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Hi and thanks for reading. Today I will write briefly about two different things. Before I get into the image above, I want to share this compilation a friend of mine, CLT, just showed me. I don’t think there is a physical format of this comp. CLT shared it with me from a geocities link, haha. I shared the YouTube link cos it’s easier to navigate, especially if you don’t speak Italian. CLT told me he thinks all the bands are composed of young punks. NARKAN and APOPTOSI were two names I recognized, and I know they are younger punks. We actually have the APOPTOSI 7” in stock at the moment. There are ten bands total, and I enjoy some more than others. Overall, it’s a great listen. It’s refreshing to hear some new shit from a new generation. Check it out if you aren’t familiar!

Alright, the image I used above I pulled from this lecture I just watched.

Originally the artwork, Waiting, was created in the early 1900s by Udo J. Keppler, who was an American political cartoonist. Simon Johnson delivered this lecture, “Disease Environments, the Mortality of Europeans, and the Creation of Institutions in the Colonial Era.” He won a Nobel Peace Prize recently. I don’t pay attention to that shit, and institutions are typically a farce in my opinion. I don’t know anything about this guy, but the stuff he says in this lecture is spot-on. He doesn’t use big words, and it’s fairly simple to follow what he says. I will probably have to watch it a few more times to really retain everything, though. Basically, what I took from it was how he explains how industrialization has led us to the countless terrible global issues we have today. If you have thirty minutes to spare, I’d suggest checking it out. Alright, that’s all for today. Much love.

Hi and thanks for reading. I have listened to one actual record since I last wrote. Instead of boring you with the Buddhist philosophy I have been reading, I will write briefly about a few records instead. First, I will take this time and space to help promote the upcoming SVAVELDIXOID / DESTRUCT split 7” coming soon on my label Prescription and Children of the Grave Records in France. This split has been in the works longer than expected. I had the artwork mailed back in May, but unfortunately USPS has lost the parcel. And then of course another obstacle: the printer I use has been shut down for over a month while they move. The new screen-printed covers should be shipped this week, and I hope to release this bad boy before the month is over. Of course you can expect to find copies via Sorry State, but I will have a variant limited to 50 copies that will be only available on the Bunker Punks webshop. DESTRUCT will have some advance copies of the split at Skullfest this weekend. If you’re attending the fest, keep your eyes peeled and you can secure a copy before the proper release date!

If anyone knows me to any degree, they probably know I am a super-fan of DESTRUCT. I would even say I am their biggest fan, haha. Bands that can steamroll you like this live are few and far between. They are easily one of the best bands I have ever seen. I have been a fan of SVAVELDIXOID since I first heard them ages ago, and I am honored to be releasing some material from them. I feel like each release I hear from them just gets better and better. They seem to have a slight touch of like death metal or something, and I mean extremely slight—but I am all here for it. Their roots stand firmly in traditional Swedish käng, like that of BOMBANFALL. If, for some reason, you aren’t familiar with this band I would suggest you check em out right away! I don’t think any bands of the time had this type of intensity. A lot of bands had abandoned this straightforward style by the late ‘80s, but instead BOMBANFALL amplified the traditional Swedish hardcore sound with a much heavier and darker approach and made an absolutely perfect record.

Alright, moving onto some stuff we have in stock at Sorry State. AYUCABA instantly caught my ears and eyes. Not only is the packaging extremely cool, but their songwriting style is also just as cool. This 12” is my introduction to the band. I know they had a demo in 2023, but I haven’t heard it. In this album’s description, they mention they have a new vocalist since their debut, and I love the vocal style. The songwriting is on the metallic side, but it’s certainly still just hardcore punk. Some elements remind me a bit of ENGLISH DOGS, but it really reminds of the EXECUTE at times as well. I feel like pulling off metallic hardcore punk without sounding too polished or cheesy is no easy task. This record was super refreshing to hear, and I have been anticipating our copies to arrive since I heard them on bandcamp. Check it out, and I imagine you might enjoy it as much as I do.

Metadona Records released the AYUCABA 12” alongside this debut LAKRA 12” that I really dig. It’s only five songs, so I was apprehensive about buying a copy, but after listening a few times I decided that definitely needed a copy for myself. LAKRA’s sound is not particularly unique, but they execute this classic sound very well with some hints of a more contemporary style. I can’t get enough of the guitar tone. The drums definitely sound modern, but that guitar sound they got sounds 80s as hell to me. They are from Mallorca, which unfortunately my ignorant ass has never heard of, haha. This is an island that technically belongs to Spain. As I mentioned, I don’t know anything about this island, so please forgive me if associating it with Spain is offensive. I would suggest you check this one out as well, and you might enjoy it as much as I do. OK, that’s all for this week. Thank you for reading, thanks for your support, and much love to my friends out there.

