News

Inferno Personale: In Ira Veritas 12" (Symphony of Destruction Records) In Ira Veritas is the debut record from this band based in Bremen, Germany, but featuring punk expatriates from all over the world, including Italy, Colombia, Germany, and Argentina. Scarecrow played with Inferno Personale on the first night of our European tour last summer, and they peeled back our collective faces… they were so raw, intense, and explosive. Thus, I had an idea of what was coming with In Ira Veritas, but even having seen the band, it did not prepare me for how stunning this record is. Inferno Personale features a member of Muro, and they have that way of maintaining an overwhelming level of intensity I associate with Muro and other contemporary Colombian punk bands like Uzi, Systema, and Primer Regimen. I’m not sure how all these bands pull it off, but their music sounds like it’s being wrenched from deep within them, a primal howl that reaches the primitive parts of my brain. I’ve seen Inferno Personale described as a crasher crust band, and while some moments (like, for instance, the album-closer, “Monologue”) summon that subgenre’s blur of intensity, what keeps me coming back to In Ira Veritas is how much compelling music Inferno Personale squeezes in amongst the constant bashing. The album’s cover art is an obvious nod to Wretched’s second album, La Tua Morte Non Aspetta, and it fuses that record’s subtle musicality with the raw intensity of Wretched’s earlier recordings. In Ira Veritas is littered with memorable licks and riffs, dramatic rhythmic shifts, and throat-ripping howls. Like D-Clone’s Creation and Destroy or Confuse’s Indignation, it’s one of those rare records that grabs you by the throat with its intensity, but has the depth, subtlety, and originality to keep you flipping it over. Throw it in a beautifully illustrated, screen-printed jacket that will make the print nerds drool, and you have an irresistible package.

The Massacred: Post-Mortem 7” (Active-8 Records) Active-8 Records brings us the debut EP from this UK82-style band from Boston. While Post-Mortem is the first Massacred recording to get wide distribution and the band has no online presence, I’ve had the sense they’ve been bubbling up for a while now. I saw them in New York last summer and they were shockingly good, playing with the power and confidence you typically only see from well-seasoned bands. Their vinyl debut continues the pattern, confidently executing a fully formed vision. As I mentioned, the Massacred plays UK82-style punk, and while it would be appropriate to compare them with the Partisans, Skeptix, or Ultra Violent, the band the Massacred makes me think of is the Exploited, but without the goofy shit and if every single track was as good as their best ones. The band is on fire, and while their songs might have a straightforward and traditional framework, they’re executed in a way that maintains the highest level of intensity without wavering for a fraction of a second. In particular, I can’t get over the guitar playing. There’s nothing flashy about it, but it’s a relentless barrage of lightning-fast picking that’s flawless without sounding robotic… though they don’t sound like them, the way the Massacred approaches playing their music makes me think of the almighty Out Cold. The Massacred has put as much care and attention to detail into the design and presentation of Post-Mortem as they put into the music, too. I love that, rather than the 2 and 3-song singles that were de rigueur in the UK82 world, Post-Mortem features 8 tracks at 33rpm, and like the early Dischord and Touch and Go 7”s it seems to be modeled on, it feels more like an album than a single. The packaging design is also perfect. As with the Public Trust record Active-8 released a few years ago, holding Post-Mortem in your hands conjures a similar excitement to many of my favorite early 80s punk artifacts. This just rules in every way.

The Annihilated: Submission to Annihilation 12” (self-released) We’ve been eagerly anticipating new music from London’s the Annihilated ever since we heard their demo tape in early 2020. That was one of our favorite releases of that year, and Submission to Annihilationis exactly the follow-up we’ve been waiting for. The Annihilated’s sound is fast and jagged, with a dark and desperate vibe that reminds me of Black Flag’s Damaged. Bobby, the Annihilated’s singer, has an early Rollins-esque bark, but the music is mega-fast Koro-influenced US-style hardcore that might remind you of killer recent Texas bands like Nosferatu and Save Our Children. As with Koro, the Annihilated has a way of taking hooks (particularly catchy guitar riffs, but vocals, bass, and drums each have plenty of time in the spotlight too) and compressing them into dangerously unstable, hyper-dense cores of sound, this instability further emphasized by the band’s loose and swingy playing style. If any of the above references pique your interest, check this out right away… it’s scorching, not an ounce of fat in its svelte but substantial 19-minute running length. And kudos for putting together packaging for the physical version that stands out from the crowd, with a fold-out poster sleeve on yellow paper that’s packed with EC Comics-influenced pen-and-ink illustrations, ransom note lettering (the real stuff, not a font), and high-contrast photo collages. Yes, it’s on the nose, but nothing about Submission to Annihilation feels cliche. It’s as urgent and invigorating as the best hardcore from any era.

