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A few days after we returned home from tour, my homie Alex (WHAT UP!) sent me a link to this new LP from GEFYR. It took me a few days to get around to listening to it, but when I did, I was pretty excited about this one. I still haven’t checked out their previous releases. It looks like they go back about 5 years. I’ve listened to this LP probably close to ten times in the last 24 hours. To be honest, I didn’t like the art. I would’ve ignorantly passed it over based on that, if not for my friend. Maybe that’s too honest? I don’t care, but I don’t mean to offend anyone. The record is really good, and it doesn’t matter what the art or name is in the end. This was a similar theme for legendary band, TOTALITÄR. Also similar to TOTALITÄR, GEFYR is from the same city in Sweden! Very cool. When I first put this record on, I can hear many elements of TOTALITÄR. The riffs are blazing, the tone is punishing, and the d-beat is pummeling. But upon a closer listen I actually hear so much NO SECURITY. For example, on track 1, the chorus followed by the build-up of punches that actually leads back into a d-beat conclusion—that’s some metallic shit I could imagine NO SECURITY executing with hardcore precision. Of course, the vocal placement and riffs add a ton to what I am talking about. I like that on this record there are varying tempos of d-beat. Sometimes bands play one or maybe two tempos on a record and that’s it, but this drummer plays at like 3 or 4 different paces. It keeps me on my toes. While the band reminds me of those classics I named above, they obviously sound contemporary. Sometimes they squeeze in a measure or two of pogo’s between the D’s, and sometimes they go from a fast d-beat to a slow d-beat within the same song. I usually hate that kind of stuff. But instead of being boring about it, this band can actually pull it off with some taste. Sometimes they play so fast it’s hard to handle. Pure mangel, seriously. I would love to see this band live!! Alright that is all for today, check it out and grab a copy before we sell out! Thanks for reading everyone.

Hello and thank you for reading. Today I am writing about something pretty random. I haven’t done that in a while, but I am really excited to finally have a copy of this record! I don’t know a ton of German bands. Pogar Records was my introduction to German hardcore. The EPs released by VELLOCET and MALINHEADS on Pogar have always been some of my favorite 7”s, ever. For a while I didn’t know many other bands from Germany but over the years I’ve learned about some others like SCAPEGOATS, UPRIGHT CITIZENS, MANIACS, SCHLEIM-KEIM, OHL, and most recently, THE BUTTOCKS. But one of my favorite German bands that is not on Pogar is BLUTTAT. Many years ago, when Carly was working at Sorry State, she was playing their second LP when I came to hang out one day. At first, it didn’t really catch my ear. BLUTTAT has a really interesting sound. Some of it is really “poppy” sounding but then you get blasted by pure hardcore. I think some pure hardcore hit and that’s when my ears perked up and I had to know who she was jamming. The band has some elements of like new wave at times, especially on their 1986 LP. Even though they lean a lot more into that sound on this record, I still really enjoy it. The first record is really good as well. It’s kind of noisy and a bit sloppy. The vocalist constantly bombards you with lyrics as well, which adds to the rippingness. The sound reminds me a bit of ELECTRIC DEADS (Denmark) or WAX (Sweden). The first track off the 12” sounds quite a bit different from the rest of the record, especially with a different member of the band on vocal duties.

Anyway, I think BLUTTAT’s real gem is Nkululeko. There is something so perfect about this record to me. The bits between each song really enhance my listening pleasure. Since there is a language barrier, I am not sure what the context of this stuff is. Some of it is so cheesy sounding that I would naturally think it’s a joke or something… but then the passages continue for a considerable amount of time. This, along with their “poppiness,” makes their hardcore sound really stand out. It makes it sound even more nasty when you hear that fused with these other unique elements. It’s funny, I think if a band had a sound that was kind of all over the place like this one in this day and age I would probably dislike it haha. On this record, some parts really remind me of KALASHNIKOV (Denmark) actually, and I really like that band. I had no idea how cool the packaging was going to be on this LP when it arrived in the mail, so that really added to the sweetness of finally securing a copy. Alright, I think that’s about it for today. Thanks for reading as always. And thank you Carly, for showing me this killer band!! Peace.

