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What’s up my Sorry State fiends and ghouls?

Only a few days left until All Hallows Eve, can you believe it? The best day of the year falls on a Friday this time, so I’m hoping it ends up being a night to remember. I will most likely be spending my Halloween in Richmond this year. I’ve heard there’s a parade and a cover show, so that sounds like fun. Hope all you readers out there have some fun and spooky plans as well.

Wanted to mention that Public Acid is playing our first gig in a while, which is coming up in Philly on November 9th. It’s Dark Thoughts’ LP release show, along with Beton Arme and KOS. I imagine it’ll be a really good one. Then, a couple weeks after that, Usman and I will travel to Stockholm to hang out for a week and go see Totalitär and Missbrukarna. Any friends in Sweden hit us up! We’d love to get together and hang out :)

Might take me a minute to get to my staff pick, but follow me here…

So, the other night, I watched the 1986 classic Trick or Treat. This movie is a great snapshot of 80s heavy metal and horror coming together. For those unfamiliar with this film, the plot focuses on our protagonist Eddie, also known by his nickname “Ragman,” who is a total outcast at school and heavy metal fanatic. He learns that the singer of his favorite band, controversial figure Sammi Curr, has died tragically in a house fire. A local radio DJ personality, played by Gene Simmons giving a hilarious performance, gifts Eddie an acetate of an unreleased Sammi Curr album entitled “Songs in the Key of Death”… Pretty funny, I wonder if Stevie ever heard about this. Eddie is tormented by the voice of Sammi from beyond the grave. If Eddie plays the acetate on Halloween night, Sammi will be resurrected from the dead! Hilarious 80s cheese in all its glory. Ozzy Osbourne makes a great cameo as an evangelical moral crusader, raving against the filth in heavy metal lyrics. It’s hilarious. Ozzy’s character along with the general depiction of demonizing heavy metal culture must be a reference to political conservatism and its effect on pop culture during that 80s era. My brain immediately thought of Dee Snider’s hearing with the PMRC, as well as the “de-metalling” segment in Decline of Western Civilization—Part II. But it’s a great movie; would recommend.

Sorry for the overly long synopsis. I get passionate; what can I say? But my whole point is that one of the most notable things about Trick or Treat is the soundtrack. Used as the songs performed by Sammi Curr and his fictional band in the movie, the entire soundtrack was recorded by the band Fastway. Fastway featured Fast Eddie Clarke on guitar after he left Motorhead. The singer of Fastway went on to be in some band that sings about four-leaf clovers, where people wear kilts to their shows or something like that… Anyway, it’s cool to have a soundtrack that’s just as memorable as the movie itself.

Fuck man, that was a long-winded, roundabout way to get to my staff pick, but here we go:

Basically, my overall theme here is horror soundtracks. Sorry State just got in these cassettes, which I’m stoked to say perfectly encapsulate the essence and same love that I have for 80s horror soundscapes. I’m talking about this new tape by a project called The Ancient Pulse. If you couldn’t already tell by the artwork and packaging, based on the aliases/pseudonyms alone, I’m pretty sure this recording is the work of Austin from Blazing Eye and Bungee from Personal Damage (not to mention all of Sorry State’s killer artwork as of late). This tape is awesome. It advertises: “WARNING: SPINE-CHILLING SOUNDS OF THE DEPRAVED UNDERWORLD ...PROCEED WITH CAUTION!!” With each track, these compositions are like a love letter to the cold, creepy synthwave scores of all our favorite 80s horror favorites. As soon as the first track “Hair on The Inside” cold opens with a werewolf howl, which sounds like a soundbite lifted straight off of a novelty “Halloween Horrors” sound effects record, I feel like I’m instantly riding on a wave of nostalgia. It’s like the perfect music to play at your Halloween party, in the background of your haunted house… you name it!

The Ancient Pulse captures everything grandiose and terrifying, while simultaneously hilariously cheesy and corny about horror movie soundtracks, all compiled within this recording. It’s got everything: hazy, atmospheric and instantly recognizable synth sounds, smokin’ hot 80s shredding guitar leads, a canned and artificial, yet driving and propulsive drum machine, wolves howling, lightning striking, a heartbeat pumping at increasing velocity, crows squawking, doors slowly creaking open… but for all the atmospheric, experimental passages, the tape has some serious bops as well. The track “Grave Dancing” is a perfect example. It’s super groovy and danceable, providing some fun levity from all the spookiness. Difficult not to imagine Linnea Quigley gettin’ down in a graveyard to this track.

The sounds and orchestration of these tracks are so well-done and authentic, it’s almost hard to believe it was created by 2 punks in their bedrooms. Maybe Vestron Video was able to kick in for the budget? But seriously, it’s so cool that these dudes are this talented beyond writing great punk and hardcore music. The eerie, smoky sonic landscapes are on par with the classic synth score work of John Carpenter. Funny enough, looking at the credits on the Ancient Pulse Bandcamp, this dude Irfan is thanked for letting them borrow his Juno-106 synthesizer. Carpenter famously used this synth on all his classic movie scores, whether we’re talking the iconic, fear-inducing title theme from Halloween, or the isolating, melancholic adventure you’ll never come back from in Escape from New York. What’s even funnier is that I know Irfan, and I was just laughing reading his name credited while remembering Public Acid driving with Irfan to go get burritos at 3am while we were in East LA. So cool.

Hearing this tape, the way it makes me feel honestly, is that it’s so damn good, it almost makes you wish there was a horror movie that actually existed—a movie as classic and deserving enough to have a soundtrack this great to be paired along with it. Who knows? Maybe the Ancient Pulse will be commissioned to score a badass punk-horror crossover as good as Return of the Living Dead one day. Considering how much great punk and hardcore exists out there, and how interest remains consistent in horror movies these days, I’m surprised a movie like this hasn’t happened yet. I feel like a fresh punk-horror classic is long overdue.

Anyway, that’s all I’ve got. Seriously, check this Ancient Pulse tape out. It’s so fuckin’ rad.

‘Til next week when Halloween will be behind us :(

-Jeff

What’s up Sorry Staters?

How’s everyone doing? I’m having a pretty nice start to my October. Many welcome distractions from all the fucked up craziness going on in the world. At least there are positive things to look forward to. Very excited for our friends in Golpe to return and play Raleigh in a couple weeks. Rigorous Institution plays here the day before as well. Hell yeah.

I’ve been trying my best to get into the October spirit like I always do. I began decorating the store with all kinds of spiders, webs, bats, skeletons, and pumpkins. Still more work to be done, but it’s looking pretty spoopy. So yeah, I’ve been watching a lot of movies. As I mentioned last week, there’s a local theater here in Raleigh that does cool screenings of horror movies in October. I’ve been seeing movies in the theater a lot lately, which is rad. But man, I went to go see the latest David Cronenberg movie The Shrouds the other day… do people like this movie? What a piece of shit. Sorry to be harsh. And that’s coming from someone who loves Cronenberg movies. I felt like the main actor reminded me of Tommy Wiseau in The Room. Superfluous, meandering shots of this half-naked old man, which evolved into what came across like an excuse for this guy to insist on these overindulgent, creepy, cringey love-making scenes with younger actresses. Stilted, bad dialogue. No plot point of the movie mattered or contributed to the ending. I sat there watching the credits being like, “What the fuck did I just watch?” Yikes.