Silence: End of This Flesh cassette (self-released) Demo tape from this new d-beat band from Los Angeles. The Anti-Cimex influence is potent here, and when Silence keeps the songwriting super straightforward and the singer goes full Jonsson, they sound almost exactly like them. Cimex worship isn’t the only trick in Silence’s book, though, as other songs are more complex, both in terms of the metallic riffing (a little more on the Broken Bones / English Dogs end of the spectrum) and the nimble rhythmic changes, which is something I associate with bands on Totalitär’s branch of the family tree. A couple of real nerds could have an in-depth conversation about whether this is mangel, käng, d-takt, råpunk, or some combination thereof. The playing is super tight, but the recording is raw, sounding (as so many of my favorite records do), like a great band recorded in a minimal but functional way. Every song is unique, but powerful. A killer hardcore punk demo.

Nightfeeder: Cut All of Your Face Off 12” (self-released) The debut LP from Seattle’s Nightfeeder, the enigmatically titled Cut All of Your Face Off, came out back in August, but the first edition disappeared so quickly that it was gone before we told you how much it fucking rules. Now it’s back in stock, and I won’t let this second chance pass me by: this record fucking rules! For the past week I’ve been reflecting on what makes Cut All of Your Face Off such a great record, and the comparison that keeps coming to mind is Tragedy. Not so much because Nightfeeder sounds like Tragedy, but rather it’s how the record hits against the background of other stuff I’ve been listening to. Before Tragedy got popular, there was this steady background hum of post-Discharge hardcore bands that was fine, but the scene seemed like it was in a rut. Then the first Tragedy LP came out gave everything a shot in the arm, bringing in some different influences, more dynamics, and more ambitious and interesting songwriting. People latched on, and not only did Tragedy get big, but the entire scene got a shot in the arm. I feel a similar way about Cut All of Your Face Off. There are so many d-beat-type hardcore bands out there right now, and while I love the sound and style, many of the bands are fairly one-dimensional, at least compared to something like this record. Nightfeeder can rip with the best of them (see “Amoral Minority” or “And Now We Die”), but there’s so much more here, from the epic riffing of tracks like “Asylum” and “Burial” (seriously… these are fucking RIFFS!) to the Inepsy-style charge of “The Reaper’s Yield” to the anthemic street punkiness of “I’m a Letdown.” I remember listening to this record for the first time and being thrilled by each track as it appeared, each one adding new wrinkles to Nightfeeder’s rich yet uncompromising sound. Cut All of Your Face Off is one of the best punk records of 2022, so if you didn’t get it the first time, don’t miss your second chance.

Balta: Rendszerszintű Agybaszás 7" (La Vida Es Un Mus) Now this is what the fuck I’m talking about! La Vida Es Un Mus reaches its ever-probing tendrils into eastern Europe (Budapest, Hungary to be precise) and plucks out a recording that sounds like Sonic the Hedgehog destroying a low-budget recording studio with a sledgehammer. It’s seven tracks of wild, reckless abandon, and I can’t get enough of it. Rendszerszintű Agybaszás serves as an interesting contrast to the Innocent LP I also wrote about this week. While both are excellent hardcore records, they’re on opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of their overall feel and their approaches to the genre: everywhere Innocent is considered, composed, and precise, Balta is chaotic and impulsive. Balta has a single-minded devotion to constant, paint-peeling intensity, and there’s no letup in tempo or volume to be found on Rendszerszintű Agybaszás… it’s just a uniform lunge toward oblivion without break or modulation. Capturing a feeling like this on a record is difficult (try recording yourself stabbing incoherently at a guitar for 45 seconds and see how interesting it sounds) and it only happens rarely, so when people like me who crave this kind of unhinged musical release find a record with the goods, we snap it up without a second thought. If you’re one of us, I urge you to do the same.

