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SALVAJE PUNK caught my ear with a burning intensity on their debut cassette. I’ve been anticipating what they would do next, and I am so happy they went straight to 12” with 10 blistering tracks. In true Toxic State fashion, the entire packaging is screen printed. The fold-out poster is so sick. It is something that deserves to be hung up immediately. The LP looks like two songs are from the demo, alongside 8 brand new songs on a new recording session. When I said blistering earlier, I really mean it. This band plays with an intensity only bands like NO SECURITY can achieve. To me, their sound is somewhere in between them and like FORÇA MACABRA. UNCURBED might be another decent comparison, but SALVAJE PUNK pushes it into another zone of intensity. Hearing an LP like this is refreshing cos I feel like there are not really any bands playing with this 90s hardcore thrash style, especially in the USA. Check this shit out if you haven’t yet, and grab a copy! Cheers everyone, and thanks for the support!

Hi and thanks for reading. ELECTRIC CHAIR seems to have everyone’s attention, like world-wide. Sorry State was lucky enough to get our own exclusive color of their debut 12”, which I’m sure you have already seen. I actually bought the cassette version of this a while ago cos I really wanted to hear it. It’s funny how long I had this art in my hand until I noticed the missile penis in the left corner. How could I have missed that? Everyone knows I love penises. I enjoyed that for a while after I discovered it, totally over-looking the shitting asshole... wow, this cover is insane. It also kinda looks like it says GWAR if you squint your eyes. Jesse Michaels (from OPIV!) did the back cover. That is so sick, and unexpected. I don’t listen to OPIV much anymore, but they played such an important role in my early years of punk. That probably goes for a lot of people my age though. Me and Rich were wasted one night some months ago coming home from Durham, and we listen to OPIV the whole way home, singing along. OK I have to go… thanks for reading, and thanks to everyone for the support!

Hi and thanks for reading! Today I am writing about friendship, and how important it is. 2020 really changed my social life, and I feel like I haven’t bounced back from it. I have more anxiety than ever, mostly around social interactions. This never used to be a thing for me, and I blame it on the isolation that came during the pandemic. Of course it’s not that simple, though. Friends are so important. True friends will tell you when you are fucking up, but at the same time they will support your decisions, even if they disagree with you. I believe that our friends are our support system. We need to look out for each other 24/7, cos the fucked-up capitalist landscape is definitely not making things any easier on us. I could not have made it to this age without my friends (and punk, which is the same as friends in my mind). It gets old, seeing people hating and talking shit on the internet all the time. What’s the problem... are you jealous? Or is your ego so big that when you disagree with someone, it has to be an argument? Can we not all be different people, with different approaches and ideas, yet still work together to achieve a common goal? A common goal of surviving, causing the least harm as possible. Everyone has “character flaws” and these are traits we should embrace, rather than ridicule. Life is seriously too short for petty shit. Words mean more than you might think, but of course actions speak louder... Cherish your friends and tell them you love them. Show the world your care, indiscriminately. I think it’s OK to fight with each other sometimes. We are only human. But think to yourself next time you get bent outta shape about something, what are you really upset about? Take care of each other, but make sure you take care of yourself. Enjoy YOURSELF. It’s the little things that make this life worth it, I think. Alright, back to work I go. Thanks for reading, my friends. Much love.

Hello and thanks for reading! I wasn’t too sure what to write about this week. DESTRUCT’s new album is now available for pre-order and streaming, but only the special record release gig version of the LP has circulated. SCARECROW played this gig, and DESTRUCT was off the charts. I’ve seen them a lot and I think this was the best I have I yet to witness, god damn… I think the LPs they had at the gig sold out before they even played, haha. I thought it might be best to wait and write about the LP until Sorry State gets our copies, since the limited blue vinyl quickly sold out on pre-order from Grave Mistake. I’ve been playing this LP for a while now since I am lucky enough to have a test press, and it is fucking killer. Just wait until you hear their split tracks on the upcoming ‘Screaming Death’ 4-way split LP...

I haven’t really mentioned this to anyone, but since my brand new label has released something this week I thought I would mention it! This label will be focusing on reissues only, beginning with this SEKAANNUS 7”. Sorry State will definitely be getting copies of this once the covers arrive next week, so there’s no need to order from my site if you are interested. Well, I do have some color vinyl available still that’s only available direct from Mäkitie 8... SEKAANNUS had a demo tape before their split with MASSACRE. The tape is quite rare, but luckily there have been some digital rips shared over the years. The band plays much more raw and raging hardcore during this time, instead of the more pulled-back, groovy song writing that came later on the “Kutsu” EP. I enjoyed that EP a lot, but there’s nothing that beats raw Finnish hardcore, haha. I am happy this demo has finally made its way to a reissue and I love that they still did the cover in the classic Finnish cut-and-paste style!! This 7" is actually the second release for Mäkitie 8. The KAAOS 12" that was supposed to be the label’s debut is still at the plant, but it should be released soon! The KAAOS 12" is a live recording, super early in the band’s formation. It’s got a ton of unreleased songs and actually has Kake on vocals instead of Jakke, like the split with CADGERS. Both of these are co-releases with the Finnish Hardcore label, and Sami is the one doing all the work. He has some other plans ahead that I am very excited to play in a role in as well. To simply put it, it’s an honor to have this small hand in releasing some old raw Finnish hardcore!! Alright, back to work then. Thanks to everyone for reading and thanks loads for the support here at Sorry State, cheers!

Hello and thanks for reading! When this week first began I planned to write about ΠΥΡ ΚΑΤΑ ΒΟΥΛΗΣΗ (PYR KATA VOULISI), but it has since sold out. If you haven’t checked out the band, I definitely would cos I think this top-notch hardcore at its finest!! I’ve never heard of them before; I don’t think they even have a demo released. When you rip this hard, why bother? They don’t really play super fast, but the riffing is non-stop. The songs are insanely catchy yet absolutely raging. They sound similar to HERÄTYS, who are one of the best bands ever. And of course, ΠΥΡ ΚΑΤΑ ΒΟΥΛΗΣΗ and HERÄTYS both sound like they have a heavy influence from Swedish legends TOTALITÄR. Speaking of legendary Swedish bands, that leads us into my staff pick. Let me start off with the photo. This photo was taken in 1986 by Anders Holmqvist at the “Egg-mangel” gig. Anders is a long-time Sorry State customer and friend. He was a music nerd back then just as much as he is today (if not more maybe?). He’s constantly giving newer bands short, honest reviews on his Instagram account. I am so happy and honored he shared photos from this gig with me, especially cos now I can share this one with you! This gig is how I think I first heard SVART PARAD because it was recorded and released on cassette after, and then fortunately re-released in the ‘90s on vinyl by Your Own Jailer. Based on what it says inside the vinyl version, I am pretty sure Jan Jutila (YOJ) released the tape. He definitely organized the entire gig. I think SVART PARAD is kind of obscure amongst other Swedish bands. They never had a proper vinyl release in the 80s, only some cassettes, and the information about them is a bit confusing. I remember reading online that the band was influenced by MINOR THREAT, and that one really caught me off guard, haha. There have been a few SVART PARAD bootlegs over the years and F.O.A.D. did a SVART PARAD discography not too long ago. But still, to me nothing beats having a reissue that emulates the original. The packaging on this cassette is awesome, but that is a given since it is on Outsider Classics. They did amazing Swedish cassette reissues like MISSBRUKARNA and NISSES NOTTER previously, so I was filled with anticipation immediately when I saw this reissue. I would die for a DISACCORD cassette reissue… Anyway, if you aren’t familiar with SVART PARAD and enjoy raging Swedish hardcore, I would check this one out and grab a copy! Cheers and thanks to everyone (especially Anders)!!!

Hello and thanks for reading! I am here today to talking about the latest, amazing release from Norwegian Leather! I love this label. I know they haven’t done much, but re-issuing How We Feel and releasing a BANNLYST discography LP is so cool to me. I can’t remember which one of those 12"s it was, but it was my introduction to Norwegian hardcore. I like the sound of Norwegian bands I know a lot. Unfortunately, I don’t really know that many. The bands I do know tend to have melodic tendencies, but the sound really stands out to me cos they still maintain a pummeling intensity regardless of how catchy the song may be. BANNLYST is probably one of my favorite Norwegian bands, but also it seems like a no-brainer cos the band has a good amount of tracks out there and they all rip. Some of the other Norwegian bands I know started to sound a little less “hardcore” as time went on, and the sound isn’t really for me. Anyway, naturally when I saw an upcoming BANNLYST 7" on this archival label I got super excited!! They shared a blog post, explaining about how this 7" came to be that I would encourage everyone to read. I think it’s so cool to be in this day and age, and there is still some killer hardcore being unearthed from the 80s and released. The B-side has a live recording from 1992 of them playing an EP song, and it fucking rules. The EP comes with a full-color foldout photo of the band with lyrics and info on the back, housed in a super thick pocket sleeve. What a beautiful release, from the sound to packaging. (And the price, that’s cheaper than some domestic releases, haha.) Get one! Before I go, another tour memory… we played at Club 37 in Oslo. This band SVART PEENG played, and they were sick as hell. SCARECROW likes to keep a couple cover songs in our back pocket, and a SVART FRAMTID (Norway) cover is one of those. Well, we joked about playing this cover when we were in Norway, but we could not decide if it was whack. There was some older guy who approached our merch table early on and bought two copies of our record and t-shirt. I thought this might be a good guy to ask. So, I asked him if it was a bad idea. Not only did he say it was a not bad, but it was a good idea and we should definitely do it. The room was already packed and crazy for SVART PEENG, so inevitably the energy would be great for us. But when we busted out that cover, I feel like the room exploded. I remember looking up (which is very rare occurrence for me) and this guy had essentially pushed Red to the side and had the mic in hand, yelling every lyric. So sick. It is a great memory for me. Anyway, thanks for reading and thanks to everyone for the support!! It’s quite busy here..

Hello and thanks for reading! I’m so busy today with Sorry State and my own label BPDT and unfortunately, I have don’t have the time or mental capacity to formulate a staff pick today! Instead of writing nothing, I thought I could at least write about what has been taking up so much of my time! I’m sure as you saw already, SSR has just announced the KORO re-issue! I am so excited for this. If you have the first reissue SSR did, don’t fuck up and think you can pass on this. To me, this reissue blows that one out of the water. The discs sound amazing, and the packaging is like a replica. So close that we had to stamp Sorry State inside since there is no mention of the label, haha. When Daniel first mentioned doing this once again, he agreed to give me and Jeff’s label our own special color, hehe. I guess it doesn’t make a lot of sense, but fuck it, Jeff and I think it’s so cool cos KORO fuckin’ rules. We spiced it up a bit by including an extra hand-stamped cover! We are very happy to announce this pre-order is available from us alongside the SCARECROW “Crisis EP” repress. Sorry State will have copies of those available on Monday online, but we will have some in-store starting Friday—so if you are a local, no need to buy it online from BPDT, just come on down to the shop! I’m not sure how many people reading this are that big of SCARECROW fans who also are looking for the EP still, but I will let you let you know since you are reading this; there will be a special cover available with the BPDT pre-order. That’s a secret though, so don’t tell anyone. Alright, back to stapling these Network of Friends zines! Cheers and thanks to everyone for the support!!

Hello and thanks for reading! I am doubting we will have copies of my Staff Pick in stock as this is being read. Every time I look back at our stock it is less than before. I have been trying to hit up all my friends to ensure they get a copy though, so each time I check back usually it’s going to be one copy less by default haha. We saved a few for the shop too… so if you are a local, you might have a chance to get the last copy this weekend if you come by. I never really thought this stuff would get reissued. Of course, when the same label did the EP last year, I had a feeling this would come later down the road. I think this reissue is significant cos it’s the first time since the original release where the complete track list is included. The 90s VARAUS CD compilation omitted three tracks, the same three tracks the Feral Ward 1/1 LP also omitted. I mean, the LP was made with the same sound source as the CD, I am pretty sure anyway. I heard those tracks were not included on the reissue cos of the sound quality. I don’t know if they were made from master tapes or what, but I thought the sound was very good on the CD. I read online the original 12” did not have very good sound in general, so I was pretty excited to hear this pressing since it was advertised as the original “lo-fi” mix. Comparing it to the Feral Ward LP, there is an obvious difference in the sound. One could argue the re-master had better sound than the original. It’s much more powerful but not in a terrible compressed way. Speaking of the Feral Ward LP (slash CD reissue), I think this is the way I have always listened to VARAUS. Maybe I have a 1/2 LP rip on my computer somewhere, but it felt like my first time listening to these three songs that were left off the later reissues. That was pretty sick. Those Feral Ward LPs are not easy to come by, and you’re probably going to have to pay up a bit to get one. So, it’s great that there is another version that is in print! I hope it remains in print for some time. Alright, that’s all for today. Thanks for the support!!!

Hello and thanks for reading! Today is Thursday, and I am just now piecing together my “Best of 2022” list. Please forgive me if I leave some bangers off, or write poorly, cos I am swamped with work haha. I don’t have a cool photo or collage of all the records either, but instead it is a photo of me about to embark on the time of my life on our European tour. 2022 was a great year for records. I remember feeling the same way coming out of 2021 and 2020 as well, and that is awesome! I bought a ton of new releases, but I am lucky to have Sorry State stock at my fingertips. I also bought a ton of 80s records from my want list... I am lucky to not have kids or a mortgage haha. Jeff and I released SCARECROW on our label alongside our “side project” FATAL. That was a really good feeling to get those out there. We should actually have the repress for Crisis EP in just a few days...and a little later we will be releasing an insane 4-way split 12", haha. Anyway, let me get to 2022...

To start off, STRAW MAN ARMY released a hell of an LP this year. I remember when we had their first LP, we sold like 100 before I finally decided to check it out. Neither the artwork nor name grabbed my attention, unfortunately. Both albums are so good. I can’t express what they do to me on the inside. (I’m sure some others can relate haha). I can never decide which is better, their first or second LP. It doesn’t really matter which is better though, cos you can have them both! I realize now this is probably the first time in my staff pick history where I suggest something that is not hardcore… hehe. I don’t really know how to describe the sound of STRAW MAN ARMY, but to sum it up, they sound like anarcho to me. Yeah, they have some aspects that are not in the realm of traditional 80s UK sound. The recordings are much more crisp than you’d usually hear on some old shit, but who cares. Anarcho is not boxed in by a certain sound. It is defined by politics. I listened to this album so much this year, there is something very special and genuine about it to me.

Moving on....to SLAN! This EP just came out on Swedish label Flyktsoda Records. This has not been properly announced yet, but Jeff and I will be releasing a US version on BPDT! We’ve got the test presses in, hopefully not too much longer and everyone in North America can be enjoying this hot ass slab as much as we do. This is SLAN’s debut, straight to wax. Skiter I Allt is 5 tracks of urgent, absolutely blazing hardcore - this is the definition of fuckin’ mangel!!!! Check it out, and get excited for our pressing!

Alright, so I first heard of Flyktsoda Records when they released the self-titled LP from GEFYR. Holy shit. This shit RIPS. I wrote about them in my staff pick when we got these LPs in. The band is from Hudiksvall, Sweden. This is the same town Swedish legends NO SECURITY and TOTALITÄR were from. The sound of GEFYR is very reminiscent of both bands, leaning more towards the mean/thrashy sound of NO SECURITY. So fucking sick, so fucking good. This LP was an instant chart-topper for me.

Sticking with Sweden, NUKIES debut cassette was so excellent! I just wrote about it recently so I won’t say much. It’s funny these three bands are all from Sweden, but from very different areas. SLAN is from Göteborg, a pretty popular city in Sweden. They are probably most known in our world in reference to SKITSLICKERS. The town the GEFYR is from is a much further north than Göteborg, like an 8 hour drive. And NUKIES are from the most popular, and capital city of Sweden, Stockholm. On our European tour, we played two shows in Sweden, one was in Göteborg, and the other was in Uppsala. Playing in Uppsala was a dream to me. Why? Because some of the best ‘90s bands ever came from Uppsala, alongside Swedish d-beat legend Jan “Jutte” Jutila. I actually made a joke to the promoter of our show about Jan Jutila being there (Hi Martin!!!), he made some reply like “Oh, I can text him..” and I was like “Uh, no I was just kidding...I would die of anxiety.” I was already anxious enough with Jocke and Mattis in the room!! This show was funny cos we played totally alone, and Martin expected no one to come to the show… but in the end, it was one of the best crowds of our tour, haha! OK, getting on with it...

Richmond, Virginia’s finest, DESTRUCT released this powerhouse live recording in 2022. I can’t stress enough how good this band is live. They play insanely fast with such a pummeling intensity. It’s not so often you can hear a band play with such power(!!) and precision live. It was an honor to have done the artwork for this release as well. They have a new 12" coming out very soon, and soon after they will be featured on said 4-way split 12" hehe. I know they have another damn 7" recorded as well, coming later this year on Patrick’s (bassist of DESTRUCT) new label, Acute Noise Manufacture. His debut label release was a band that shares members of DESTRUCT as well, called HORRID PEACE. I gave this one a write-up as well earlier this year.

There were a bunch of killer releases I am not going to take the time to write about, unfortunately. K.O.S., AXE RASH, and CHAINSAW released some killer shit that I previously wrote about in a staff pick this year. NIGHTFEEDER was another release I had a lot of anticipation for. The LP stayed in heavy rotation for me, and it was also dubbed Record of the Week. We still have some copies of the restock actually, don’t sleep too long on that one.

It’s really exciting that Sorry State released my favorite record of the year, Viivyttely by SIRKKA. I can’t express how damn good I find this record. I mean maybe I just did by calling it my favorite record of the year! I was obsessed with their demo, and I cannot get enough of this EP. Some parts remind me so much of RIISTETYT, down to the tone, and that’s just insane to me. How do you do that? Haha. I feel like the sound of your recording is half the battle. You can forget about how good your songs are if the recording doesn’t bring them to life in the right way. Sorry State also released the 12" compilation of two previous EPs from YLEISET SYYT, and that shit rocked my world. The sound is similar to SIRKKA in a way, but mostly cos it’s Finnish lyrics. Their style is a bit more catchy or melodic, and much less raw than SIRKKA.

Before I go, I want to mention one more release that was also on Sorry State that really hit the spot for me, SHAVED APE. Five songs in just about five minutes... ahhhhh!!! This is that top-shelf hardcore shit right here. Vince recorded straight to tape too, so it has that sound that really gets me going. Drums always sound the best when they are recorded like that. I’m not sure if there will be more from SHAVED APE? If there is, I can’t wait to eat it up!! Alright, I guess that about wraps it up for my “Best of 2022”... I’m sure there is stuff I am completely spacing. Thanks to everyone for the constant support! It means the world to us all here at Sorry State. Punk the world!!!

Hello and thanks for reading! Surprise, Finnish Hardcore is back with a new release and I am writing about it! I feel like DACHAU is pretty obscure when it comes to Finnish hardcore bands. Most people probably know them through the Russia Bombs Finland compilation released by legendary Propaganda Records in 1982. At least that’s where I first heard them. Their tracks on the compilation stuck out in my head, probably cos the LP closes out with a mid-tempo DACHAU song called Huomena Haudassa. The song is a stomper that somehow grooves simultaneously, so sick. The Finnish Hardcore label has previously re-issued their 1983 cassette, Ballaadeja, which came out after Russia Bombs Finland. Now, they have brought us this 7” reissue of their “debut” 1982 cassette, Tuomiopäivä!! Two tracks from this session were used on Russia Bombs Finland, and you can actually find different recordings of all four songs on the Ballaadeja tape. But still, nothing beats being able to hear the complete recordings! These 4 tracks were intended to be a 7" initially, but unfortunately the recordings only circulated on some impossibly rare cassettes... until now! Finnish Hardcore has pressed this session onto a single-sided 7", housed in a 12-page booklet packed with photos and zine clippings! As always, I can’t wait for what Finnish Hardcore brings us next! Alright back to work it is then, but before I go, I do have one fun fact. I recently learned that Pera of DACHAU, was also in PYHÄKOULU! I don’t think anyone else in the band had other projects, but I could be wrong. This was particularly exciting to learn cos I am a huge fan of PYHÄKOULU! If for some reason you don’t have one of these beautiful reissues, you need to pick one up, thanks for reading!

Hi and thanks for reading. Unfortunately, the physical copies of my Staff Pick are sold out from Sorry State, but you can listen to it here. I think the tape is killer, so I still wanted to write about it. Of course, the first thing I hear is FRAMTID when I listen to this tape, the chaotic noisy sound with gutteral vocals really bring them to mind. They do have some more pulled-back songs that remind me of DOOM, but drenched in even more distortion. The band does not hide behind distortion though. The song-writing is good and the drums are super fucking locked in. The groove on ‘Anguised Misery’ is just perfect. I am not a huge fan of stomper tracks, but this one really hits the spot for me. I am not sure who all is in KOS, but I know it’s some members of POLLEN alongside Chris Ulsh, the greatest songwriter in America. It looks like the cassette is unavailable from the band as well, but word is there is an EP in the works ;) Alright I’ve got limited time today so I’ve got to go. Check out the debut from KOS and get excited for their EP! Cheers and thanks for reading!!

Hello and thank you for reading. Also, Happy New Year to all ye who read our newsletter. There are so many good things out right now, and I am really excited about the two new releases we are dropping today. Sorry State co-released the HIC SYSTEEMI cassette with the Finnish Hardcore label, and that is so cool to me!! We also have the LAMA cassette available they released at the same time. I know the cost is expensive cos it’s an import cassette, but the sound is pretty good, and the packaging is cool. The SIRKKA 7” we just released is so fucking good. They blew my mind with their debut cassette and I have been dying to hear what they’d do next. It’s awesome their follow-up is released on Sorry State! I’m actually surrounded by discs, download cards, and unfolded covers as I write this haha... only about a hundred left to go though. We met the vocalist Sanja while we were on tour in Europe. It’s a small world... the amazing driver for SCARECROW tour, Liese, is the person who did the front cover of the EP! They live in the same building, so cool haha.

Our first night of tour was in Münster, and we played with this band INFERNO PERSONALE, and they were awesome live! I had never heard them before, so I had no idea what to expect. It was a great way to start the tour. At the time I had no idea they had an LP coming out soon, and this LP is a fucking scorcher… I love the art too. I listened to it so many times, if you haven’t heard it yet check that link and grab a copy here. I got a copy immediately. Seriously it’s so sick. The cover is screen printed too, ahh. I need to stop talking about other shit, but there are so many cool things to mention, like the MASSACRED 7" on Active-8 Records. I’ve seen them once (or twice?) and they were so good live. I had never heard them before I saw them, so I was excited to see this record come out and the sound really translated onto the record.

Alright getting on with it... well actually going back to tour again, Adult Crash dropped this cassette from NUKIES while we were on the road. I heard only bits of it cos my phone speakers are complete shit, but every bit sounded so sick and I couldn’t wait to hear the whole thing on proper speakers. The first run of tapes sold out super quick, but luckily Sorry State was able to stock the second run! This release is like everything I want to hear in a band. They got the fuckin riffs, they are playing that beat I like, and they without a doubt have the capability to simultaneously rip and groove at the same time. I love the vocals too. The vocalist has their own distinct sound. The name is a bit cheesy, but I love that they embrace it with the equally cheesy artwork. It’s fucking awesome, 10/10 release. OK, that’s it then, thanks to everyone for the support and thank you for reading. I hope everyone made it through the holidays alright. Cheers :)