Anyway, enough complaining about that. Last night I went to see Bride Of Re-Animator. While I’ve seen the original Re-Animator and its Lovecraftian sister movie From Beyond many times, it had been several years since I’d watched the sequel. It’s interesting that Re-Animator came out in 1985, and the concept wasn’t revisited until this film in 1990. Jeffrey Combs returns as the iconic Dr. Herbert West, leaning even more heavily into an exaggerated portrayal of the character with an awesome performance. His delivery on all of his quippy, deadpan one-liners is excellent. The whole theater would erupt with laughter in perfect timing for each of his beats; it was great.

The effects in the original Re-Animator are killer—undead walking, talking severed heads and all that. But Bride Of Re-Animator brings the fantastical, splatter-tastic gruesomeness to the next level. What I had forgotten is that all the gore effects in Bride were the work of Screaming Mad George. What a fuckin’ legend. I’m a huge fan. My initial exposure to Screaming Mad George’s special FX work was when I first saw the Nightmare On Elm Street sequels that he worked on. He’s worked on tons of big movies, but another sleeper one I’ll mention is his work on Society, just a gem of hilarious, yet sickening body horror. But when I was younger and watching his work in these 80s horror flicks, this was loooong before I made the connection to the punk world, which is that Screaming Mad George was the singer of late 70s NY punk legends The Mad. The spooning of the eyeball was a small hint of what was to come.

A brief explanation of the movie, for those unfamiliar: Dr. Herbert West and Dr. Dan Cain are performing experimental research in the basement of their home, a former mortuary. West is secretly stealing severed body parts from the hospital where they both work. With these severed body parts, West and Cain attempt to assemble a super-human of sorts, stitching these limbs together… the legs of a dancer, the face of a beautiful woman who died tragically young of cancer, and most importantly, the heart of Cain’s fiancée who passed away. They plan to use West’s same glowing re-animating agent from the first movie, but rather than reawaken the dead, they will use it to give life to a new creature altogether. Meanwhile, the severed head of the villainous Dr. Hill is accidentally re-animated and seeks vengeance! You know, that old thing we’ve seen time after time (*wink*wink, just kidding).

It’s a wild ride. The blending of the levity of humor alongside the gory gruesomeness strikes a perfect balance, and probably makes it easier for casual viewers to stomach. Screaming Mad George’s FX work on the zombie bride, as well as all the other severed limbs and creatures, is just incredible. A grotesque yet beautiful visual spectacle. And especially impressive knowing all the work is practical effects. I’m such a nerd for that kinda stuff. Not to mention that this screening was a 4K remastered print for the big screen. In theory, I might think I would have problems with the whole 4K thing, worrying it might look too digital or something. In fact, it still looked organic like the old movie, just crisper, clearer, and more vivid.

Anyway, that’s all I’ve got for this week. Tune in next week to read me blab about more spooky horror goodness. As always, thanks for reading.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

What’s up Sorry State fiends and ghouls?

Wow, October 1st already? I must say, this is my favorite time of the year. Seems just as of the last couple days, all of a sudden there’s a bit of a chill in the air. Around my neighborhood, I’m already seeing people adorn their lawns with cheesy decorations, whether I casually encounter skeleton legs sticking out of someone’s garden, people pumping up their collection of giant monster inflatables, or something as simple as just a couple pumpkins plopped out in the grass. As corny as I know it can be, I always try to make a concerted effort to get excited about “spooky season,” as it were. I haven’t been feeling as energetic or motivated about… well, really anything lately. But hopefully some fun Halloween-related activities will reveal themselves in the next couple weeks and I’ll force myself to have rad and eventful October.

The major thing I get excited about once October comes around is binging a bunch of horror movies. Just down the street from me, one of our local movie theaters the Alamo Drafthouse here in Raleigh often hosts a bunch of cool specialty screenings of October-appropriate flicks. There are certain things I don’t like about how Alamo conducts business, like how you’re required to reserve your seat in advance, they’re strict about making too much noise during the movie, blah blah… But I’m sure I’ll try to catch a few movies at the theater over the course of this month. But beyond going out and seeing movies in theaters, I love building excitement and making an excuse to reach for a bunch of my VHS tapes. Because the first day of the month falls on our usual newsletter day, I potentially have 5 opportunities to talk about movies as my staff pick rather than records. Aren’t you excited, Sorry State readers? Mwahahahaha.

The other night, basically functioning as my early dose building anticipation for spooky season, I revisited the movie Popcorn. Since I was just talking about wanting to go see movies at the Alamo, I thought Popcorn would be a cool choice because a majority of the movie is set inside a movie theater! For those unfamiliar, this movie was originally released in 1991, and is basically a slasher, but with a really creative backdrop for the killer. The tone of the movie rides a fine line between actual scares, but also dark humor and clever pop culture references. There’s some serious laugh-out-loud moments.

The plot of Popcorn surrounds a group of film students who decide to rent out an old theater and host a triple-feature horror film festival. Now hold up—let me see if I can verbalize this in a way that makes sense… what I think is so awesome about Popcorn is that the 3 movies shown at the theater (the movies inside the movie) at first glance appear like they could be old black & white 50s horror classics. In actuality, all 3 films are completely fictional and created specifically for Popcorn. They’re basically parodies, clever spoofs of actual films that seem familiar, but are basically riffs on the genre. This is also several years before Scream, which was famous for referencing horror clichés within the movie. I think it’s brilliant that the filmmakers actually had to go out and film and create fully realized concepts for fictional movies that seem convincing while functioning as background for the actual plot.

Another big aspect so cleverly utilized in Popcorn, which is also referential to classic horror movies, is the use of in-theater gimmicks to sell the movie to the audience. This was a big pop culture moment for late 50s/early 60s horror. For example, the first movie of the triple-feature is Mosquito, which is a riff on giant insect movies from the 1950s, and this movie is shown in 3D, so you see all the audience members wearing 3D glasses. Also, the film students rig a giant animatronic mosquito to fly across the audience inside the theater whenever the mosquito on screen attacks. The second movie is called Attack of the Amazing Electrified Man. The audience doesn’t realize that their seats are rigged with a “buzzer” that shocks them when someone gets electrocuted on screen, which is a reference to a 50s movie called The Tingler. Then finally, the third fictional film is called The Stench, which they (for no reason) decide to make into a dubbed movie, fashioned after imported Japanese films like Godzilla or whatever. Its accompanying gimmick, pouring repulsive gas into the audience, is an obvious variation of Smell-O-Vision, the gimmick used in a 1960s movie called Scent of Mystery.

I wanted to get all that information written down, just because I think it’s interesting, but I really don’t wanna spoil the movie if you haven’t seen it. Just know that the killer utilizes the screams of the audience in the theater environment and all the accompanying “gimmicks” from each film to achieve some rather creative kills while the “audience” within theater remains completely unaware or assumes it’s part of the show. There’s some other weird film-related side plot that I won’t get into. But yeah, I fucking love this movie. Quick side note: what’s pretty funny is that Popcorn came out in 1991. But I guess before this, there was never actually a giant killer mosquito movie? Then in 1994, a movie called Mosquito was released… which, you must assume that someone saw Popcorn and thought, “Damn, that’s actually not a bad idea!” Hahaha.

Anyway, prepare for future blabbing about movies over the next several weeks. Tonight, I’m going to see The Shrouds, which is the new David Cronenberg movie. I’m stoked.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

I wanna mention really quickly that last-minute I got asked to appear on Analog Attack’s What Are You Listening To? podcast this Friday (September 26th). Tune in if you’ve got nothing better to do!