Ribbon Stage: Hit with the Most 12” (Perennial Records) New York’s Ribbon Stage literally wear their influences on their sleeve: the cover of Hit with the Most borrows its layout from the Shop Assistants’ 1986 self-titled LP. I love that LP and I would have been fine with a competent homage, but Ribbon Stage delivers much more than that here. Sure, the building blocks are the same as C86 pop—minimalistic, punk-informed rhythms, broad, child-like vocal melodies, harmonies that are sophisticated but not baroque, and a slightly twee aesthetic—but it’s all about the songs, and Ribbon Stage’s approach is decidedly songwriterly, to coin a term. Not only are the songs hooky, but also each one captures a particular tone or texture, from exuberant (“Stone Heart Blue”) to wistful (“Nowhere Fast”) to somber (“Nothing Left”). There are also several memorable lyrical moments, like the chorus for “Hearst:” “my soul is ripped in two… that’s how you like it.” While Ribbon Stage invites the C86 comparisons, US indie rock from the late 80s and early 90s was sipping from the same inspirational well, and moments of Hit with the Most make me think of seminal indie records like Lemonheads’ It’s a Shame About Ray, Guided by Voices’ Alien Lanes, and Sebadoh’s III, with all the songwriting excellence those comparisons imply. Even if, like me, you’re not an indie rocker, give this compact and consistently brilliant LP a try… it has the right combination of punky, underground aesthetics and pop chops to get its hooks in hard, fast, and deep.

Mutated Void: Slash the Altar 7” (Sewercide Records) Hot on the heels of their recent 12” on Iron Lung, we have another 8-song 7” from Canada’s Mutated Void. I really liked that 12”, but I feel like my description didn’t get that across… I felt like I needed a flight of poetic fancy to get across how unique that record is, but it didn’t say everything I wanted to say about Mutated Void. That’s OK, though, because I like Slash the Altar even more. Part of that might be that Mutated Void’s music is so abrasive that it’s easier to digest in small chunks, but Slash the Altar is also just a really strong record. Its sequencing works very well, and the a-side is a master class in hardcore dynamics. The first track, “Slash the Altar,” is Mutated Void in a nutshell. I love that the title seems to reference both black metal and skateboarding, and the main riff sounds like something Darkthrone might have come up with during their punk-influenced 00s era, though with the super abrasive and raw production of Goatlord. The riff is straight up nasty, and when the drummer does that slow tom roll into the chorus it gives me those hardcore goosebumps I love. Mutated Void follows that up with two ultra-fast rippers that, like the Iron Lung 12”, make me think of Septic Death more than anything else, then they change things up again for the standout a-side closer, “Tent City.” That song starts with a huge, crashing intro that makes you think all hell is about to break loose, but instead the bottom falls out and the song goes into this eerie, groovy part that seems to have a bit of Agent Orange in it, but it doesn’t sound like much else I can think of. The b-side is killer too, but I could listen to those four tracks on the a-side over and over. Any way you slice it though, Mutated Void has created two of the most unique and memorable hardcore records of 2022.

Abi Ooze: Forestdale Sessions cassette (Rotten Apple) Abi Ooze has been kicking around for a while, releasing a handful of tapes and one very limited 7” that is already going for big bucks on Discogs, but this is the first time I have had the pleasure of writing about her music for Sorry State. To put it succinctly, I am blown away! Forestdale Sessions is a total scorcher, one of the best poppy punk records I’ve heard in ages. It starts off with my favorite track, “Cry Alone,” which is a master class in pop-inflected punk songwriting. The chorus hook is massive, reminding me of glammy 70s classics like Nikki & the Corvettes, but its barreling energy and big lead guitar hooks are pure punk. It’s a brilliant song any way you slice it. It’s far from the only one, though, as the rest of Forestdale Sessions proves Abi is no one-trick pony. “Run + Hide” and “Russian Bomb” have some of the gooey doo-wop vibes of early Misfits or Protex, while “Splice” is a more reserved punker that dials back the hooks in favor of a Spits-esque cool. And then there’s the other standout, “Untitled,” which is a total departure, with both Abi’s soaring vocal and the song’s hiccuping rhythm sounding like the Breeders (one of my all-time favorite bands). Get this tape! It fucking rules! And while you’re at it, someone put it on vinyl!

