Featured Releases

Early Grave: Winter Promo + Live 2026 cassette (self-released) Philadelphia’s Early Grave’s debut LP is coming later this year, and this tape previews three tracks from that release and significantly increases the value-for-money ratio by tacking on a full live set featuring even more songs from the upcoming album. While this tape may seem like a stopgap release, I’ve been letting it run on repeat while I’m working, and it’s really gotten its hooks in me. In particular, listening to the live songs next to the studio tracks has been enlightening. Early Grave’s M.O. is writing catchy, old-school punk/hardcore songs and imbuing them with atmospheric touches borrowed from various strains of underground metal, and the two parts of the tape showcase how strong both those elements are. The live recording is very bass-heavy and reveals the songs’ solid bones, particularly the rumbling yet catchy bass lines that serve as most songs’ center of gravity. Early Grave’s bassist, Cassidy, was Devil Master’s original bassist (she’s been in many other bands over the years too), and her knack for crafting eerie yet driving bass lines is on full display. Then the tape flips back around to the studio tracks, and you realize how layered and detailed they are, dressing up that raw punk skeleton with a more precise execution and a host of subtle but impactful overdubs. I don’t think I noticed the atmospheric synth lurking in the background of “Evil Terror” until like my fifth listen, though I felt its impact on the song’s haunting atmosphere well before I noticed it. Maybe the upcoming album release will render the studio portion of this cassette obsolete in a few months, but in the meantime this will get a ton of play.

Powerplant: Bridge of Sacrifice 12" (Arcane Dynamics) Powerplant finally brings us the follow-up to their much-loved 2019 LP People in the Sun, and they swing for the fences, delivering one of the most exciting, original, and challenging punk records I’ve heard in some time. While Powerplant didn’t disappear in the years since People in the Sun, the EPs they released didn’t exactly mark a clear trajectory to the second album, so I didn’t know what to expect from Bridge of Sacrifice. It turns out it’s an album full of surprises, smashing genres and moods together in a way that feels bold and inspiring. The first thing you’ll notice is that black metal is a big part of the mix. Maybe that’s always been in the background of Powerplant’s sound, but it’s a big part of Bridge of Sacrifice, which features lots of blasting drums and vocals that are both growled and demonically hissed. Sometimes these elements appear together in straightforward black metal part, but more often black metal’s corpse is raided for parts, with these tropes re-contextualized within Powerplant’s swirling, psychedelic blend. One thing I really love about Bridge of Sacrifice is that you never know what’s coming at you next. There’s the black metal stuff, the plaintive, emotional punk we know from People in the Sun, but also quirky, Wall of Voodoo-esque new wave, huge vocal hooks that wouldn’t be out of place on a New Order record, touches of alternative rock, blissed-out space rock, and a big helping of gothic metal that’s like some strange, distant cousin of Type O Negative or Danzig (listen to the a-side closer “Transactions” and tell me it’s not chock full of Danzig III!). But while Bridge of Sacrifice is thrillingly diverse, it never seems scattered or schizophrenic to me. I think that’s partly because Powerplant has such a distinctive voice that, no matter what they do, they’re always gonna sound like Powerplant. But I think there’s also some low-key musical genius / mad scientist shit going on that allows them to weave all these crazy parts into songs that feel epic and sprawling, yet unified. Not that it’s an easy listen. The combination of abrasive and tuneful elements can jar, and if you’re just not on board with one of the many genres Powerplant flirts with, there will be moments on the record you simply don’t like. But for the wide-eared listener with a craving for novelty and a love of brilliant pop hooks, Bridge of Sacrifice delivers thrills you won’t find anywhere else.