Hi and thanks for reading. I still have not really been listening to records. Probably not what you came here to read, but it is what it is. I hung out with my good friend Danny the other night and he played me a bit of jazz alongside some cool Japanese stuff like 奇形児 (KIKEIJI) and 第四インターナショナル (THE 4th INTERNATIONAL). I don’t think I knew THE 4th INTERNATIONAL until Danny played me the flexi when he originally got it. If you aren’t familiar with it, you can check it out here. I’m always impressed with the sound quality of ‘80s Japanese flexis. It’s a shame flexis usually sound like shit these days, especially if they are double-sided. This flexi is not only double-sided, but in true Japanese fashion it’s also an 8”. I don’t think KIKEIJI is nearly as obscure, with their 7”s being released on ADK Records; they were also reissued back in 2012. I didn’t discover them until those reissues. We used to have those in stock not too long ago, but it looks like we’ve sold out. I think KIKEIJI’s debut flexi was the first release on ADK. It was recorded in January 1983. Later that year, ADK released a proper KIKEIJI 7” entitled Plastic Scandal, and this was the one we jammed over at Danny’s. Maybe it’s an unpopular opinion, but I favor their 7” over the flexi. It just seems like their sound came together more. They still have a bit of weirdness to them, but I think the songwriting is much catchier. The drumming style is overall much more punk, and I think the guitar solos are better.

Sticking with ADK and moving on to the photo above, MASTURBATION is one of two records I’ve spun on my own time this week. The other one was MALINHEADS. I think Probegepogt Aus Spandau is one of the most raging German hardcore 7”s I have ever heard. If you don’t know it, I would suggest you check it out! You can find the 2010 reissue for fairly cheap if you keep an eye out. So anyways, I think this MASTURBATION was the first proper 7” released on ADK, and it’s quite rare. I was lucky to land this in a recent trade. I love to trade, but it seems it happens less and less these days. I traded more records than I can count in the previous two years. This was only my second trade of the year, and we are already six months in. I’m not in the position to be buying expensive records, so I was especially stoked on this. I landed their 被害妄想 12” a handful of years ago for dirt cheap, and that’s the material I was most familiar with. The 12” is cool, but the 7” is way cooler. The 7” starts with that drudging kinda sound you hear on the 12”, but they still have some punk sounding shit that I think the 12” lacks. Its production is way more raw, while the 12” has that sorta lo-fi sound that you often hear from stuff on ADK. If you aren’t familiar with MASTURBATION, you can check it out here.

I’m still primarily listening to rap/hip-hop. I’m currently listening to DJ ZIRK. I remember when I first heard this shit I was blown away to hear tons of samples that TRIPLE 6 MAFIA also used. I’m assuming they lifted them from DJ ZIRK, but I really have no idea as I am not well-rounded on this shit. While I love ‘90s NYC rap, I love ‘90s Memphis shit just the same if not more. The sound is entirely different. I feel like NYC shit focused more on lyrics, while Memphis was more centered on the beats and samples. JUICEY J’s Vol. 9mm tape is a masterpiece in my opinion. I first heard Memphis shit when I was serving time in juvenile detention centers as a youth. They gave us some computer time at one of the facilities I was in. I think we were supposed to be doing schoolwork or something, but one of the kids I was locked up with managed to download some old TRIPLE 6 MAFIA shit. That was dangerously against the rules, haha, making it even cooler for me to hear. Alright, I guess that’s all for today. Thanks for reading. Much love to my friends out there, and thanks for the trade, Ian!!!

Hi and thanks for reading. I still have not really been listening to records lately. My life has been a mess, and I am trying to get myself under control. I still have a stack of records I need to listen to that I brought home from Finland and Sweden back in June. I have been reading some books here and there in my free time. I’ve been listening to BIG L and MOBB DEEP quite a bit, though. I have some of their records, but I have been listening to them online while I work. They are classics in my opinion, although I don’t always agree with the topics and language they use, haha.

The photo I used above is the foldout poster I mentioned last week from the LAMA Väliaikainen 7”. If you still haven’t grabbed one of these box sets—what are you waiting for?! A Sorry State supporter from Finland, Joona, wrote me after my last staff pick and let me know some cool trivia about LAMA’s track Väliaikainen. I was not aware this song is actually a cover of a Finnish songwriter named Tapio Rautavaara, and it originally came out in 1955. Wild. I know the Finns love cover songs, but this still caught me off guard.

The DEATH SIDE reissues have finally arrived at our HQ. It sucks you can’t order them from us at the moment, but I am hoping we can get some more copies soon. Daniel and Jeff have been chipping away at the mail-order queue, so if you haven’t gotten a tracking update for your copy, I am sure you can expect an update before the week is over. I wanted to mention this here cos I was SUPER impressed with the packaging on this one. The massive booklet is so nice and well-done. Nice work, Paco!!! This reissue has been needed for ages now.

