News

Hello and thanks for reading. While it’s been about a month since I last wrote a staff pick, it feels like way longer in my mind. We will see how well I can write, haha. I hope everyone has been doing well. It seems another round of Covid is hitting my circle of friends and acquaintances. I was run down as hell after tour and I returned to work with a ton of stuff to catch up on. In my limited down time at home, I have been framing some beloved flyers and posters. It’s nice to have something to keep me preoccupied, cos touring with VIDRO was an absolute blast. I think we all really bonded and miss each other a lot as a result. Anyway, I wanted to mention two things today in my staff pick. I will start with RÉGIMEN DE TERROR. I remember when the first EP came out, a friend said it was a little too on-the-nose for him. Haha...well, it was perfect for me. DISCHARGE’s sound was so ground-breaking in 1980 that we have suffered bands who mimic their style for like 50 years now. Countless bands play an homage to DISCHARGE, but few can truly nail down the sound. In a boring world of DISCHARGE clones, I think it’s a great accomplishment to hit the sound right on the nose, like my friend had described. RÉGIMEN DE TERROR’s first EP sounded more like DISASTER’s take on DISCHARGE to me. The songs were pulled back, and the recording was really raw. The sound on their debut EP is definitely more dry than that of DISASTER, but the reference was still immediately what I thought of. When I saw they had another EP dropping, I was excited to hear what would follow. While still in the same vein, this EP is a bit more noisy than the first. The sound brought LIFE LOCK to mind, one of my favorite bands of the past decade. Funny enough, LIFE LOCK covers DISASTER. While LIFE LOCK plays pulled back too, RÉGIMEN DE TERROR picks up the pace a bit on their latest batch of songs. Just like their debut, Swedish d-beat legend Jan “Jutte” Jutila mixed and mastered this EP!!! The EP is 7 songs, clocking in just under 8 minutes. Roach Leg Records is handling the US side of things while LVEUM took care of the UK/Europe. It seems like LVEUM copies are already sold out... check it out and grab a copy before it’s too late. If you are just hearing RÉGIMEN DE TERROR for the first time, we have some copies of their debut from LVEUM in stock as well.

Going back to tour a bit will lead me into the other thing I wanted to mention. I had the honor and privilege to spend about a week in the van with Staffan Fagerberg, the drummer of VIDRO. I already knew of him famously for Really Fast Records and playing drums in HUVUDTVÄTT. As a result, I learned how to properly pronounce MISSBRUKARNA, amongst other Swedish band names. When this tape first came out a handful of years ago, I was unbelievably excited, and I am super happy Outsider Classics have put it back in print! MISSBRUKARNA has always stuck out to me in the midst of so many excellent Swedish punk/hardcore bands. It’s amazing their first record came out in 1980 cos the sound is much more hardcore than almost anything else of the time from Sweden. I know most of the songs are melodic/catchy, but the last few, especially “De Nakna Och De Döda” are without a doubt hardcore. I could be totally off with this comparison, but I feel like MISSBRUKARNA are like the LAMA of Sweden. Anyway, MISSBRUKARNA’s 1984 cassette, Krigets Gentlemän, is absolute hardcore perfection if you ask me. The booklet that comes along with the reissue is such a huge bonus. I am already a sucker for reissues that are on the original format with original art, but including additional things like a booklet with interviews, liner notes, photos, history of the band, etc is such an excellent bonus. I had the pleasure of holding an original copy of this cassette when we were in Stockholm on tour last year. I drooled over it for like 15 minutes and took a bunch of photos, haha. The reissue is well-done and I think everyone needs a copy, even if you aren’t the kind of person to buy a lot of cassettes. OK back to work then, thanks for reading!

