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Hello and thanks for reading. I’ve been following PARANOID since their debut in 2012. It’s pretty crazy they’ve been a band for over ten years already. It doesn’t feel like it was ten years ago when I was flipping through the 7”s bins at Sorry State when saw their debut 7" and bought it on a whim. This was a unique release for PARANOID, as there were a few guys playing on this debut that did not continue on with the band after. If I remember correctly, these songs were written very quickly (like in one day) with the intention of just being classic, distorted to hell Swedish käng. While there are some elements of this record that I associate with the sound of PARANOID, it is quite a bit different than what would follow. On this debut they had Åke from legends MOB 47 on guitar. They also had a mate named Nils (R.I.P.) who did the vocals at this time as well. Åke and Nils did not continue on with the band after this release. They had another mate come in, Henke, to take over Åke’s role on guitar. Soon after, Nils tragically passed away in an avalanche, and there was an unexpected break with the band. When they picked back up, Henke took on the vocal duties alongside guitar, as they did not want to just replace Nils. This line up is who we know today as PARANOID.

Destroy Future Less System EP was their follow-up to Hardcore Addict. Based on their debut, I was looking forward to this one quite a bit. I had no idea it would be such a crazy sounding EP. It was faster, even more noisy, and man, the riffs were fucking ear-catching. It had super cool artwork as well, done by Alexander Heir. It was before I feel like he was extremely popular like he has been for years now. The style felt very fresh and very punk. I think anyone who missed ‘em on their debut had their full attention after this one. Besides them elevating the speed and noise aspects of their sound, I noticed on this EP there were some very subtle elements of black metal.

I can’t remember if their split with ABSOLUT came next, or if was the modern day absolute hardcore masterpiece entitled Satyagraha.

Maybe I spoke to soon when I said Destroy Future Less System EP had everyone’s attention, cos this LP truly is a perfect record. What an amazing debut to full-length format. I remember the LP came with a CD too. I think this was a common CD you’d find in like every friend’s car player at the time cos no one really buys CDs, haha. Man, you’ve heard this LP though, right? If you haven’t, literally stop what you’re doing right now and play this at proper volume. On this LP, they really mastered the art of layering the different textures of sounds. I’m not so good with words and describing sounds, but the way they weave things in and out is unbelievably good and unique. You can definitely hear some black metal influences on this LP as well, especially the long, somber outro and the breakdowns. Again, I can’t remember if their split with ABSOLUT entitled Jawbreaking Mangel Devastation came before or after Satyagraha. At the time, this was a monumental pairing of raw, fast bands. PARANOID started off their side with a straight up black metal song, haha, I love it. It sounds insane when the full sound kicks in. It seems these songs were recorded right around the same time as Satyagraha. The sound and style are pretty much identical. It was yet another showcase of PARANOID’s insane ability.

Fuck man, I totally forgot about the Cover of the Month thing they did around this same time. Each month they would release a cover song on their YouTube channel. On their first one, they describe their intention for the covers, and where they got the inspiration from. It’s super cool they wrote the story behind each song upon the upload as well. You can tell they were doing it out of passion. When they did TOTALITÄR I lost my mind. They had Poffen on guest vocals, ahhh. I don’t think they ever planned to actually release these physically, but I know they made some tapes. It was super cool Svart did an LP pressing a bit later. I bet the licensing on that was a pain in the ass.

Before 2015 was over, they released my all-time favorite record Punkdemonium Hell. I love the record cover so much too, easily my favorite artwork on a PARANOID record. The first track is fucking insane. The speed and chaotic riffs are pushed to the ultimate maximum. The second song is an absolute pit opener. They use that phaser effect on the guitar on this one break. It’s cheesy and perfect. Fuck, I love it. I remember listening to the flexi when I first got it, and after this song there is the sound of a needle dragging. So of course, I frantically stood up only to discover the flexi playing perfect and another ripping song just started to kick in. I thought that was a nice touch. Modern made flexis usually play like shit, and a needle skipping would be some shit that would totally happen. If I remember right, there is a proper 7" version that came out soon after that featured a DISCLOSE track as a bonus.