I picked up one of these DESTRUXION AMERICA 12”s last week. This record isn’t doing anything new, but I think it’s a good listen. While I hear some similarities to other contemporary bands, I do hear something else going on in there I don’t really hear from bands these days. If you haven’t heard this one, check it out!

We got these STRUL LPs in stock the other day. STRUL has been around for a while, and I initially checked them out when Jeff and I released the SLAN 7” in USA. STRUL and SLAN share one member, and both bands make some ripping Swedish hardcore. When I initially checked out STRUL they didn’t really stick out to me, but this new LP Fuck Strul is a certified ripper. Jeff and I jammed a copy in the store the other day and I had to grab a copy. If you haven’t checked this one out yet, I would suggest it cos you’ll likely need a copy as well.

Oh yeah, I don’t think I have mentioned FRIGÖRA here yet. This is another reissue that has been needed for ages now. Their 7” and Dance of the Plague Bearer LP go for big bucks on the secondhand market these days, especially for being 90s records. I don’t have either of those records, so this one was even more essential for me. Aside from compiling all their material, General Speech added three unreleased tracks to this record. So sick. I don’t have a copy yet, as I mail-ordered directly from General Speech cos I had to get that limited color vinyl on this one, haha. If you aren’t familiar with FRIGÖRA, you can stream the entire reissue here. I know this style isn’t for everyone, but it hits the spot for me. Alright, that’s it for this week then. Thanks for reading, and much love to my friends out there.

Hi and thanks for reading. I got my LAMA box set in the mail the order day, and I want to write a bit about that. But first, I wanted to briefly mention these two reissues we have back in stock. I wrote about BARN AV REGNBUEN and SISTE DAGERS HELVETE about one year ago, when we returned from tour with some distro copies. PUBLIC ACID also played at Blitz in Oslo on the way to K-town like we had done the year before. I met up with my homie Bård again and I grabbed a nice stack of his reissues to restock Sorry State. Both of these bands rip, especially BARN AV REGNBUEN. Compared to other Norsk bands I think they are a bit underrated. Bård explained to me that the sound on SISTE DAGERS HELVETE was improved from the original pressing, as the band was not happy with the original pressing on Rock-O-Rama. They had a few compilation appearances, which are included on this reissue as well. BARN AV REGNBUEN compiles their 7” on X-Port Plater, their absolutely raging flexi that was released the year after, and some bonus tracks that I have no idea where they came from. If you don’t have these reissues already and like Norwegian hardcore, I consider them essential!

Moving on, I think LAMA was the first Finnish hardcore band. I could be wrong, or maybe it’s just a matter of opinion. Maybe this opinion is crazy to a Finn, haha. I know they weren’t full-blown distorted like KAAOS or CADGERS, but they certainly walk a fine line between punk and hardcore. LAMA began in the late ‘70s under a different name and their first record came out in 1980. RATTUS was another Finnish hardcore band who began in the late ‘70s with their first record coming out in 1980 as well; however, the sound was not nearly as pummeling as LAMA. RATTUS kinda had a ’77 sound up until their legendary 1982 Rajoitettu Ydinsota EP, at which time they were clearly under the influence of DISCHARGE. I am not sure what LAMA’s influences were early on, but on their 1983 7” Ajatuksen Loppu I can certainly hear some DISCHARGE.

LAMA was from Helsinki. They released four 7”s and an LP between 1980 and 1983. I’m not too familiar with their line-ups and related bands, but I know they had some ties to UNICEF. UNICEF was just a drunk punk band who was also from Helsinki, and they had a revolving line-up. I read they didn’t like to be paid at gigs, instead requested to be paid in booze—Sorbus more specifically, haha. It’s funny the title track on their sole 7” is actually a Skrewdriver cover sung in Finnish… Rane Raitsikka was in UNICEF, and he was also playing bass in LAMA. He was not an original member though; the only record he played on was Ajatuksen loppi. He got his nickname from Epe, the singer of LAMA. The name came from when he had placed small bombs he found at a construction site in Lepakko between some tram tracks. Juha “Jusa” Ranta was also in UNICEF and LAMA. He was not the original drummer of LAMA but he played on all their 80s records (I think).

So, these LAMA 7”s have been reissued before. Back in the ‘80s the original label who released them all, Johanna, compiled them onto a 12” entitled …Ja Mikään Ei Muuttunut. Svart had previously done a reissue of this as well, actually. Back in 2009 Finnish label Combat Rock Industry reissued all the LAMA 7”s in their original format. I don’t have any of those pressings, but to me it’s always cool when stuff is reissued on their original format. One could argue the 12” compilation is better cos most of the 7”s have only 2-3 songs each on them. But their third 7”, Väliaikainen, has four tracks alongside one of the coolest foldout posters ever. These 7” reissues have been hard to come by, and you’d likely have to pay over double the original retail cost to secure a copy on the second-hand market. I think they were each limited to 500 copies.