Hello and thanks for reading. It’s been a while. I hope everyone has been doing well. I recently got Covid and I have been trying to catch up here at work before we leave for VIDRO/SCARECROW East Coast tour. There have been a ton of killer records in stock since I last wrote a staff pick, but most of them have sold out already. (Especially that new DELETÄR 12”... damn that is a good record.) To coincide with our upcoming tour, I chose a photo taken by our amazing driver from our European tour, Liese. This is from the gig in Hamburg, Germany where we played with VIDRO. If not for this gig, we probably would not be touring together! Since Jeff was perfectly blocked from sight in the live shot, I included a cute shot of him from after the gig. I look forward to the upcoming tour A LOT… blah blah… I could go on forever about being excited to hang with friends in different cities and sweat our asses off in the van with VIDRO, but now it’s time to talk about records.

Funny enough, In a staff pick from almost a year ago, I wrote about the two things I wanted to mention today. NUKIES! This shit is so good to me. They did a cassette version before this record came out. I actually wrote about it here when Sorry State got some copies. Rarely is there a cassette I actually want to buy, especially when I know it’s coming out as a proper record later. ELECTRIC CHAIR was the last cassette I went out of my way to get. Even though I knew it was coming out on LP, I really wanted to hear the entire thing. I know I could have probably just streamed it online or something, but I don’t know... nothing can ever beat playing the physical format of a release. Don’t get me wrong, I use Bandcamp and YouTube to check out bands all the time. Anyway, NUKIES really hits the spot for me, so I was eager to get the cassette version to hold me over until this hot ass slab was finally released. The LP is finally here, so don’t sleep. If you haven’t heard them, I would stop what you’re doing right now and check them out. I don’t understand what there is not to love about this shit.

Another thing I wrote about that day was BLACK UNIFORMS. I am so happy to have these in stock. I remember when I first heard them, they were a bit too metallic for me. I’m not sure what made it click for me, but now I can never get enough BLACK UNIFORMS. Everyone needs this record. While the song is not on their full-length, “Suck My Cock” is like my life paraphrased into a song, so naturally I am obsessed with the band. When I first wrote about them in that staff pick, I was writing about this bootleg that was in circulation late last year. We never could find out where to get a bunch of copies at an OK price, though. It was peculiar how spot-on the boot was to the original. It even included the original catalogue number in the matrix. It was also interesting I recently heard Mats Bodenmalm passed away very early this year. And more recently, I saw Charlie Cimex post from Facebook where he warns readers to not deal with Cliff for CIMEX shit and that he is a speed freak, haha. I know Cliff probably played a bigger role in BLACK UNIFORMS, but I have no idea who has the rights to reissue their stuff. Is any of this stuff related? Probably not, but I can’t help but wonder and laugh a bit about the whole thing. Anyway, Unrest Records has got this bad boy back in print officially and I could not be more excited. They changed the insert a bit and updated the font on the front cover. I think the update on the front was a nice touch, alongside hand-numbering that out of 1,000 copies. Yes, there is only 1,000, so sleep now and forever hold your peace. Hilariously as I write this, I had this video playing. I know the two bands beefed, but I can happily enjoy both. Alright, I’ve got to get on with some other work now. Thanks for reading, and thanks to everyone for the support!! Cheers!

Hello and thanks for reading. While I am here today to talk about AIVOPROTEESI, I wanted to mention some other stuff first. I’m sure I will talk about it more some other time, but the debut FAIRYTALE LP is just so damn good. I’ve been following the band since they came down and played the house just a few months before Covid-19 hit the States. They had a flexi out only at the time, and it did not really give testament to the band’s raw intensity. Live they were so unbelievably good, and this LP is without a doubt my favorite release so far. Also, I wanted to mention this LP from D.T.A.L. I was really excited for this one, cos the EPs from the ‘80s are so sick, especially the first one,”Time to Die." I always thought it was interesting their second EP “A Beautiful Day” was much harder to find, especially cos it’s not as crazy and raw sounding as their debut EP. Eventually I attributed its allure to it being pressed on blue vinyl, haha. The “Dark Dimensions of War” LP comes with an insert explaining the history of the band and its ever-changing line-up. I’m guessing “A Beautiful Day” was poorly distributed (if at all), since the band was not technically a band when this EP was released. It was a new line-up with a new metallic direction that went on to do “Dark Dimensions of War” years later. They explain this record was planned to be released on CBR Records in 1990, who released ANTI-CIMEX that same year. Apparently, the plans for the D.T.A.L. 12" faded into nothing after CBR was dealing with lawsuits due to the title of “Absolut Country of Sweden.” Recently the original tapes were found, restored, and the release picked up right where it left off - thanks to De:Nihil Records. I was happy to get this record, and read the history of the band especially. Check it out, but be warned this is not raw hardcore like the way they originally played.