I remember when the first RASHŌMON record came out, I didn’t know anything about the band. At the time I thought it was silly the release was a single sided 12”. Why not just make a 7”? I was working at Sorry State soon after the repress came out, and I found myself packing up copy after copy. Naturally when this happens, I listen to the record right away. And if I’m lucky, I just discovered a new banger to add to my collection. The same thing happened to me with another one of Iron Lung’s releases, HOLOGRAM. Except I was too late to the party on this one. By the time I finally listened to it we had already sold out of our copies. So anyway, I thought it was silly the RASHŌMON 12” was single sided, but that didn’t matter at all to me once I laid that hot ass slab down onto my player. The intensity blew me away. The sound is pretty chaotic, but the instruments are like totally locked in still. It reminded me a bit of some classic Japanese hardcore bands, but it wasn’t totally on the nose by any means. It doesn’t sound like they are trying too hard to sound like certain “style,” and I think that adds to their appeal a lot.

So I’ve been kind of out the loop with stuff since we were on tour for a month on a different continent. I had no idea RASHŌMON had a new release until last night when Jeff was busting open the parcels. Of course, the first thing I did was jam this motherfucker. And of course, it is yet another single sided 12” haha. I like this record a lot. I listened to it 3 times in a row last night. It has an extra pummeling intensity the first one did not. It kind of caught me off guard. The guitarist’s strumming hand is fucking insane. In contrast with the last record, this record sounds more “focused” to me. Instead of a chaotic sound, the guitar playing seems more intentional or something like that. The leads are more melodic and the songs sound more dramatic, rather than having that “wanky” chaotic feel from the first record. Honestly some parts of the new one reminds me of a lead one might hear on a DEATH SIDE record. Do they sound like a Burning Spirit band? No. They still have their unique, organic blend of song writing. This band is excellent. As far as I know, the band is comprised of people from Washington DC and their vocalist is from Japan, where he currently lives. I saw this band some years ago while the vocalist was living in DC. It was insane. They perform so damn good. It was loud, it was intense, it was unrelenting. I think it may have been one of the most packed gigs at our house too, which of course added to the good times. If you ever have a chance to catch this band, don’t fuck up and miss them. Definitely check this record out, and you should probably buy a copy to add to your collection.

Going back to the single sided 12” thing before I go… Over some time, I realized that yes, the record will probably sound better as a single sided 12” cut at 45rpm rather than a double sided 7” cut at 33. But the main thing I thought, they probably saving a great deal of money on the plating of the record, right? Since it’s only one side being actually pressed. Maybe I am wrong about that though. Anyway, thanks as always for reading! And of course, thanks to everyone for the support. Peace!!

Hello readers and thank you for reading. As you probably know, the majority of the SSR crew has been away on tour with our band SCARECROW for the past month. I’m sure the updates (and everything else) slowed down a bit from Sorry State, with our beloved skeleton crew holding it down while we were gone. I hope with this newsletter we can pick up right where we left off. A ton of great records have arrived the past month. Rather than bore you with stories of having the time of my life on tour, I will just get right to my Staff Pick. To start off, I want to mention two tapes that are not in the photograph. The first one is NUKIES. While this is a tape, it is going to be an LP sooner or later on Adult Crash. I imagine they made the cassette to get the music out faster since most pressing plants are taking ages right now. I got one of these cassettes from a member of the band when we played in Uppsala. It’s fucking killing me that I cannot find it anywhere... Anyway, NUKIES rules. They play that beat I like, and they’ve got riffs for days. They sound like they are from Sweden, reminding a bit of bands like LARMA or HERÄTYS. I’m not positive who is in the band, but it’s definitely someone from AXE RASH and someone from ANTI-METAFOR. I say ANTI-METAFOR cos it’s the more recent band, but that same guy was in ANGER BURNING. ANGER BURNING is one of the greatest bands of the past 15 years. I first heard them on their Warcharge 7”. The EP is raw as fuck and it rocked my world when it came out. The riffs are very simple and straightforward, but the songs carry so much power. However, their real masterpiece came 4 years later, When. The name is cheesy, and yes they even have songs entitled When and When (Reprise). Don’t be fooled, though. Alright, I didn’t talk much about NUKIES I guess, but do yourself a favor and check out their tape so you’re ready to grab the LP as soon as it’s available!

