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Hi and thanks for reading. I went and saw MASTER last night here in town. I was on the fence cos I don’t like going to metal shows. I don’t really even like metal; I think it’s corny shit. Of course, I love SEPULTURA. I also think SUFFOCATION’s Human Waste EP is a masterpiece. And, I do like every DARKTHRONE record I have ever heard. My friend got me into MASTER sometime during the pandemic. Their 1990 LP is excellent, if you ask me. I hoped they would play some tracks from it, and they sure did. Recently I discovered their unreleased demo from 1985, and that shit rips as well. The show was thirty bucks, another reason I didn’t wanna go. I lucked out and walked in with the right person though, cos the door guy let me in for free. So sick. At first, I thought the band was a bit too cheesy. The drummer would stand up often after songs. The guitarist would point the neck of his guitar at the crowd with his legs spread. He and the guitarist both would stick their tongues out and make mean metal faces. But after some time, I could see they were just having a good time. In between a few songs near the end, they would jam out on some silly riffs, and I could see their band dynamic was wholesome and not super serious. This was pleasant to see. The crowd was stiff. But still, I had to throw some beer cans at the band. I wasn’t sure how they’d take it, but who cares. The drummer gave me a tongue of affirmation though, hahah. One can landed on his little splash cymbal, and he loved it. After the gig was over, I saw what I thought were two people approaching the bassist/vocalist separately and asking him for the set list on his amp. He would just shake his head and turn his back to them. I waited a few minutes and then asked him if those guys had asked for the set list. He confirmed that happened, and then I asked him why he wouldn’t give it up. He said he didn’t wanna have to write a new one, haha. Well, I still asked him for the set list, politely. He turned me down at first, but I said I would even write him a new set list if I could keep the original. Not sure if it was the punishing or the charisma, but he surrendered it to me in the end. Score, hehe.

Alright, onward to my staff pick - LAMA!!! This record is essential for any record collection, easily. The Svart description nailed it perfectly, and you can read that in the product description on our website. I did a bit of LAMA nerding a few months ago when I wrote about the LAMA box set that Svart also did, so I really don’t have a lot to say today about their LP. If you still haven’t picked one of those box sets up for some odd reason, you seriously need one. Their LP was originally released on Johanna, just like all their EPs. The LP was released in 1982, after they did three of the four 7”s. It kinda sucks I can’t find the LP online anywhere streaming, but there is some sick live footage of them playing a track from the LP. If you haven’t heard this LP, just trust me that it’s good as I say and you need a copy, haha. This is the second time Svart has pressed it; the first time was back in 2011. Those actually became kinda hard to come by, so it’s great that Svart put it back in print! Oh yeah, if you don’t have that double-disc compilation that Stupido did a few years ago, maybe you haven’t heard these demo recordings from 1980! It’s mostly just the Totuus Löytyy Kaurapuurosta EP, however there is a song that I don’t think they ever recorded again, and it only appeared in that demo session. I saw the same youtube channel has a live recording of LAMA from 1981, and they play a good chunk of the LP songs. I know live recordings that are just audio with no video can be boring for some, but I think it was still cool listen—check it out! Alright, I think that’s all I have for today. Cheers and thanks for reading, and thanks for your support!

Hi and thanks for reading. I have been blasting records for a change. I have also been getting blasted drunk every night for like three weeks, and my body is without a doubt feeling it. Instead of writing about records I have been listening to, I am going to write about the 185 Miles South podcast Daniel was just featured on this week. I guess I’m not really writing about the podcast too much, but more about VORKRIEGSPHASE, who is pictured above and talked about a bit in the podcast.

So, I can’t tell you how many times I yelled out, “Oh my god…” while listening to this podcast. My opinions differed so often from what was being said. Not every time, of course, but goddamn sometimes I was like, “What the fuck?” haha. But that tracks, cos I think that SOA 7” they praised in passing pretty much sucks, so it makes sense we’d have significantly different opinions on hardcore. I know it came out in 1981, and stuff coming out that early usually means something to me, but in this case it does not. Now something like the KAAOS/CADGERS split 7” that also came out in 1981, that is right up my alley… straightforward, raw and pissed off, with political lyrics and not Henry Rollins’ buff ass singing about wanting to die, straight edge, or girl problems. I don’t mean to dog the podcast, so I hope it doesn’t come off that way. It was a good listen, and I appreciated the shout-out in the beginning.