I won’t keep talking about the discography of PARANOID for two reasons. One, it’s a lot longer, haha. And two, this is where my listening really falls off, more or less. I think Praise No Deity was the next proper record they did after Punkdemonium Hell. I don’t think the record is bad by any means at all, but I was startled at first to hear the change in sound on the first two songs. They were pulled back in a way I hadn’t heard them do yet and sounded more metal. That sounds a bit weird to say cos they already obviously had metal influences, but this take was a bit different than before. The last song sounded like the PARANOID I had grown to love, but I could hear something else growing in their song writing. The LPs that followed drifted more and more away from noise and chaos and more towards metal and like, structure, haha. While I don’t listen to those LPs often, they each have something for me to enjoy. Some of them took me a few listens, but since I loved them so much from the beginning, I always wanted to hear what they were feeling next even if it’s not something I would naturally gravitate towards.

When I heard about S.C.U.M. initially, it was described as being in the style of their roots, so I was very curious and excited to check this one out. I saw Jocke was credited as the songwriter for these songs. I could be mistaken, but I don’t think I’ve seen PARANOID do a lot crediting like that. But of course, I was even more interested, as I know Jocke was the predominant songwriter on the records I enjoyed the most. Even though it was available digitally for me to stream, I still waiting to blast this hot ass slab in the comfort of my own home. Before I listened, I checked out all the artwork, haha. It seemed from the artwork alone they were letting me know what the sound would be like. And yes, instantly I hear much of the old PARANOID sound; speed, noise, and of course, elements of black metal. It was a pleasure to blast this one. If you are one of the listeners who tuned out after 2015, I would tune back in. I’m sure everyone reading this is familiar with PARANOID, but the noise may not be for everyone. If you do like the noise, and you don’t know ELECTRIC FUNERAL, I would check that shit out ASAP. This band was Jocke’s solo project before PARANOID. You can hear obvious similarities with PARANOID here. And of course, both band names are referencing BLACK SABBATH... Alright that’s it for today then, thanks for reading everyone. Check out the new PARANOID LP and grab a limited copy from us before it’s too late! Cheers!

Hello and thanks for reading. Today I am writing about HEIMAT-LOS. While it seems most of my friends have known this band for ages, they are a recent discovery for me. Technically I had heard them when we had the reissue of Rapsodie En France Vol. 1. I listened to that compilation non-stop when it was reissued, but I did not remember HEIMAT-LOS at all when their name came back into my life. FINAL BLAST was the only band I knew at the time from the compilation. I could be forgetting someone, but FINAL BLAST was probably the first French band I really heard. It was yet another discovery thanks to the Hardy Boys, on yet another drunken night where Michael DJ’d records loud as fuck til like 3AM. He put on their split with RAPT at some point, and their side immediately stood out to me. I still think that side of their split is absolutely perfect. Again, I had never heard French punk before, so it was cool to hear the heavy UK82 sound in there. Going back to HEIMAT-LOS, one thing that really got me hooked on their sound is how they can be so anthemic yet so fuckin’ hard at the same time. I wonder if they were influenced more by UK82 or Oi! bands… at times that is splitting hairs though, haha. I still don’t know much French punk/hardcore, but all the bands I’ve heard seem pretty rooted in that anthemic sound, or they are noisy as fuck and fast. I was trying to remember how or why I started checking out HEIMAT-LOS, cos usually someone or something has guided me into a new band or album and I have been playing their stuff non-stop for like a year now. Then I remembered, it was something that happened SCARECROW played in Paris last year on tour, haha. At the time, the name HEMIAT-LOS didn’t mean shit to me, so this encounter was way more exciting to Daniel and Jeff. We showed up early to the gig (for once), and we were looking for a place to turn around and park. Due to some tricky maneuvering in the busy and aggressive as hell French streets, we ended up backing into someone’s car. The owner of the car was sitting in the car when we hit them, and she immediately got pretty frantic. This person, like 90% of the people we encountered in France, did not speak any English. As you can imagine, this made the situation even more stressful. Eventually a guy associated with the venue or gig came over and translated between our driver and the woman. Things calmed down a bit, and they came over to the bar to share some wine and do (what I assumed was) insurance paperwork about the incident. Before they headed over to the bar, there was some type of conversation with the woman, Jeff, and Daniel. I think she realized we were a hardcore band or something, and mentioned that her husband used to play in a hardcore band from Paris... and that band was HEIMAT-LOS. What a small world, haha. Since we’ve returned from tour, HEIMAT-LOS has been a constant go to for me and I have slowly been securing copies of their releases. It’s hilarious they have two splits with KROMOZOM 4. Fortunately, their records are not ridiculously expensive, so they have been fairly easy to cross off my want list (with the help of some good mates overseas). Alright that’s about it for today. I’m sorry for not writing about anything new, but maybe my little story was worthwhile. If you didn’t grab that Rapsodie En France compilation when we had them, you can still find copies in USA here. It’s an excellent compilation, and it comes with a sick booklet. And of course, if you don’t know HEIMAT-LOS, I would check them out. Thanks for reading!