Ismatic Guru: Crocbrain, or, Two Big Steps For Mankind cassette (Swimming Faith Records) We’ve been carrying records by Buffalo’s prolific Ismatic Guru for years and I haven’t featured them in the newsletter, so I thought I’d get a little more acquainted with their latest release, Crocbrain, or, Two Big Steps For Mankind. It was an excellent decision! This project has been percolating for a while and has developed a unique sound all its own. The rhythmic foundation is my favorite part, relying on dub-y and funky beats that evoke the original post-punk era… a little early Rough Trade Records, Delta 5, some Contortions, even Tom Tom Club in places. I always loved the joyful, energetic vibe of that music, and Ismatic Guru summons that vibe here. While that foundation is fairly consistent across these five tracks, the guitars take several tacks, some with fluid, snakey-sounding runs, some with scratchy rhythmic parts, and other parts that are more textural rather than rhythmic or melodic. It’s a great combo… a consistent, danceable beat and guitars that feel boundless. The vocals are also really strong. John Toohill from Science Man handles the vocals, and he’s matured into a powerful and expressive vocalist, wrapping Ismatic Guru’s strange lyrics around forceful melodies and delivering them with a big helping of rock and roll panache. Ismatic Guru has compiled an impressive catalog over the past few years, but if you’re new to them, this bite-sized, all-hits EP is a place to dip your toe into their weird world.

Dissekerad: Väggarna Rasar 12" (Desolate Records) Stockholm’s prolific Dissekerad return with a ripping new 10-songer on Minneapolis’s Desolate Records. Dissekerad is, of course, deeply connected to the Swedish d-beat scene we all know and love, with members also serving time in Totalitär (Totalitär’s vocalist Poffen is one of Dissekerad’s two vocalists) and Avskum, among many others, and if you come to Väggarna Rasarlooking for the riffy, energetic d-beat of those bands, no doubt you’ll walk away a satisfied customer. But this record also offers fresh wrinkles for the d-beat nerds who revel in the minutiae, all the subtle differences in sound, performance, and songwriting approach among the many bands playing in this style. For me, _Väggarna Rasar_’s calling card is its swinging rhythms, which find the drummer way, way deep in the pocket. One of my favorite things in the world is a drummer who can play super fast but make it sound effortless, striking an almost magical balance between energetic and laid-back. That’s precisely what you get here, and the band wisely keeps the focus on that hypnotic d-beat with an uncluttered mix that emphasizes the essential pulse. Song-wise, Dissekerad seems to have access to the same bottomless well of killer riffs as Verdict, Totalitär, Exploatör, and Institution, as everything here is impeccable. The leads, though, are decidedly un-flashy, with solo sections delivering simple melodies with little in the way of flashy hammer-ons, pull-offs, or other pyrotechnics. Dissekerad mixes things up with a couple of curveballs like the melodic, almost Screeching Weasel-y lead in “Helvetet På Jorden” and the rockabilly-meets-d-beat groove of “Lögn Blir Sanning,” but they carefully pepper these moments out to give the album a little variation without distracting from the focus, which is to keep that d-beat mainlining straight into your skull.

Schimmel Über Berlin: Eisenmund 12” (Static Age Musik) While continuing to release a steady drip of punk and hardcore, over the past few years Berlin’s Static Age Musik has established a productive sideline releasing some of the most interesting (and German-sounding!) post-punk music around from artists like Cosey Mueller, Aus, and Die Letzten Ecken, all of whom have been big favorites around Sorry State HQ. Now they’ve added to that list with this excellent debut from Schimmel Über Berlin. Working with a similar set of post-punk influences as many other bands—Killing Joke, Bauhaus, Siouxsie & the Banshees, the Cure—Schimmel Über Berlin distinguish themselves from this crowded field with genuinely first-rate songwriting, playing, and production. The first thing that leapt out at me was the brilliant guitar-playing, which walks the line perfectly between being catchy and inventive. I hear a lot of PiL’s Keith Levene in the playing, with the guitarist exploring every aspect of the instrument’s expressiveness, melodically, rhythmically, and texturally. My favorite is when the guitarist takes a very odd, almost Devo-esque sequence of notes and, through sheer repetition, turns them into a hook, which works beautifully on “Der Gute Sohn.” If that’s a little too out there for you, though, they’re just as good at rock bombast, which you hear on another standout track, “Schreck,” which proves that even when Schimmel Über Berlin is at their least adventurous, they’re still exciting. The rhythm section is also very strong, capably weaving between upbeat, driving songs like “Schattenriss” (which has a similar riff and groove to Killing Joke’s “The Wait”) and moodier, tom-drenched pieces like “Eisenmund” and “Weise Fee,” which are in that early Banshees / Faith / Seventeen Seconds kind of space, like the soundtrack to a very slow-moving ritual sacrifice. I also love that while the rhythm section is super heavy, the mix leaves a lot of space in the middle register, giving the recording a cavernous, haunted vibe which works beautifully with these songs. As for the vocals, you’ll love them if—like me—you’re a big fan of Cosey Mueller or Die Letzten Ecken, as they lean on a similar style of speak-singing that feels cold, distant, and very German, though Schimmel Über Berlin’s singer can also drift into simple and serene melodies… even better is when the two approaches are overdubbed on top of one another, as on “Eisenmund.” I have to admit this lane of post-punk-inspired music is so crowded that I’m leery of new bands in this style, but Eisenmund is so well-rounded, so expertly conceived, and so rich with depth that it’ll grab you from the first listen and keep you spinning.