I might need to keep my staff pick brief this week. Brain is running on fumes. We’ll see how this goes… While it’s blazing hot outside today, there have been hints of the autumn season approaching. October is always my favorite time of the year. Pretty soon, I might annoyingly wanna only talk about movies rather than records. But speaking of the seasons changing, does anybody else operate in this way where you have records that you save to listen to until certain times of the year? You say shit like: “It’s just the perfect record for summer!” Perhaps this impulse is a rather dorky way to approach listening to music, but I’m definitely guilty of categorizing records in this way.

One record I’ve been listening to recently and that I always reach for when it’s particularly gloomy and grey outside is For Ever Grounded by The Effigies. Funny enough, a little birdy told me that Daniel might also be writing about a beloved punk band from Chicago this week. It’s funny to think about that this is technically the first Effigies full-length album. Following several great EPs, For Ever Grounded was released in 1984. While those post-punk influences were always detectable even as early as their first EP in 1981, on this LP they dive headfirst into that sound. Some people might consider this to be a major departure for the band. Maybe there was something in the air at this point in the mid-80s? But I feel like there’s several mid-period records by hardcore bands I lump into this category—like, bands who shift into more moody, melodic and contemplative songwriting. Obviously, Within These Walls by Toxic Reasons comes to mind… except for maybe the reggae song. Even Social Unrest on SU-2000 with a song like “There’s A Stranger Inside”. But For Ever Grounded is maybe one of the most intentional seismic shifts from a band’s early material into creating something different altogether.

Firstly, let me say before I joke around in a cheeky manner that I love this record dearly. But from the moment you drop the needle on the first track, you know you’re not about to hear “Body Bag - Part II”. The effect-laden, majestic and meandering guitar intro on “Smile!” with its droning, almost Eastern-influenced melody makes you feel like you’re about to hear something more like “She Sells Sanctuary” by The Cult. And to some degree, this is not far off. The second track, which is one of my favorites, “A Tight And Blue Cut” opens with a jaggedly funky bass riff totally drenched in chorus. The song then breaks into a totally angular marching 4-on-the-floor drum pattern, like a frantic, meth-fueled disco groove. The juxtaposition and separation between the propulsive bass groove and the melodically and rhythmically opposing high-pitch guitar work sounds so cool. Very otherworldly and unique. We even get some obviously artificial and canned-sounding hand claps mixed super loud, which also happen at the most catchy and opportune moments.

This record has so many great songs, just one banger after another. The next couple tracks sound more like the early Effigies records. Songs like “Silent Burn” and “Coarse In Vein” are much more riff-forward with big guitar chords and a driving drum beat more akin to hardcore. But then the final track, “Something That…” is a moment of pure pop goodness. The sweetness of the groovy, major-key bass line sounds like something that could be plucked from a mid-80s New Order record. The vocals on this song, with their bouncy, almost rap-like rhythmic cadence, come across more like Depeche Mode than a hardcore punk band. That said, The Effigies do decide to record a reprisal of their classic anthem “Mob Clash”, which originally appeared on their debut Haunted Town EP. Now, I love the original version from 1981, sounding very timeless and organic. But this re-recording on For Ever Grounded has a bit of an 80s production sonic makeover and is played at a faster tempo, which in some ways captures the band sounding much more confident. Even originally, “Mob Clash” had a bit of a funky disco hi-hat groove, and the way the band repurposes and reinterprets the song makes it feel like it gels perfectly along with the rest of the forward-thinking material on this LP.

If any of the disparate musical influences I’ve mentioned appeal to you… or if you’re even a fan of the early The Effigies material and you’ve resisted checking out this record, I highly suggest giving it another shot. You might need to go in with an open mind. Just realize that this classic melodic Chicago punk band is also good at writing a pure 80s pop song. Then again, maybe you’ll hate it. Oh well. I love it, personally.

Anyway, that’s all I’ve got. Next week I’m sure I’ll be talking about subjects more-so related to Jack-O-Lanterns and Jason Voorhees. As always, thanks for reading.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

What’s up Sorry Staters?

It didn’t really occur to me until I sat down to write this, but we’ve skipped a week since last time, huh? Daniel took a break from the newsletter so that he could take a road trip and go see our Sorry State label comrades Yleiset Syyt play a couple gigs in New York and Philly. I’m jealous. Our Finnish buddies only played a few shows on the East Coast and didn’t quite travel far south enough for me to go see them play. Oh well, maybe next time.

While I’m on the subject of bands touring, I wanted to mention that my good friends and bandmates in Invertebrates are on tour right now. They’ll be playing a bunch of shows in the Northeast and beyond, working their way up to Varning fest in Montreal. Make sure you catch them if they’re playing near you! Damn, I hope I get to travel doing cool punk-related activities soon. Not much going on with me. I got to see a couple of my good friends get married this past weekend, which uplifted my spirits. Beyond that, it’s been business as usual. Speaking of which, time to move on and talk about records!

Over the last several months, I would look at the empty space in the bins of our “metal section” at the store and just think to myself, “Hmmm, we could do a lot better.” I wouldn’t say I was embarrassed exactly, but our heavy metal selection definitely required some beefing up. You can only sell Master of Puppets so many times before you satisfy demand, I suppose haha. So recently, Daniel and I made a concerted effort to stock a bunch of cool, classic metal titles from labels like High Roller, Earache, Peaceville, and tons of others. I must say, the metal section is looking HEALTHY now, and I’m pumped.

The record I wanna talk about is one that we only just recently stocked at the store, the debut 1986 LP Recognize No Authority by Détente. I’ve loved this record for a long time, but never have managed to lock down an og 80s copy on Metal Blade. But I must say, High Roller does a beautiful job with their reissues. Even just holding it in your hands, the record feels high-quality. All the records come housed in these super nice heavy-duty sleeves. Plus, they hook me like a sucker with the bonus goodies. This Détente record comes with a reproduction of the original black & white inner sleeve, but they also include a full-color photo collage, a reproduction (what I call) glossy promo photo, and a HUGE foldout poster. The mastering on the actual vinyl also sounds crisp and loud. Hell yeah.

For those unfamiliar, Détente was a metal band from Los Angeles that only released this one LP during their initial run as a band. Stylistically, I think Détente falls somewhere between the emerging crunch-crunch sound of mid-80s thrash, but still has elements of speed metal as well as classic early 80s European heavy metal. Détente definitely brings the speed of thrash with that chugga-chugga rhythm guitar playing. But the only reason I don’t push to immediately classify them as straight-up thrash has a lot to do with the production and some of the musical choices in the guitar work. The sound of the record still has that early 80s, kinda reverby atmosphere and that old-school, boomy, bombastic kick drum production in the double kick work. Then guitars often play these spidery, noodly, yet virtuosic parts that to my ears harken back to the guitar stylings of Mercyful Fate. All that said, what brings Détente to the next plateau is that the way they deliver these songs brings such a lethal level of aggression.

Let’s just get into it, cuz everyone knows it’s true: the crown jewel of Détente’s sound is vocalist Dawn Crosby. I just can’t say enough about how rad Dawn’s voice sounds. Her voice is so damn gnarly and intense, like she gargled broken glass before recording her vocal takes. Soaring, high-pitched, but gritty screams of violence. And there’s never a moment of subtlety with Dawn’s singing, so if you decide to listen to the entire LP, then you’d better strap in, buddy. Not that her voice is grating to listen to, but you might emerge out of your listen with scars and bruises. What’s cool is that Dawn will sing with these soaring banshee-like screams, but then the boys will echo her words with these low, grunted gang chants, which makes for a cool contrast. It weirdly sounds demonic and ceremonious at times. The chorus of one of my favorite tracks, “Shattered Illusions,” is a great example of this, with a kind of call and response vocal pattern.