Svart always keeps the cost of box sets considerably low for what they contain, and I really appreciate that. They reproduced the LAMA 7”s sleeves quite well and the sound is excellent. The discs sound nice and crisp, and the bass really carries through. The box itself is fairly flimsy, but I don’t care about that. I kinda dislike box sets in general and put the actual box on a shelf never to be seen again, and then I file the records individually, according to country, in alphabetical order.

Svart has a pre-order up for LAMA’s s/t 1982 LP now. They’ve previously reissued this, but again like most LAMA reissues, coming across a copy of that in the USA in the last handful of years has not been so common. If you don’t have that one, you’re definitely gunna need it too—and Sorry State will certainly have copies. Continuing about LAMA reissues, I wanted to point on that we have some copies of this LAMA live cassette Onks Marko Täällä? from 1982. This is kind of a nerdy archival reissue. You’ll probably never see one of these in the wild, so it’s great that the Finnish Hardcore label gave this one an official reissue, and on its original cassette format.

Alright before I go, for a long time I thought Väliaikainen (1981) was my favorite LAMA shit, but lately I really lean towards their 1980 debut Totuus Löytyy Kaurapuurosta. Hilariously, the title track ended up on an 80s television ad for some Finnish oatmeal brand named Elovena. It’s not actually LAMA playing the song in the commercial and they’ve altered the song a bit, but it’s still a pretty good laugh. Alright, I think that sums it up for this week. If you haven’t gotten your copy of the LAMA box set yet, what are you waiting for?! Cheers and thanks for your support.

Hello and thanks for reading. Today I am not writing about a record, but a book. I haven’t really been listening to records lately. I listened to a C.O.C tape this morning, and I listened to this KOHTI TUHOA LP the other night when HELL IS HERE stayed over after their gig in Raleigh. I think KOHTI TUHOA is easily one of the best bands I have seen live. I am lucky to say I have seen them four times. They play so tight. They can maintain pummeling speeds with super catchy riffs, alongside some of the hardest dancing grooves on other songs. Obviously I am already a fan of classic Finnish hardcore, but I can genuinely never get enough KOHTI TUHOA. If for some reason you haven’t yet checked this band out, listen to their last LP. They’ve got a decent amount of studio output, with their first record coming out in 2014. We have a few of their 7”s in stock at the moment. I was pretty drunk in Finland, but I think I recall them saying they will record for a new LP sometime. I can’t wait for that. Speaking of Finland, if you haven’t ordered a copy of the new LAMA boxset—you without a doubt need one!! I will probably write about that at a later time, once my limited version arrives from Svart Records.

Moving on to my staff pick. I am kind of ashamed to admit that I don’t really read books. I have only read two proper novels this year, and that’s more than I’ve read in the last ten years combined probably. When I was a kid, I used to love reading. I remember there being some shit when I was in elementary school where you would get little rewards for each book you read. I think it was just like little stickers on a sheet, haha. I am kind of competitive, so something like that would definitely give me motivation to read more. My housemate has been reading heavily this year and he’s been suggesting books for me to read. The first one I read that he suggested was Inferno. I forget who wrote this one, but it’s related to Dante’s Inferno in some way. The author references it, at least. It was a pretty good book. There was a good twist near the end, and the author did a great job at actually projecting images into your mind.

I started Animal Farm the other night. It’s a pretty short read, so imagine I will finish it next time I sit down to read. I remember we were forced to read this one in high school. Like the majority of my schooling, I paid little to no attention. We watched the movie afterwards as well, which I can also barely remember. George Orwell’s 1984 is kind of renowned in the world of punk, or at least it used to be. I wonder if the young punks these days would know what “big brother is watching you” would be referencing? It’s been a very long time since I’ve read that book. I think I will re-visit it after Animal Farm. George Orwell wrote both of those.

George Orwell was an Englishman who went and fought fascists during the Spanish Civil War. I read that he was shot in the neck and lost one of his vocal cords, but luckily, he survived. Animal Farm was written in late 1943/early 1944 as an allegory of the Russian Revolution. But it is, in many ways, what is happening here and now. He had difficulty getting the book published initially due to its political nature. It was feared the novel would upset the alliance between Great Britain, the United States, and the Soviet Union. It was finally published in August of 1945, the same month that the US dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. If you haven’t read this book and you would like to, you can read it for free online.

So, I just finished Tender Is The Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica. This book was originally entitled Cadáver Exquisito and it was written in Spanish. It was translated to English in 2020 by Sarah Moses. My housemate gave me a pretty brief introduction before reading, so I went in kinda blind. I figured it would be fucked up though, since he seems to gravitate towards bizarre or gross topics. This book is set some time in the future, but it doesn’t describe what year it is supposed to be. In this future, all the animals (besides humans) have been killed. This is due to a virus that infected all the animals, which made them unsuitable for human consumption. Some believed it was a government conspiracy to decrease the human population. They believed this because cannibalism became a standard practice after the transition. There were regulations on which humans could be eaten, and humans were bred in captivity for human consumption. It’s a pretty horrific book to be honest. The processing of humans for meat they describe is shocking and revolting. But in reality, these processes and procedures are virtually the same for the animals led to slaughter right now in the world as we know it.

