Staff Picks

Hello and thanks for reading. I don’t have anything new or exciting to write about. So, I will write briefly about some stuff I have been listening to. Oh yeah, what does the photo have to do with my staff pick? Nothing. I had screen-capped this when I saw it posted in some Facebook fan club page during the summer last year. I remember reading comments that pleaded with the submitter to share more pics and to rip the tape. His replies were hilariously dismissive. The post disappeared some days later. A part of me hoped it was taken down cos like Charlie from CIMEX got in touch about a reissue or some shit, but I highly doubt it. If anyone has a pic of the front cover, I would love to see it, so feel free to hit me up, haha. I was just looking through our new arrivals, and I noticed this NIGHTFEEDER 12” released as a part of the Kick Rock Live Series. I am probably really late on this though, and those of you who want a copy already know about it. I think NIGHTFEEDER rips live, and I have liked some other stuff released in the series like DESTRUCT and BOMBARDMENT. So, I am checking this out for the first time now. While these are live recordings, they sound nice and proper. It’s always great to hear the power behind a live band. BOMBARDMENT sounds tight and explosive on this right here. I haven’t listened to this recording until now, like NIGHTFEEDER. Did I read somewhere they broke up?

OK, yeah, I have been playing this 7” a lot recently. I guess when I say 7”, I mean I am streaming it on YouTube. I have a nice vinyl rip on my computer and on tape that I made from my friend’s copy when he first introduced me to them. That friend is Seth, whose name some longtime Sorry State readers might recognize. If you know Seth, this is some shit he would love for sure. I don’t know a lot of ’77 type bands, mostly Finnish. 999 was my introduction in my late teens, but I never dove much further than that. As I get older, I enjoy the pre-hardcore sound more and more, and I think this record is perfect. I think it’s really rare to find a copy with an original sleeve, which is just a single-sided piece of paper. Maybe I shouldn’t be hyping some self-released record from 1979 that is limited to 500 copies, cos I hope to find a copy for an OK price one day.

Alright, here is another one I have been returning to often. I first learned about this band cos a Finnish friend of mine was looking for a copy and I had agreed I would find a copy as a part of a trade. It’s wild to agree to a trade with a record you don’t even have, innit? Markku has that effect on me, though. I was recently hoping to win this eBay auction to acquire this SEIGE tape he has been searching for. Surprise, I have an open trade with him currently and owe him shit. I used Daniel’s “sniper” app thing to enter a stupid high bid to ensure the tape would be ours. Man, that tape sold for $987… hahah what the fuck?! What is the world coming to? Who bought that shit? Anyways, back to ANGRY RED PLANET. I had never heard of them at the time. This was their debut from 1983. There were some things about it I didn’t like so much when listened the first time, but there were some tracks that were instant hits for me. Funny, now I can’t remember or hear what I didn’t like before. They had a 7” on Touch & Go in 1985, so I am guessing everyone already knows this band. I checked out that 7” after I heard this one, and I didn’t really like it. Now I am listening and I made it all the way through. It was overall a cool listen. I guess mainly the A side, haha. They have definitely shed any elements of hardcore on this record. The singing on B1 is cheesy as hell, but the guitar is cool, haha. B2 straight up sucks to me…haha. OK, I guess that’s it for today. Thank you for reading, and thanks for your support. Much love to my friends.

Hello and thanks for reading. I don’t have much brain capacity for writing this week. I haven’t so much lately if that wasn’t obvious. I will write briefly about BLOODY FLAG. Crushing Dominion is the follow-up cassette to the self-titled debut Jeff and I released on BPDT a couple of years ago. When I initially heard the songs from the demo and Crushing Dominion together, I firmly believed it should be a record cos it’s so damn good. However, the band (aka Ulsh) had different things in mind and wanted to release the tracks as two separate tapes. I believe this is because he does not truly understand how good this shit is. I think that’s how musical genius works. It’s funny cos he wrote all these songs long before the demo was released. He initially recorded them all himself. It was truly a one-man project in that sense. As time went on, he scrapped those recordings and had engineering powerhouse Trish Quigley (K.O.S.) re-record and mix them. I think his initial recordings sounded good and I think they would have been killer as-is, but not many can make shit sound as good as Trish does. She definitely made the songs shine. Just like the first tape, what we have here is a fine specimen of pure DISBONES worship. A lot of bands rip DISCLOSE, but not many can really pull that off. They get boring, and usually fast. But not here. Everything is so dialed-in, it’s hard to get enough of it. I am back to playing the first tape, and now this new one on repeat. I appreciate that BLOODY FLAG hones in on that later-era DISCLOSE sound, which is the best era for me. The tracks are loaded with heavy palm-muting and guitar solos like that of nuclear rain. He even pays a deeper homage to Kawakami by incorporating noise tracks, like that of GOATWORSHIPPER. This is like some serious nerd shit. For the first time ever, this BDPT release includes a download card, haha. Check this tape out and grab your copy from Sorry State. Oh, maybe I will mention, I joined this band last year and these are the first recordings of me on drums with them. No, you can’t hear it online, but if you liked their demo you will probably like this one too. It’s faster. Cheers and thanks for your support.