Alright, so AIVOPROTEESI. I just found this video made by the band with studio tracks and live footage, collaged together with images of war and propaganda. The timing of it looks like this was released when the LP came out. It is kind of cheesy, but I think it’s super cool still. They give us a brief history of the band, which is also cool. I was hoping this compilation LP would come with an insert of some sort, but unfortunately it does not. The record is housed in a nice gatefold jacket that is loaded will full-color photos of the band. I don’t think the cover itself is very appealing (I think it’s the color scheme?), and it has tons of labels listed on the back. Most of the time when you see that, it’s a sign of a whack ass record... haha. There is a US label on the back of this record, but I worried we would never get copies since it has been available in Europe for nearly a year. Eventually I said fuck it and mail-ordered a copy from Germany. Finally though, we can all enjoy copies of this hot slab in USA. AIVOPROTEESI unfortunately never had a proper record until this one. They appeared on the legendary Yalta Hi-Life compilation, and that was their only real appearance (aside from a handful of obscure 80s compilation tapes and a couple bootleg LPs that came much later). Maybe it’s easy for some to overlook AIVOPROTEESI on this compilation cos they appear next to super popular bands like TERVEET KÄDET, KAAOS, or VARAUS. But their tracks on this compilation are just as killer and they are easily of the same caliber as those legendary bands. On this compilation they released eight songs, although ten were recorded in the session. Those tracks were pretty much lost to time until the Finnish Hardcore label reissued them on a super limited lathe in 2020. It was definitely cool to hear these missing tracks, but nothing beats being able to hear the full session in all its glory. I think that alone makes this compilation LP worth it, but they’ve loaded it up with a handful of different recording sessions and some live tracks - totaling in 31 tracks, killer. Alright I think that about does it for today. Thanks for reading and thanks to everyone for the support. Cheers!

Hello and thanks for reading. Today I am here to talk about this killer VORKRIEGSJUGEND 12"! The first pressing of this record sold out super quick. I think we got like only ten copies or less. Luckily it's back in print and we got a nice stack, so I am happy to write about it this time around. I discovered VORKRIEGSJUGEND soon after my adventures into German hardcore. I don't really know much about the band, but their 7" is absolutely killer. It seems like it might be rarest thing released on Pogar Records? Maybe cos they have pretty limited reissues. I was just looking on Discogs and the 2003 reissue LP goes for over $100, damn. When I was on there, I also saw this pretty cool write up on this very 12" I'm here with today. It's well-written and provides way more insight into the band than I could, haha. Nevertheless, I still wanted to highlight some shit. This comes from a sound board recording, so the audio is great. I mentioned thinking the 7" is killer, and they play all but one song off of it, I think. So of course, it had me raging! It seems like there is one track on this live 12" that was never properly recorded, but I could be wrong. I looked around YouTube and found some other live recordings and they had played the same song. This one is pretty nice, it's got a ton of sets on it - but still not the one that has been reissued on this LP! It was an excellent touch the LP comes with fold-out insert that has a photo of VKJ playing that night and a scan of the gig flyer. The insert folds out to show a bunch more flyers with them playing with some killer bands. This is the first release on Stonz Records, based in Berlin. I hope they have more planned cos I think this live LP is excellent and everyone should get one, haha. If you don't know VORKRIEGSJUGEND, I would definitely check out their EP. Their LP is cool too, but not quite as raging. A live LP may not be the best place to start if you've never heard a band...who knows though, if you don't buy it now maybe you'll regret it later. Oh before I go, I wanted to drop a link to this video on YouTube of VKJ playing live in 1984. It looks like they are playing in the basement of their squat or something. Since I don't understand German of course I have no idea if that's their squat. There's a handful of videos on there from the same occasion it seems, and it's all based around an interview of some sort. Alright then I’ve got to go! talk to you next week. Thanks to everyone for the support!!