In many ways, Détente were trailblazers—not only because of their unique sound, but also in breaking down conventions of heavy metal dogma. Would it be too much of a stretch to classify Détente in the crossover category? Because of their raw and gritty approach to heavy metal, but also their use of imagery, the band appealed to punks and metalheads alike. I mean honestly, just that front cover with its black, white & red graphic design depicting police brutality, it really looks like an old UK punk record. There’s also some live footage of Détente in the 80s and you can see Dawn wearing a GBH shirt, which is so rad. Unfortunately, Dawn tragically passed away very young in the mid-90s. Thankfully, we have this ripping metal classic in her memory.

Apparently, the band reunited in the late 2000s. Funny enough, I talked about Hellion several weeks ago, and Ann Boleyn took over vocal duties in Détente for a short period. If you’ve never checked out this record and have any interest in thrash or speed metal—or honestly, even if you’re into that Lifeless Dark LP—I think this record will be right up your alley.

That’s all I’ve got. As always, thanks for reading.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

What’s up Sorry Staters?

How’s everyone doing? As I mentioned before, this time last week when the newsletter came out was my birthday. I had a great one and was riding the high for a few days after. Thanks everyone for all the b-day wishes, including some of you newsletter readers who reached out! Very cool. Honestly, I haven’t really given many new releases proper attention since last week. Because of that, for my staff pick, I’m just gonna write about records I was given as gifts from my Sorry State compatriots. Usman and Daniel each hooked me up with records that I’ve been on the hunt searching for years! I’ve been so stoked blasting these rippers.

Firstly, I’ll talk about the In ControLuce 7” single by Wretched. It’s funny, I think I name-checked this record when I wrote about Ayucaba a couple weeks ago. Little did I know that Usman would be giving a copy one week later haha. When I hear most people discuss 80s Italian hardcore, Wretched is one of the first bands people mention. My brain immediately envisions the most explosive, raw, chaotic hardcore imaginable. But what’s interesting about In ControLuce is that it’s quite a musical departure for the band. Released in 1988, a much later period release by the band, the 2 songs are a totally different vibe than chaotic early sound on EPs like Finira’ Mai? I think this might have been the band’s final release. And I gotta say, I just love it. It’s still hardcore, but with much more melodic guitar work and catchy songwriting. You can hear some of this experimentation incorporating more ambitious, melodic guitar work on La Tua Morte Non Aspetta, but even that record, with its huge, cavernous-sounding production, still sounds totally like the songs could fall apart at any moment. The drumming in particular on In ControLuce, as opposed to any other Wretched record, are super groovy and in-the-pocket, played with restraint. And while the title track is great, I just love the B-side “Libero E Selvaggio.” This is a weird word to use, but it’s like… beautiful. Haha. The vibe of that song is much more anthemic, almost like UK82, but still kind of dark and brooding. This might be a weird comparison, but it’s almost like comparing mid-to-late 80s era Dischord to the first 6 7”s – or like Salad Days vs. Filler. It’s just like more mature and refined, in a way. Then again, the guitar stuff also kinda reminds of stuff from Tuomittu Elämään EP by Varaus, so what do I know? I just find that after I’ve been bludgeoned by the Wretched/Indigesti split 7” one too many times, I always come back to the 2 songs on this single. I kinda wish that Wretched had a whole LP that sounded like this.

Okay, so speaking of Varaus, and Finnish punk in general, now let’s move onto Kohu-63. It’s funny, a few weeks ago, I was texting with a friend whom I met while Public Acid was in Europe, and while we were talking, she was at the Puntala festival in Finland. She got to see Pohjasakka, which is rad, and we were just talking about our favorite Finnish hardcore bands. While I love Mellakka, Rattus, and so many other bands, this Valtaa Ei Loistoa 12” by Kohu-63 has really become one of my favorites over the years. So much so that I probably blabbed about it all the time, and Daniel remembered and cheekily found me a copy while he was in Finland this summer! So rad. But yeah, there’s just something about this record. First of all, it’s only 8 (really more like 7) songs, so it’s the perfect length for a hardcore 12”. Also, I just think this 12” EP has such bright, clear production. Kohu-63 is from Tampere, but I would say that they’re not as gritty or gnarly as their hometown peers, like say Kaaos, for example. Valtaa Ei Loistoa came out in 1982 on Poko Records, and to me has more in common sonically with a band like Lama. Still a bit tuneful and catchy, especially the vocals, which I personally really like. But I think more-so than the first Lama LP, which came out the same year, Kohu-63 is so much more propulsive and raging. The song “Valtaa I” even has a gang-vocal chants with an almost kinda UK Oi! vibe to it. But then when you get to a song like “Huorra,” they amp up the power and speed almost akin to Gang Green territory. The band all hit one big chord, then the drums come barreling in. But once the strings start, the guitar player attacks the riff so ferociously, playing through all those strings so blisteringly fast that I bet my dude’s cuticles were bleeding in the studio! The mid-paced stomper “Puhtaat” is great, but I swear the first time I heard it I was like, “is this a weird cover of ‘Hang Ten In East Berlin’?” Maybe they somehow got a hold of The Detours version if that compilation made its way to Finland? Or maybe it’s just a total coincidence haha. This Kohu-63 song isn’t on Youtube, so I guess you’ll just have to find a copy on vinyl to hear what I’m talking about. Come to think of it, a few of the songs from this record aren’t online anywhere. Someone should change that maybe. Or not. The record ends with a gang chanted a capella “Oi! Oi!” type thing, and they keep just saying “Barmy Army” over and over. Pretty funny. Love this record.

Anyway, that’s all I’ve got. Thanks for letting me gloat about my recent scores.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

What’s up Sorry Staters?

A newsletter coming out on my birthday, who woulda thought? What a cause for celebration! This time last week, all I would have wished to get for my birthday would be a Shop-Vac and a boat haha. I’m so happy it’s not raining today. Not much to report on the personal front this round. I’ve got pizza to eat and margaritas to drink later, so I’ll keep this one brief:

If you remember last week, I gave some love and attention to that Ayucaba LP. I hope as a result, some of you readers gave that ripper a listen. But along with Ayucaba, we stocked several other releases on Metadona Records. The other record that really stood out to me is this 12” by Lakra. Big thanks to Lakra for wearing party hats to celebrate my birthday.

When I first saw the cover of this record, I thought maybe it was a reissue of an old band. Like, seriously. Everything about it: the way the band is dressed, the graininess of the photo, even the way the band’s logo is placed. The graphic design honestly looks like something Puke N Vomit would throw together on one of their Finnish reissues haha. Of course, I come to find out that Lakra is a new band, and this 12” is their very first release. I don’t want to assume, but based on photos I’ve seen it looks like this band might be pretty young, which is rad. Also very interesting, this band is based out of Mallorca. Now honestly, before reading about this band, I didn’t even know where the hell Mallorca was! I’ve learned now that it’s an island off the coast of Spain, southeast of Barcelona. It makes me wonder what the punk scene is like considering the isolation of playing punk in a place that’s completely waterlocked. Pretty wild.

