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Las Ánimas Del Cuarto Obscuro: S/T 12” (La Vida Es Un Mus) La Vida Es Un Mus brings us a reissue of this obscure but brilliant post-punk LP from Mexico, originally released in 1988 on the band’s own Aruba Discos. Sadly, I’m not the person to give the full historical rundown on Las Ánimas Del Cuarto Obscuro—whose name translates to something like “souls of the dark room”—but there seems to be a good amount of information out there for Spanish-speakers. This album was totally new to me, though, and I’ve not been able to stop listening to it since I got it. While the songs are great, the album has an atmosphere that isn’t quite like anything I’ve heard before. Don’t let the 1988 release date fool you… this album sounds a lot more early 80s than late 80s, with the group dipping their toes into various post-punk styles over the course of the record. Songs like “Azul Pastel” and “Sirena” will appeal instantly to anyone who loves the driving, guitar-based post-punk of bands like Killing Joke and Siekiera, while “Samarkanda” and “La Mosca” feel quirkier and more home-spun, recalling the attitude evident in the early Rough Trade Records catalog, where punk’s limited technical sophistication and can-do attitude met a wider sphere of musical influences. And then there’s the standout track “Pueblo Fantasma,” which differs from anything else on the record, its chiming, arpeggiated guitar line and driving post-punk rhythm bearing an uncanny resemblance to early REM. Across all the stylistic experimentation, vocalist Toño Sánchez weaves a tapestry of compelling rhythms and melodies, his performance overflowing with charisma. While anyone who loves under-the-radar international post-punk like Paralisis Permanente and Siekiera will take an instant liking to Las Ánimas Del Cuarto Obscuro, the overall vibe here is so unique that, once you develop a taste for it, no other record in your collection will scratch the same itch.

Necron 9: People Die 12” (Unlawful Assembly Records) Necron 9’s debut LP came out earlier this year and Jeff even wrote about it extensively for his staff pick a while back, but I avoided making it Record of the Week until now because we couldn’t keep the record in stock. It’s been through a few represses already and the band toured a lot this summer, and since the drummer runs the record label, that entailed some gaps in supply. But now that we have a good stock, it’s time to put up the signal flare for how great this record is. For me, much of Necron 9’s magic comes from the way they weave together two key aspects of their sound. On one hand, they have this post-Damaged, dissonant and angsty thing, extruded through a grimy, half-decomposed rust belt filter. It’s totally raw and desperate, like the painful birth pangs of a post-apocalyptic civilization. But then alongside all that dark and angsty stuff, Necron 9 weaves in influences that sound to me like 80s Japanese punk, very rock-and-roll sounding in some respects, but with this stilted, odd disposition that comes across as kind of gothic. See the track “Flower Child,” which has shades of G-Zet and the Execute in its captivating main riff. Necron 9 weaves between these two poles in their sound masterfully, mixing them in different proportions in a way that feels absolutely gripping for the whole of People Die. The production is spot-on too: raw and fuzzy, like a grainy old horror flick. It’s just a fantastic record in every way… original-sounding, ambitious, musically dextrous, and of course punk as fuck. I also have to give it up for the packaging of the physical release, which includes a screen printed jacket, poster insert, and illustrated lyric booklet… it really feels like the band, label, and everyone involved put all they had to this one, and their passion shows through in the final product. If you haven’t already picked up this gem, do it now so you’re ready to write about it in your “Best of 2025” list.

