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Disfear: Everyday Slaughter 12” (Havoc Records) Holy hot damn, Havoc Records brings a landmark Swedish d-beat record back into print. When I wrote about Havoc’s reissue of Disfear’s 1995 LP Soul Scars, I mentioned I became aware of Disfear through their more polished 2000s releases, not learning until years later about their furious early material. It’s tempting to see 1997’s Everyday Slaughter as the culmination of that early era, as the record after this one marked a change in drummer, vocalist, and style. Everyday Slaughter, though, is a total shredder. Disfear recorded the album with Thomas Skogsberg at Sunlight Studios, who also produced sonically renowned Swedish death metal classics like Entombed’s Left Hand Path and Clandestine, Dismember’s Like an Ever Flowing Stream, Carnage’s Dark Recollections, and many others. However, the bigger production on Everyday Slaughter is balanced out by a feral performance from the band, who lays into these songs like a hungry pack of wolves on a fresh kill. Disfear builds most of these songs around short, relatively simple riffs, and even though the clarity and beefiness of the tones might sound metal, the music here is pure hardcore punk. Check out the last track on the a-side, “Subsistence,” whose verse riff is literally just one chord played as hard and as fast as possible for four bars… it’s so fucking PUNK. I’d call it a highlight, but every moment of Everyday Slaughter crackles with energy and power. It’s just a great fucking record, a high-definition portrait of a band at the top of their game.

Golpe: Aussuefazione Quotidiana 7” (Beach Impediment Records) Aussuefazione Quotidiana is the second record from Italy’s Golpe. Sorry State released their first record, La Colpa È Solo Tua, and we remain huge fans even though we didn’t put out this new EP. In fact, I think Aussuefazione Quotidiana is an incredible record, distilling everything that was great about La Colpa È Solo Tua into an even more potent concentration and adding a few new wrinkles to the sound. For my money, Golpe writes some of the most memorable songs in hardcore. Even putting aside the quality of the riffs, beats, vocal lines and other building blocks, Golpe’s songs are arranged so they seem like they’re always building in intensity. I don’t know how they do it, but every time you think the band has achieved an impossibly high climax, there’s an even bigger one around the corner. The riffs are just phenomenal, with a larger-than-life quality… I mean, listen to the (mostly) instrumental “Un Nuovo Inizio” and try not to imagine a giant room full of people going the fuck off. Another thing I love about Golpe is the playing. It still seems impossible to me that Golpe’s mastermind Tadzio records all the instruments himself because the ensemble playing sounds so natural and organic (I find a lot of other one-person projects robotic and one-dimensional). Some of the groovy parts are so slinky they almost sound funky, though rigidity and looseness is one of the many dynamics Golpe manipulates… they can certainly bash when they want to. I should also mention the lyrics, which sidestep punk cliches and self-referentiality to engage directly with the world’s most pressing problems with real thought and feeling, something the band actively encourages their listeners to do too. There’s so much to take in with this EP and I love it all. Bravo, Golpe!

Tozcos: Infernal 12” (Toxic State Records) I have to start by saying how much I love this record. I’ve been listening to it non-stop since it dropped in late November; it’s now mid-January and I’m still listening to it daily. Santa Ana, California’s Tozcos hadn’t put out a record since 2018, so I imagine Infernal took a lot of people by surprise. I kinda knew it was coming, though. Last summer Thrasher magazine flew Tozcos out to North Carolina to play, and by then I had heard through the grapevine their next LP would be on Toxic State. This felt particularly special and exciting because Tozcos would be the first band on Toxic State not from New York. So I had an inkling that Tozcos had something special in the cooker, and they confirmed that at the Thrasher gig, where their new songs blew me away. I feel like I had the riff from “El Vacio” stuck in my head for the entire three months between that set and when I finally got to listen to Infernal. When I sat down with the record, it was all I’d hoped it would be and more. Tozcos’ style is unique, their rhythm section rooted in UK82-style punk with its grooving, driving beats and hooky bass lines, but with harsher, more hardcore-style vocals, and while the guitarist can lock into the rhythm section’s groove, he also has these great-sounding lead parts that provide many of Tozcos’ most memorable hooks. While it’s not an obvious reference point for Tozcos’ sound, the guitar-playing reminds me of John Haggerty from Naked Raygun… huge-sounding, but with a leanness to it and a knack for crafting earworm lead lines. And while Infernal feels inspired, it also feels crafted, its exquisite production balancing power and immediacy, the songs intricate without feeling over-worked, and the packaging and presentation thought through in every detail (a meticulousness you can also see in the video for “Presos”). Honestly, though, just listen to it. Infernal is, as its cover hints, an electrifying record that will grab you from the first note and not let you go until the last.

