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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 :)

Hello and thanks for reading! I am tired as fuck today, so let me get right to it. This CHAINSAW debut is awesome. I am not quite sure why, but I didn’t like the cover art at first, and as a result I didn’t check it out. I’ve said this countless times in my Staff Pick, but the art does not really matter when it comes down to a release for me. Of course, it certainly enhances a release. It’s kind of funny the art didn’t strike me, cos the “theme” seems right up my alley. I will tell you though, the music was certainly right up my alley. I knew I was going to love this release like 5 seconds into the first song. There is a certain perfection to this record that doesn’t just happen overnight. They lay down seven tracks on this EP, and that is something I really appreciate. I can’t tell you how disappointed I am when bands put 4 songs on a 7". It’s 2023, records aren’t cheap anymore! The song-writing on this EP, alongside the guitar tone, reminds me so much of SUNSHINE WARD. Their Order 12" was so damn good. It was an instant classic in my mind. Anyway, I haven’t really described the EP at all but I’ve got to get going… looks like one of my bands is playing a last minute show tonite, hehe. Cheers and thanks to everyone for the support!

Hello and thanks for reading! Today I write about HORRID PEACE, a brand-new band from Richmond. I think this is more of a studio project, or at least that’s the way it was intended to be initially. They debut here with 4 tracks of heavy, fuzzed out Dis-beat on also brand-new label, Acute Noise Manufacture! ANM is a Richmond based label that is operated by the bassist of DESTRUCT, Patrick. He also plays bass on this release. He is not the only member from DESTRUCT involved in this project though; drummer Alex takes on vocal duties in HORRID PEACE. Knowing this band features members of powerhouse DESTRUCT, you can probably get an idea of what you’re getting into here, however HORRID PEACE has a bit more of “traditional” approach to things, with more straight-forward songwriting. I hear some serious influences from early-mid era DOOM, alongside maybe some 90s Japanese crust. Up next on ANM is a DESTRUCT 7", and I cannot wait for that! Alright I’ve got to run now.. thanks for reading, and check out this EP!

Hello and thanks for reading. Does RAT CAGE need an introduction? They first hit the scene in 2016 with their demo. While the style on this demo is what you can pretty much consistently expect from the one-man machine, he really picks up speed and locks in even tighter as RAT CAGE progresses. Admittedly, I had never listened to the demo until today. The songs are great, and I love the ‘raw’ sound that is not typical for his releases that followed. When I think of RAT CAGE, I usually associate it with top-notch production that sounds like it’s about to hit the red. I first heard them on their vinyl debut ‘Caged Like Rats.’ The six tracks of blazing hardcore really caught my ear, and it had me waiting for more! They followed up with a four track EP after that really hit the spot for me, ‘Blood On Your Boots.’ The songs on this one are just nasty. Following the EP, they released the LP ‘Screams From The Cage’ and I think anyone that had been under a rock for the previous releases had RAT CAGE’s full attention. The tightness, the groove, the riffs, the speed, the pissed-off vocals... ahhhhhh!! RAT CAGE of course didn’t stop there, soon after they followed up with a monumental split with another one-man D-beat machine from Macedonia, NERVOUS SS. This is the best split I have heard in who knows how long... It made my “Top 10” list of 2021 and it was also dubbed Record of the Week by Daniel. Before the year was over, RAT CAGE released a two-song banger as a benefit for their space The Lughole. The release was only a small run of 50 lathe-cuts entitled ‘In The Shadow Of The Bomb.’ Those are probably impossible to find now, and LVEUM has just properly released these songs for us all on a 7"! While RAT CAGE is a band that perfectly combines speed and catchiness, he busts out kind of a new vibe on the A side of this 7". The melody comes off rather “epic” instead of “catchy”. On the B side you can find a pit-opening, pure head banger track. There is a reason why LVEUM has given this 7" a proper press, so check it out and grab one if it strikes your ear, as well as the other RAT CAGE releases that our now back in print! Before I go, I’d like to mention something else that I am not sure I’ve mentioned here. Later this year there will be a 4-way split 12" featuring RAT CAGE, DISSEKERAD, DESTRUCT, and SCARECROW. It’s going to be insane… wait til you hear the tracks!!! Keep your eyes and ears peeled for that shit, out in 2023 on BPDT and Skrammel Records. Alright then, thanks for reading and thanks to everyone for the support!

