Featured Releases

Svaveldioxid: Misär O.D. 12” (Phobia Records) Phobia Records brings us a new album from Sweden’s Svaveldioxid, who has amassed quite a discography over their first decade of releasing records. I have friends who are total d-beat nerds and know that discography and its intricacies like the back of their hand. Those folks can tell you precisely how Misär O.D. stacks up against their split LP with Absolut from 2017 or their most recent 10” Främmande Samtid Skrämmande Framtid, but unfortunately I’m not qualified to do that. I’ve checked in with Svaveldioxid periodically over the years and always enjoyed them, but I come to Misär O.D. without much baggage. If you’re not familiar with Svaveldioxid, Sorry State’s readers might hear “Swedish d-beat” and think of the Totalitär-influenced sound that has been so popular lately with bands like Verdict, Gefyr, and Exploatör, but Svaveldioxid are a little different from that, their sound rooted in the gloomier end of Swedish d-beat populated by bands like Disfear and Avskum. Rather than agile riffs that frequently crash into that flatted fifth “evil note,” Svaveldioxid’s riffs are more minor-key, heavier, and driving rather than frantic. The other day I was listening to this record while I was working, and my attention drifted away from it to the point where I forgot what I was listening to… when I snapped back, for a second I was like, “am I listening to Impalers?” That’s not a comparison I would have reached for, but the more I think about it, the more it makes sense. Svaveldioxid’s vocals sound very similar to Ulsh’s—a gravel-y shout treated with a healthy amount of reverb—and both bands also take a lot from self-titled / Criminal Trap-era Anti-Cimex, sitting in that pocket between more primitive raging d-beat and the slicker Motorcharged sound. Svaveldioxid sounds more European to me, though, with touches like the melodic, tremolo-picked guitar leads that pop up on several songs. Every once in a while they throw something unexpected at you, though, like the wild pogo breakdown in “En Död Snut Är En Bra Snut.” While it’s a long way from “melodic crust,” the hints of melody and sophisticated songwriting touches on Misär O.D. help separate it from the pack, making it a slightly elevated d-beat record that doesn’t skimp on the essential speed and power.

Nightfeeder / Verdict: Död Åt Tyranner 12" (Phobia Records) When I saw this split announced, I was immediately like, “oh fuck… this is going to be really good.” The recipe here is promising: two veteran bands operating at the height of their powers, playing music that’s very much in the same vein, but each band having their respective idiosyncrasies that give them a signature style. The pairing is inspired, but do the tracks live up to expectations? Yes, my friend, they do. In fact, I can’t get over how fucking great this split is. I should probably buy two copies because I can see right now I’m going to wear a hole in this thing, and if it doesn’t land near the top of my “Best of 2026” list, it will have been a very good year for hardcore punk indeed. First up, the Nightfeeder side. I have loved every single Nightfeeder release thus far, but I’m tempted to say the eight tracks they contribute to this split are the best thing they’ve done yet. It’s not as if they shake up the formula. As ever, their presentation is super unpretentious, the songs light on bells and whistles and with the focus firmly on the rock-solid, meat-and-potatoes riffing. Those riffs are so perfectly constructed that it feels like they have existed for a million years, and were they arranged in the simplest possible fashion—four of the verse riff, four of the chorus riff, repeat and stop—the songs would already be stellar. (Especially given the absolutely perfect d-beat drumming here, which varies the tempo to keep things interesting yet never stops dripping with groove.) Nightfeeder is way, way too good to half-ass things, though. They know the meat and potatoes are the stars of the show, but the flavor can be maximized with a subtle mix of spices. I have a feeling I’ll be noticing the little touches in these songs for many months and years to come, but off the top of my head there’s: the way the vocals sometimes devolve into inchoate scream on tracks like “Climbing the Walls;” the noisy, Discharge-style chorus on “Cursed Ruins;” the “you-think-you’re-gonna-slam-but-you’re-not” mosh riff teases in “Dragged Beneath” and “Born to Suffer;” the huge vocal hook in the chorus to “Born to Suffer;” the thrashy riffing in “Life’s Fool Pit” (a complex song by Nightfeeder standards with a lot more parts than usual, but they fit together perfectly); the outro of “Launch Codes” when the drums start playing backward. Man, this shit is just PERFECT. Verdict has a lot to live up to on their side of the split, but they meet the moment and deliver what might be their best material too. While Nightfeeder’s tracks lean more restrained and groovy, Verdict emphasizes speed, their tracks generally faster than Nightfeeder’s, with rhythms that are unimpeachably tight, yet slightly ahead of the beat, thrillingly riding that line between chaos and control. The more crowded mix places the focus on the manic speed, but when you listen closely, you realize Verdict are also masters of the riff… in fact, the riffs in songs like “War on the Streets” and “Never Ending Struggle” are so prototypical that you could imagine them as Nightfeeder songs just as easily as Verdict songs. One area where Verdict is unmatched, though, is their talent for crafting breakdowns and mid-paced parts. It’s so hard to work a breakdown into a d-beat song without sounding cheesy, but “I’m Not Built to Last” and “End All This Crap” are textbook examples of how to do it right. And the fully mid-paced track “Narcissistic Piece of Shit?” GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE. I’m dead. I really can’t get over how great this split is. Every time I finish a side, I think, “this side rules!” Then I play the other side and think, “this side rules!” Then I go back to the first side and think, “this side rules!” It’s an infinite loop I wouldn’t mind getting lost in forever.