I kinda wish I was there to interject with some nerdy trivia, and that brings me to talk about VORKRIEGSPHASE here today. So, when talking about VORKRIEGSPHASE, like most people I encounter, they raved about the insane guitar tone. Something I find so funny about that is how the band’s master did not sound like that, and it was Rock-O-Rama that changed the sound, to the band’s disliking. In the podcast they talked about the LP and EP, and they weren’t sure which came first. If I was there, I would have interjected and let them know the LP and EP are from the same session, and they were released on ROR at the same time (they are just one catalogue number apart). They actually mentioned this bootleg with their demos that came out a few years ago, and inside that bootleg the insert has an interview with Frank, the guitarist from VORKRIEGSPHASE. At some point I learned where this interview was originally published, but I can’t remember for the life of me where that was. I can’t type out the entire interview here, but I will add these few bits that I found the most informative.

Q: So, tell us about this legendary guitar sound of yours—how did you manage to play your guitar with so much distortion? What effects did you use? What guitar sound did you try to re-create, if any?

Frank: I used a tube screamer and distortion and had a Marshall amp, plus Ariana pro II guitar with DiMarzio pickups. And yes, I liked to create a powerful distorted guitar sound that sounded mean while playing fast.

Q: I’m assuming the biggest influence on VORKRIEGSPHASE sound was the golden bands of UK82 (i.e. DISCHARGE, CHAOS UK, DISORDER, and G.B.H.) What bands did you listen to at the time? What was the inspiration for the unique VORKRIEGSPHASE sound?

Frank: DISCHARGE, BAD BRAINS, and MDC were some of my favorite bands at that time and they were a big influence. We did want our own unique sound and so our drummer had a big impact on this regard.

Q: In retrospect, it is very tempting to group VORKRIEGSPHASE with other hardcore bands from the early 80s with similarly distorted guitar sound such as CONFUSE, GAI/SWANKYS from Japan, or the chaotic sound of Italian bands like EU’s ARSE, IMPACT, and WRETCHED. Or the “DISCHARGE” bands from Sweden like SHITLICKERS and ANTI-CIMEX, or indeed the bands from Finland like TERVEET KÄDET, KAAOS, TAMPERE SS etc. Were you aware of these specific bands at the time?

Frank: Ha ha ha, “SHITLICKERS?”… Yikes… haha… no I did not listen to any of these bands.

Q: OK, so how did the Rock-O-Rama thing come about? Did you send demos to Herbert Egoldt or did he “discover” you? Did you sign a formal contract with him?

Frank: We did send a demo and yes he liked it—yes we had a contract… we sold our souls haha.

Q: As the story goes, Hebert Egoldt remixed your studio recording “behind your back” and this ended up on the records. What really happened?

Frank: Yes—the master tape we listened to at the end of the recording session was different from the final album release. He added some kind of overdrive to the guitar sound, too much buzzzzz for my taste—I love crazy distorted guitar sounds, but there is no point in creating a sound that eliminates the chords we played. An example is “Neue Heimat”—listen to the start of the song, that’s exactly how I liked the way the guitar mixed. The drum sounds pale, it’s kinda lost…

Alright, I’m outta time, and I don’t have it in me to type out any more tiny text haha. I will try to find the source of this interview and where it was published originally. Check out the podcast if you have not yet! They talk about a ton of killer records. Cheers and thanks for reading.

Hi and thanks for reading. We recently got a huge order in from UK distributor Plastic Head, and we got a few copies of this EXISTENZ reissue from them. Heptown Records originally reissued this LP back in 2018, and that’s actually when I first discovered EXISTENZ. Unlike most of the raging Swedish hardcore bands I know, they do not typically play with a d-beat style. Regardless, their debut 1983 7” is some of the rawest hardcore that came out of Sweden I have heard. I wish someone would reissue that damn record! When comparing the 7” to the LP, the LP is not nearly as good—however, I do still consider the LP an essential record. It’s much less chaotic and kinda has more of a UK82 feel to it. I wish I took the time to check what the Swedish Punk Encyclopedia had to say about EXISTENZ before writing today, but in my typical fashion as of late I am not prepared. I know they were from Helsingborg, which is the same town SWANKERS PMS was also from. If I remember right, the same artist handled artwork for both bands’ 7”s as well. EXISTENZ reformed sometime in the 2000s. I haven’t checked out any of their new material, and maybe it’s terribly presumptuous of me to think it’s gunna suck, haha. However, a fortunate outcome from their reformation is that you can find all their ‘80s shit on their bandcamp page. They’ve got all the tracks under Let’s Get Drunk Before It’s Too Late, but you can hear the 7” and a handful of songs that only appeared on compilations following the LP. I think I only have one of those comps, so I was especially excited to discover I can stream some nice quality tracks online. Funny enough, it sounds like they ripped an actual 7” to get the tracks on bandcamp, haha. Maybe that’s why it has still yet to be reissued! The LP reissue is quite nice. It’s pretty much an exact reproduction of the original with the reissue label’s information added. The original record included an insert and the reissue upgraded that to a printed inner sleeve. The LP features a ton of photos of the band, and they did an excellent job with the printing of the reissue. Too often I see reissues with that moiré pattern shit on the photos. Maybe you know what I’m talking about? Or I am just picky, haha. Ahh… alright, I guess that’s all I got today. If you don’t know this record, I’d suggest you check it out! If you know EXISTENZ and don’t have this reissue—jump on it! Cheers and thanks for reading.

Hi and thanks for reading. Today I am shamelessly using this space to promote two new releases on my label Prescription. I am honored to release this split 7” with two of my favorite d-beat/kängpunk bands: DESTRUCT and SVAVELDIOXID. DESTRUCT has just embarked on a short tour with Japan’s LiFE. If you are anywhere close to one of their gigs, you’d be a fool to miss it! The standard covers have killer artwork by Wombat of SMT. They were beautifully screen printed by Monolith, based out of Oakland. A local friend, Jeff from PARANOID MANIAC, screen printed some bonus mail order sleeves, which were done with silver ink on black paper. I am super happy with the result. Of course, Sorry State will have copies of the split soon, but if you fancy the limited version, you can order from bunkerpunks.bigcartel.com and secure your copy before they sell out. This record took much longer than I expected to come out. The original prints were lost in the mail back in May. Then that printer I normally use happened to be shut down for two months. Maybe one day they will show up… haha. The screen-printed alternative was much more expensive, but in the end, I am happy to have more deluxe packaging.

Alongside this split is a debut cassette from Uppsala’s SHITCONTROL. If you haven’t heard this tape yet, you can check it out here. While SHITCONTROL isn’t doing anything new if you ask me, the execution is simply perfect. They deliver eight tracks of absolutely raging DISCHARGE style Swedish hardcore. They even recorded on a 4-channel Portastudio, the same way MOB 47 did! I got very excited when I learned the bassist Robin was previously the guitarist of ANGER BURNING. I wrote about ANGER BURNING some years ago. All of their records are so good, and I think When is a modern masterpiece. If, for some reason, you haven’t heard that LP, do yourself a favor and check it out immediately. When talking to Robin, he informed me that their drummer Calle played in the ‘90s band DISCONTROL. I had never heard of them, but holy shit their side of this split smokes. The tone is so gnarly, it’s insane. They weren’t from Uppsala like SHITCONTROL is, but they definitely sound like something you could have heard on the Uppsala Crust Compilation. Because of this compilation and the label Your Own Jailer, I always thought Uppsala was the coolest place ever for 90s hardcore. While most countries had whack and/or boring hardcore through the ‘90s, Sweden had some of the best shit I have heard to this day. Japan obviously follows the same theme as well. Anyways, Sorry State will have copies of this tape as well, so stay tuned! That’s all for today then. Cheers and thanks for your support.

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!