Hello and thanks for reading. Today I will write about this recent KAAOS reissue we got from Sonarize Records. This LP was initially released in 2019 on Fight Records, which is when I picked up my copy. I could’ve sworn I wrote about this release at that time, but I can’t find it anywhere, so here we go. I feel like Fight Records is not heavily distributed in the States, so it’s cool that we have now a version that is more available here. This LP features a recording session from late 1983. You can see that the majority of these songs we re-recorded very soon after and properly released as their debut LP, Ristiinnaulittu Kaaos. While these early versions are being released decades later, it’s actually not the first time they appear on vinyl. In 1996, Fight Records alongside Fallen Records, released 8 of these tracks as the Valtio Tuhoaa Ei Rakenna 7”. I do have that record, but I am very happy to have the complete session on this disc as these tracks deserved to be released. The session is not exactly top-notch quality when it comes to sound but trust me it fucking rages, you won’t be let down!! I could go on for a bit longer about the band’s small line-up changes during these sessions, but I think I will leave it here for today. If you missed out on the Fight version of this LP, definitely pick up a copy of this one! Thanks for reading and thanks for the support! Peace.

HEADCLEANERS are one of my favorite Swedish bands. This opinion probably changes on a daily basis between TOTALITÄR, MISSBRUKARNA, NO SECURITY, ANTI-CIMEX, or maybe even AVSKUM. HEADCLEANERS stick out to me as one of the greatest cos their sound is unique compared to the heavy, straight-forward DISCHARGE or UK82 influence on most Swedish bands. While they play with an obvious nod to DISCHARGE, they incorporate other elements like the wonky yet very catchy guitar lead (or flute… haha). I’ve always loved the look of all their record covers and inserts as well, so that really adds to my liking of the band. So naturally when we have a HEADCLEANERS compilation 12” in stock, I am going to write about it! While this isn’t an official release, I am happy to have these songs all together in one place with some good quality sound. The A side of the record opens up with their tracks from Really Fast Vol. 1, although it says they are from Vol. 2 on the insert, haha. Since there is not a proper track listing and I am high, it’s easy to get lost when listening. So please forgive me if I fuck up. After the Really Fast tracks comes (most of) their tracks from Varning!! För Punk compilation. However, the tracks on that CD compilation are just tracks from their 1981 split with PICNIC BOYS and Really Fast Vol. 1. Following those comes their 1981 Disinfection EP. The B side finishes off with their tracks from Beating The Meat, which came out in 1984. But those songs are not exclusive to the compilation. I am pretty sure they are just the missing songs from the Varning tracks that already appeared, basically making the A side complete with their earliest recordings. I will say though, the recordings they used did come from Beating The Meat, cos HEADCLEANERS added those silly intros/outros to their tracks when they appeared on that comp later. The B side opens up with their track from the Welcome to 1984 compilation. However, that is the same recording from the Disinfection EP that has already appeared on the A side, haha. Following that is their Infection Grows EP, which came out in 1983. Then comes their 1984 tracks from the Vårt Fria Land split to finish off the record. Aside from some obscure song(s) that appeared only on a cassette in the ‘80s, I don’t think there is anything missing from this compilation. That makes this a complete HEADCLEANERS collection, which has never been done on vinyl before. I read in an interview from like ten years ago with Mats, the mastermind of HEADCLEANERS, where he said that one day there will be a discography release of some sorts. I am not sure if or when that day will come, but until then, I’d grab one of these slabs to hold you down. Alright that’s it for today, cheers and thanks for reading!!