The next cassette I wanna mention is the Summer Promo tape from INVERTABRATES. Anyone who reads this newsletter surely knows who they are already cos SSR re-released their demo cassette. This promo cassette is an excellent follow-up to their debut, all their best elements are now pushed to the fullest and I can’t handle it. The speed, the riffs... Chubb’s drumming is so fucked up. It makes me just want to quit playing music. I lean towards “Scandinavian” sounding bands usually, but every now and again I hear a band like this that just undeniably rips and it rocks my socks off. A completely unrelated band that had a similar effect on me was CLOSET CHRIST. I know this one came out years ago, but I can never forget it cos it is so fucking good, damn.

Moving onto the LPs, let’s start with BLACK UNIFORMS. We don’t have copies of this, but I am hoping to find us some... this is proving to be a bit difficult since it is a bootleg. I saw some copies on Ebay some months ago as a “pre-order” (for too much money) and I wondered what would come of it. Of course it didn’t say anything about being a bootleg on the listing, but naturally I assumed it was. There’s been no promotion about a reissue and Hard Core Horror certainly did not just repress this out of the blue haha. Eventually I tracked a copy down, and I was happy to return home from tour to it. It is really well done. Almost too well done.. It even has a matching matrix haha. Which is kinda fucked up, but if you look closely, you can see it’s missing the other portion of the matrix. If you didn’t have an original to compare it to, then maybe you could be deceived, which I don’t like so much. The red text is just slightly different in color, and some spacing is just slightly off. Nonetheless, I am happy this killer LP back into circulation. I hope that we can get some copies!

Sticking with reissues we don’t have in stock, I have been so damn excited about the NYX NEGATIV reissue! I think their demo completely smokes. It’s got everything I need from rawness to catchiness. I first heard them on the 2007 “reissue” split with DISCARD and became immediately hooked. It’s a shame I really don’t like their 1986 7" EP, which means the B-side of this reissue doesn’t do much for me. There’s a few compilation songs and an unreleased song on the B-side as well. I had never heard them before, so it was a cool experience. It’s just hard to beat their demo. It was cool to hear the live recordings that finish off the B-side as well, but I would probably rather like to flip it and have DISCARD on this side haha. At least this reissue does come with a nice booklet of cool photos and art. I think this band is pretty obscure, so it’s cool FOAD would do a reissue of it. Definitely check out the link I dropped above if you’ve never heard ‘em and hang tight til we get our copies.

Alright, next is MOCK EXECUTION. This band grabbed my attention with their 7" EP, so I had a lot of anticipation for this one. I have actually been listening to this album digitally for some time, cos I was asked to write a review. But of course, my dumb ass took the privilege for granted and the opportunity passed. At least I’ve been able to jam this beast on repeat. It’s hard to describe what this band sounds like. They have components of what sounds like ‘80s Finnish hardcore, with the riffing and the occasional grooves. But they play wicked fucking fast and the recording is really heavy, yet piercing, so it sounds kinda like crasher crust. In the end, it doesn’t matter, it’s all just hardcore. This one just sticks out quite a bit to me with its blazing, unique hardcore sound. Check it out and grab a copy!