The book focuses on a main character who works at a processing plant. He recently had an infant child die, and his wife left him. His dad is in hospice care and suffers from dementia. He seems to just be going through the motions of life while continuing grieve the loss of his child and seemingly hating his job. At some point, someone brings him a gift. The gift is a “female head.” Which is a woman who was bred in captivity. She has no vocal cords, so they cannot communicate. Most people would eat her or sell her. Some people even kept humans alive as they slowly eat them in their own home, as this was the freshest meat. Instead, the main character befriends her and gives her a name. I don’t really want to describe more of the book cos I don’t want to give any spoilers for anyone who hasn’t read it and would like to. While the book is really sad and about a dystopian future, I think it was a captivating read. There was a huge plot twist in the end that totally caught me off guard and fucked me up. I found a free version online that you can read if you want. Alright, I think that’s about it for today then. Thank you for reading, and thanks to everyone for your continued support.

Hi and thanks for reading. Today I will be writing about this LATIN DOGS 7”, although I don’t really have much to say about it, haha. It’s the only record I bought in the last two weeks, so that’s why I’m wiring about it I guess. I think this record actually came out last year and we just restocked it. I did not know who THE LATIN DOGS were in 2024, though. Er maybe. Definitely not in 2023, though. I just learned about this shit recently when my friend was selling a copy. The original seems quite hard to come by aka expensive as hell, so I thought it would be smart to go ahead and pick this up. I remember jamming it when Eric was trying to sell his copy, but it didn’t really stick with me. Upon listening again, I can definitely see why haha. This is some of that early hardcore shit, I mean like when they have kinda weak vocals with this gnarly ass guitar tone that keeps me hooked. Danny is always making fun of me cos I am super picky about vocals. It’s true. I also think that USHC bands tend to have snotty or whiny sounding vocals, and that’s like my least favorite shit ever.

THE LATIN DOGS were from Michigan, an hour or two from Detroit. I really don’t know many bands from Michigan. Off the top of my head comes NEGATIVE APPROACH and THE FIX. I discovered ANGRY RED PLANET last year. They were from Detroit and their first EP is killer. This one is in the same realm of kinda weak vocals. They aren’t actually weak; it’s just he’s straight up singing, haha. For some reason they don’t bother me at all, and the EP hits me hard, especially when “Mummy From Hollywood” plays. The YouTube rip is considerably shittier than the record, but whatever. I’m guessing this band is relatively popular since their second EP is on Touch And Go, but I have no idea. I checked that one out a few times and I do not like it. It’s not bad, it’s just so melodic. Maybe one day, haha.

Anyways, if you aren’t familiar with this LATIN DOGS reissue, check them out. It’s cool early USHC. You will probably like it more than me and you should pick up a copy. That’s all for me this week, thanks for reading and thanks for your support!

Hi and thanks for reading. I finally got around to listening to TÀRREGA 91’s new record, Ckaos Total, and I think it’s a certified ripper. It’s silly I took this long to getting around to jamming it, as their previous 7” Fill De La Merda was a previous staff pick of mine. I was chatting with a friend at THE ADVERTS gig the other day, and he was going on about how good the new one is. I didn’t even realize until today that Daniel wrote the album’s description for the label, haha. Of course, it is very well-written, and he gets the points across with ease. If you are a fan of MG 15, or maybe ANTI-DOGMATIKSS, and haven’t checked out TÀRREGA 91’ yet, you definitely should! Between their debut, Fill De La Merda, and this record, there are some subtle changes in the band’s sound. For one, the production on Ckaos Total is much better than the 7”. Fill De La Merda was not poor quality in my opinion though, and I might actually prefer it to the cleaner sound found on Ckaos Total. TÀRREGA 91’ is fast and locked-in, so the cleaner recording almost suits them better in a way. They play much tighter and less chaotic than ANTI-DOGMATIKSS did, so it felt kinda weird comparing them cos of that, but maybe you can hear what I mean. I found it interesting there are no mid-tempo songs until the final track on Ckaos Total. Half of the songs on the 7” were slow, so I expected to hear some more groovy stuff. While the final track on Ckaos Total is a mid-tempo song, it’s much more on the “A Look At Tomorrow” side of things than the groovy side for sure. If you’re just getting tapped into TÀRREGA 91’, I wanted to point out the band is named after their small town and the year that antisocial riots that nearly burnt down the town hall, which ended with the arrest of 86 youths.

La Vida released this record alongside a new KALEIDOSCOPE LP. I have yet to dive into KALEIDOSCOPE, as I don’t have a personal copy yet. I listened to it one time online and, man, it really hit the spot for me. If for some reason you haven’t checked that one out yet, I suggest you do and secure your copy now! Alright, I think that’s all for the week then. Thanks for reading and thanks for your support!