Anyways, I’ll talk about the record. It’s actually a single-sided 12”, and only has 5 songs. So yeah, it’s basically an EP. The first song, “Desconocimiento General,” starts off with this incredibly gnarly, gritty sounding guitar tone. The band kicks in, and we’re off to the races. This first song chugs along at that sorta in-between fast tempo, almost what I call a UK82-style pace. But then right at the end, the bass rips into this all-over-the-place riff and explodes into this loose and chaotic double-time fast beat. I dunno man, my first impression hearing this band is that style of hardcore Lakra plays is just so fuckin’ mean-sounding. Like gritty, grimy, primitive and intense. Not unlike the way I described the appearance of the record, the sound of the record being so raw and immediate that Lakra also feels like an old band playing classic, super aggressive hardcore. No frills, just fury. So lively and powerful. The singer’s voice is super loud in the mix, which I’m a huge fan of. He sounds ferocious as hell, like a barking dog. It’s almost like you can hear the scraping texture of his vocal cords along with all the mucus glooping inside his throat. Then there’s backup vocals too, which sound like “non-dude” vocals to me. I don’t know what pronouns this person uses, so I won’t assume. But the contrast in their voices sounds really cool together.

The label description mentions a few more contemporary bands that Lakra sounds like. I’m pretty sure Orden Mundial is mentioned. Personally, I think Lakra sounds more classic, and I was having a difficult time thinking of older hardcore bands that sing in Spanish that Lakra kinda reminds me of. But if I had to throw out one band as reference, they kinda remind of IV Reich. IV Reich has the aggression of thrashy hardcore, but sort of the bounciness and catchiness of Oi! and UK82. And then also IV Reich is an interesting comparison because they had a woman in the band who did vocals along with the main singer dude. Pretty cool. But whatever old band Lakra may or may not sound like doesn’t really matter. They’re introducing a grimy, intense, yet anthemic take on hardcore, and it feels totally fresh and vital to my ears. Give it a listen if you’re so inclined.

That’s all I’ve got. As always, thanks for reading.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

What’s up Sorry Staters?

Is it the end of days? Seems like many people I know are currently dealing with difficulty in their personal lives, even beyond the horrifying news of the world. I’m only kind of joking, but the weather lately seems like a symptom of the universe. I seem to remember that I was talking about rain in the previous newsletter as well. This time, it’s no longer cute. With the way it’s been storming in Raleigh the last few days, the amount of water has amassed to biblical proportions. My apartment flooded. Luckily, no damage, but I will probably need a dinghy soon. A friend told me on the phone last night that Mercury’s not in Gatorade anymore, so hopefully we’ll see everything and everyone feel better soon.

How’s that for an opening? Let’s move on, shall we? Here’s my staff pick, which is a record I’m particularly excited about.

The debut vinyl release Operación Masacre by Ayucaba really snuck up on me. Released on Metadona Records, I was stoked that we could get a stack of copies for Sorry State. Before I get into the nitty-gritty and describe this record for all you fine readers, let me preface by saying that I feel certain this LP will be one of my favorite records of the year. What’s funny is that even before I knew a whole lot about this band, I randomly encountered most of the people in the band in my travels with Public Acid earlier this summer. A few of them were in Sheffield for Noise Annoys. Several of them were in Copenhagen for K-town Hardcore Fest. When we played in Barcelona, I went to an after-gig party at a bar where the bass player was DJing killer punk and dance tunes. But I still hadn’t heard this band yet. Pretty funny.

Here’s my underqualified, truncated band bio: For those that are unfamiliar, Ayucaba is based out of Barcelona. And while it may be corny to use this term, they’re kind of a supergroup of sorts. While they are based out of Barcelona and I’m sure all the members currently live there, a few people in the band relocated from South America. The singer Cromi I believe is from Argentina, and I remember her from previous bands like Inyeccion and Farmaco. One of the guitar players, Juan, relocated from Colombia, and I met him at Noise Annoys because he still plays as one of the two guitarists in Muro. The bass player Mateo is also from Colombia, but most of you readers will probably mainly know him from his artwork. He’s done the artwork for tons of record covers you might recognize over the years, including, more recently, the front cover artwork for the Plasma LP released on Sorry State. Funny how the punk world just seems smaller and smaller.

Apparently, an earlier incarnation of Ayucaba had similar members, but it was a different lineup. Mateo was originally the lead vocalist and Cromi played bass. They basically switched places. The band even released a demo cassette with Mateo singing a couple years back. I’m not sure exactly what the reason was for the two members switching their roles in the band, but to me, the current arrangement seems pretty damn cool the way it is.

Okay, now that I’ve gotten all that out of the way, I gotta say when I first heard this record it was on a YouTube upload, and it kinda blew me away. Firstly, I love the tone of the recording. It’s raw and organic, but not really noisy. It still sounds super thick and punchy, but the guitars have this grittiness and texture you can almost feel tingling your ears. It looks like someone from Rat Trap in Bogotá mixed and mastered the record as well, which makes sense because the sonic textures remind me of the Muro records. Ayucaba incorporates elements into their sound that are a bit metallic, but without sounding blatantly “metal.” The description of this LP from the label draws many comparisons to other bands that Ayucaba maybe kinda sounds like. I suppose I could hear the band drawing influence from heavier Japanese hardcore like mid-80s Execute or the motörized pace of G-Zet. Still, it’s difficult for me to pinpoint any particular vibe they’re specifically trying to imitate. I don’t think their goal is to capture or rip off any particular band’s style; it just feels like a genuine and powerful amalgamation of sound.

The first track on the record, “Sistema = Siniestro,” slowly fades in with this thunderous tom roll pattern on the drums, then the other instruments come chugging with an almost call-to-arms marching type rhythm. Then, ATTACK! The song erupts into this mid-paced crunchy riffing. Cromi has true character in her voice, sounding totally vicious. Seems like she’d be a magnetic and imposing front person. The song launches into a revved up, but groovy fast beat, and when I hear the vocals in a ghostly whisper chant “Sistema Siniestro,” it sends chills down my spine. I don’t think Ayucaba is scared to incorporate elements of experimentation or the bizarre, but this still doesn’t take away from the driving force and aggression.

This might sound weird, but Operación Masacre really feels like a proper album. Like, not just a random batch of killer riffs thrown together. Rather, a well-executed, thoughtfully structured, song-based punk-metal full-length which showcases all the band’s strengths. The structures of the songs ride a fine line between elegance and power. On a song like “Cocaina,” the intro reaches a moment where most of the instruments drop out. The drummer rolls on the hi-hat like steamroller, and the bass builds tension barreling on this killer riff. Then a long snare roll with rhythmically pulsing, hi-pitched guitar feedback grows even more intensity before it all explodes. But then, just when you think the speedy pace of the song will continue, they cleverly and unexpectedly break down into this slow beat with a repetitious melodic guitar lick over top. The lead guitar work is a primary feature of the band’s sound, often prominently loud in the mix. Somewhere between the acrobatic Maiden-esque melodicism versus overwhelming swirls of delayed-out psychedelia. Then sometimes downright gunslinging wah-wah rippage a la later-era English Dogs.