Hello and thanks for reading. The only record setup I have right now is at work, and unfortunately, I listen to a lot of music digitally here. I did recently get a tape deck set back up on the stereo though, and that has been nice. I have a small box of records in my office and the rest of my records are in boxes stored in various households. I guess I actually have a lot more than a small box of records here, haha, but those other boxes are stuff I need to go through and the vast majority of it will be sold. I was listing some 7”s a little while back from my collection and I was happy to see a lot of them go to holdpile customers. I have more records than I’d like to haul around for the rest of my life, so I have begun a really slow purge and I have started with 2000s stuff. I think the records I am getting rid of are great; I just don’t need them anymore and someone else can enjoy them more actively. I can dub them to tape, or even make my own tape from their bandcamp if I want to keep it in some analog format. Anyways, this new PRISÃO record is one that I am currently spinning, and I think this rips. I know I am biased for sure with this being a Sorry State release, and more so having friends in the band. PRISÃO first came on my radar with their second 7” after meeting them in Sweden around that time. They have had a small line-up change between these two records. The style is pretty much the same, but I think the songs are better on this new EP and there also more of them. In my opinion, it is a waste of a record if you don’t have at least 6 songs on there. I will compromise for 5. But I am not about to buy a 4 track 7” for like $10. Records aren’t cheap anymore. Nothing is, shit. I originally heard this over the summer in Lucas’ apartment (vocalist of PRISÃO). It was funny, he had the Adult Crash version of the record in hand already but still streamed it for me digitally, haha. I love his vocals. His delivery is so powerful. I love the repeat chanting; it is protest music. I don’t know a lot of Brazilian bands, but I do know I enjoy the way the language sounds. When we were talking, Lucas made a distinction between Portuguese and Brazilian Portuguese, saying that he thinks the latter should just be called Brazilian. The record was recorded by Micke, the bassist who joined after their second EP. I am assuming in their rehearsal space? But I can’t remember. The sound is huge though, and the guitar tone is one that my ears love. It was mixed and mastered by Jonas Blakklodge, so that also probably has something to do with it too haha. Lucas has a great eye for design and layouts, and he has done the layout on this EP. He did something pretty clever with the front and back cover being interchangeable. There is also a nice touch I appreciated with the limited version only using blue ink on both the cover and insert. I did think about writing a bit about the various shit I have been listening to at work today, but maybe I will save that for another time haha. Check this PRISÃO record out, you might like it. I think we still have some of the limited version in stock. Cheers and thanks for your support.