Tormented Imp: S/T 7” (Donor Records) Donor Records brings us the debut 7” from this standout band from the hardcore hotbed of Leeds, UK. This release made some noise on my social media feed when it was released digitally back in November, but it’s taken a few weeks for the vinyl to make its way across the pond, and of course it’s expensive as fuck thanks to the one-two combo of the US dollar’s plummeting value and Trump’s new tariff policies. Eat shit, you orange fuck. Anyway, let’s focus on the positive, i.e. how much this 7” slays. Tormented Imp strikes me as a band with virtuosic skill, but rather than wowing you with complexity, they use their talent to pummel you as effectively as possible. As soon as the needle drops on this EP, I get strong Poison Idea vibes, particularly the Feel the Darkness era. Tormented Imp’s execution is airtight, edging against the mechanical, but still sounding human… or maybe superhuman. The drumming is nuts, with a slightly rigid groove and a steadiness that seems impossible given the blistering tempos… fans of Bastard will dig it for sure. The guitarist is the other standout musician here, crafting interesting, hooky riffs and lead runs in a broad range of styles, from Burning Spirits-inspired epic to high-speed rock gymnastics a la Skitkids. The songs’ arrangements are dense, filled with quirky but seamlessly executed transitions, and hardly ever repeating parts, unless a riff is so catchy you really want to hear it more than once. The density is such that it might take a listen or two for your ear to make sense of it, but once you wrap your brain around the complexity, it’s really a beautiful thing to behold. While these four songs have all the brutality you want from dumb hardcore, they’re executed on such a high level that you’ll be unwinding them and noticing interesting bits after many listens. It sucks that we have to charge $15 USD for a 7”, but it stings less when it’s this good.

Modem: Interface 12” (Don Giovanni Records) I’ve been seeing my European friends post photos of their copies of Modem’s new LP, Interface, for a couple of months, but the US pressing on Don Giovanni only just arrived. Fortunately, it’s worth the wait! If you aren’t familiar with Modem, they’re an electronic duo comprising two experienced Finnish musicians with deep connections to that country’s punk scene: Ville from Yleiset Syyt / Foreseen / Kohti Tuhoa (among many others!) and Tytti from power-pop group Plastic Tones. Jeff once called this setup “hey boo, let’s make bleep-bloops,” referring to the many electronic duos featuring two musicians who are also romantic partners. (Boy Harsher and Fatamorgana also spring to mind.) Fatamorgana is actually a pretty good point of comparison for Modem. Both bands rely primarily on sequencers and synths, but make music that’s informed by punk’s high energy levels and pop’s reverence for the melodic hook. It’s music that sits at the meeting-point of dance music and electronic pop, with a very 80s tonal palette that elicits some nostalgia for those of us who grew up in that decade… or anyone with a soft spot for the Human League’s Dare. As you’d expect if you’re familiar with the rest of Ville and Tytte’s music, the instrumental tracks are brilliantly and tastefully composed, of unimpeachable quality, but what really knocks me out on Interface is Tytti’s voice. She sounds fantastic here; her voice is rich in texture and brimming with emotion. For me, the vocals are often the weak point in modern music in this vein, particularly since they’re often clouded with distortion and other effects. Not here… Tytti’s vocals are crystal clear and she has this way of singing that’s intimate, like the song is directed precisely at me. I guess I’d call that star power, and it’s why, when I reach for comparisons for this album, my mind goes to mainstream acts like Human League or Madonna rather than contemporary groups working in a similar milieu (though I’ll say Riki’s fans should look this up right away). If any of the reference points I mentioned here pique your interest, give this a listen and see if you’re as knocked out as I am.

Direct Order ‘82: Demo cassette (Crosshair Records) New Jersey’s Direct Order ’82 lay it all out there for you with their band name on this demo cassette, and those of you looking for a circa-1982 USHC rush won’t be disappointed. 12 songs in 12 minutes, though as with the shining monument of ultra-clipped, minimalist hardcore punk—the Circle Jerks’ Group Sex—there’s a lot more to these sub-minute blasts that initially meets the ear. D.O. ’82 has a couple of ringers in the band—you might know guitarist P.J. from his years in Night Birds, while the singer Tim fronted 90s New Jersey straight edge band Ensign (apologies to the other members whose resumes I don’t know as well)—and they know that a simple verse and chorus is typically not all you need for a compelling song. However, they also know that hardcore punk is all about keeping things to the point, and they toe that line brilliantly here. The riffing is on the hookier end of USHC—I find myself thinking of bands like Social Circkle or even Kid Dynamite—but the songs are so compressed and jagged and the parts come at you so quickly and relentlessly that it’s almost overwhelming… by the time you’re a couple of tracks in, your heart is definitely racing. But, like I said, despite the brevity, the songs are fully fleshed-out… there are a lot of intros that are literally like 1.5 seconds long, and bridges, outros, and other accoutrements that are nearly as brief. (Another highlight is “Leave Me Alone,” which features guitar solos before both verses, and hence reminds me of Bad Religion’s “I Want to Conquer the World,” yet still clocks in at only 59 seconds.) For fans of We Got Power: Party or Go Home, Short Music for Short People, and other hymns for the hyperactive.

Arson: Burning Future 7” (General Speech Records) We’ve carried a couple of tapes from New York’s Arson over the past few years, and now they’re here with their debut vinyl courtesy of General Speech Records. It’s cool that Arson waited to make the move to wax, because Burning Future really shows off their finely honed chops. This is still blisteringly raw noise-punk, but Arson finds a lot of room within the narrow parameters of the style to add complexity and dynamism to their songs. The singer’s vocal style toggles between a bark, a scream, and a shout, the guitarist has a handful of different distortion tones they might throw at us at any moment, and the rhythm section also has a few different modes, including fist-pumping d-beat, E.N.T.-style grinding crust, and a pit-clearing mid-paced groove, plus the ability to shake things up with lots of hooky rhythmic accents. Burning Future always feels like it’s coming at you full force, but Arson finds a lot of space to shake things up within that 95-99% intensity level, which staves off the inevitable feelings of fatigue and boredom that one-dimensional crusty hardcore can give you. While a close listener can appreciate Arson’s craftsmanship, this isn’t pretentious or arty in the least… just raw as fuck, to the point hardcore punk that knows you gotta shake things up just a little bit to keep it interesting.