The band doesn’t shy away from sweeping, extravagant song arrangements. But also, nothing feels forced or jagged. Using the word “epic” feels a bit silly, but it feels like Ayucaba makes songs that are supposed to move the listener. It comes across as cathartic and powerful. Fists raised triumphantly in the air type shit. The title track on the record, “Operación Masacre,” is actually an instrumental. The track has this sinister, dark ritual kind of atmosphere, the drums just pounding on a plodding, entrancingly repeating groove with guitars chugging overtop before the guitar plays this circular riff and summons a sacrament of evil… Or I dunno, something like that. I got carried away there. Blacked out for a second. But it really sets a tone of tension and beckons anticipation for opening the B-side of the record.

Last but not least, the packaging on this record looks beautiful. Not unlike the Muro records, the sleeves look totally DIY with screen-printed artwork that looks super crisp. It comes with a huge foldout poster that includes the lyrics. Then finally, there’s also a striking red obi, all of which are hand-numbered out of 300 copies. You know nerds like me love that shit. Funny enough, the skull on the obi layout looks very similar to the Chaos Produzioni label logo. Maybe it’s no coincidence that I thought about drawing comparisons to later Wretched records like La Tua Morte Non Aspetta or the In Controluce 7”. Ayucaba is definitely not as bombastic or chaotic as Wretched, but I hear it in the melodic and powerful riffs.

Fuck man, even after drafting that lengthy, verbose description, I still feel like I have way more to say about this Ayucaba record. For me, it’s hitting all the marks. It looks badass. It sounds badass. And it feels like it was made with grace and intention by true DIY punks who are lifers in the community. As of the day this newsletter is coming out, I think we’ve still got a good number of copies left. Do yourself a favor and gitchu one. That’s all I’ve got. As always, thanks for reading.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

What’s up Sorry Staters?

If you remember last week, I was just talking about how much I’ve actually been enjoying the summer heat for once. But just as I say that, all of a sudden it feels unseasonably mild outside just in time for August. This week has been gloomy, sometimes a bit rainy, and borderline chilly when it gets dark out. Very strange. I know it’s just a false sense of comfort before the brutal heat returns and lasts until October. But as a result, I’ve been listening to a lot of moody, vibey, yet comforting tunes. I walked into work today before writing this, and after experiencing grey skies, I decided Blitz’s Second Empire Justice would be a nice listen.

My staff pick is a little different, though. Yet again, I recently made a pitstop to our friends over at the Pour House record shop. Like I mentioned in a previous newsletter or two, I’ve gotten some cool records there lately. To my surprise, Pour House once again got a killer batch of used punk records! (I may or may not know the source of said recent punk records suddenly appearing at our sister shop *wink*wink) Some of the records I scored may be saved for a future newsletter. But one record I was stoked to grab within the last week is a copy of Nightmare City, the debut full-length by The Alley Cats.

I’ve always loved The Alley Cats’ Dangerhouse single, as well as their track contributed to the Yes LA compilation. But for whatever reason, even when I’ve stumbled across the band’s LPs while working at Sorry State or while visiting other record stores, I’ve never taken them home. Shame on me. A few months back, I remember Daniel writing in the newsletter about his recent acquisition of the 2nd Alley Cats LP, Escape From Planet Earth. After Daniel similarly mentioned an Alley Cats record eluding him, I realized I must not let this one slip. This copy I got of Nightmare City looks minty fresh with the insert too, so I was stoked. I’ve heard this record many times, but I was looking forward to digging deeper into the record on my home stereo with more focus and attention.

How would I explain The Alley Cats? I usually associate them with the first wave of punk bands emerging out of Los Angeles in the late 70s. Still, they’re kind of an oddball band, I suppose. They’re a 3-piece—guitar, bass, and drums, obviously—with guitar player Randy Stodola and bassist Dianne Chai alternating lead vocal duties. They’re a bit quirky, both lyrically and musically. Sometimes rockin’. Sometimes more mellow. Surfy? Boogie-woogie? Nah, maybe that’s a bit far. But they seem like an odd duck compared to say… X, I guess. But yes, still more straightforward and easier to digest than Black Randy.

The album opens with the title track, “Nightmare City,” which sets a much more brooding tone than one might expect. This cold, droning bassline grooves over a propulsive, almost anxious, drumbeat. Right-hand hi-hat dexterity throwin’ the fuck down. Randy and Dianne sing the lead vocal in unison, giving a sense of haunting, otherworldly atmosphere. A recurring theme seems to be “the city at night,” where the next couple of songs have street scene titles like “Night Along The Blvd” and “King of The Street Fights.”

Randy sings lead on these geographically titled songs, giving these esoteric, poetic musings. His voice is definitely… peculiar, I would say. I feel like his approach to a vocal falls somewhere between the stylings of Lou Reed and Fred Schneider haha. I must admit, while I dig the quirkiness of his voice from time to time, I much prefer the songs where Dianne sings. In between these two streetlight serenades is a song called “One More Chance to Survive”, and once I hear Dianne’s voice start singing, I’m like, “oh fuck yeah.” I can’t help it! Can we also take a moment just to appreciate Dianne Chai? One of the unsung heroes of that early LA scene. Great singer, shredding bass playing, full of charisma. I feel like she’s a bass player’s bass player, playing with aggression and grace not unlike Suzi Quatro.

I think Nightmare City is a great record throughout, but side B is really where I get hooked. Overall, I think the energy just picks up. But my feeling this way may be partially due to my familiarity with the first couple of tracks. Side B opens with a reworking of their Dangerhouse single “Nothing Means Nothing Anymore”, opening with that unmistakable surfy, almost Dead Kennedys-esque intro riff. What’s cool is that unlike the single version, Randy and Dianne sing dual vocals once again, rather than just Randy singing, which I think sounds totally killer on this song. Then the band follows that up with serious fire, launching into a new version of their cut off of Yes LA, and for my money, their MEGA-hit “Too Much Junk”. They play a lean, mean version, amping up the tempo and making the arrangement much lighter on its feet. They are cookin’, man, lemme tell ya. If you’re unfamiliar, this song has gotta be one of the band’s most straight-ahead rockin’ tunes, with a bluesy, circular earworm of a riff and HUGE hooky sing-along chorus. I must say, even for the raging tempo and urgency with which they recorded this LP version, I think I still prefer the Yes LA version. I think the slower pace works better, because you can feel the groove is more in the pocket. I also think Dianne’s vocal performance is stronger and more classic sounding. Maybe that’s just me.

The last few songs are great too. “Give Me A Little Pain” is a super melodic, up-tempo New Wave number that feels like it should be playing in the background during the night club scene in a John Hughes movie or something. “Black Haired Girl” is maybe the sleeper hit on this record, such a rager. Powerful riffing that hints at what sounds like the style that a lot of the Huntington Beach and Orange County bands would adopt not too soon after.

Nightmare City was released in 1981 on the Time Coast label. Funny enough, Time Coast is a Los Angeles indie imprint that I mostly associate with the early releases by Ratt. Yes, THAT Ratt. Hey, that was LA, baby. Then later, Time Coast would release The Zarkons, which was the post-Alley Cats new wave band with funky outfits. The Alley Cats would only release one more full-length, which I mentioned previously. That 2nd LP came out on MCA, and I imagine the band’s attempt at major label success wasn’t the most fruitful. Escape From The Planet Earth has some bangers on it. Funny enough, when I checked Discogs today, it looks like a reformed Alley Cats released a record in 2025? With Randy Stodola being the only static member. Wild. But for me, Nightmare City should have been recognized as the band’s tour de force. It’s like a classic of the era, but I rarely hear people talk about it. I hate to use the term “underrated,” because I hear it so often that the term doesn’t hold much water. The Alley Cats’ importance does feel a bit understated, I would say. They should be championed as the shredding musicians, great songwriters, and outright outer space weirdos that they are. Gotta love an underdog story though, right?