Hi and thanks for reading. Today I will be writing about this MERCENÁRIAS reissue. I apologize, as I write there are only 2 copies left in stock, one of which I will be taking. Oh update, Daniel got the last copy, haha. So, my photo above won’t make any sense until you get to the bottom of my staff pick. Daniel was the one who originally introduced me to MERCENÁRIAS, via Cadê As Armas? I remember then, as well as now, he was surprised I dig them, haha. I guess this band is categorized as post-punk? I don’t know anything about that genre really. There are probably a lot of bands that sound similar to MERCENÁRIAS, but I don’t think they’d really grab me like these guys do. I guess I shouldn’t say guys, cos the band was comprised of all women! I was telling Daniel I didn’t wanna sound stupid (aka sexist) but MERCENÁRIAS remind me of THE SLITS, or FITNESS WOMXN. He told me that FITNESS WOMXN actually covered MERCENÁRIAS! I had no idea, though. I love FITNESS WOMXN, but I did not know who MERCENÁRIAS was back then. It wasn’t until we got that 2021(?) reissue of their LP in stock that I was introduced to them via Daniel. I guess I should specify, it was their first LP Cadê As Armas? I didn’t know they had another LP that came out 1987, as well as this demo from 1983 that I should probably start talking about already.

This demo was previously reissued by Nada Nada Discos ten years ago and Sorry State had copies. Again, I had no idea who they were back then, so I did not get a copy. Nada Nada teamed up with Munster Records for this most recent pressing. I probably would have missed this one too honestly. I had fulfilled some orders and that’s when I realized we had some MERCENÁRIAS shit in stock. This probably sounds awfully silly since I work here, but we stock so many titles it’s hard to keep track of everything coming in. Alongside the demo 7”, we got this 1983-1987 LP that compiles outtakes from both LPs, some live stuff, and another studio session that was never released. I checked this one a little bit, but it doesn’t quite keep me hooked like their LP or this demo. I will have to give it a more in-depth listen. If you’re curious to hear this one and don’t know where it’s streaming, check the label’s bandcamp page.

I remember Daniel telling me the band’s live performances were really raw and intense compared to the studio recordings. I think that sound is captured on their demo. I mean that obviously makes sense; there are like three years between those two releases. On the LP it sounds like they’ve improved at their instruments, and their songwriting flows more like what I imagine post-punk to sound like. I love how the demo sounds kinda rigid/janky, and the vocals really caught me by surprise. They almost don’t fit the music, making it even more sick to my ears. For some reason the first thing I thought was UNITED MUTATION; they don’t really sound anything like that but maybe you know what I mean. They shed this style when it comes time for their debut and grew into more palatable singing. I originally heard “Policia” on the LP and it stood out as one of my favorite tracks. I was so stoked to hear this song on the demo as well. When that song came over my speakers I made my order immediately, haha.

OK before I go, I wanted to mention this tape I bought this week that we do still have in stock – LOTTI BIGOTTI. It’s funny this week I am writing about two releases that are not hardcore at all… what’s happening? I saw a friend of mine with good taste made an order this week, and this tape was in the midst of the stack. It was one of the only titles I didn’t recognize, and I realized we had just gotten it in stock. I don’t have a tape player at work, but I was able to stream the demo on bandcamp. I think I was two songs in and I had already made my order, haha. I have no idea what style of music this is. They say “dark punk” on their bandcamp. It definitely has some goth-y vibes, but they are subtle. Maybe reminiscent of MUSTA PARAATI at times? It’s certainly on the punk side of the fence, though. I also find them reminding me of TOŽIBABE with the dissonant elements of some songs. And then at times it reminds me of some anarcho stuff too, like maybe PART 1? Oh duh, “deathrock.” That must be what they are going for, right? Haha. This band is from Budapest, which is another thing I think is super cool about it, as I know virtually no bands from Hungary. I’ve mentioned before, but I won’t write about a tape unless I have bought it too since tapes are not so cheap these days. I’ve heard bands that sound similar, but they usually get boring fast for me and/or the vocal style is awful. I think this tape is excellent and you should buy it, too. Alright, that’s it for today. Cheers and thanks for reading.

Hi and thanks for reading. I am sitting down to write this week with nothing in particular in mind, but I will briefly mention a few things I bought for myself today. I also wanted to mention that last week or so, we went through and marked down some more stuff. We’ve been doing this occasionally if you haven’t noticed. There is some middle of the road type shit each time we do this. But there is also always some heat waiting to be scooped up. I noticed we marked down these SISTEMA EN DECADENCIA 12”s.

This record, Nuestro Legado, is a pure ass-beater. While they are from Australia, they take obvious influence from the noisy side of Japanese hardcore, similar to classic bands like FRIGORA, or more modern stuff like D-CLONE. If you haven’t heard this one and love noisy stuff or crasher shit, I would definitely check it out!