Faucheuse: Comme Un Poignard 12” (Black Water Records) Bordeaux, France’s Faucheuse follow up their 2024 debut Rêve Électrique with their new album Comme Un Poignard, and this time around Portland’s Black Water Records is on board, making this new album cheaper and more widely available in the US. While Faucheuse is from the same thriving scene as compatriots Bombardement and Phosphore, they take traditional d-beat hardcore to places it’s never been before. Faucheuse refers to their sound as “adult oriented d-beat,” a cheeky name that pokes fun at their musical ambition and their willingness to bend this highly codified genre to their artistic will. But while Faucheuse is a progressive band, I wouldn’t put them in the same category as genre-busting virtuosos like Paintbox and G.A.Z.E. Mostly that’s because of the drumming, which never strays too far from that one beat we all like so much, no matter how deeply the other members indulge their musical ambitions. Rather than Paintbox or G.A.Z.E., I think the latter era of Skitkids is a better comparison for what Faucheuse is doing, i.e. not leaving d-beat behind, but pushing the genre to the limits of what it can contain. And it turns out it can contain quite a bit more than your standard Discharge-inspired riffing and barked vocals. There is some absolutely wild playing on this album, with ridiculously complex, hall-of-mirrors riffing and lengthy soloing. However, I wouldn’t describe it as wanky. Sure, much of what you hear on Comme Un Poignard requires virtuosic levels of skill to perform, but I never get the sense the musicians are showing off. The emphasis, to me, is always on composition rather than performance, with interesting (and often daring!) harmonic, melodic, rhythmic ideas anchoring even the fastest and densest parts. Maybe it sounds like inchoate wanking to the untrained ear, but I’m fascinated by the bass and guitar riffing throughout this entire album... it’s just jam-packed with interesting musical ideas, and I’m constantly tilting my head to the side, thinking “what the fuck are they doing there?” Maybe you need to be a musician to really get it, and you certainly need to listen closely to appreciate it, but if you meet both requirements, I feel certain you’ll find Comme Un Poignard interesting, if not viscerally exciting. And I haven’t even mentioned the vocals yet! As befitting their progressive stance, Faucheuse has a singer who seems oblivious to normal d-beat vocal modes. Sometimes the vocals are shouted in a way that’s consonant with the music’s aggression, but more often they’re sung—often sweetly and kind of gently—gliding serenely over the musical chaos like a gull circling a garbage heap. (I’m not saying Faucheuse’s music is garbage! I’m trying to emphasize the contrast between the frantic aggression of the music and the serenity of the vocals.) Put this all together and you have a band that truly sounds like no other before or since. Given they’re working within one of the most aesthetically conservative genres around, Faucheuse may face resistance in their quest for listeners, but the few, the proud, the hardcore punks with adventurous listening habits, should not miss this one.

Noxeema: Sick 7” (Raw Sugar Records) This Portland band released an excellent 7” back in 2019, and now they’re back after seven years with their follow-up EP. Despite the lengthy wait between records, not much has changed in the Noxeema camp. They still have an interesting sound that sits in the fuzzy space between a few different punk subgenres. The jangly guitars paired with fast, driving drumbeats make me think of first-gen hardcore, but perhaps even more, I’m reminded of the early 2000s bands from northern Europe who were inspired by that era. I’m thinking of bands like Amdi Petersen’s Armé and Regulations, but while Noxeema sounds a lot like those bands in places, they have none of the retro sensibilities (I doubt they have shaved heads and dangly earrings!), so the vibe is quite different. I also hear some no wave in Noxeema’s sound, particularly in the simple, repetitive drum patterns, which are often hardcore fast, but groove in a hip-shaking way… could you imagine Young Wasteners covering ESG? Often the music stays spare and straightforward so the vocals can take center stage, and these songs have a punkier feel. The first track, with its stuttering vocal line (“s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-sick!-sick!”), owes something to the Cramps, and that camp sensibility feels like a callback to the 70s, when echoes of glam rock were still very apparent in punk. And then there’s “Serenity Now,” whose heavy power chords are different from anything else on this 9-song EP, bringing to mind early Bad Religion. 9 song crammed on a 7”, all different from one another, a unique vibe you can’t get anywhere else, sick artwork… Noxeema’s new EP has “buy me” written all over it.

Life Expectancy: Sold cassette (Iron Lung Records) Liverpool’s Life Expectancy returns with their second cassette on Iron Lung Records, and it is a howling morass of blackened d-beat bleakness unlike anything I’ve ever heard. While there’s a fairly straight up, Doom / Discharge-style hardcore band at the core of Sold, what separates Life Expectancy’s music is their ability to evoke the uncanny through their production choices, which sculpt the noisy detritus of your typical raw-ass d-beat recording into a Goya-esque blurred nightmare vision. While you can usually pick out a riff and a (d-) beat somewhere in the onslaught, those elements are way, way in the backseat… it’s like you’re looking through a pane of dirty, frosted glass, down a long, dark hallway, and way down at the end of it there’s a blackened d-beat band practicing by candlelight. But the draw isn’t just, “oh, this is raw and fucked-up sounding;” the noise textures are a thing of beauty in themselves. I find myself straining my ears to figure out what I’m hearing. Is that a human voice? A squeal of feedback? Part of the riff? A demon sucking the world into a hellish oblivion? I can’t figure any of it out, but I love the process of trying as this whirlwind of noise swirls around me. I understand, though, that there’s a lot here not to like. Many of you will say, “you can’t even hear the drums! (or the guitars, vocals, etc.)” and dismiss it outright. Others will be looking for a Physique / D-Clone style attack with harsh tones but precision dynamics. But for those of us who appreciate—even crave—the drone, who will submit and let these waves of noise carry us off into a black, violent sea… nothing is going to scratch that itch like this.

Siphon: Stark Raving Mad 7” (Black Water Records) Portland’s Black Water Records goes bi-coastal to bring us the debut 7” from this new Richmond hardcore band featuring members of Suffocating Madness, Spore, Future Terror, and Benderheads, among many others. Right off the bat, this will remind you of the recent wave of gnarly Richmond d-beat and hardcore bands, particularly Destruct… Siphon’s mix swims in a similar sea of distortion, fuzz, and noise, and will certainly appeal to fans of that aesthetic. But while this sounds familiar on the surface, the band’s playing has a lot of personality. The vocals are great, with lots of rasp but clear enough to hear the lyrics. I wish they were a little more prominent in the mix, actually, but having them under constant threat of drowning in noise is also a cool effect. The riffs are interesting, not swaying too far from your standard Discharge-influenced style, but executed with these sharp angles. It’s hard to explain in words, but while some guitarists play smooth as butter, Siphon’s guitarist has all these jagged edges where they jump between chords in a sudden, dramatic way. The drama is accentuated by the drumming, which packs the songs with unexpected fills that never start or end quite where I expected them to, giving these songs a thrillingly unstable feel, like a landmine that could explode at any second. With only about five minutes of music, it’s time to get up and flip the record again by the time you’ve started poring over Joe B’s always-fantastic artwork, but better to leave ‘em wanting more, right? Let’s hope we get it, because this is a ripping debut.