Alright to wrap it up, NIGHTFEEDER. Don’t sleep. Buy one here right now. If that’s sold out, then try here. Their debut 7" was dubbed record of the week, so I’m guessing you’ve at least seen the name before. The 7" is excellent, but this LP is top-notch. They re-recorded two songs from the demo cassette and blast us with 9 new hits. The song “I’m a Letdown” might be my favorite song off this album, but it’s also the one song that sounds drastically different than the rest. Maybe that makes me like it even more? On their debut cassette they covered MISSBRUKARNA and that ruled so fucking much. It was cool to hear them do another catchy one, regardless of having such a gnarly hardcore sound. This band is like hardcore professionals. They know exactly what they’re doing, they know what sound they want. They’ve all been playing in bands together for more years than some of you have been punk, so they’ve got it super dialed in. I can’t wait to catch them live. Keep an eye out for this East Coast tour this fall!! OK, I will wrap this up now as I have other shit to do. Thank you for reading, and thanks to everyone for the support! Peace.

Hello readers and friends alike, thank you for reading! I am writing to you this Thursday morning with more energy than usual. As of late, I am beat by this point in the week and struggling to get my thoughts into writing. I guess there is somewhat of a struggle that still exists today cos I’m not really writing about a record, but a handful of bands I just saw live over the weekend. To get us going, I wanted to mention that we now have the DELCO MF’s 7” I wrote about last week in stock NOW! This band fucking rules, seriously. Their live performance is so damn good. Non-stop hardcore action. I saw them live a few weeks ago, which is why I wrote about them. I caught them again at the fest this past weekend, and they were even better. They played at like 2 in the morning too, and still completely annihilated. I would be so tired and trashed by 2AM, there is no way I could’ve held it down like that. I can’t wait to see them again and hear what they release next.

Going along with this theme, I thought I’d write about the bands that really stood out to me at the fest. All the bands that played ‘Something To Talk About’ were legit good, and each day was fully stacked. Unfortunately, I did miss a few killer bands like ICD 10 and MUJERES PODRIDAS. I was beyond excited to have played the same bill as HORRENDOUS 3D. This band was unbelievably good. I have never seen a band play like this before in real life. They are so fast, in the crashing not blasting fashion. The guitar tone is harsh as fuck, ahhhhh... I heard they will be touring down the East Coast later this year with FUCKIN LOVERS!!! I really hope I can catch them or even bring them to N.C. Now I’ve seen FUCKIN LOVERS a fair amount of times, but they played a top-notch set at the Friday after show. It was the best I’ve ever seen them, easily. The tone was perfect, the drums were loud AND fast. It sounded like a GAI flexi or something. I really could not get enough.

Backing up a bit, the first night YDI played. I am not a big YDI fan. I think I have that reissue 12," but I was still excited to witness these Philly legends. I think only the vocalist is OG? Nonetheless, the band was excellent. Even the newer songs were pretty cool. I was worried they would completely suck, haha. Before they played, some friends and I were hanging in a back corner and noticed this guy with a huge Freddy Krueger glove on sitting all alone.. I wondered who let this mofo into the club with that thing on? Turns out it was the vocalist of YDI, Jackal. He also wore a plastic mask/helmet that had mohawk spikes on it. Pretty ridiculous haha. This same night, SCALPLE tore the fucking club up. Jesus. I had never seen them before, so I had no idea what to expect. They were certainly one of the best performances of the entire fest. I can’t wait to see them again. Right before they played was RAT-NIP. We had their EP before in the shop but foolishly I had never heard their stuff before, so I really had no idea what to expect. I quickly noticed RAT-NIP had the same drummer of BLOOD PRESSURE, so I got excited to see them after the realization. Their songs and performance were excellent. The band reminded me of POISON IDEA. They stood out a ton at the fest to me, and I would certainly drive up to 6 hours just to watch them again.