Anyway, that’s all I’ve got. Go check out The Alley Cats if you’ve been resisting all these years. A misshapen part of the LA punk puzzle. As always, thanks for reading.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

What’s up Sorry Staters?

Even when there’s nothing eventful happening, life seems to feel like a blur. Whenever I manage to escape my routine, I’m actually enjoying enduring the heat outside this summer, believe it or not. Trying to be within proximity of as many charcoal grills cooking veggie burgers and drinking as many beers by bodies of water as I can. Because Daniel was on his beach trip, we skipped a newsletter last week. So, what have I been up to? I guess I drove up to Richmond with a crew of people to go see Alvilda about a week ago! They were so great live. It was like a dream, or “a movie” as the kids say. A welcome joyful escape. My good buddy Eric Chubb opened the gig with his new band The Crazed where, rather than beating the life out of a drum set, he actually took on guitar and vocal duties. They covered “Walking Out On Love” and I saw the Alvilda ladies singing along. Pretty cool. Look forward to seeing what that band does next.

Now for my staff pick. Rather than talking about joyful dreamscapes, I’m going to talk about cold, heavy darkness. I will admit that I felt quite sad when Ozzy passed away. I did have a lil session of blasting some Sabbath along with the first couple Ozzy solo records. Those records are still special and were very formative for me. Especially when I was learning guitar, my dad was basically drilling into my head that Randy Rhoads is the gold standard and God’s gift to awesome rock guitar playing. Haha. I still love Randy’s playing. But along with my rotation of Ozzy listening, I’ve been throwing on this newly reissued album Tears by Sacrifice.

My familiarity with Sacrifice was somewhat limited. Just to be clear, we’re talking about the Sacrifice from Japan, not the Canadian band. I’ve always been drawn to Japanese heavy metal, my interest starting with more accessible bands like Loudness, but then moving onto Flatbacker, Sniper, and heavier stuff like Sabbrabells. In my exploration, I maybe had some vague awareness of Sacrifice’s first album Crest of Black from 1987. But of course, I’d never gotten my hands on a copy. I would later learn that this album is deemed sort of a “cult classic” for Japanese metal. Most of the Japanese stuff I’d heard was still glam-adjacent or still rooted in what I think of as more Scorpions-influenced rock. Even the more speed metal stuff still had flashy, soaring vocals and guitar work that was decidedly Judas Priest-esque. I discovered that Sacrifice’s sound is much darker and heavier—scary, even.

After Crest of Black, Sacrifice released two more albums that were only available on CD format in their initial release. Bitter Lake Recordings, a label that reissues a lot of great stuff, managed to finally release these long overdue Sacrifice albums on vinyl for the first time. My journey with Sacrifice really began with their 1990 album Total Steel when Bitter Lake reissued that record back in 2020. The evolution from Crest of Black to Total Steel moves from the brittle, cultish, Venom-esque metal sound of a band’s early stages to a much more polished, tight and crispy production. What’s funny is that even though I guess I could have easily gone and checked the band’s Discogs page, I didn’t really know another step in the Sacrifice trilogy was awaiting me. Honestly, I’m kinda happy my initial experience hearing Tears was throwing the actual record onto the turntable for the first time.

What can I say about Sacrifice’s sound? I guess you would describe them as a thrash metal band. But I think a hallmark, signature element of the band’s sound is how dirgey the riffs are, like these gritty, plodding chugs played with groove and restraint waiting to explode. Makes me clench my teeth. Like, I would say a good portion of Sacrifice’s songwriting is mid-paced, low and grunting. But like insanely powerful. The word I want to use is like “muscular?” These riffs make me feel like a scary dude in the back of a smoky motorcycle club with humungous biceps is slowly walking over to punch me repeatedly in the face. I would, for example, describe a lot thrash guitar playing as being very biting and sharp. The guitar playing on this record is like blunt force trauma. It feels like being bludgeoned. If you wanna know what a go-to Sacrifice riff sounds like, just listen to the guitar intro of “Time Slips Through In Front Of Your Eyes” with the way the beat kicks in, and there you have it.

On the first epic track, “Never Land Never Again,” this boiling intensity, which is played in the pocket at a slow groove, finally grows into this grandiose outro with the tightest double-kick drum work you’ve ever heard, only to devolve into this slow, doomy, almost ceremonious completion. I feel like this crescendo-like building of song structures is masterful. But then, the band amps up the energy on the 2nd track, “Breaking The Silence of The Night,” which is like if you took the punkified Motörhead-influenced foundation of G-Zet, but then covered it in stainless steel armor. I gotta say, for the guitar tone being so gritty and blunt, I love guitarist Hiroyuki Murakami’s lead playing. In contrast to the riffing, his solos are these bright, meditative, intelligently structured melodic flourishes. Literally goosebump inducing.

From what I can decipher, it seems like Sacrifice was mostly driven by bandleader and lead vocalist Akira Sugiuchi. His voice is so unique, totally raspy like he’s been preparing to go on stage by chain-smoking cigarettes and drinking a fifth of Jack Daniel’s. He rides over the top of the instrumentation with these throaty, abrasive, bellowing screams from the underworld. That said, the vocal arrangements, along with the chanted gang background vocals, are super catchy. Like how the huge chanted vocal hook of “Do I Fight For God” follows the rhythm of the riff. I can just imagine Sacrifice playing back in the early 90s and seeing a sea of studded, leather-clad fists in the air just shouting along.

Apparently, Sacrifice has recently reunited and they just played a couple shows in California. In true DIY underground love fashion, I think they only played with punk bands! Like I think The Dark played the show. So rad. Damn, really wish I’d known so I could have seen them… Oh well!

Anyway, I feel like these records should be considered underground metal classics. Maybe with these two 90s albums finally getting the proper vinyl treatment and being available outside of Japan, Sacrifice may finally get the credit they deserve. Hope you Sorry State readers give Tears a chance based on my description. Or not, whatever haha. As always, thanks for reading.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

What’s up Sorry Staters?

Welp, one thing is clear over the last week or so: Y’all punk ass mofos LOVE Death Side. The amount of pre-orders we’ve been receiving is overwhelming, but good on you Sorry Staters for stepping to the occasion. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. This top-tier odds n sods collection for Death Side’s non-album tracks is long overdue. I’m personally stoked to have the tracks from the Chaos UK split and all the various compilation appearances in one convenient place on an official release. As much as I love Death Side, I have not yet managed to track down all of the many comps they’ve appeared on. The energy and anticipation felt from you all has been very exciting, to say the least.

I told you last week that I would report back about my weekend, and so here goes: The 7Eleven show was a total blast. I arrived around 4PM in the charming suburb of Midlothian, VA, about 20 minutes outside Richmond. The appearance of the outdoor shopping center where the 7Eleven was located looked eerily similar to somewhere like Cary, North Carolina. That may mean nothing to some of you readers, but let’s just say it certainly appeared to be a clean, nice, upper-crust neighborhood. The reflection of the sun off of the asphalt was blistering, but it was a bonding experience for everyone involved. We all suffered together. I immediately grabbed my free slurpee, as is customary on July 11th, and joined my friends who were hanging out on the tailgate of a pickup truck. These were the summer activities I’d been craving. As I would walk into the 7Eleven to buy more beer, I would interact with strangers who were totally confused about the crowd outside. “So… WHAT exactly is happening??” It was super funny.