Pohjasakka: Kidutusta Ja Pelkoa 12" (Finnish HC) The archival label Finnish HC brings us this 5-song scorcher from Pohjasakka. Pohjasakka’s 1985 7”, Maailma Täynnä Vihaa, is a ripping record, as good a Finnish hardcore punk record as you’ll find and a definitive example of everything I love about that country’s 80s hardcore scene. Pohjasakka recorded the five tracks on Kidutusta Ja Pelkoa a year later, in 1986, intending them as their second EP, but that record never came out during the band’s original run (credit to Usman’s staff pick from last week for teaching me all this). While I would have loved another EP in the style of Maailma Täynnä Vihaa, Pohjasakka’s style is a little different on these tracks. They’re less gnarly and less hardcore, moving the focus from aggro to melody. Ordinarily this would be a bad thing for any hardcore band as a turn toward a (slightly) more melodic style usually comes with a loss of intensity, but Pohjasakka keeps things as intense as ever, but with even stronger and more memorable songs. These tracks are more in the vein of Toxic Reasons or UK Subs, but played with the intensity of the Partisans at their most scorching, and faster than all those. Man, this record is so fucking good! It sounds great, the performance is blistering, the songwriting is top-notch, and there isn’t an ounce of fat on the whole thing. Sometimes I wonder if anything will hit me as hard as the stuff I heard in my youth, and then I hear something like this, and I realize how much I still love hardcore punk.

Indre Krig: Destroyer 7” (Adult Crash Records) Usman and Angela both chose this new EP from Copenhagen, Denmark’s Indre Krig as their staff pick last week, and I’d like to add my voice to the chorus of SSR staffers singing this record’s praises. The bar for great punk in Copenhagen is pretty darn high, but Indre Krig distinguishes themselves with a sound that it as catchy as it powerful. They can sound super tough on a track like “Pinball Eyes” or “Halitosis,” but it’s not all rage… there are subtle hints of melody all over the record, and Indre Krig has a way of generating those goosebump moments you want from a great hardcore record. Check out the subtle lead guitar melody in my favorite track, “Claustrophobia,” or the climactic moment when “Pinball Eyes” returns to its crunchy mid-paced intro riff. I also love that the vocalist’s style matches the band’s approach, moving from a Boston hardcore-style growl to a more plaintive, slightly melodic style on “Claustrophobia.” The playing is as razor-sharp as the composition, and the subtle balance between being raging and hooky, straightforward and left-of-center works beautifully. A totally brilliant record.

Verdict: Time to Resign 12” (Phobia Records) Time to Resign is the debut record from this new Swedish käng band featuring members whose names you might recognize from similar groups like Meanwhile, Dischange, No Security, Disfear, and many more I’m sure (ask Usman, he’ll tell you). The sound, fans will be pleased to hear, is what you’d expect from this crew, but something about Verdict feels more vital and less off-the-cuff than other projects from the post-Totalitär Swedish hardcore underground. The first thing you’ll notice with Verdict is the vocals, which are hoarse, snarling, and captivating. The lyrics are in English, which is relatively uncommon for Swedish bands of this ilk, and they’re excellent, conveying a mix of anger, disgust, and horror at the current condition of the world, riding the fine line between being direct and more evocative and poetic. The music is pitch-perfect käng, so meticulously composed that it feels almost claustrophobic at first, but when you listen closely, you hear the inventiveness on display. As with Totalitär, the riffing ranges from super catchy (“Hypocrisy,” “Bound to Fail”) to straightforward and brutal (“Lock Down Society”), with the rhythm section executing a range of different d-beat grooves and tempos to match. Verdict constantly changes things up and keeps them exciting, knowing just when to shift gears into something like the standout “Dark Thoughts,” which speeds up the groove from Discharge’s “A Look at Tomorrow.” I can’t believe Time to Resign is 15 minutes long… it feels like half that, and every time the record ends I’m left wanting more.