Moving onto Friday, the bill was overflowing with excellent bands. My boys RECKONING FORCE opened up the evening. It’s always good to gig it up with the homies, and these mofos are never a let-down live. Looks like they’re on like the fourth fucking pressing of their LP? If you’ve been sleeping, better grab one before it goes out of print! YAMBAG from Cleveland played a few slots after. This is a name I kept hearing around, and after I saw them, I understood why. This band ripped, totally full of raw energy. Seriously great band to see. Before SAVAGEHEADS took the night away, it was QUARANTINE. If you read my Staff Picks at all, you probably know I am a QUARANTINE fanatic. If you missed it, here’s a link to the fanzine I did when their LP came out. I’ve seen them three times now I think? And they punished the crowd at the show. Certainly the best I’ve seen them. Totally locked-in, and they played a new song! Hell yes. Word is they will do an LP sometime again, and I cannot wait. Does SAVAGEHEADS even need a write-up? Insanely good band. In every way. They also played an encore that consisted of a song played previously in set being played yet again, haha. The crowd still loved it. I wonder how many people even realized. It’s a shame about their LP pressing being totally fucked. The world is gunna eat that shit up once it’s finally out.

AMMO played the same after show as DELCO MFs on Friday night. I briefly checked out their debut 12" after Daniel dubbed it ‘Record of the Week’ a few weeks ago. While the recording didn’t really stick with me, their live set 100% did. It was 100% fucking hardcore. Non-stop, just like DELCO MF’s. We heavily stocked this record when it was released, but it has since sold out. However, I will still leave you with a link to grab one, cos we have a nice stack of restocks on the way. If you missed out and don’t wanna keep religiously checking the page, you can always enter your e-mail address on the link I just dropped and you will get an e-mail automatically when it is back in stock! Fun fact: AMMO and DELCO MF’s both had the same style encore as SAVAGEHEADS, haha hell yeah.

To finish off, I guess I will talk a bit about my band SCARECROW. If you didn’t know and care, Daniel and Jeff from Sorry State are also in this band. I was really happy to have played Jim’s fest in Philly. Jim is solid as fuck and I can’t thank him (and Amy!!!) enough for everything they have done for us. I love you guys. Soon SCARECROW will travel up north again to play the fest in NYC, and very soon after that we will embark on our month-long European tour. We have a new EP that will be released in the next week on my label with Jeff, and you can check out some of it here if you’d like. Alright, that is all for this week. Thanks for reading, and thanks to everyone for the support! Peace!

Hello readers and friends alike, thank you for reading. I’ve been busy as hell the past what seems like forever. Last week was ABSOLUT / DESTRUCT tour, which I “managed” and drove ABSOLUT. This weekend is the Philly fest, Something To Talk About, and SCARECROW will be playing. I just got done printing some makeshift covers for our new EP for the gig. The EP should be properly released by the beginning of July. Anyway, when I was in Philly on tour last week, I had the privilege of witnessing DELCO MOTHERFUCKERS perform live at Fotoclub. God damn. I had seen some quick vids online, so I had somewhat of an idea of what I was in for, but nothing will compare to catching them in real life. This recording is insane, it is fucked up, and it is fast. The recording session is just the vocalist, Jim (what up MF), playing every instrument. I’m not sure if Jim can actually “play” the drums? But he holds it down and rips it the fuck up. Honestly, if you played me this recording with no context, I would guess it was some old ‘80s USHC band, and I really like that about it. When SCARECROW returns to Philly this weekend, we will pick up a fat stack of the EPs for Sorry State, so check it out in the meantime and be sure to grab a copy once we got ‘em in stock if you like what you hear! Alright thanks for reading, peace!