Hello and thanks for reading. I’ve been out sick from work this week, unfortunately. I am here today though to write about this (also) sick record from LANGUID. However, before I begin, I wanted to mention this killer new shit that I can’t get enough of. While it’s just a Bandcamp link for now, I know that it will eventually be released on Adult Crash. This is some of that real deal Tottis-worship, from none other than Uppsala, Sweden! The vocalist, Martin, booked SCARECROW in Uppsala on our European tour. (Hi Martin!!) It makes me feel super cool to know someone in the band across the ocean, especially cos I like it so much, haha. I can’t wait for the record. Until then I will be frequently visiting their Bandcamp site. So, LANGUID first came on my radar with their debut 7”. Their sound very quickly caught my ears. The most obvious influence I pick up on here is DISCHANGE. When a band like this is your primary inspiration, I think you gotta be super creative. Since almost all the songs are slow, the riffs must be very catchy, and the D-beat MUST groove. If you can’t achieve both, the record is going to sound sterile and just drag on. This pulled-back DISCHARGE style has been done countless times, but every now and again a band executes the sound with perfection, like LANGUID has done here. I feel like the DISCHANGE formula is unique, and so influential, because despite the songs being groovy and catchy, the riffs are still heavy and mean. Soon after DISCHANGE changed (haha) over to MEANWHILE they developed a more “rocked out” style compared to the heavy edge that DISCHANGE carried. Don’t get me wrong, they have plenty of songs that still have that heavy sound (including every single track on this amazing 2005 EP), I just feel like they leaned more into other aspects of the songwriting as time went on. Their 1995 masterpiece Remaining Right Silence is before I notice this change, however. Alright, LANGUID. It’s cool Desolate has decided to get this LP back in print. I remember trying to find a copy soon after it was released was no easy task. It was released only by the band in Canada. This Desolate release includes a bonus 7” which features their 2017 demo, remastered at Communichaos. I had never heard these recordings before. All these songs are re-recorded on the LP I think, but it’s always cool to get to hear their original take on the songs. Aside from the excellent songwriting on these releases, LANGUID’s artwork has always gotten my attention. The illustrations are simple yet mean. Just like the music, haha. They always gave me a Scandinavian Jawbreaker kind of vibe, but it doesn’t come off quite as cheesy. Naturally, I was excited to see this Desolate release came with a poser of the front cover! Alright, I think that’s all I got left in me this week. Thanks for reading, and thanks to everyone for the support. Peace!

Hello and thanks for reading. I have been listening to KOHTI TUHOA a lot lately. I recently moved and Pelon Neljäs Valtakunta keeps finding its way back onto my turntable. I wrote about them in a staff pick a few years ago when I first heard them. They instantly had me hooked. When I heard their PAINAJAINEN cover, I lost my mind. On the album I just mentioned they have a song entitled “Kohti Tuhoa.” Unfortunately, there are times when a band has a song named after the band and it just doesn’t hit very hard. But every now and again there are occasions like this where it hits so hard you punch the fuckin air, even if you’re just jamming in your room alone. I feel like when you name a song after the band, it must be like the best song ever. It probably won’t have the same effect when you pull it out of the context of the full album, but “A Mean While” by MEANWHILE is another excellent song of this style. The lyrics are super clever, too. My drive to work takes about as long as the Who Killed Dove EP. I’ve been playing it every day for the past two weeks I think, haha. Funny enough, the song starts off with a song entitled “Crow.”