Secretors: Comparing Missile Size 7” (Roachleg Records) We last heard from New York’s Secretors on 2019’s Antidote for Civilization flexi, but after seeing them last summer at Another Lost Weekend, I knew they were coming back in a big way. Secretors did not sound like a band that had been hibernating for four years… in fact, they might have played my favorite set of that entire weekend. Comparing Missile Size illustrates why. For me, it’s a consummate New York punk record, intense and raw, but developed and thought out in a way that makes it feel like a real statement rather than just a burst of inspiration caught on tape. Secretors recordedComparing Missile Size at D4MT Labs, and like all the recordings that come from that space, it sounds murky on the surface, yet it’s rich with the detail you need when the instruments’ tones and textures are a big part of the sound. Despite playing full-bore pretty much all the time, Secretors’ music goes to a lot of different places, from brutal, Shitlickers-inspired pounding to riffier moments like “Direct Order” and the rad, Randy Uchida-esque intro riff on the title track. The vocals play a huge part too, barked in a low register a la E.N.T., but rather than locking in rhythmically with the riffs, they tend to pull against the instrumental rhythms in compelling ways, creating this tension that makes the sound feel like it’s pulling apart at the seams. The artwork and lyrics are similarly compelling, with well-considered reactions to the new horrors of 21st-century warfare. Comparing Missile Size is one of those records that grabs you right away with its explosivity, but whose depth keeps you coming back for repeated listens.

Crucified Class: S/T 7” (Whispers in Darkness Records) We named Crucified Class’s previous cassette Record of the Week, and now the band has returned with their debut vinyl. Guess what? We still love it. While it seems like an obvious comparison given Crucified Class is from Portland, there really is a lot of Poison Idea in their sound. Rather than the pared down, Pick Your King version of P.I., though, Crucified Class pulls more from the War All the Time / Feel the Darkness era that fused the earlier material’s intensity to longer, more well-developed songs with dynamic dual-guitar arrangements. I think there’s also a lot of Adolescents in Crucified Class’s sound: the insanely catchy guitar hooks, certainly, but also the darker chord progressions and the way the songs build tension in elegant, interesting ways (“System Sickness” reminds me of “Kids of the Black Hole” in that regard). While Crucified Class is 100% a hardcore punk band, their songwriting feels ambitious, which stands in stark contrast to the tossed-off feeling of a lot of contemporary DIY hardcore. That ambition pays off, with these four songs rising well above mere imitations of the classics.

Quarantine: Exile 12” (Damage United Records) One of my favorite contemporary hardcore bands, Philadelphia’s Quarantine, returns with their second 12”. Quarantine emerged as such a fully formed beast that it shouldn’t be surprising that not much has changed between Agony and Exile. Quarantine’s music is still firmly rooted in blistering 80s hardcore like Negative Approach, Agnostic Front, and Jerry’s Kids, but played by musicians much more seasoned and technically capable than the ones who made those early 80s records. Quarantine takes the unpredictable lunges of Victim in Pain and hones them to samurai blade sharpness, the sound anchored by virtuoso drummer Chris Ulsh, whose playing has a downright supernatural combination of deftness and power. The main difference I hear between Exile and its predecessor is that, this time around, there are fewer of the psychedelic-sounding, United Mutation-esque lead guitar parts I loved on Agony, with the guitars joining the rhythm section in their single-minded pursuit of relentlessness. Jock also remains a larger-than-life frontperson on Exile, his bark creeping in and out of legibility, rendering his bleak lyrics even darker and stranger. The between-song instrumental interludes also return, ranging from maximalist industrial to a creepy and minimal electro-acoustic-style piece. If Agony and Exile are the first two installments in an Out Cold-style discography that keeps going and going with no letup, that would be fine by me.