Massacre System: S/T cassette (Bunker Punks Discs & Tapes) Jeff and Usman’s label Bunker Punks breaks a year and a half of silence to bring us the debut cassette from new Richmond hardcore punk band Massacre System. While I’d seen Massacre System live and thought they were great, hearing this recording and getting to listen to the songs a little more closely makes it clear why they’re a perfect fit for the Bunker Punks label. When I think of Bunker Punks, I think of d-beat hardcore that’s fast as fuck but also grooves, and that’s precisely what you get from these four tracks. A lot of d-beat-type bands go for brick wall mixes that attack you at every frequency, but Massacre System’s mix is elegantly uncrowded, each instrument given a good amount of sonic breathing room so you can really hear what everyone is doing. If anything is emphasized in the mix, it’s the drums, which makes sense because for me they’re the star of the show. Massacre System’s drummer is Sammie, who has been lending her drumming to a lot of bands recently (and you might also know her from Armor), but she really shines here, with that strong groove / swing I mentioned and a heeeeaaavy foot on the kick drum (that reminds me of Usman’s in Scarecrow, actually). While I’d be perfectly happy for Massacre System to just fall in the d-hole and stay there for the whole demo, their songs have exciting arrangements full of rhythmic shifts, breaks, leads, and other flourishes that really keep you on your toes. That’s particularly true of the sub-minute opener “Apathetic Destruction,” an all-impact rager with no repeating parts that leaves little room to find your footing. Have you ever been at a show (or in a similarly crowded space) and a fight breaks out around you, you get knocked around and jostled a bit, but then the whole thing is over before you even know what’s going on? That’s what listening to this track is like. The rest of the demo is slightly less frantic (giving Sammie ample space to groove!), but reaches another climax with the closing “War Crime Technology,” which introduces a Heresy-style, super-fast tupa-tupa rhythm into the mix that cranks the energy level even higher. There’s a lot of d-beat competing for your attention these days, but you can trust the Bunker Punks stamp of quality… this one is something special.

Reek Minds: Eternal Reek 7” (Black Water Records) We named Reek Minds’ last record—their Malignant Existence LP on Iron Lung—Record of the Week, and this new EP (which finds them moving to their hometown label Black Water) is even better! If you’re already a Reek Minds fan, this is a no-brainer since everything you loved about the band is still here: the performance is super energetic, the production is heavy and crisp, the riffs and guitar leads are blazing, and the vocalist still oozes charisma, with an articulated growl that sounds like a death metal-informed Jerry A. Where I think Eternal Reek bests Reek Minds’ previous records is in the increased variety of tempos and rhythms. They’re still pretty much always ripping fast, but they really shake things up with these crazy whiplash changes in rhythm. They’ll be charging along at a groovy, Poison Idea-esque tempo, then out of nowhere they’ll drop into their trademark super fast scissor beat / blast, or vice versa, and every time they execute one of these changes I swear I feel weightless for a split-second. Those scissor beat parts are so wild… the drummer lays into the snare so hard that it almost sounds like the beat is turned around backwards, which makes it even more thrilling when they snap back into the pocket with a groovier punk beat. With six songs in nine minutes, the thrill ride doesn’t let up for a single second.

Inside Job: demo 7” (Autoreverse Records) Demo-on-a-7” from this hardcore band out of Haarlem in the Netherlands. I’m glad this recording made it to vinyl because the tape flew under my radar and this needs to be heard! As you might expect given the artwork—distressed drawings of skeletons, old English font, the “O” in the band’s name replaced with a flail—Inside Job plays metallic d-beat hardcore, and while there’s a lot of that around lately, Inside Job does it well. They sound a lot like Public Acid to me (particularly on the track “Battery Acid”) with frantic tritone riffing and heavy and grooving drumming, but with the influences from noise music and metal dialed back just a hair. There are still waves of feedback and the occasional hot metallic lead lick, but those elements never pull the focus from the driving rhythms. While the intensity level is constantly high, occasionally things bubble over into a slightly more manic space (see “Planned Explosions”), the fist-pumping rhythms giving way to something more off-the-rails. It’s not an enormous difference in tempo or intensity, but it’s just enough to avoid things getting same-y sounding. Excellent stuff.