Ayucaba: Operación Masacre 12" (Metadona Records) Spain’s Metadona Records brings us the debut vinyl from this band based in Barcelona, but featuring expatriates from several locales. First of all, I should say that if you are interested in this record, you should definitely consult the (very) deep dive Jeff did in his staff pick last week; he goes into a lot of detail about every aspect of Operación Masacre, and it’s a great read. Here’s my short version, though. Ayucaba plays a style of metal-informed hardcore that reminds me of records like the Exploited’s Death Before Dishonour, Broken Bones’ Bonecrusher, and English Dogs’ Forward into Battle. Like those records, Operación Masacre takes the skeleton of driving, UK82-style punk and infuses it with metal’s more complex riffing and arrangements, adding a gratifying layer of complexity without losing the energy or directness. Their biggest strength, in my book, is their vocalist, who has one of the most distinctive and interesting voices in punk. It’s this kind of hoarse demon rasp, sandpaper abrasive and mean as hell, but still carrying a tune and articulating the lyrics clearly. You might remember her from her previous band Inyeccion, and while I’m a huge fan of Inyeccion’s LP, Cromi has only grown more adept with her instrument since then. Ayucaba’s songs are complex and thoughtfully arranged, filling the album with a wealth of rhythms and melodies that keep the music exciting from moment to moment without feeling scattered. It’s so easy for more ambitious takes on hardcore punk to feel overwrought and lose that sense of directness, but Ayucaba just nails it. They’ve also incorporated a touch of the spooky and cultish vibes from the best underground worldwide 80s hardcore. While the composition, performance, and production are all thoughtful and composed (and hence don’t have the unhinged energy of, say, G.I.S.M. or early Wretched), Ayucaba makes space in their music for the mysterious ambiance that makes so many of those records great. The thoughtfulness also extends to the record’s packaging, with its beautiful screen-printed jacket, poster / lyric insert, and obi strip. Musically ambitious, thoughtfully presented, super vibey, and punk as fuck, Operación Masacre is undoubtedly one of 2025’s best hardcore punk records.

Steröid: Chainmail Commandos 12” (Crypt of the Wizard) I wrote about Steröid’s Chainmail Commandos, easily the most charming and infectious punk record of 2025, as my staff pick a few months ago, back when vinyl copies were impossible to come by. Now that the repress is in and the record is in stock at Sorry State, it’s time to revisit this gem and remind y’all how great it is. Here are the facts: Steröid comes from the fertile Sydney, Australia punk scene and features members of well-known bands like Gee Tee, R.M.F.C., and the dungeon synth project Quest Master. Their songs are built on the hooky, energetic riffing and anthemic choruses of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, but production-wise they’re put through the “egg punk” filter with pitch-shifted vocals, Devo-inspired mechanical rhythms, and lo-fi, 4-track-style production. It’s an odd combination of influences, but if that puts you off or confuses you, don’t worry about it… just listen to the songs. I’m sure some percentage of you will still listen to five seconds and think, “I’m too cool for this shit,” but those people are missing out. Chainmail Commandos is as close to a shot of pure adrenaline as I can get from a record, never failing to make me smile, shimmy around in my seat, and sing along as soon as it comes on. I can’t think of another record as charming and good-vibe-producing since the Coneheads album lo those many years ago. Chainmail Commandos also maintained its ability to inspire those feelings through months of relentless listening. There isn’t a dud on the album, and I think it gets better with every listen. Just the other day I was playing it for probably the 50th time and just noticing how great the bass playing is… details like that will continue to reveal themselves for a long time. If you listen and find yourself susceptible to Steröid’s charms, though, I’d advise you to pick up a copy posthaste, as this small pressing from UK black metal label Crypt of the Wizard doesn’t seem long for this world.

Lame: Lo Que Extrañas Ya No Existe 12” (La Vida Es Un Mus) La Vida Es Un Mus brings us the second album by this European hardcore group. I didn’t hear much chatter about Lame’s first record, 2023’s Dejad Que Vengan—with members spread across a few European cities, I don’t think Lame played a ton of gigs in the interim—but I hope people take more notice of Lo Que Extrañas Ya No Existe because it’s a unique and interesting record. The backbone of most songs are the sturdy, often mid-paced riffs that leave a lot of breathing room for dynamics. Take, for instance, “El Palco Del Horror,” which trudges along with a chunky, Fang-esque groove, walking that line between being simple enough to sound classic, yet not reminding you of anything in particular. For me, though, the stars of the show in Lame are the drums and vocals. Like the riffs, the drum patterns are spacious rather than dense and never showy, but when you listen closely they’re filled with interesting rhythmic accents and always complement the riffing in unexpected ways, giving these songs a textural richness that more straightforward drumming would surely lack. And Lame’s vocalist is a ball of charisma, with a ranting style that reminds me of early Negazione because it sounds like she’s winding herself up, each line growing faster and more impatient until she reaches a breaking point. This pattern forms another axis of tension in the songs that can complicate what’s happening instrumentality in interesting ways. Take the title track, where the vocals slowly ascend a ramp of intensity while the instrumental parts cycle through iterations of quiet/loud, the patterns overlaying one another in a way that gives the track a kind of cinematic breadth. Like the album as a whole, it’s vicious and punk as fuck, but with subtle artistry that reveals something new with each listen.

Frigöra: Fullständig Frigörelse 12" (General Speech) General Speech Records brings us a vinyl discography with bonus material from these mid-90s Japanese crusties. To be honest, I wasn’t too familiar with Frigöra before this record. I knew them as that Japanese band with Swedish lyrics, but I didn’t know their music because it fell into one of my blind spots. In 1995-1998, when these records were coming out, I was still listening to NOFX and Pennywise, and by the time I got hip to Japanese punk a few years later, these records were nowhere to be found. Eventually I’d grow obsessed with finding out about older Japanese punk, but Frigöra weren’t far back enough to have the vintage patina of 80s bands or even early 90s groups like Bastard. I’m pleased to learn all about Frigöra today, as I probably appreciate their music today more than I would have at any time in the past. Fullständig Frigörelse captures two iterations of the band with different rhythm sections, the first of whom recorded a self-titled 7” and a split with Diskonto, and the latter their 12” EP, Dance of the Plague Bearer. The earlier version of the band is as steeped in 80s Swedish hardcore as you might expect. While they have Mob 47’s insane tempos, they also capture some of the magic from the Shitlickers EP, particularly on their 1995 self-titled EP, which has something of the uniquely desperate tone that only Shitlickers had. Frigöra’s sound changed a bit for the 12”, the new drummer playing with less groove, the rhythms getting more fractured, and the guitars incorporating multiple distorted tones for a wider sense of dynamics. While the cover art and title might make you think Dance of the Plague Bearer is a stenchcore record, it really points the way toward bands like D-Clone and Lebenden Toten who took the Disorder / Confuse / Gai sound into the psychedelic stratosphere. Fullständig Frigörelse is packed with General Speech’s typical care, with crisp graphics and a fold-out insert that reproduces the graphics from the original release with nothing in the way of heavy-handed historicization.

The Berserk: Where’s the Dictator? 12” (self-released) Debut 12” from this new band from Philly whose demo we carried a few months back. Given the personnel involved, I knew this band would be good, but I was blown away by how fresh and vital the Berserk sounds without straying outside the relatively narrow bounds of fast hardcore punk. The title track, which kicks off the record, is a little different from the other songs, working within the early Chaos UK template with a fast tupa-tupa beat and rubber band bass sound, but infused with the precision and power of the best early US hardcore. While the Berserk is super tight and locked in, the vocalist is loose and unhinged, his syllables splayed across the beat like loose entrails. That dynamic between fist-pumping tightness in the music and savage insanity in the vocals remains compelling throughout these seven tracks, whether the Berserk is playing at an Out Cold-esque groovy fast tempo (“Liquidate Society” and “Never Absolved”), a menacing stomp (“Razed Catholic”), or dipping back into that Chaos UK / Disorder / Confuse wildness (“Next Invasion”). The recording showcases the band perfectly as well, achieving a great balance of grit, punch, and clarity. Anyone who likes fast, old school hardcore should give this record a shot… the Berserk delivers everything you want from a fast hardcore record while bringing a ton of their own unique personality to the table.

The Damage: demo cassette (Damage United) Maximally fast, loud, and mean music from this Philly crew on their debut release. If it sounds familiar, that’s because 3/4 of the members were in Quarantine, with Daniel from Kinetic Orbital Strike and Dark Thoughts being the recent addition to the lineup on drums. Somehow the Damage ratchets up the intensity even more from their previous band, which I would have hardly thought possible until I heard it. The Damage plays like they have something to prove, pushing their sound to the absolute breaking point in terms of speed, heaviness, and downright meanness. The first three tracks are just ridiculously fast, blazing along at Jerry’s Kids-esque tempos that are so impressive in their own right that it takes a few listens for it to sink in how dense and hooky the songs are. When the Damage finally takes the pedal off the floor for the final stomper, “Why Try,” it feels like a mid-paced song in context, but it’s actually faster than a lot of “fast hardcore” bands’ fastest songs. Imagine standing in an open space with 25 pitching machines assembled in a circle around you, all hurling 90-mile-per-hour fastballs constantly, from every direction, for six minutes. That’s what listening to this demo feels like.

Electric Chair / Physique: Split 12” (Iron Lung Records) Iron Lung Records teams up two of hardcore’s most important bands for a devastating split LP. This split caught me by surprise given Electric Chair’s reduced activity since their drummer moved to Australia and the fact that Physique just dropped an LP and an EP not too long ago, but it’s an extremely welcome surprise as these are two of my favorite bands going. When I first listened to this split, what struck me is that it captures both bands at an interesting stage where they know exactly who they are, are confident enough to push at the edges of their respective sounds, but not restless enough to fuck with the formula too much. Basically, both groups are at the height of their powers here. Electric Chair comes with one of their cleaner recordings that really shows off what a great and powerful band they are. They start off with a rare mid-paced song, “Weed Out the Rat,” before careening into four blasts of their trademark flying-off-the-rails hardcore. The vocals (free from the “underwater” effect on Act of Aggression) are catchier than ever, and the lead guitars stand out even more than on previous records, wrenching out both uncomfortable squalls of noise and blindingly fast melodic runs. There’s even a near-blast-beat at the beginning of “Can’t Quit Drinking.” I’m still digesting, but I wouldn’t be surprised if, years down the line, I consider these songs Electric Chair’s high-water mark. As for Physique, they are similarly inspired here. I always say that this kind of highly stylized d-beat hardcore is a game of inches where subtle adjustments in guitar sound, rhythm, or vocal approach can really change the vibe, but Physique always sounds fresh and exciting without relying on a trainspotter’s knowledge of d-beat history. What I find most interesting about their tracks here are the rhythms, which break out of the overly familiar Discharge/Disclose beats that undergird this style. “Drowning in Debt,” for instance, is this choppy mid-paced track where, if you squint, the beat bears some traces of “A Look at Tomorrow,” but it feels like distinctly its own thing (or, if they’re borrowing it from another song, it’s not obvious to me which one). The trick with this style is walking that fine line between doing everything the style demands (and doing it well!) and adding something new to the conversation, and no one rides that sweet spot like Physique. On paper, I can see how this split might not be that exciting—two bands who have been around a long time and have a lot of other records, most of which you probably already own—but the proof is in the pudding, and once my needle lands on this slab, the last thing I want to do is pick it up.

Kaleidoscope: Cities of Fear 12” (La Vida Es Un Mus) New York’s Kaleidoscope returns triumphantly from a five-year slumber with their new 12”, Cities of Fear, on La Vida Es Un Mus. Here at Sorry State we have been huge fans of Kaleidoscope since they started, and while I think they were criminally underrated during their original run, it seems like more people are interested in Cities of Fear, and with good reason. Kaleidoscope hasn’t changed all that much in the intervening years, but the world has, and their brand of earnest, organic, and defiantly political hardcore punk feels even more potent and relevant in 2025. Musically, Kaleidoscope has always stood out from other contemporary hardcore punk bands with their intuitive, ensemble-based way of playing and composing. Kaleidoscope’s songs feel loose and improvisational, the band not so much reciting the parts they have composed as actively discovering and exploring them as they’re recording. Not that Kaleidoscope is a jam band… despite this organic quality, they pack their songs with killer riffs and choruses. See, for instance, “Controlled Opposition,” whose elastic, Sabbath-by-way-of-Flag riffing sounds straight off COC’s Eye for an Eye, and “Blood Minerals,” whose shouted chorus is as memorable as anything in the Crass Records catalog. But where Kaleidoscope does resemble a jam band (or, for a more relevant comparison, Fugazi) is how every bar feels unique, each moment suffused with discovery, intensity, and expression. The closing instrumental, “Dirge for the Disappeared,” is a great example, the song’s fade-in and fade-out implying it’s a fragment of a jam, the 3 members winding around this loping, waltz-y musical phrase for a minute and a half. It feels like the musical articulation of a walk in the woods, but by naming it “Dirge for the Disappeared” and overlaying a cryptic, muffled sound sample, Kaleidoscope injects the song with a striking poignancy, which serves as a great counterpoint to the more direct and confrontational, anarcho-punk inspired lyrics on the rest of the album. Either of these aspects of Kaleidoscope’s music would be great on its own—their channeling of the directness and intensity of 80 hardcore punk and their telepathic brilliance as a musical ensemble—but together they make Cities of Fear an utterly unique and powerful musical statement.

Axon: S/T 7” (Not for the Weak Records) Not for the Weak Records brings us the 4-song debut release from Axon, a new band featuring personnel from NFTW groups like Reckoning Force, Lethal Means, Thought Control, and Homemade Speed with Alex from Mutant Strain and Meat House on drums. While Axon has a lot in common with the bruising hardcore of their NFTW label mates, there’s a palpable Japanese hardcore influence to Axon’s riffing that gives it a unique flavor among the label’s roster. That influence is apparent on the two b-side tracks, “Separate” and “Manmade Hell,” both of whose main riffs are built around epic, Death Side-esque scales, but Axon’s delivery is way faster and more jagged than what I associate with the Burning Spirits style. Rather than settling into Motorhead-esque grooves, Axon’s rhythmic foundation is more like Mutant Strain’s, with hyper-speed tempos and rarely a bar going by without some kind of punch, fill, or other rhythmic accent. The way everything comes at you all at once reminds me of Nightmare’s Give Notice of Nightmare album, which has a similar all-in intensity. Despite the speed and rhythmic intricacy, Axon still makes room for brief but blistering guitar leads, while the raspy and demonic vocals drag menacingly across the beat. As with Give Notice of Nightmare, it may take a listen or two to hear your way through the utter relentlessness, but once you unlock Axon’s charms, there’s a world of hooks and cool details to appreciate.

Ultimate Disaster: For Progress... 12” (Grave Mistake Records) Richmond’s Ultimate Disaster released an excellent demo last year, but they really up the ante with For Progress…, their debut 12” on Grave Mistake Records. While there are plenty of reasons to compare Ultimate Disaster to Disclose—their heavily Discharge-inspired sound, their three-piece setup, and their strangled-sounding vocals—they don’t let that influence box them in, not so much expanding on Disclose’s sound as whittling it down to something even more elemental. It helps that Ultimate Disaster recorded at Minimum Wage Studios—the same spot as Richmond hardcore classics like Wasted Time’s Futility, Government Warning’s No Moderation, and Direct Control’s Farewell—which gives For Progress… a crispness you rarely hear on a raw punk record. Not only does the record sound huge, but also details like the furious guitar strumming really shine through and make the recording come alive. Typically, I like this sound when it’s flying off the rails, but everything feels very considered here… the drums stay locked in to the tempo, and even when something crazy happens like a paint-peeling guitar overdub, the tone of the guitar and the way it’s played feel very dialed in (there’s none of Kawakami’s trademark “nuclear rain”-style chaotic soloing). Ultimate Disaster’s riffing and songwriting is as elegant and uncluttered as a piece of Japanese calligraphy, where each brushstroke is deliberate and functional. For Progress... is also endowed with a hookiness that’s all but unparalleled for this style of music… I know I already mentioned it above, but the way Ultimate Disaster fuses building-leveling power with anthemic choruses is strongly reminiscent of Wasted Time’s Futility. This is a phenomenal hardcore punk record, and another jewel in the Richmond hardcore punk scene’s heavy crown.