Hello and thanks for reading. I wrote about K.O.S. briefly in January, and I am writing about them briefly again today. I had initially written about their debut cassette that had already sold out from us. Recently, they put that debut on 7" format alongside a follow-up EP entitled The True Disaster. Again, as I write the debut 7" is sold out but The True Disaster is still available (for now). Since these were heavily talked about in the newsletter already, I'm sure I am not telling anyone anything new. I still wanted to write because I saw this band recently and I think they might be my new favorite band. Like DESTRUCT, this band puts on an insane live show. Their set was so intense and locked-in it was almost too much handle. I wasn't sure if they were actually this good, or if I was just blinded by the beautiful, glowing aura of Chris Ulsh. When Daniel and I saw each other some days later, he confirmed there was something very insane and special about K.O.S. live. It seems they have spent a lot of time dialing in the perfect tone for each instrument. It's not just the tone of each instrument though, but how they all bring each other together - resulting in an insane pummeling wall of noise. I don't mean incoherent noise, but that raw hardcore perfection that had been marinating in a formula of DISCHARGE, CRUDE SS, and of course, FRAMTID. What fucked me up was they basically plugged in and played. (ENZYME spent like 45 minutes to get set up, haha. Their sound was excellent though I will say.) When I was watching K.O.S. I wondered to myself, "Is this was it is like to see FRAMTID?" They were just so locked tight, pummeling fast, like a bomb ready to explode. I can't wait to catch them again, and I really look forward to hearing what they release next. Alright, this one was brief like I said. If you haven't checked out K.O.S. for some reason, I would stop sleeping and grab the 7" while you can! Thanks to everyone for the support, and thanks for reading. Cheers!

Hello and thanks for reading. While it’s been about a month since I last wrote a staff pick, it feels like way longer in my mind. We will see how well I can write, haha. I hope everyone has been doing well. It seems another round of Covid is hitting my circle of friends and acquaintances. I was run down as hell after tour and I returned to work with a ton of stuff to catch up on. In my limited down time at home, I have been framing some beloved flyers and posters. It’s nice to have something to keep me preoccupied, cos touring with VIDRO was an absolute blast. I think we all really bonded and miss each other a lot as a result. Anyway, I wanted to mention two things today in my staff pick. I will start with RÉGIMEN DE TERROR. I remember when the first EP came out, a friend said it was a little too on-the-nose for him. Haha...well, it was perfect for me. DISCHARGE’s sound was so ground-breaking in 1980 that we have suffered bands who mimic their style for like 50 years now. Countless bands play an homage to DISCHARGE, but few can truly nail down the sound. In a boring world of DISCHARGE clones, I think it’s a great accomplishment to hit the sound right on the nose, like my friend had described. RÉGIMEN DE TERROR’s first EP sounded more like DISASTER’s take on DISCHARGE to me. The songs were pulled back, and the recording was really raw. The sound on their debut EP is definitely more dry than that of DISASTER, but the reference was still immediately what I thought of. When I saw they had another EP dropping, I was excited to hear what would follow. While still in the same vein, this EP is a bit more noisy than the first. The sound brought LIFE LOCK to mind, one of my favorite bands of the past decade. Funny enough, LIFE LOCK covers DISASTER. While LIFE LOCK plays pulled back too, RÉGIMEN DE TERROR picks up the pace a bit on their latest batch of songs. Just like their debut, Swedish d-beat legend Jan “Jutte” Jutila mixed and mastered this EP!!! The EP is 7 songs, clocking in just under 8 minutes. Roach Leg Records is handling the US side of things while LVEUM took care of the UK/Europe. It seems like LVEUM copies are already sold out... check it out and grab a copy before it’s too late. If you are just hearing RÉGIMEN DE TERROR for the first time, we have some copies of their debut from LVEUM in stock as well.

Going back to tour a bit will lead me into the other thing I wanted to mention. I had the honor and privilege to spend about a week in the van with Staffan Fagerberg, the drummer of VIDRO. I already knew of him famously for Really Fast Records and playing drums in HUVUDTVÄTT. As a result, I learned how to properly pronounce MISSBRUKARNA, amongst other Swedish band names. When this tape first came out a handful of years ago, I was unbelievably excited, and I am super happy Outsider Classics have put it back in print! MISSBRUKARNA has always stuck out to me in the midst of so many excellent Swedish punk/hardcore bands. It’s amazing their first record came out in 1980 cos the sound is much more hardcore than almost anything else of the time from Sweden. I know most of the songs are melodic/catchy, but the last few, especially “De Nakna Och De Döda” are without a doubt hardcore. I could be totally off with this comparison, but I feel like MISSBRUKARNA are like the LAMA of Sweden. Anyway, MISSBRUKARNA’s 1984 cassette, Krigets Gentlemän, is absolute hardcore perfection if you ask me. The booklet that comes along with the reissue is such a huge bonus. I am already a sucker for reissues that are on the original format with original art, but including additional things like a booklet with interviews, liner notes, photos, history of the band, etc is such an excellent bonus. I had the pleasure of holding an original copy of this cassette when we were in Stockholm on tour last year. I drooled over it for like 15 minutes and took a bunch of photos, haha. The reissue is well-done and I think everyone needs a copy, even if you aren’t the kind of person to buy a lot of cassettes. OK back to work then, thanks for reading!

Hello and thanks for reading. It’s been a while. I hope everyone has been doing well. I recently got Covid and I have been trying to catch up here at work before we leave for VIDRO/SCARECROW East Coast tour. There have been a ton of killer records in stock since I last wrote a staff pick, but most of them have sold out already. (Especially that new DELETÄR 12”... damn that is a good record.) To coincide with our upcoming tour, I chose a photo taken by our amazing driver from our European tour, Liese. This is from the gig in Hamburg, Germany where we played with VIDRO. If not for this gig, we probably would not be touring together! Since Jeff was perfectly blocked from sight in the live shot, I included a cute shot of him from after the gig. I look forward to the upcoming tour A LOT… blah blah… I could go on forever about being excited to hang with friends in different cities and sweat our asses off in the van with VIDRO, but now it’s time to talk about records.

Funny enough, In a staff pick from almost a year ago, I wrote about the two things I wanted to mention today. NUKIES! This shit is so good to me. They did a cassette version before this record came out. I actually wrote about it here when Sorry State got some copies. Rarely is there a cassette I actually want to buy, especially when I know it’s coming out as a proper record later. ELECTRIC CHAIR was the last cassette I went out of my way to get. Even though I knew it was coming out on LP, I really wanted to hear the entire thing. I know I could have probably just streamed it online or something, but I don’t know... nothing can ever beat playing the physical format of a release. Don’t get me wrong, I use Bandcamp and YouTube to check out bands all the time. Anyway, NUKIES really hits the spot for me, so I was eager to get the cassette version to hold me over until this hot ass slab was finally released. The LP is finally here, so don’t sleep. If you haven’t heard them, I would stop what you’re doing right now and check them out. I don’t understand what there is not to love about this shit.

Another thing I wrote about that day was BLACK UNIFORMS. I am so happy to have these in stock. I remember when I first heard them, they were a bit too metallic for me. I’m not sure what made it click for me, but now I can never get enough BLACK UNIFORMS. Everyone needs this record. While the song is not on their full-length, “Suck My Cock” is like my life paraphrased into a song, so naturally I am obsessed with the band. When I first wrote about them in that staff pick, I was writing about this bootleg that was in circulation late last year. We never could find out where to get a bunch of copies at an OK price, though. It was peculiar how spot-on the boot was to the original. It even included the original catalogue number in the matrix. It was also interesting I recently heard Mats Bodenmalm passed away very early this year. And more recently, I saw Charlie Cimex post from Facebook where he warns readers to not deal with Cliff for CIMEX shit and that he is a speed freak, haha. I know Cliff probably played a bigger role in BLACK UNIFORMS, but I have no idea who has the rights to reissue their stuff. Is any of this stuff related? Probably not, but I can’t help but wonder and laugh a bit about the whole thing. Anyway, Unrest Records has got this bad boy back in print officially and I could not be more excited. They changed the insert a bit and updated the font on the front cover. I think the update on the front was a nice touch, alongside hand-numbering that out of 1,000 copies. Yes, there is only 1,000, so sleep now and forever hold your peace. Hilariously as I write this, I had this video playing. I know the two bands beefed, but I can happily enjoy both. Alright, I’ve got to get on with some other work now. Thanks for reading, and thanks to everyone for the support!! Cheers!

Hello and thanks for reading. While I am here today to talk about AIVOPROTEESI, I wanted to mention some other stuff first. I’m sure I will talk about it more some other time, but the debut FAIRYTALE LP is just so damn good. I’ve been following the band since they came down and played the house just a few months before Covid-19 hit the States. They had a flexi out only at the time, and it did not really give testament to the band’s raw intensity. Live they were so unbelievably good, and this LP is without a doubt my favorite release so far. Also, I wanted to mention this LP from D.T.A.L. I was really excited for this one, cos the EPs from the ‘80s are so sick, especially the first one,”Time to Die." I always thought it was interesting their second EP “A Beautiful Day” was much harder to find, especially cos it’s not as crazy and raw sounding as their debut EP. Eventually I attributed its allure to it being pressed on blue vinyl, haha. The “Dark Dimensions of War” LP comes with an insert explaining the history of the band and its ever-changing line-up. I’m guessing “A Beautiful Day” was poorly distributed (if at all), since the band was not technically a band when this EP was released. It was a new line-up with a new metallic direction that went on to do “Dark Dimensions of War” years later. They explain this record was planned to be released on CBR Records in 1990, who released ANTI-CIMEX that same year. Apparently, the plans for the D.T.A.L. 12" faded into nothing after CBR was dealing with lawsuits due to the title of “Absolut Country of Sweden.” Recently the original tapes were found, restored, and the release picked up right where it left off - thanks to De:Nihil Records. I was happy to get this record, and read the history of the band especially. Check it out, but be warned this is not raw hardcore like the way they originally played.

Alright, so AIVOPROTEESI. I just found this video made by the band with studio tracks and live footage, collaged together with images of war and propaganda. The timing of it looks like this was released when the LP came out. It is kind of cheesy, but I think it’s super cool still. They give us a brief history of the band, which is also cool. I was hoping this compilation LP would come with an insert of some sort, but unfortunately it does not. The record is housed in a nice gatefold jacket that is loaded will full-color photos of the band. I don’t think the cover itself is very appealing (I think it’s the color scheme?), and it has tons of labels listed on the back. Most of the time when you see that, it’s a sign of a whack ass record... haha. There is a US label on the back of this record, but I worried we would never get copies since it has been available in Europe for nearly a year. Eventually I said fuck it and mail-ordered a copy from Germany. Finally though, we can all enjoy copies of this hot slab in USA. AIVOPROTEESI unfortunately never had a proper record until this one. They appeared on the legendary Yalta Hi-Life compilation, and that was their only real appearance (aside from a handful of obscure 80s compilation tapes and a couple bootleg LPs that came much later). Maybe it’s easy for some to overlook AIVOPROTEESI on this compilation cos they appear next to super popular bands like TERVEET KÄDET, KAAOS, or VARAUS. But their tracks on this compilation are just as killer and they are easily of the same caliber as those legendary bands. On this compilation they released eight songs, although ten were recorded in the session. Those tracks were pretty much lost to time until the Finnish Hardcore label reissued them on a super limited lathe in 2020. It was definitely cool to hear these missing tracks, but nothing beats being able to hear the full session in all its glory. I think that alone makes this compilation LP worth it, but they’ve loaded it up with a handful of different recording sessions and some live tracks - totaling in 31 tracks, killer. Alright I think that about does it for today. Thanks for reading and thanks to everyone for the support. Cheers!

Hello and thanks for reading. Today I am here to talk about this killer VORKRIEGSJUGEND 12"! The first pressing of this record sold out super quick. I think we got like only ten copies or less. Luckily it's back in print and we got a nice stack, so I am happy to write about it this time around. I discovered VORKRIEGSJUGEND soon after my adventures into German hardcore. I don't really know much about the band, but their 7" is absolutely killer. It seems like it might be rarest thing released on Pogar Records? Maybe cos they have pretty limited reissues. I was just looking on Discogs and the 2003 reissue LP goes for over $100, damn. When I was on there, I also saw this pretty cool write up on this very 12" I'm here with today. It's well-written and provides way more insight into the band than I could, haha. Nevertheless, I still wanted to highlight some shit. This comes from a sound board recording, so the audio is great. I mentioned thinking the 7" is killer, and they play all but one song off of it, I think. So of course, it had me raging! It seems like there is one track on this live 12" that was never properly recorded, but I could be wrong. I looked around YouTube and found some other live recordings and they had played the same song. This one is pretty nice, it's got a ton of sets on it - but still not the one that has been reissued on this LP! It was an excellent touch the LP comes with fold-out insert that has a photo of VKJ playing that night and a scan of the gig flyer. The insert folds out to show a bunch more flyers with them playing with some killer bands. This is the first release on Stonz Records, based in Berlin. I hope they have more planned cos I think this live LP is excellent and everyone should get one, haha. If you don't know VORKRIEGSJUGEND, I would definitely check out their EP. Their LP is cool too, but not quite as raging. A live LP may not be the best place to start if you've never heard a band...who knows though, if you don't buy it now maybe you'll regret it later. Oh before I go, I wanted to drop a link to this video on YouTube of VKJ playing live in 1984. It looks like they are playing in the basement of their squat or something. Since I don't understand German of course I have no idea if that's their squat. There's a handful of videos on there from the same occasion it seems, and it's all based around an interview of some sort. Alright then I’ve got to go! talk to you next week. Thanks to everyone for the support!!

Hello and thanks for reading. I’ve been out sick from work this week, unfortunately. I am here today though to write about this (also) sick record from LANGUID. However, before I begin, I wanted to mention this killer new shit that I can’t get enough of. While it’s just a Bandcamp link for now, I know that it will eventually be released on Adult Crash. This is some of that real deal Tottis-worship, from none other than Uppsala, Sweden! The vocalist, Martin, booked SCARECROW in Uppsala on our European tour. (Hi Martin!!) It makes me feel super cool to know someone in the band across the ocean, especially cos I like it so much, haha. I can’t wait for the record. Until then I will be frequently visiting their Bandcamp site. So, LANGUID first came on my radar with their debut 7”. Their sound very quickly caught my ears. The most obvious influence I pick up on here is DISCHANGE. When a band like this is your primary inspiration, I think you gotta be super creative. Since almost all the songs are slow, the riffs must be very catchy, and the D-beat MUST groove. If you can’t achieve both, the record is going to sound sterile and just drag on. This pulled-back DISCHARGE style has been done countless times, but every now and again a band executes the sound with perfection, like LANGUID has done here. I feel like the DISCHANGE formula is unique, and so influential, because despite the songs being groovy and catchy, the riffs are still heavy and mean. Soon after DISCHANGE changed (haha) over to MEANWHILE they developed a more “rocked out” style compared to the heavy edge that DISCHANGE carried. Don’t get me wrong, they have plenty of songs that still have that heavy sound (including every single track on this amazing 2005 EP), I just feel like they leaned more into other aspects of the songwriting as time went on. Their 1995 masterpiece Remaining Right Silence is before I notice this change, however. Alright, LANGUID. It’s cool Desolate has decided to get this LP back in print. I remember trying to find a copy soon after it was released was no easy task. It was released only by the band in Canada. This Desolate release includes a bonus 7” which features their 2017 demo, remastered at Communichaos. I had never heard these recordings before. All these songs are re-recorded on the LP I think, but it’s always cool to get to hear their original take on the songs. Aside from the excellent songwriting on these releases, LANGUID’s artwork has always gotten my attention. The illustrations are simple yet mean. Just like the music, haha. They always gave me a Scandinavian Jawbreaker kind of vibe, but it doesn’t come off quite as cheesy. Naturally, I was excited to see this Desolate release came with a poser of the front cover! Alright, I think that’s all I got left in me this week. Thanks for reading, and thanks to everyone for the support. Peace!

Hello and thanks for reading. I have been listening to KOHTI TUHOA a lot lately. I recently moved and Pelon Neljäs Valtakunta keeps finding its way back onto my turntable. I wrote about them in a staff pick a few years ago when I first heard them. They instantly had me hooked. When I heard their PAINAJAINEN cover, I lost my mind. On the album I just mentioned they have a song entitled “Kohti Tuhoa.” Unfortunately, there are times when a band has a song named after the band and it just doesn’t hit very hard. But every now and again there are occasions like this where it hits so hard you punch the fuckin air, even if you’re just jamming in your room alone. I feel like when you name a song after the band, it must be like the best song ever. It probably won’t have the same effect when you pull it out of the context of the full album, but “A Mean While” by MEANWHILE is another excellent song of this style. The lyrics are super clever, too. My drive to work takes about as long as the Who Killed Dove EP. I’ve been playing it every day for the past two weeks I think, haha. Funny enough, the song starts off with a song entitled “Crow.”