Anyway, today seems like a good day. I’m looking forward to whooping ass tonite in laser tag, and as you can see from my staff pic, I had a pretty sick mail day yesterday. I’ve been looking for this HEADCLEANERS 7” for ages it feels like. It feels great to cross one off the want list. (Yes, I have an actual written out want list.) I still desperately seek Extrem P with a green cover… I hope one day I find a copy to cherish and love forever, until death do us part. I got this copy of Disinfection in the mail from the UK alongside a few other new releases. I am here today to talk about one of those new releases, TÀRREGA 91’ on La Vida Es Un Mus. I saw they dropped a few new releases at once recently, and TÀRREGA 91’ instantly grabbed my attention. The cover looked classic, and even the name sounded classic as hell. I went to check it out, and surprise, the first track had my full attention! The band was described to take influence from bands like HHH, MG15, and ARROGANTA AGITATORER. I can definitely hear this, but one thing I hear (and see) is TAMPERE SS. Aside from the cover looking similar to an ‘80s Finnish punk collage, Tàrrega is the name of a city, just like Tampere. For the song structure, I mean of course at the end of the day it’s all DISCHARGE, but they have a few slower songs remind me of classic Finnish bands like TAMPERE SS or RIISTETYT. Speaking of RIISTEYT, the back cover of this TÀRREGA 91’ EP looks similar to Laki Ja Järjestys. The TÀRREGA 91’ discs are white labels, and they have these tiny gold stickers on them. They look just like the stickers Vote Vasko (P. Tuotanto) put on the represses of Laki Ja Järjestys and Systeemi Ei Toimi E.P. Haha, alright… enough of the nerd shit. Aside from TÀRREGA 91’ referencing their city of origin, it’s also referencing the year tons of youth rioted and nearly burned down their town hall. So sick. Per usual I didn’t really explain what the band sounds like but whatever. Overall, this is a killer record, and I would check it out if you have not. Alright that’s all for today. Thanks for reading and thanks for the support!

Hello and thanks for reading. LASSO kicked off their US tour in North Carolina last night. The show was sick, and it was a great turnout for a Wednesday night. We all went to get burritos after the gig, and it was so much fun just to hang out. I can’t believe LASSO flew into Miami and drove to NC to start their tour. And to top that off, they are touring the entire time in a sedan. That is some die-hard shit right there. I don’t think I know many people willing to sacrifice so many comforts for the sake of touring. Super cool. SCARECROW played with them last night, and we will travel north to Norfolk to support the gig up there. I was surprised to learn that LASSO was a three piece. I feel like when the guitarist also sings the vocals are like way less a thing, but Marcelo yells his head off the entire time. I look forward to that Norfolk gig tomorrow even more, since I won’t be stuck working the door and I will get to really witness them live. It’s been quite busy at Sorry State per usual and I’m sure missing work tomorrow will set me back even more. Luckily, I have a very cool boss… While tomorrow night I will be enjoying a killer gig, I wish tonight I was in fucking Philadelphia to catch the DELCO MFs record release gig. God damn. This band is easily one of the sickest bands of late. They play so insanely good live. The first record is just Jim playing everything. It didn’t really sound like them live, but it was still an awesome EP none-the-less. This new EP is actually their live line-up on the recording, and man does it fucking rip. I usually wait til SSR gets copies of shit, but I went ahead and mail ordered this one. Check it out immediately if you missed their new release. Speaking of new releases… coming out sometime soon on Bunker Punks Discs and Tapes will be the U.S. version of the debut EP from SLAN! If you haven’t heard this EP yet, I would check it out without a doubt. SLAN plays real deal Swedish mangel from Göteborg, Sweden. It’s super exciting that Jeff and I will do our first international release on our label with them. Alongside this release will be a debut cassette from BLOODY FLAG. I won’t say too much now, but I am beyond honored to be releasing this one with Jeff!! It’s definitely similar to SLAN, in that they are both noisy d-beat bands, but BLOODY FLAG takes the KAWAKAMI approach to things. Stay tuned to get your ears blown to hell. Alright, that’s all for today. I’m about to rehearse with my new band FUCKING WAR, haha. Thanks for reading my diary entry, and thanks to everyone for support.