Yellowcake: Can You See the Future? 7” (Not for the Weak Records) Virginia’s Not for the Weak Records brings us the vinyl debut from Arizonan d-beat powerhouse Yellowcake. Yellowcake features Mike from Extended Hell and Urchin on drums, and, frankly, if Mike is playing drums in your d-beat band, your d-beat band is really fucking good. Certainly the drumming is a highlight here, as Mike retains his ability to hold a rock-solid groove and kick the ever-loving hell out of that bass drum while keeping the fills fresh and just a little spicy. The rest of the band is killer too. Yellowcake’s guitarist does that thing where there’s one guitar track with a beefy sound and another that’s fried with noise, and that works really well. On the riffier, Totalitär-influenced parts, your ear gravitates towards the cleaner sound, while the Cimex / Framtid parts hit with the impact you want them to. The ensemble playing is great too… check out that perfect little hiccup pause before the breakdown in “Weaponized Mania…” a chill-inducing moment. The singer’s delay-drenched howl sounds desperate, as befitting the lyrics focusing on the horrors of war. Competition is stiff in this micro-genre of Swedish-influenced d-beat and there isn’t room for anything under-developed or half-assed. Even within a crowded field, though, Yellowcake is at the front of the pack.

Powerplant: Grass 7” (Static Shock Records) London’s Powerplant were eclectic and interesting from the drop, but their last release, 2022’s Stump Soup—an hour-long dungeon synth foray meant to soundtrack a Dungeons and Dragons module the group designed—proved the best approach to any new Powerplant record is to expect the unexpected. While Grass isn’t as out there as Stump Soup, the group remains eclectic and progressive here, returning to a more familiar synth-punk sound, but from moment to moment being as forward-thinking, exciting, and confounding as they’ve ever been. Grass is difficult to describe because it doesn’t sound like anything I’ve heard before, despite working with a familiar palette of guitar / bass / drums / synth / vocals. Much of that is because of the songwriting and arrangement; rather than traditional, repetitive pop arrangements, these tracks sound like they’re built on a shifting foundation, and even when a musical motif repeats, something above or below it has always shifted, casting it in a different light. That sense of instability is apparent not just from part to part, but from track to track as well, as the way the instruments fit together and harmonize with one another floats in unexpected directions, never changing dramatically, but shifting in ways that keep my ear interested, even if I’m often left wondering how we got from point A to point B. But while Powerplant’s music on Grass always sounds unfamiliar and novel, it’s still packed with appealing melodies, textures, and rhythms… they never seem self-consciously experimental, just stylistically nomadic. Grass feels like a puzzle, one I may never figure out, but that I’ll enjoy tinkering with forever.

Institute: Ragdoll Dance 12” (Roach Leg Records) Over four albums and several EPs, Institute has firmly established themselves as one of underground punk’s preeminent bands. Each record is a joy when it comes out, and their entire discography remains in constant rotation for me… they’re a band I can always listen to, and that I never seem to tire of. After a run of strong records on Sacred Bones, Institute has moved to Roach Leg Records (in the US) and La Vida Es Un Mus (in Europe) for their new album, and they sound artistically reinvigorated on Ragdoll Dance. While the last couple of records on Sacred Bones—Subordination in particular—seemed to lean into the more straightforward, almost hardcore elements of their sound, Ragdoll Dance sounds to me more open-ended, almost playful. If you like Institute singer Moses Brown’s solo project as Peace de Résistance, you’ll love Ragdoll Dance, as that project’s take on high-minded yet gritty art-pop bleeds into Institute’s sound here, particularly on the track “Wonder,” whose dark, chiming guitars bring to mind Siouxsie and the Banshees at the height of their creativity. That being said, “Plateau of Self” and “Uncle Sam’s Hate” are straightforward, go-for-the-throat rockers that keep Ragdoll Dance in the record store’s punk section. Raw and real production and performance, great songs, ambitious aesthetics… Ragdoll Dance has it all.