Anyway, today seems like a good day. I’m looking forward to whooping ass tonite in laser tag, and as you can see from my staff pic, I had a pretty sick mail day yesterday. I’ve been looking for this HEADCLEANERS 7” for ages it feels like. It feels great to cross one off the want list. (Yes, I have an actual written out want list.) I still desperately seek Extrem P with a green cover… I hope one day I find a copy to cherish and love forever, until death do us part. I got this copy of Disinfection in the mail from the UK alongside a few other new releases. I am here today to talk about one of those new releases, TÀRREGA 91’ on La Vida Es Un Mus. I saw they dropped a few new releases at once recently, and TÀRREGA 91’ instantly grabbed my attention. The cover looked classic, and even the name sounded classic as hell. I went to check it out, and surprise, the first track had my full attention! The band was described to take influence from bands like HHH, MG15, and ARROGANTA AGITATORER. I can definitely hear this, but one thing I hear (and see) is TAMPERE SS. Aside from the cover looking similar to an ‘80s Finnish punk collage, Tàrrega is the name of a city, just like Tampere. For the song structure, I mean of course at the end of the day it’s all DISCHARGE, but they have a few slower songs remind me of classic Finnish bands like TAMPERE SS or RIISTETYT. Speaking of RIISTEYT, the back cover of this TÀRREGA 91’ EP looks similar to Laki Ja Järjestys. The TÀRREGA 91’ discs are white labels, and they have these tiny gold stickers on them. They look just like the stickers Vote Vasko (P. Tuotanto) put on the represses of Laki Ja Järjestys and Systeemi Ei Toimi E.P. Haha, alright… enough of the nerd shit. Aside from TÀRREGA 91’ referencing their city of origin, it’s also referencing the year tons of youth rioted and nearly burned down their town hall. So sick. Per usual I didn’t really explain what the band sounds like but whatever. Overall, this is a killer record, and I would check it out if you have not. Alright that’s all for today. Thanks for reading and thanks for the support!

Hello and thanks for reading. LASSO kicked off their US tour in North Carolina last night. The show was sick, and it was a great turnout for a Wednesday night. We all went to get burritos after the gig, and it was so much fun just to hang out. I can’t believe LASSO flew into Miami and drove to NC to start their tour. And to top that off, they are touring the entire time in a sedan. That is some die-hard shit right there. I don’t think I know many people willing to sacrifice so many comforts for the sake of touring. Super cool. SCARECROW played with them last night, and we will travel north to Norfolk to support the gig up there. I was surprised to learn that LASSO was a three piece. I feel like when the guitarist also sings the vocals are like way less a thing, but Marcelo yells his head off the entire time. I look forward to that Norfolk gig tomorrow even more, since I won’t be stuck working the door and I will get to really witness them live. It’s been quite busy at Sorry State per usual and I’m sure missing work tomorrow will set me back even more. Luckily, I have a very cool boss… While tomorrow night I will be enjoying a killer gig, I wish tonight I was in fucking Philadelphia to catch the DELCO MFs record release gig. God damn. This band is easily one of the sickest bands of late. They play so insanely good live. The first record is just Jim playing everything. It didn’t really sound like them live, but it was still an awesome EP none-the-less. This new EP is actually their live line-up on the recording, and man does it fucking rip. I usually wait til SSR gets copies of shit, but I went ahead and mail ordered this one. Check it out immediately if you missed their new release. Speaking of new releases… coming out sometime soon on Bunker Punks Discs and Tapes will be the U.S. version of the debut EP from SLAN! If you haven’t heard this EP yet, I would check it out without a doubt. SLAN plays real deal Swedish mangel from Göteborg, Sweden. It’s super exciting that Jeff and I will do our first international release on our label with them. Alongside this release will be a debut cassette from BLOODY FLAG. I won’t say too much now, but I am beyond honored to be releasing this one with Jeff!! It’s definitely similar to SLAN, in that they are both noisy d-beat bands, but BLOODY FLAG takes the KAWAKAMI approach to things. Stay tuned to get your ears blown to hell. Alright, that’s all for today. I’m about to rehearse with my new band FUCKING WAR, haha. Thanks for reading my diary entry, and thanks to everyone for support.

Hello and thanks for reading. I can’t remember how I initially heard STATE OF FEAR. There is a chance I heard it randomly cos they have an EP on Profane Existence, but I’m guessing it was cos I was checking out what other bands members did from DISRUPT. Jay Stiles did like all killer bands after, and this was the first. While he didn’t play an instrument in DISRUPT, in STATE OF FEAR he took on guitar alongside vocal duties. The band leaned away from the grinding aspects of DISRUPT and way into the Scandi-side of things. This EP is for real a d-beat masterpiece. While I am a definitely a d-beat-aholic, I am not the kind that consumes anything and everything that comes into my path. I have an acquired taste that is usually found on the top shelf. The 1990s were saturated with boring crust and power-violence bands. Still, regardless of the bullshit, there were flawless EPs every now and again like Wallow in Squalor. The sound of the self-titled EP is more “thrashy” than the other. The drummer is not ever really playing a proper d-beat, but who cares? The song writing and overall sound is a bit heavier, and they even have a song that blasts all the way through. The second song, Consumption, is so good, from the lyrics to the fuckin’ riff. It makes me want to wreck shit. I didn’t realize either of these EPs were in high demand now. I think they both rule, so I am happy to see them back in print. Sonarize put the first two EPs one 12” as the first volume. It’s always nice not to have to get up to flip so much, haha. Also, this 12” comes with a booklet loaded with photos, flyers, and interviews. This was definitely a good way to top off the reissue. It helped me straighten out the history of the band. Alright, thanks for reading and take care.

Hello and thanks for reading. Today I am writing about DESTRUCT’s new LP, Cries the Mocking Mother Nature. That’s no surprise though, right? I feel like I’ve been fan-boying this band since I first saw them live in 2018 with DISSEKERAD in Richmond. While they left a big impression, it was a strange line-up where Patrick took over vocal duties and they played without a bassist. I knew they usually had bass, but I didn’t know the bassist was still up there performing, haha. Regardless of being short a huge component of their sound, DESTRUCT was so good, like a machine. I had no idea a band from Richmond like this existed before I saw them that night. At the time, Echoes of Life had not been released, just their Human Failure demo. While that tape was a solid debut, it does not give testament to how good DESTRUCT was. Two songs from the tape were re-recorded on Echoes of Life and it sounds almost like an entirely different band. Aside from the excellent sound and songwriting on the records, what makes DESTRUCT stand out from others is their obliterating live performances. They have a well-formulated, massive sound. Regardless of the amps being so loud, little Alex behind the drums easily competes with the volume with his pummeling snare hand and fucking insane drum fills. On top of that, he plays speed alike to FRAMTID. My mind is blown every single time I witness them live. Last gig I saw them at, Zach and Patrick switched instruments on their final song and that one really fucked me up. Usually only bands who suck trade instruments. Anyway, I feel like Cries the Mocking Mother Nature is an amazing follow-up to Echoes of Life. Well, they did tease us with a few tracks from the new LP with their live cassette that came out a little while ago, Onward to Collapse. If you don’t have one of these and you are a DESTRUCT fan, I would definitely suggest picking one up. They are fairly cheap, and they have good sound quality. I’m not doing a very good job at describing the new LP but whatever, you can probably understand I think everyone should buy this record. I feel like they sound even more like DESTRUCT on the new LP, if that makes sense haha. They have their sound totally nailed down. I can’t wait for their next release, Screaming Death. I think I’ve probably mentioned this here...it will be a 12" split with DESTRUCT, DISSEKERAD, RAT CAGE, and SCARECROW. The DESTRUCT songs on that are some next-level shit. That will be a co-release with Skrammel Records and BPDT. Following that I know they will do a 7" on Acute Noise Manufacture, and maybe I have heard some talk of an ABSOLUT/DESTRUCT split... Alright before I go, I wanted to mention we have a few of these sick long-sleeve shirts from their tour with ABSOLUT this past year. Not sure why we have any left… these are two excellent bands teamed up on a shirt with an homage to MOBS and GHOUL. Alright anyway, thank you for reading, and thanks to everyone for the support!