Hello and thanks for reading. I can’t remember how I initially heard STATE OF FEAR. There is a chance I heard it randomly cos they have an EP on Profane Existence, but I’m guessing it was cos I was checking out what other bands members did from DISRUPT. Jay Stiles did like all killer bands after, and this was the first. While he didn’t play an instrument in DISRUPT, in STATE OF FEAR he took on guitar alongside vocal duties. The band leaned away from the grinding aspects of DISRUPT and way into the Scandi-side of things. This EP is for real a d-beat masterpiece. While I am a definitely a d-beat-aholic, I am not the kind that consumes anything and everything that comes into my path. I have an acquired taste that is usually found on the top shelf. The 1990s were saturated with boring crust and power-violence bands. Still, regardless of the bullshit, there were flawless EPs every now and again like Wallow in Squalor. The sound of the self-titled EP is more “thrashy” than the other. The drummer is not ever really playing a proper d-beat, but who cares? The song writing and overall sound is a bit heavier, and they even have a song that blasts all the way through. The second song, Consumption, is so good, from the lyrics to the fuckin’ riff. It makes me want to wreck shit. I didn’t realize either of these EPs were in high demand now. I think they both rule, so I am happy to see them back in print. Sonarize put the first two EPs one 12” as the first volume. It’s always nice not to have to get up to flip so much, haha. Also, this 12” comes with a booklet loaded with photos, flyers, and interviews. This was definitely a good way to top off the reissue. It helped me straighten out the history of the band. Alright, thanks for reading and take care.

Hello and thanks for reading. Today I am writing about DESTRUCT’s new LP, Cries the Mocking Mother Nature. That’s no surprise though, right? I feel like I’ve been fan-boying this band since I first saw them live in 2018 with DISSEKERAD in Richmond. While they left a big impression, it was a strange line-up where Patrick took over vocal duties and they played without a bassist. I knew they usually had bass, but I didn’t know the bassist was still up there performing, haha. Regardless of being short a huge component of their sound, DESTRUCT was so good, like a machine. I had no idea a band from Richmond like this existed before I saw them that night. At the time, Echoes of Life had not been released, just their Human Failure demo. While that tape was a solid debut, it does not give testament to how good DESTRUCT was. Two songs from the tape were re-recorded on Echoes of Life and it sounds almost like an entirely different band. Aside from the excellent sound and songwriting on the records, what makes DESTRUCT stand out from others is their obliterating live performances. They have a well-formulated, massive sound. Regardless of the amps being so loud, little Alex behind the drums easily competes with the volume with his pummeling snare hand and fucking insane drum fills. On top of that, he plays speed alike to FRAMTID. My mind is blown every single time I witness them live. Last gig I saw them at, Zach and Patrick switched instruments on their final song and that one really fucked me up. Usually only bands who suck trade instruments. Anyway, I feel like Cries the Mocking Mother Nature is an amazing follow-up to Echoes of Life. Well, they did tease us with a few tracks from the new LP with their live cassette that came out a little while ago, Onward to Collapse. If you don’t have one of these and you are a DESTRUCT fan, I would definitely suggest picking one up. They are fairly cheap, and they have good sound quality. I’m not doing a very good job at describing the new LP but whatever, you can probably understand I think everyone should buy this record. I feel like they sound even more like DESTRUCT on the new LP, if that makes sense haha. They have their sound totally nailed down. I can’t wait for their next release, Screaming Death. I think I’ve probably mentioned this here...it will be a 12" split with DESTRUCT, DISSEKERAD, RAT CAGE, and SCARECROW. The DESTRUCT songs on that are some next-level shit. That will be a co-release with Skrammel Records and BPDT. Following that I know they will do a 7" on Acute Noise Manufacture, and maybe I have heard some talk of an ABSOLUT/DESTRUCT split... Alright before I go, I wanted to mention we have a few of these sick long-sleeve shirts from their tour with ABSOLUT this past year. Not sure why we have any left… these are two excellent bands teamed up on a shirt with an homage to MOBS and GHOUL. Alright anyway, thank you for reading, and thanks to everyone for the support!

