024 was a complete shit year. I did some cool stuff, but the state of the world consistently weighs on my mind. I find it hard to enjoy stuff to the fullest or embrace the rewards of an accomplishment. I don’t want to dwell on that though, since you came here to read about records. There were a lot of great new releases in 2024, as well as some well-needed reissues. I managed to cross off some serious wants in my world of record collecting. Maybe I will share some of that later. Looking back on the year, it’s always hard to remember every single record I really enjoyed. Of course, there are things that instantly come to mind, but there is always a record or two I played pretty heavily ,but it escapes me as I do a year-end review. I try to keep all the records I got together over the year as I buy them, but inevitably I must do some filing away or my shit gets outta hand.

I don’t really like doing a traditional year-end top 10, where everything is ranked in order. It’s cool when people do that, but I don’t think I can effectively score things like that. I also don’t like to narrow it down to just ten records. I decided not to include tapes, though. Looking back to the start of the year, PHYSIQUE’s Overcome By Pain 7” was one of the first records I bought. I’ve been spinning it again more recently and I still think it’s a monster of an EP. I am pretty sure they made my list last year with their Again 12” as well. This band is absolutely punishing live as well. I can imagine whatever they release will always be up for review in my year-end lists, haha. It looks like we don’t have any copies of this one in stock currently, but we have Again.

THE MASSACRED is another band that has grabbed me since their debut. Seeing them live really solidified my love for them. It’s funny, I used to associate them with a super UK82 sound, but after a revelation at my mate’s house I now hear a serious HEADCLEANERS influence. I had a lot of anticipation for Death March. The label dealt with like two years of delays with this pressing. Naturally, it was well worth the wait. You know I didn’t even realize until today they had an LP come out just a month or so ago?! I can’t wait to hear it. I know we will get distro copies of it like all ACTIVE-8 titles.

I know it’s probably a tacky look to choose a Sorry State or my own label’s releases as a chart-topper, but I don’t care. If the record hit me hard, I wanted to include it. PERSONAL DAMAGE’s Violent Ritual was one of a few Sorry State releases that really hit the spot for me in 2024. These tracks were actually put on a cassette in 2022, but Daniel gave it the proper vinyl treatment it deserved. I think I wrote about this as a staff pick upon the release. Not only are the songs excellent, the recording itself sounds so damn good. The band really sounds like they could be from the ‘80s, and that is no easy feat. The last song of the EP, “Banned From Society,” is one of those you can seriously listen to on repeat. It was awesome they came over and played the Sorry State 10th Year Anniversary weekend.

When it comes to chart-toppers, INVERTEBRATES’ Sick To Survive 12” is a no brainer for me. These mofos rip so hard live it is nuts; riff after riff of high-threshold hardcore. Jeff and I had a special version of this LP on BPDT. That was super cool of the band and Mark from Beach Impediment to orchestrate. I feel like this band is on everyone’s radar, so I don’t need to say much.

Sticking with the theme of not saying much, PUBLIC ACID’s Deadly Struggle 12” is obviously on my list. I feel like you must be sleeping under a rock to not know how hard they rip. Sometimes when bands get popular, they are just all hype. But that is not the case here. They’ve been putting in the work for well over a decade, and it really shows on this record. A while back, I gave a brief ‘history of’ the band, with their roots dating back to Greensboro, North Carolina. I don’t think Jeff had joined the band when I wrote that, though. This is the first record he plays on and obviously adding Chef Jeff to the equation spiced things up a bit. The packaging on this record is awesome, just as one would expect. I appreciate how the band really intentionally makes sure there are hand-touches with every release, like screen-printed covers, etc. Maybe one day the band will grace BPDT with a record ;)

NUKIES’ Paralysis of Fear 12” is a record that came out pretty recently, and god damn I think it rules. Oddly enough, I don’t think enough of my friends like this record and I don’t understand why. I’ve enthusiastically written about both of their records in staff picks, so you could probably expect to see this 12” in my year-end review. NUKIES are from Stockholm, and I am 99% positive that they worship TOTALITÄR and HERÄTYS just as much as my band does, haha. One of my friends said our bands sound the same, so naturally I took this as a compliment. I mentioned this in my staff pick recently, but I really love the dirge-y track they threw on this one. It really shakes things up. I feel like everyone follows the same formula for having a slower or mid-pace song, and they stand out a bit from the rest with a track like that.

Staying in Stockhkolm, I have included SVAVELDIOXID’s Främmande Samtid Skrämmande Framtid 10”. Unfortunately, we are currently sold out of this one, but I feel like this is one we will restock next time we get stuff from Phobia. SVAVELDIOXID has been around for a long time, like ten years. While their sound has slightly evolved, their roots in traditional käng are strong. They’ve always reminded me of BOMBANFALL, but these days I hear some more death metal influence in their songwriting and I am all for it. I think that 10”s are a pretty unpopular format, so naturally it makes me like this release even more. I like when bands in our world do what they want and go against what is considered ‘cool’ by today’s standards. It hasn’t been properly announced yet, but this year there will be a split with SVAVELDIOXID and DESTRUCT. So sick.

Oh shit, that reminds me of yet another Swedish slab I was stoked on this year, PX-30. It looks like we are currently sold out of this one as well, but hopefully we can restock it from Adult Crash. Adult Crash also released the NUKIES 12”, by the way. PX-30 features a member of HERÄTYS on guitar. Need I say more? Haha. I am so happy we got to share a stage with them in Uppsala and I really look forward to what they record next!

Haha, so that brings me to the GEFYR / RAT CAGE split 7”. GEFYR is yet another Swedish band, while RAT CAGE is from across the pond in Sheffield. I feel like RAT CAGE has veteran status now, with their demo coming out in 2016. RAT CAGE is just one guy in the studio, Bry, and he has been putting in relentless work. The RAT CAGE sound has certainly evolved, but goddamn it stays unbelievably ripping. They were also on the Screaming Death compilation that Jeff and I released on BPDT. I really hope to catch them live one day. We played with GEFYR in Uppsala, the same gig with PX-30. Playing Uppsala is so cool to me. I know it’s just some nerd shit and not many people would care at all, but it is a historical place to me for hardcore punk. GEFYR is from a few hours north though, in Hudiksvall. Jeff and I heard them on their debut 12” and got really blown away. Jeff and I released this split 7” on BPDT. Again, it is probably tacky for me to have this one in my year-end review, but I don’t care. We operate a small label, and obviously I was super stoked on it since we released it in the States.

Alright, I just have a few more to mention and I am late for the submission date on this haha. YELLOWCAKE released a monstrous 7” this year entitled A Fragmented Truth. I thought their first 7” was good, but holy shit this one is really next level. I know they aren’t doing anything that hasn’t been done before, but the delivery hits so hard. We were lucky enough to have them in Raleigh, and they hold down that intensity live without a doubt. I remember when I wrote about them in a staff pick I mentioned how even though they don’t do anything that’s super crazy, I really appreciate how they don’t box the sound completely in with things I’d expect. On this record, they did several things I did not expect, things that wouldn’t typically ‘fit’ in this style, but they executed it well, and with authenticity. I can’t wait for their next record!

Next, I will write about ZORN, another Sorry State release from 2024. These guys have played here more times than I can count now, haha. It never gets old, though. Honestly, I think they just get better and better. Seeing them live really does it for me. I know they are gimmick-y with the coffin and chains, but if you stripped them of this stuff, the music would still rage so hard. They are so tight and locked in, it’s amazing. I am not really a fan of this style of music I guess, the metal-punk shit, but ZORN is a chart-topper in my book. If for some reason the gimmicks pushed you away from them and you haven’t checked this record out, please do cos I think it’s awesome.

Finally, I have saved the best for last with the LIFE / DESTRUCT split 12”. Just kidding. (Kind of.) The first press of this record sold out fast as hell, and for good reason. Luckily, Desolate put it right back in print. LIFE’s tracks on this record are absolutely nuts. They recorded at Noise Room and it sounds fucking awesome. The drums are compressed in this perfect way; it reminds me of the 90s/00s crasher sound but even better. DESTRUCT delivers some of their most intense tracks yet. That is probably no coincidence since they just appeared on a split with these Japanese crust veterans. I’ve talked about DESTRUCT so much, and I probably always will. I don’t think their style is for everyone, but I have yet to meet someone who has seen them live and doesn’t think they rip beyond belief. These guys stay super busy, and I know they’ve got some great stuff already planned for the year.

Alright, I think that about covers everything. I didn’t talk at all about record scores of the year. I certainly grabbed a lot of shit, and there are a few that come to mind as scores of a lifetime. Maybe I will write about that next week or something. It’s really cool how much Sorry State has grown over the years, and I am so grateful for my job here. We could not maintain an operation without the support of all of you. Thanks so much for support over the years. I hope we can all get something good out of 2025. I hope we can find the light at the end of this dark tunnel. Much love to everyone.

Hi and thanks for reading. It’s been a minute since we’ve had a newsletter, and we’ve had a ton of killer records come in and out of stock since. There are a number of records in stock currently that I’d like to write about, but I am going to keep this short and focus on this NUKIES 12”. I have been pretty sick the last week or so, and as a result I have not been listening to much of anything. My head is so congested I legit can’t hear properly. When I finally get my ears to pop, I’m like oh my god that’s what this is supposed to sound like… but unfortunately the relief is only for a few minutes and then my heads is back to the clouds.

I wrote about NUKIES previously when their debut came out. The songwriting is right up my alley, so when I saw they had a new record coming out I got mad excited. NUKIES take obvious influence from TOTALITÄR, but they also remind me of modern classics like HERÄTYS. It’s no easy task trying to emulate that sound, but NUKIES deliver it with authenticity. The songs on this record range from a faster tempo (but not like blazing fast, cos you gotta leave room for the killer riffs to breathe) to the more pulled-back, super in-the-pocket tempo that brings head banging to the max. Luckily, I think I counted only one breakdown on the entire record, hehe, so it really is up my alley. I really love how the A side ends with a full-on dirge. I feel like I never hear that on modern records, and they really pulled it off. On the B side they bust out this pogo one, “Paralysis,” and it really compliments their sound. Bouncing back and forth between pogo and d-beat can be a bit cheesy if you ask me, but again, NUKIES pull that shit off. The record was recorded by Kenko at Communichaos and it sounds killer. If you haven’t heard these guys yet, check ‘em out! I was going to suggest their first 12” as well, but it appears we’ve sold out as of last week. I did see that we have copies of this absolute Danish classic from KALASHNIKOV in stock! I’m sure we highlighted the hell outta this record when it was initially reissued a few years ago, but if you aren’t familiar, this record is essential to every collection as far as I’m concerned. Check it out! Anyway, that sums it up for me this week. We don’t have many copies of Paralysis of Fear from NUKIES, so don’t sleep! I hope everyone is taking care out there. Cheers and thanks for your support!

Hello and thanks for reading. At last, we have our copies of the brand-new DESTRUCT / LIFE split 12” on Desolate! Japan’s LIFE has been a band since the 90s and they have released stuff pretty consistently since. I find it super impressive that DESTRUCT did a split with them. DESTRUCT’s tracks are just getting more and more intense with each release if you ask me. While I find it impressive they have a split with LIFE, it is not shocking by any means. DESTRUCT is such a powerhouse, and has continued to turn heads for the last five years. They also seem like a super busy band, with releases following closely one after another. I just saw Noise Room shared a teaser of some new stuff that is being mastered there as well! So sick. OK, I have no time at all unfortunately, so this is it for today. Don’t sleep on this record. If you don’t like splits, wake up. Cheers and thanks to everyone for your support!

Hello and thanks for reading. I have not been home very much since the last newsletter, which also means I have not been playing many records at all. I do listen to music at work a lot, but it’s usually digital. I can’t even tell you what I was jamming this last week though. My brain is feeling pretty foggy. I unexpectedly woke up today feeling like shit, so I did not come into work. I was going to bail on the newsletter, but on second thought I decided to write about one of the records that was featured in this week’s Hardcore Knockouts. It’s kind of funny to me how bad DESTRUCKTIONS beat VARAUS. I think that DESTRUCKTIONS are really good, but I think that VARAUS’s songs are more memorable to me. Maybe DESTRUCKTIONS is more popular because they were active after the 80s? They’ve also had more reissues. There’s no particular reason why I paired them together for the match, except that I recently got the VARAUS record and was looking for another Finnish 12” to put them against. I’ve had the DESTRUCKTIONS LP for a long time and it really was not that hard to find when compared to other Finnish records. VARAUS seems to be extremely rare. I’ve only ever seen one in person, and that was literally in Finland when we went on tour earlier this year. It’s ironic this record is so rare because I too commonly hear the story of someone finding their copy for something like $15 or even $2, but of course this is a very long time ago, before the internet started dictated the going rate for records. Regardless, it’s crazy to think about something so rare going for so cheap.

I should’ve taken the time to do some proper nerding before writing, but I didn’t plan for this staff pick. I think the first pressing of the 12” had 200 copies and the repress in this poster sleeve had 150. I’m really not sure, but Finnish punk/hardcore bands often pressed stuff in small quantities back in the 80s. I think their 7” had 300 copies pressed. Anyway, I think I’m just explaining how rare it is in my head, since it was the most expensive record I have ever bought! Haha. TAMPERE SS would probably be around the same I paid on this one, but that was a not-so-straightforward deal with cash and trade. If I can remember right, Anarkist Attack was the most expensive record I ever bought for a really long time. I remember when the most I’d spend on a record was $50. That amount went up to around $100 fairly quickly, and I feel like it hovered there for years. It’s hard to remember, but I think the SVART FRAMTID or maybe BANNLYST 7” was the first record I ever spent more than $100 on. After that, it was all downhill. Or uphill? Haha.

I am no longer in denial of being a collector, but I like to think that I’m not as pretentious or snobby as many of those I encounter on the internet. I always pick up a good reissue, mail order from labels I wanna support, and of course I buy records from bands at gigs. The one thing about an 80s pressing of a record, though, is that like nine times out of ten it is gonna sound so damn good. I know this isn’t always the case, especially when the recording wasn’t the greatest. The interesting thing about tons of Finnish hardcore records is that they were recorded with professional engineers. If you didn’t know, tons of bands would be working with engineers who hated them and who obviously hated their music. Typically, bands could afford just enough time to record one take of each song. Regardless of the conflicts these bands would encounter during record sessions, the results were phenomenal. I remember reading about the original VARAUS 12” online, and how bad the sound was. Not that the band was recorded poorly necessarily, but that tape they used was shit or something. In the Svart reissue of the 000 7”, they explained a similar situation they had when they recorded. The engineer didn’t give a shit about them and recorded them on a heavily used tape. The volume is kinda all over the place, and even falls out at times on the original pressing of that record.

The VARAUS 12” material was reissued on a discography CD in the 90s and later on LP in the 2000s. I’m pretty sure the vinyl version was just made from the CD master, since it’s the same track list. The unfortunate thing about the reissues is that they are missing three songs from the original 12”. I had read that when they were mastering the audio for the reissue, they decided these tracks were no longer usable. Obviously, it couldn’t be that bad since the reissue sounds really good and I have heard the rip on YouTube, but I was really curious what to expect when it came to the real deal. It felt pretty crazy to open up the parcel. I actually felt pretty crazy for days after, knowing this record was now tucked away in my shelves. I don’t think that feeling has disappeared either, really. It was packed like mad, which I really appreciated of course. The dude said it was NM, and NM it was indeed. I laid the needle down and the speakers were overwhelmed with that fuzzy VARAUS guitar tone.

When it came to the sound stuff I read about, it was apparent once I was able to play the original. The recording is good, and the pressing sounds nice. It’s not like the 000 7”. It’s not apparent immediately, but on a few songs you can actually hear another band in the background! I think I heard harmonica? Not really sure, but there’s something going on there, haha. I can hear some Finnish folk-type singing here and there too. This stuff doesn’t just happen between songs, but even between some quiet parts. I’m probably making it sound a lot worse than it really is, cos the record does sound really good and you gotta be paying attention to catch this stuff, but it is certainly there. It’s silly to think about some Finnish folk stuff being recorded on this tape before some raw hardcore shit like VARAUS. It also makes me wonder what the sound source for the reissue was, cos maybe they didn’t even have the original tape anymore? I’m gunna have to get back on that one. Alright that’s it for the week. Thanks for reading. And thanks A TON to all of those who bought records off me last month so I could pay off this sucker!!