So I heard about these PUNK JUNK VHS tapes little while ago, and I have been anticipating getting copies since. I know there are probably a lot of readers who think VHS tapes are silly, just like audio cassette tapes. To someone like me, I think it’s super cool to release something on this format. It’s much cooler than burning DVDs or just uploading the footage to YouTube. I don’t think every band on the tape is like super sick or something. There are actually a few I have never listened to. It’s the fact that this tape was done with pure passion that really draws me in. To me it just takes one glance to see this thing was made by the punks and for the punks. That sounds cheesy kinda but I’m not sure how else to say it. I think Baño from PERSONAL DAMAGE filmed all the footage himself. It looks like he’s credited Austin (BLAZING EYE) for some help with art, as well as Bungee from PERSONAL DAMAGE. I haven’t watched mine yet cos I just grabbed it, but I look forward to viewing it tonite.

We got a few different zine/mixtape combos with the PUNK JUNK stuff. While I think they all look cool, I had to limit myself to just one, and I chose the La Ciutat No Es Per Mi mixtape. The printing on this one looked especially cool, but the real reason I selected this one was for the bands. I feel like usually I’m grabbing stuff with bands I am familiar with, but in this case I was looking for something totally new. I recognize like maybe four out of these 20+ bands. On the front of the zine, it says the bands are punk & new wave, and from all over the world. I don’t really know anything about new wave really, so I look forward to Baño taking me to school (or whoever the hell made the track list, haha). Alright that’s it for the week. Cheers and thanks for your support.

Hi and thanks for reading. I wanted to take the time and space to announce a release I am working on with some friends, but first I will mention a few other things. Over the weekend, SCARECROW went up north to Norfolk to play AXON’s record release gig. No surprise, they were killer. This band is mostly comprised of the NFTW crew, with the addition of Alex from MEAT HOUSE on drums. If anyone has seen Alex play, they know he’s an incredible drummer. The songwriter behind AXON is the vocalist, Joey. In the recent past, you would typically see him behind the drum kit, namely with RECKONING FORCE. Oh yes, he also was behind the mic and songwriting in LETHAL MEANS. AXON sounds significantly different than any other band NFTW has released, reminding me a lot of mid-90’s Japanese hardcore with some modern hardcore tendencies that keep it exciting. If you haven’t listened to that record yet, check it out. The track “Separate” stood out to me a lot. It also sounds the most burning spirit-y as well, haha. I wouldn’t really say the band sounds like a burning spirits band, though. When they played live, I heard some more tracks that gave me some more insight into the band’s influences; including a mid-paced banger that was reminiscent of GISM’s “Death Exclamations.”

For most of the show, I stood kinda far from the stage. Norfolk kids go hard as hell, and I am getting older, haha. I watched INVERTEBRATES from pretty close though, and they were phenomenal, per usual. INVERTED CROSS opened the show up. I think I have seen them before, but I can’t remember off hand. I could be crazy, but I think someone from INVERTED CROSS was in AXON as well. They covered a SVART FRAMTID song, and I thought that was fucking sick. This band features members of HOMEMADE SPEED, whose 7” stood out to me a lot. The bands don’t sound similar at all, though. I was talking to Jordan (CEO of NFTW) about the HOMEMADE SPEED recording session a bit during the gig. He told me everything was recorded live, including the vocals. He also said every song but one was recorded in one take. That is some incredible old school shit. They didn’t mention this on the insert at all, and I wanted to be sure to make note of it for all the nerds out there.

Alright, I’m gunna wrap this up with the DESTRUCT / SVAVELDIOXID split 7” that will be coming soon on PRESCRIPTION. I launched that label recently with the ABSOLUT tape, and I think I will continue to release some more raw punk on the label. This release is a co-operation with Flox from Fight For Your Mind Records over in France. He’s got a new label as well though, Children of the Grave Records, and this will be his second planned release as well. I’m hoping to have these out in mid-June. Of course, Sorry State will have copies, so you can secure your copy here if you need one! I won’t promote it online at all, but there will be a special mail order version with a bonus sleeve as a surprise. So if you are reading this and care about that kinda shit, be sure to order directly from me. And when I say me, I mean the BPDT website cos I am not going to take the time to make a new website haha. So, DESTRUCT are huge fans of SVAVELDIOXID. They used to play a SVAVELDIOXID cover live. Covering a contemporary band (as a contemporary band yourself) is not something I see commonly. As I am big fan of SVAVELDIOXID as well, I loved that DESTRUCT covered them. In the making of this split, both SVAVELDIOXID and DESTRUCT recorded cover songs of the opposing band, but in their own native language. Some people may not really care about that, but I think it’s super cool and a special way to commemorate the split release. Alright that’s about it for today. Cheers and thanks for reading.