Hello, and happy 420 to all the weed smokers across the world. Today I’m writing about this killer box set on Svart Records. The aim of this series was to provide replica-type copies of super hard to find 7”s from late 70s Finnish bands. I was familiar with most of these bands via a mixtape a friend gave me like 10 years ago, but back then I only wanted my Finnish punk to be raw and hardcore. It took me a while to appreciate the stuff he shared with me. Over time my taste opened, and now I can’t get enough of this early Finnish sound. Maybe I’ll talk more about those tapes some other time. Svart started this series Punk Elää in 2019, but there hasn’t been an addition since 2020. I hope sometime they will hit us with another one, and maybe repress the ones that went out of print. I don’t have Volume 1 and I would like to. Every record they have included is awesome, but that NAUTA 7” in Volume 1 is so good. Inside Volume 3 is BRUPS, NIRVANA, and OUTO ELÄMÄ. I’m not gunna bother writing about the bands, cos the description does it best and inside the box set is a very well-done booklet that includes history of the bands and photos. Alright, it’s about to be 4:20pm. Given that it’s about to be 4:20 on 4/20, I’ll be wrapping up my workday now and proceeding to smoke weed like there is no tomorrow. To all my fellow weed smokers out there, don’t forget to double-blaze it at 8:40. Cheers and thanks for reading!

Hello and thanks for reading. Today I am writing about ANTI-SYSTEM. My introduction to the band was via their debut 7” ‘Defence Of The Realm EP’. At this point, the band more or less has that classic UK anarcho sound. The guitar sounds fairly tinny and noisy like a band on Crass Records, but the drummer plays with more DISCHARGE style compared to most of those bands. This EP is excellent, and I’m not sure I could say which of their records I like the most… but man, I’ve been playing their full-length ‘No Laughing Matter’ non-stop lately. I feel like it’s one of the best records that came out in 1985. They leaned way more into the DISCHARGE on it. The guitar tone even sounds more like ‘Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing", with the tinny guitar replaced by a huge wall of sound. While these elements were pushed harder on the LP, they still take the time and space to go deeper into the anarcho side of things. From audio-clips, to percussive passages accompanied by chanting, and even a tiny bit of political spoken word—this record has it all for me. I feel like this fusion of DISCHARGE and CRASS was not too uncommon around this time, but when has it ever been this perfect? ANTISECT’s ‘In Darkness There Is No Choice" is another example of this perfect fusion for me. Alright, I’m happy to say I don’t have to go back to work for once… but I am going to drink gin and tonics, and make some pizza. I hope everyone is well. Thank you for reading and thanks to everyone for the support!!

Hello and thanks for reading. We rescheduled SCARECROW rehearsal this week and we went up to Richmond together to see KRIGSHODER and INDRE KRIG. It was awesome. INDRE KRIG was excellent, as expected. KRIGSHODER was awesome. I was really looking forward to seeing them. I saw a bunch of friends I didn’t expect to see, and I got way too drunk. One of my dreads was cut off by a friend to give to another friend, and I puked in a trash can outside of a gas station before we drove back home. Somehow I’m still managing to get some work done today...

I’m taking this opportunity to let you know about the next release on my new label Mäkitie 8, which is this KAAOS LP! The recording on this 12” is from 1981, and it was their second show ever. This lineup is before Jakke became the front-man, and they play a lot of songs that have never been heard or released otherwise. The recording isn’t the greatest, but for a Finnish hardcore nerd like myself that is not a huge issue haha. Given that this is the earliest known recording to exist of KAAOS I was super excited to hear it, let alone play a role in the release of it! This is actually the first release under Mäkitie 8; the SEKAANNUS 7" just happened to be ready from the pressing plant before this one. The 12" comes with a 16-page booklet which consists of scans from an old zine called SUBCULTURE. I actually didn’t know about this zine prior to this release, alongside some other “interesting” things about KAAOS (mainly their influences)… haha maybe I’ll say more later but you can discover the same stuff inside the booklet for yourself. I’m just waiting on the booklets to arrive and these will be available from Sorry State as soon as those are in. If you need the color version though, you can still order a copy directly from my site. There is also a t-shirt available, huge thanks to Marty for that!!! Alright that’s all for today, thank you for reading and thanks to everyone for the support!!