Collate: Generative Systems 12” (Domestic Departure Records) We love Portland’s Collate here at Sorry State—we’ve named two of their previous releases (2018’s Liminal Concerns and 2019’s Communication) Record of the Week—and with Generative Systems, they score the rare Sorry State hat trick. Collate’s music is grounded in the original post-punk sound, but unlike so many groups infatuated with this era, they sound vital, contemporary, and punk as fuck. Collate is a 3-piece and they do that Gang of Four thing where the bass holds down the melody while the guitar functions as more of a rhythm instrument. While the guitarist is fond of Andy Gill-style stabbing, the bass and drums are lithe and rubbery, reminding me of ESG’s ability to lock into a simple, danceable groove. Slick production can pull the life out of this style, but Collate recorded Generative Systems on a cassette 8-track and it has the gritty, lo-fi charm of records like the Fall’s Dragnet. And as with the Fall, there’s an air of menace to Collate’s music that runs counter to how straightforward and danceable it is. The lyrics are as spare as the music, working with Discharge-level word counts and often employing jargon in this threateningly fuzzy way, which I find poignant… as a former academic, I’m sensitive to the ways rhetoric is weaponized in order to reinforce or upset social pecking orders. While the analog recording and debts to 70s post-punk mean Generative Systems doesn’t exactly sound contemporary, it also doesn’t sound retro. I even hear hints of Fugazi in places (particularly on the songs Collate’s guitarist Jason sings)… I suppose Fugazi took a lot from Gang of Four themselves, but I think that comparison comes to mind because of the powerful ensemble playing and the music’s vitality. Musically powerful, lyrically astute, and just fucking cool… Generative Systems is another essential record from this brilliant band.

偏執症者 (Paranoid): S.C.U.M. 12" (Beach Impediment Records) The latest 12” EP from Swedish d-beat veterans 偏執症者 (Paranoid) signals a significant shake-up in their sound. In many ways, though, it extends what 偏執症者 (Paranoid) has been up to for the past several years, continuing to widen their music’s scope, which takes in d-beat, noise, heavy metal, black metal, Japanese hardcore, and plenty more. It’s hard to deny, though, that S.C.U.M. includes more raw, straightforward hardcore in the mixture than the past few records. 偏執症者 (Paranoid) sounds aggressive as fuck here, playing hard and fast and generating fucked-up tones that, like the best noise-punk, push past grating into the terrifyingly sublime. S.C.U.M. is hardly a back-to-basics record, though, as the sonic hallmarks of their past several records are all over this new EP, which has plenty of rocked-out riffs, soaring melodic lead guitar, and ambitious song structures… they’re just served on a plate of sandpaper. I’m sure plenty of people will say S.C.U.M. is the best record 偏執症者 (Paranoid) has made in years, and if you’ve lost touch with them over the past few albums, it’s time to check back in. And if you’ve been along for the entire ride, you’ll love how S.C.U.M. synthesizes sounds from across the band’s ever-growing discography.

Avskum: En Annan Värld Är Möjlig 12” (Prank Records) The world may be objectively worse than it was 20 years ago, but on the plus side at least Prank Records is still putting out new Avskum albums. I fucking love Avskum. It’s a pretty incredible achievement for a band that has been around for as long as they have, but I like each of their albums a little more than the previous one (comparing their albums to their earlier EPs and demos is kind of apples and oranges… I’m on the side of “it’s all awesome”). While En Annan Värld Är Möjlig is still sinking in, I think the trend might continue. This album has everything I love about Avskum. It’s fucking relentless in that Swedish käng style that just never lets up, with everything at maximum intensity all the time. The vocals are perfectly shredded and perfectly placed, and the guitarist just assaults you with riffs. I’ve always loved Avskum’s guitar style, which is full of dense, dark chords, drawing on an aspect of Bones’ style that few other guitarists pick up on. En Annan Värld Är Möjlig is full of all that stuff (I mean really full… it’s 17 tracks!) and not much else, so if this is the shit that cracks your brain up, don’t miss it.