Alright, we finally have the ‘new’ KAAOS 7” on Fight Records in stock!!! I say new in quotations cos it’s certainly not new material from KAAOS, but a recording session that was recently unearthed! I don’t know much about this 7" but I know it’s a completely unreleased session from 1982. However, there are two songs from this session that initially appeared elsewhere on a proper vinyl release. One song was on their split with CADGERS and the other appeared on the “Systeemi Ei Toimi E.P.” Those tracks were recorded at a different studio, though. These Huvikumpu tracks are different versions which, I think, were recorded later. I am also pretty sure one song has never been released at all until now! So sick. The Fight Records webpage said the other track was never released as a KAAOS song but it was actually given to BASTARDS. They released their own version on the “Maailma Palaa Ja Kuolee” EP. Fight also said it’s actually the guitarist of BASTARDS playing on this entire session! Both bands were from Tampere, so it makes sense to see this connection. I think most bands from this town shared a member or two during this time. This session was recorded by Sidney Salminen. I think I read he was the one with the original tape that evolved into this release as well. According to the internet, he played in killer bands like KAAOS, BASTARDS, ANTIKEHO, and PROTESTI. However, I can’t find much info on what he did on any records. Maybe he played live with them or just filled temporary roles? I do know he played a major role in PROTESTI, which I think is a bit underrated compared to other Finnish hardcore bands of the time. Maybe it’s cos the band never had a proper record back in the day. We have some copies of the excellent 7" reissue in stock actually if you haven’t ever checked it out. This band to me sounds more like BASTARDS with their ‘sloppy’ sound, rather than bands with more groove like RIISTETYT or PAINAJAINEN. Alright then, that is about it for today. I will leave you with this sick video of KAAOS playing lots of the material I’ve mentioned here, live in 1982. If you are a Finnish hardcore fiend, don’t sleep on this Kaaos 7", stuff on Fight usually sells pretty quick. The quality of the recording isn’t the greatest, but it’s definitely one for the archives. Thanks for reading, peace!

Hello readers and thank you for reading. Today I will be here with the quickness to mention the repress we just got of the RECKONING FORCE 12”. Their debut LP Broken State maintained a spot on the top of the Sorry State charts for weeks on end when we initially stocked it, and for good reason. This record is fucking pummeling. I’ve been lucky enough to catch ‘em live a few times and god damn they do not disappoint. The drumming is ripping with catchy punches that lock right in with the guitarist’s lightning fast strumming hand. Fucking hell. They seriously shred. If you slept on this record, now is the time to wake the fuck up. If I am being totally honest with you, I slept on this LP for a few days cos the art did not really do it for me. Artwork is probably the least of my concerns when it comes to hardcore, but artwork can certainly draw me towards to record (for better or worse.) Shit, TOTALITÄR is one of my favorite bands and art was certainly not their forte haha. Anyway, I was working at the warehouse when I heard this absolutely pummeling hardcore coming from the fulfillment room and I rushed over to discover that Daniel was blasting their (then brand-new) 12". I bought a copy immediately. Maybe I should’ve waited for this sick silver version though... Fuck it, maybe I’ll buy both. This style of hardcore isn’t necessarily my go-to, but then again I’m not really sure how to stereotype this record into one of the sub-genres of hardcore. Some elements of the band remind me of WASTED TIME. Their styles are similar, and both bands go hard as fuck. I am not well-rounded on 80s USHC so I have no idea what to compare it to when it comes to the classics, but I am sure they have plenty of 80s influences. This Norfolk crew always seems busy with their projects, so I am sure RECKONING FORCE will lay down another hot ass slab for our turntables sooner than later, and I can’t wait. Alright, thanks for reading. If anyone from RECKONING FORCE is reading this, what up mofos!!! Thanks to everyone for the support. Peace!

Hello, and thank you for reading. I went to a few gigs over the weekend and had a blast. I saw QUARANTINE, who ruled. No surprise there. I was happy to get some hangs in and grab one of their tour tapes. Luckily, they put it online so everyone can hear it even if you don’t have a copy. Hell yes. This band rules and everyone in the band also fucking rules. I can’t wait to hear what is next for them. Alright, so we just got the new RIGOROUS INSTITUTION 12” last night. I’ve only listened to it one and half times, but I think I like it a lot, so I am mentioning it here. I just now discovered you can jam it online already here, actually. I don’t think this band needs an introduction, right? To be honest, when I listen to this band, I can’t tell what I even like about it. But it always keeps me listening. That’s why I said “I think” I like it haha. It’s a weird feeling. I think it makes me feel uncomfortable cos of the way the songs are written. I’m not sure. It certainly doesn’t bring me a feeling of joy, and it doesn’t bring me the satisfaction of teeth-grinding hardcore. The songs almost creep along. They aren’t driving, and they are not catchy. It kinda sounds like you are wading through some nightmarish swamp of shit, and the air you’re breathing is humid with a suffocating stench. The vocals are prominent in mix and sound just simply gross. It truly completes the sound. Anguish. That is what is sounds like. Does that sound like something you want to hear? Alright that’s all then, thanks for reading and thanks to everyone for the support.