The scene began with a small gathering that would sneak their respective refreshing alcoholic beverages into 7Eleven plastic cups. As the crowd started swelling, it devolved into hordes of 20-somethings irreverently roaming the parking lot with open containers. I think 12 or 13 bands played? It was a long day, but the changeover from one band to the next was very snappy. I remember watching Cicada play, thinking to myself that surely the kids dancing in that signature side-to-side mosh style would inevitably lead to some road rash from spills onto the concrete. I climbed onto the back of a stranger’s truck to watch Invertebrates from a high vantage point. I just marveled at this wild gathering of freaks raging to hardcore under the sun. It was a beautiful thang. As it got closer to the end of the night, former 7Eleven employee and host for the event, known simply as “Joker,” grabbed a megaphone to alert the crowd. Not surprisingly, noise complaints had gotten out of control and Joker gave everyone notice the gig might get shut down and that everyone in attendance needed to clear out as fast as possible. Destruct and Public Acid both played truncated sets. PA only played about 5 songs before we wrapped the whole thing up. Totally worth it.

Well, that ended up being a more long-winded summary than I expected. Now let’s talk about something completely different…

Recently, I cheated on Sorry State once again and went to grab some records from the homie Rachel over at the Pour House. She gave me a heads up, because I guess some dude who was a big horror movie fan and metalhead came and sold some of his collection. I grabbed the soundtrack Trick Or Treat by Fastway, which I was pumped about. But I also grabbed a missing record to complete my Hellion 12”s. Well, I probably still don’t quite have everything, but whatever. I don’t know how many people are super familiar with Hellion. The band was based out of Los Angeles in the mid-to-late 80s. The band was most notably fronted by a woman named Ann Boleyn, who also founded independent label New Renaissance Records.

Now, even though they were from LA, I would describe Hellion and the whole New Renaissance scene as a totally counter movement to the all the 80s glam and hair metal bands playing along the Sunset Strip. But the sound is not exactly thrash either. Hellion falls under a category I affectionately refer to as “Night Metal.” Think about the creepier sounding Dokken riffs, like the intro to “When Heaven Comes Down.” Still following? It’s like, heavier than Ratt, but it’s also not quite speed metal. Like, rather than dayglo-colored spandex under neon lights, it’s more like bedazzled leather pants in smoky, dark alleyways. But obviously, all still within the streets of LA. Hellion’s style of metal is also marked by a penchant for drama in presentation, and also no shame in displays of virtuosity, both in the guitar playing, but also in Ann Boleyn’s signature snarling yet flamboyantly operatic vocals.

At Pour House, I grabbed Hellion’s 1983 eponymous 12” EP. I was stoked to see that it was a first pressing on independent label Bongus Lodus Records (which I can only assume is self-released by the band under a goofy label name). As expected, the records are in typical 80s metal condition, promo corner cuts and all. For me, the banger off of this EP is a track called “Driving Hard”, which really, even with its grandiose execution, is still not far off from glam metal. Maybe with a little Priest injected. I mean, come on, the song says “baby”. Not heavy. But awesome? Oh yes. But to really get an idea of the musical trajectory of Hellion on subsequent records, I highly suggest checking out the title track from their debut full-length Screams In The Night. When she does the vocal imitation of the guitar riff at around like 1:38? Forget it, that’s the shit.

Because it’s probably the record I’ve owned the longest, I’ve also always had a special place in my heart for the 1988 12” EP Postcards From The Asylum. I love the song “Nevermore.” Killer riff, super catchy. They also do a pretty badass cover of “Exciter” by Judas Priest.

Okay, then one last thing I wanna mention about New Renaissance Records before I bore you all too much. The label in my mind is significant for releasing several series of compilation albums that highlighted underground heavy metal bands. Most notably, the Speed Metal Hell and Thrash Metal Attack series of compilations. New Renaissance also released this compilation that I personally have a soft spot for called Ladykillers, which spotlights women playing in metal bands during that era. Some bands on this comp are better than others, but it’s a fun listen. Hellion is on it of course, but then the comp also features a track by Jaded Lady, who you might remember singer Terry O’Leary as one of the talking heads in Decline of Western Civilization - Part II. Pretty cool.

Alright, I gotta wrap it up. Hope my updates about Slurpees and Night Metal at least kept you briefly entertained. As always, thanks for reading!

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

What’s up Sorry Staters?

Not much news since last week. Seems like Sorry State has been getting in some killer new releases since I’ve been back though. Between the Electric Chair / Physique split, Subversive Rite, The Berserk, Total Nada, and then reissues like the Lama box set, and now all the La Vida stuff that’s coming up (Death Side BABYYYY), there’s plenty to be excited about!

Coming up this weekend, I’ll be playing my first gig since I’ve returned stateside. Public Acid is playing a gig in a 7-Eleven parking lot. Yeah, you heard me right. It’s also on July 11th, so it’s at a 7-Eleven on 7-11. Free slurpee day, you say? Woohoo! I’m sure it’ll be hilarious, stupid, and awesome. And HOT. Summertime hardcore fun in the sun, I suppose. There’s no cost to attend the show either, but they are taking donations for mutual aid in Richmond, which is awesome. I believe the location of this mythical 7-Eleven is near Richmond, but not exactly actually inside Richmond. I hope this event is as romantic as the Ramones told me that it would be. I’ll report back.

Speaking of all these new releases, this new cassette by The Damage is killer. This band basically formed out of the ashes of Quarantine from Philly. I remember being super pumped and excited about Quarantine when they first came around. Was a bummer when that band sorta fizzled. The Damage have 4 songs on this demo tape, which picks up right where Quarantine left off, honestly. Considering it’s the same dude on vocals, as well as the same 2 dudes playing the strings, it’s not surprising that this new project would have some musical similarities. It is funny that it opens with a sample from the clip of Negative FX’s last show when Choke says “We ain’t gonna stop, FUCK YOU!” Appropriate sentiment to start with. Of course, there’s gonna be some things that sound familiar. Namely, Jack’s burly barking vocals, which sound perfect for mean as fuck hardcore. That said, this tape feels fresh to me. I think it rips.

Not unlike Quarantine, I think what strikes me about the way these guys write songs is that at first impulse, I feel like I’m being pummeled by direct, tough-as-nails, go-for-the-throat hardcore—but upon closer inspection, there’s some wild ass stuff going on. Jagged, neck-breaking rhythmic complexity, some odd-time stuff, demented spoken word vocals, some unexpectedly cool and dissonant Black Flag/Die Kreuzeny guitar stuff. Even the graphic design on the tape has some whacky, irreverent, yet kinda ominous imagery going on. A big thing that I notice is that I love the sound of this recording. It’s a different drummer, whom I believe is Daniel from KOS/Dark Thoughts. The drumming sounds dialed, but the drums aren’t recorded super bombastically. Instead, they sound super dry and punchy, like an oldschool recording. I wouldn’t be surprised if this recording was at least partially straight to tape on a 4-track. As opposed to Exile, the last Quarantine record, this Damage tape sounds super raw and organic. If they do a proper vinyl release after this, I personally would be stoked if they stuck with the same approach recording-wise.

Anyway, grab this tape if it’s not on your radar yet. I think that’s all I’ve got. As always, thanks for reading.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff