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SOGA: Corrosión 12" (Iron Lung Records) We named the demo tape from Mexico City’s SOGA Record of the Week when Iron Lung Records pressed it to vinyl back in 2019, and six years later the band is back with their long-awaited proper debut. Six years is a long time (actually, seven since the cassette version came out) and SOGA has gone through some lineup changes, but everything we loved about that demo shines just as brightly on Corrosión. In particular, Corrosión’s earthy, organic sound feels like an antidote to the meticulously quantized, stylistically belabored hardcore that dominates the discourse around the genre these days. SOGA’s music feels immediate, raw, and from the gut, just like hardcore should. The songs have so much variation in style and mood, with frantic rippers like “La Respuesta” and “Poseseión,” driving and hooky songs like the bass-driven “Gracias Por La Explicación,” moodier songs that bring in elements of post-punk (fans of Tozibabe will particularly love these tracks), and others like “El Himno Desentonado De Una Nación Moribunda” that put melody in the foreground. SOGA has a great dynamic as an ensemble, with the rhythm section generating a beefy groove that allows the guitarist to depart frequently from power chords, squeezing in swaggery lead parts that sound like the mutant child of Greg Ginn and Johnny Thunders. The bassist and guitarist share vocals, and while they have similar styles of shout-singing, alternating between and doubling up the vocal parts adds a lot of dynamism to these tracks. The production is also great (to my ears at least)… very warm and analog-sounding, with what sounds like a subtle fog of tape hiss enveloping the group. While Mexico City is a long way from Eastern Europe, I feel like people who love the moody, intense, and musically adventurous hardcore that came from behind the Iron Curtain in the 80s—see, particularly, the Hard-Core Ljubljana compilation—will love everything about SOGA. Corrosión is the sound of a band firing on all cylinders, though, so even if you aren’t steeped in the genre’s history, it’s easy to get swept up in SOGA’s passion and energy.

Mecht Mensch: Anthology 12” (No Coast Records) Wisconsin’s No Coast Records brings us a release hardcore punk collectors have been salivating over for years: a complete anthology of recordings by their 80s hardcore hometown heroes Mecht Mensch! If you love 80s US hardcore and don’t know Mecht Mensch’s 1983 Acceptance EP, then boy do I have a treat for you. This is quite simply one of the greatest American hardcore records, and that it hasn’t been repressed since its original release is practically criminal. Of course, that gets rectified here, with all five tracks from Acceptance right up front on this collection, sounding great mastered from the original source tapes. One thing Anthology brings into focus is how crucial Butch Vig’s recording was to Acceptance’s awesomeness. Don’t get me wrong; Mecht Mensch was a great hardcore band, as evidenced by the other recordings that appear here. They had great songs, played with power and precision, and did their part to the highest standard, but when you combine that with Butch Vig’s production on Acceptance, it really launches this session into the stratosphere. The guitar sound on Acceptance is just perfect for me… warm, subtle, beefy, and just a little sparkly. I’m no Butch Vig Stan, but he did a great fucking job on these tracks. (One tiny nit-pick with the sequencing… I wish the two outtakes from the Acceptance session, which originally appeared on The Master Tape Vol 2, were right next to the Acceptance tracks rather than in the middle of side 2, but that’s a minor quibble.) Everyone needs those Acceptance tracks, but hardcore heads also need the rest of this LP, which gathers all of Mecht Mensch’s material into one place for the very first time. There’s the split cassette with their buddies the Tar Babies (which I’d only heard as sub-par cassette rips) and all the assorted appearances on compilations like Party or Go Home, The Master Tape, Meathouse, America’s Dairyland, and Barefoot & Pregnant. While these tracks aren’t as utterly perfect as Acceptance, they’re fucking great, and essential for anyone who loves Acceptance and wants to hear more. Anthology also comes with a thick booklet full of flyers, paste-ups, and other ephemera, as well as some beautiful photography on the gatefold and poster insert. The liner notes by Robin Davies tantalizingly mention post-Acceptance material that never got recorded, and that will haunt my dreams… I can’t tell you how much I would love to hear the “post-hardcore” era of Mecht Mensch. Thankfully, though, No Coast has crossed “great quality version of the Tar Babies split cassette tracks” off the long list of things I need to hear before I die. Whether you’re getting Acceptance into your collection for the first time or filling out your picture of Mecht Mensch beyond the EP, this LP is one of 2025’s essential releases for the 80s US hardcore fanatic.

Haram: ليش الجنة بيتبلش في الجهنم؟ Why Does Paradise Begin in Hell 12" (Toxic State Records) New York City hardcore punk band Haram returns with their first new recordings in six years. While Haram’s previous records have all been striking, this new album explodes into technicolor without leaving the heaviness or intensity of their previous work behind. If you’ve been following Haram since their inception, you’ll notice right away that this new album has more ambitious production than previous Haram records, not only capturing the the richest and most powerful tones we’ve heard from any of the band’s recordings, but also making space in the mix for each player’s contribution to shine and allowing the music to go places only hinted at on previous records. Don’t get me wrong, there is a lot of straightforward hardcore punk on ليش الجنة بيتبلش في الجهنم؟ Why Does Paradise Begin in Hell, and it is excellent. The album’s lead single, “Persecution – اضطهاد,” puts the band’s existing fans in their happy place with a hooky, mid-paced riff meant to get the pit agitated, ably set off by an arrangement that ebbs and flows eloquently. With a solid decade of experience, Haram attacks hardcore with the skill and precision of veterans, building their songs around infectious main riffs (see “Sinner – كافر” and “Secret – سر”) and arranging them to maximize their power and impact. But it’s the spaces where Haram departs from the hardcore playbook that really stand out. There’s a lot more lead guitar on ليش الجنة بيتبلش في الجهنم؟ Why Does Paradise Begin in Hell than on previous Haram records, and their guitarist has a unique style, avoiding both the pentatonic patterns and chromatic anarchy that typify hardcore lead playing in favor of melodies and lines that lean heavily on middle eastern modes and scales. These leads sometime get deployed as more or less traditional rock guitar solos (see “Sinner – كافر”), but they’re even cooler when they function as the song’s main instrumental hook, as in “The Last Night – ليل من اخر ليل.” And then there’s the drumming, which is also both creative and powerfully performed. I’m not sure I’ve paid much attention to Haram’s drums in the past, but they’re total fire here, largely avoiding fills in favor of repetitive, typically tom-centered beats that ride the line between propelling the songs and peppering them with interesting rhythmic syncopation. And then there are Nader’s vocals, which are the star of the show for most listeners, I’m sure. Arabic’s cadences and palette of sounds aren’t something you hear paired with hardcore punk every day, and they pull against these songs’ rhythms in exciting ways, with Nader’s performance soaked in passion and energy. I only wish I could read Arabic so I could understand the songs directly rather than through the English translations. As we expect from both Haram and Toxic State, the packaging is also exquisite, with a unique and evocative color scheme on the hand-screened LP jacket, a big poster, and an illustrated lyric booklet. If you love bands who take hardcore punk to new places while maintaining the intensity and directness that make the genre great, Haram’s new LP is one of 2015’s un-missable releases.

Destruct / Svaveldioxid: Split 7” (Prescription / Children of the Grave Records) France’s Children of the Grave Records teams up with Prescription (Sorry State staffer Usman’s label) to bring us this split 7” between two of modern d-beat’s heavyweight bands. You probably already know Destruct if you follow Sorry State—we named both of their LPs Record of the Week when they came out—but hopefully you’ve also been paying attention to Sweden’s Svaveldioxid, who have released a whole slew of excellent records over the past decade. The two bands are well matched for a split 7”, both playing metallic d-beat that perfectly balances traditionalist and progressive impulses. That being said, these are some of the leanest and meanest Destruct tracks to date, their two originals here built on spare riffing that leaves the focus on the rhythm section’s jackhammer battering. Svaveldioxid’s rhythms also stick to the genre’s core points of inspiration, but they make room for some death metal nods in the guitar work and unexpected moments like the cool bass melody in “Stillbilder.” Alongside their two originals, each band covers one of the other’s songs, but you’d hardly know they were cover songs if the sleeve didn’t point it out. The bands don’t sound worlds apart in the first place, but each really puts their own stamp on their respective version. Both sides of the split sound phenomenal, too, with Destruct recording with Lance at Minimum Wage Studios (who did that recent Ultimate Disaster LP that sounds so great) and Svaveldioxid at the legendary Sunlight Studios. I also have to call out the beautifully detail-oriented packaging on the physical release, which not only includes some excellent new Wombat illustrations, but also employs thoughtful choices of paper stock and printing methods to build a package that feels distinctive, yet consistent with each band’s well-established aesthetic. It’s easy for a split 7” on a couple of small labels to get lost in the shuffle, but if you’re a d-beat fanatic, you’d be loony to miss out on this.

Dark Thoughts: Highway to the End 12” (Stupid Bag Records) Finally, five whole years after their 3rd album, Must Be Nice, comes the long-awaited new Dark Thoughts album, Highway to the End. On the surface, not much has changed. The cover art is another nod to their heroes the Ramones, and (most of) the songs are high-energy Ramones-core anthems of the type fans have been fiending for. And if you’re one of those fiending fans, you’re definitely not going to be disappointed. But while Highway to the End gives the fans what they want, it’s hardly a redundant album. Just like the Ramones’ fourth album, Road to Ruin, it fleshes out the formula and tests the limits of what the band’s sound and songwriting style can accommodate. Actually, it’s less that Dark Thoughts’ formula is fleshed out, and more like it’s stripped to the bone. The opening track, “Slept Til Two,” is so hooky and memorable that it took me at least half a dozen listens to realize the song has no repeating parts and nothing resembling a chorus. It isn’t until the fourth song, “Bubble’s Gonna Burst,” that you get a chorus part that actually repeats. While the songwriting is spare from a musical standpoint, Dark Thoughts squeeze so much emotion into those tight spaces. For all their minimalism and all their Ramones worship, Dark Thoughts are songwriters in the classic sense, and they can convey so much with a few words and (even fewer) chords. As someone who has struggled with depression all my life, “Slept Til Two” (something I’ve done many times) and “Groundhog Day” feel like perfect encapsulations of what it’s like to live this way from day to day, each morning feeling like you’re starting at the bottom of a steep hill. There are also a wealth of clever turns of phrase to chew on, like the opening lines to “Bubble’s Gonna Burst:” “Wrote a letter the other day / All it said was go away / Self addressed return to sender.” Dark Thoughts hit you hardest with the feels on “Please Don’t Be Lonesome,” which might shock existing fans with its acoustic intro (but remember: “Needles and Pins” and “Questioningly” were on Road to Ruin!), but it works so well, laying aside the band’s usual sonic armor to shine a spotlight on the heart-rending vocal performance. I also love that the album doesn’t end there, returning (after a nod to Nasty Facts) for “Sweet Success,” which serves as a coda and a callback to the early morning setting of the opener “Slept Til Two.” “Sweet Success” captures the spark of hope (which we depressives must be careful to nurture) that allows us to “begin again,” to face another day and another set of challenges. The song’s refrain of “begin again” is also an invitation to play Highway to the End again, which you’ll need to do, because there are so many great parts that only happen once, and so much depth that’s only going to reveal itself after many listens.

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.