Hi and thanks for reading. I feel like we are swimming in hot new releases at the moment, and it was hard to pick just one to write about. Even though I had absolutely no anticipation for this debut cassette from UNIFORMED SERVICE, I have decided to write about that today. When I say I had no anticipation, I just mean I knew nothing of this band before we got their tape in stock. It initially caught my eye when I was filing away hold piles and I kept seeing the UNIFORMED SERVICE demo tape pop up in orders. The j-card had a pretty old school feel to it. The way they outlined shit on the flaps and left the back flap blank felt especially classic to me. The insert looked like a HEADCLEANERS rip to me for some reason. It looked cool. Now, just cos something is a hot seller, it doesn’t mean I am going to like it. I usually end up checking shit out we are selling like mad, but I often think it’s just some overly hyped band that I have no interest in. Sorry to be so blunt. Anyways, the tape struck up some interest, but still not enough to check it out, haha. I’m stupid like that. Later that day, I saw Al Quint had posted some pictures online from a gig. I didn’t read the caption from the post, so I had no idea what bands I was looking at. He often posts old pics, too, so I really had no idea. As I flicked through the photos, I see Brian from SAVAGEHEADS / BKB holding a guitar. I’m a huge BKB fan (like most), so went to the caption, and I discovered it was pics of UNIFORMED SERVICE. Damn. No wonder why so many people were grabbing this, haha. I made my order for the tape like immediately and looked for a rip on YouTube.

So, if you know SAVAGEHEADS you know what you’re in for when it comes to UNIFORMED SERVICE—catchy hardcore played in an anthemic UK82 fashion. While the songwriting is simple, it’s the execution that really makes this tape stand out. I am especially a sucker for recordings that are made with the 80s in mind. This tape was recorded by Mark from Active-8/THE MASSACRED, but if you didn’t know that, you might be fooled into thinking you just stumbled across some old ‘80s band. I think the sound of the kick drum is perfect, which is one of the hardest things to get to sound nice and natural when you’re recording drums. The tape was released by X-Ploit Tapes; I’m guessing this is Brian’s label, but I have no idea. They did a few releases like 10 years ago, and he was in most of the bands. I don’t think the demo tape is something that will die, as long as hardcore punk is around. I know I am getting older and there have been one or two, shit maybe even three, waves of young punks since I felt like I was one of them myself. And the thing about getting older is that things change. The young punks do some shit so different than I would. Some things I don’t agree with, but who cares? It seems young punks are much less about gatekeeping, which is great. When I was a kid, it was like you had to endure a hazing from the older punks to be accepted. Anyways, the youth may approach things differently as time goes on, but I still see demo tapes being released like mad. The quality of the tape always varies, but it means a lot to me that they are keeping the demo tape alive. I even see some kids making bootleg mixtapes and shit like that. It’s so cool.

Now, when I say the quality of tapes these days varies, I mean a lot of things. Of course, there is the super shitty sounding home-dubbed demo tape that was likely made in a rush before a weekend tour. These are great because they really capture the time and place of the band. It was made by them, by hand, in a small number. Sometimes these tapes end up being like historical artifacts, haha. Personally, I hate it when I buy a tape and it sounds like shit. It doesn’t have to sound like that. Now there’s the flip side—when everything is way too pro. I see so many tapes now that are shrink-wrapped. What the fuck? I mean, I get like you made a tape version of your LP or something, and maybe you shrink-wrapped that? Maybe? Haha. Maybe I am too critical, but to me a tape seems like a pretty DIY thing, so when your production is so professional that the end result is shrink wrapped, it seems like an oxymoron or something. I can go on forever about how I think a tape should be made, but I am just gunna stop while I am ahead, haha.

I should probably wrap this one up, but there are a few more things I wanted to point out. First, the tape itself sounds good. I bought one and played the hell out of it. It’s single-sided, so I’m guessing it was a home-dub? Home-dubs are some of the best in my opinion. The equipment just needs to be in nice working condition, and your original/master obviously needs to sound nice and clear. So, one thing that really stuck out to me in the pics from Al Quint was that Brian was singing and playing guitar at the same time. That’s no easy task, and I have a lot of respect for bands that really maximize what they can do with fewer people. I was chatting with Mark from Active-8 briefly, and he told me he was gunna join the band on guitar later this year. While the 3-piece look will be ruined, I’m guessing the intensity of the band will be amplified, as Mark is a beast. The last thing I wanted to point out is this tape is only $5. Wow, haha. That is so sick. That means they sold em to us for so cheap. Like cost? We sell SCARECROW tapes for five bucks at the merch table, and there’s like room for one dollar in profit or some shit. The $5 tape is an endangered species with everything getting more and more expensive each year. This was just another reason for me to love this tape. When I began writing this, we had like 15-20 in stock still, but I just checked and now it’s like 5 or less. I’m sorry if you’re reading this and it’s sold out. If not, better buy fast! Cheers and thanks for your support.