Hello, and thank you for reading. Today I write about CONSEC from Athens, Georgia. They just released a new flexi on Futile Force. The label is operated by the vocalist of the band, Reeth. He actually recorded, mixed, and mastered this release as well! I became friends with the bassist of the band, Zach, when SCARECROW was down in Charlotte some years ago. (If yer reading this, what up ya’ll!) I don’t think CONSEC was a band back then, but I could be wrong. Anyway, Zach hit me up a few months ago to book CONSEC and unfortunately the date couldn’t work out on my end. I was lucky enough to hear the flexi tracks at this point it time as well. But after hearing it I was really bummed the show didn’t work out, cos I think this shit fucking rips. We did have the privilege of bringing them up here to gig with ZORN soon after though, so I got to see ‘em rip in real life in the end. I’ve been excited to get these in stock since I heard it, and the finally arrived today after some postal delays. Definitely check out the link I dropped above and grab a copy if you dig it! I look forward to what they do next. Cheers, and also fuck everyone that I think sucks.

Hello and thanks for reading. Today I will be here with the quickness for real as I am writing mad last minute. With Rachel leaving, me getting Covid, and training our new team member Angela I found myself deeper in the weeds than ever before. Luckily Daniel came to motherfucking rescue and whooped ass at everything fulfillment related. Anyway, today I write about INSTRUCT. A month or so ago I was writing with someone I haven’t talked to in ages. (If yer reading this, what up Devin!) We both used to live in the Midwest and moved to separate coasts. I was obsessed with his Kansas City band NO MASTER so naturally I was very excited to check out INSTRUCT when Devin mentioned he had a new band. The styles aren’t really the same, aside from being filthy fuckin’ hardcore punk. INSTRUCT has a definite metallic edge, while NO MASTER was pretty much on-the-nose DISCHARGE style. It appears INSTRUCT are just making music they want to, rather than what seems “cool” or hyped now days. I guess what I mean is it rules to hear some disgusting, not-give-a-fuck crust amidst all the contemporary hardcore releases coming out these days that all have the same formulas. While I am here to write about INSTRUCT, I would check out the NO MASTER link I dropped as well, both tapes rule. Thank you for reading, and thanks for everyone’s support. Peace!

Hello, and thanks for reading.

I am out sick from work unfortunately, but I will still pay my dues here with a brief Staff Pick. Over the weekend I rode with DESTRUCT up to NYC and Philly for some gigs they were playing. LIFELESS DARK was originally on the NYC bill but was replaced with CHURCH CLOTHES after they dropped. I had yet to listen to CHURCH CLOTHES, but I recognized the name from packing up dozens of their EPs for mail-order. This is a common theme in my life, unfortunately. Why don’t I just spin the damn record when I am packing countless copies? When I learned I was going to see them, I had no idea what to expect. Well, I got my fuckin wig split. They blew the doors off the club. They were the first band to play, too, so I find all this even more impressive. I have yet to listen to the EP still haha, regardless I certainly look forward to seeing them again. Seeing DESTRUCT two nights in a row was fucking excellent. I already thought they were one of my favorite bands from the States currently, and this weekend did nothing but reinforce this belief. DESTRUCT is a well-oiled machine. They are hardcore perfection. I can’t wait til their next LP is out. I was lucky enough to hear the tracks from said LP, but they have since released a new cassette with some live recordings where two songs from the upcoming LP are featured. We had a nice stack of these, but sold em all already. I know the band has a few copies left on the bandcamp I linked and Grave Mistake has some as well. Alright that’s all for this week. I hope everybody is taking care, and thanks for reading! Peace.