Hello and thanks for reading. If you happen to pay attention to the stuff I’ve written about over the years, it probably comes as no surprise that KOHTI TUHOA’s new LP is my pick this week. Funny enough though, it took me three listens to really dig into this record. KOHTI TUHOA is the kind of band who actually does something different on every record. And that says a lot, cos this is their seventh record. Of course there are consistencies between every record, like fast and groovy hardcore played in the traditional Finnish style. They started with much more raw production back in 2014. When Pelon neljäs valtakuntacame around in 2017, they began to move away from that rawness and into “better” production. (That record has some of my favorite artwork.) And I absolutely love the artwork on this new record. I’ve written about KOHTI TUHOA before, and surely I mentioned how I overlooked the band due to the covers being paintings that don’t look decidedly punk. How foolish of me. I was getting ready to say that KOHTI TUHOA had started to explore the heavier side of things with palm muting parts that you could two-step to. But then I realized they haven’t done a record since 2020 and I just know this evolution of sound from seeing them so many times over the last handful of years, haha. So, I think this is the first record where we get that heavy palm muting shit. The intro track is kinda nuts; it sounds like there is like a horn you’d hear on an ISENGARD record and then it leads into some inspirational type shit you’d hear in a movie montage, but then it bursts into that heavy palm muting groove. I feel like if you gave me a record with two-step beats with palm muting, I would hate it, but somehow KOHTI TUHOA makes it work and it doesn’t come off cheesy or jocky. Aside from the stuff you’d expect to hear, and this heavy aspect of the record, there is more stuff happening I’d not heard them do before. “Rikottu luottamus” is not a hardcore song in any sense. It is melodic with stammering drums for the entirety of the verses. This took a few listens to grow on me for sure. I genuinely appreciate that they do things I love, but simultaneously challenge what I like with parts I would never suspect cos they don’t “fit” with what I have in mind. “Myrkkyä” has a total anarcho vibe. Scratchy guitar with more stammering drums that vary in rhythm, but still straightforward. This song was totally unexpected, and it is killer. “Ikuinen syöveri” sounds like it has influence from like MUSTA PARAATI. Less synth-oriented, of course, but it has that vibe. And finally, “Eliitin psykopatia: Älä luovuta.” This one is out there for sure, but a great track to end the record on. It doesn’t even sound like “music” in the first half. The drums are not like beating, but accenting with quick build-ups and rolls here and there, with a general sound of falling apart—like you’d hear after a band’s grand finale encore or whatever. And there’s fuckin horns on it, too. Haha. After falling apart for three minutes, it transitions into some fist bumping, headbanging hardcore played with a straight beat. It comes in mean and hard. I know there is only one preview track available online, but I think this is a killer record, probably the best record I have heard this year. If you haven’t heard that song, you can check it out here. And then, you can pre-order your copy from us after :) Alright, thank you for reading and thanks for your support.

Hello and thanks for reading. Not sure if anyone cares, but I have some follow-up information regarding what I wrote about last week. But first, staying in the world of Swedish hardcore, let me mention a record that belongs in every collection: AGONI En Röst För Fred. Yeah, this came out a handful of years ago, but I am mentioning it cos we just marked our remaining copies down a bit. I don’t think I have listened to it much since it was released, but recently I came across a copy I had saved for a friend and decided to throw it on. Fuck, that second demo is so good. I remember it being such a big deal to me at the time cos I have been obsessed with their first demo ever since I heard it, which also appeared on Stockholm’s Mangel. I know the first press of this record sold out quite fast, and they repressed it on color vinyl. The second time around it didn’t seem to have nearly as much demand. This happens sometimes, the hype-train… People post about shit non-stop on social media before it’s released and then pounce like starving mad men on the release date. And then often when there is a repress no one seems to give a shit. Is it cos they are silly collectors who only want the first press? Or is it cos they are ADHD and follow current trends they see on social media? Or is it that I am just such a fucking hater? Haha. Maybe in this case it’s the ideal result where everyone has got the record who wanted it. So here I am to shine a light on this killer reissue. Yes, the artwork is not very good..and it’s pixelated at some places. Do I like that? No. But does that make me not want to buy it? No, because I know how damn good it is. If you slept on this cos of the art, I would say you fucked up, but in this case, now is your chance to keep a marked down copy. I know it’s in the description on the product page, but be sure you don’t miss this English translation of the liner notes.

Alright, so back to last week. I was nerding out about ANTI CIMEX and the Jawbreaker documentary. The thing I was most curious about was a member of ANTI CIMEX, Bonni, who was not mentioned in the documentary. I’m not gunna repeat myself about last week so you can go back and read it if you care or don’t remember, but Bonni was in ASTA KASK as well. I had read that he was an early member of ANTI CIMEX – like pre-Nillen on vocals. In the last week I had a chance to talk to Charlie, drummer of CIMEX, and he has answered a few questions of mine. Very cool. The information I had read was not quite right. Bonni was not a member of ANTI CIMEX before Nillen. He joined after Anarkist Attack. He played guitar with them for about six months. Him and Jocke were both playing guitar at the same time. They played two gigs with him, both in Västerås. Charlie said he’d hoped that Bonni would eventually take over vocals in CIMEX, but he ended up choosing to devote all his time to ASTA KASK in the end. It was around this time there were some significant line-up changes that would lead to the legendary Raped Ass line-up. Jonsson picked up the microphone after Nillen left, and they had met Conrad around that time, who would replace Jonsson on bass.

So, the Encyclopedia of Swedish Punk is like my bible. But, just like the bible there can be “misinformation,” haha. I cannot remember where I learned this, but I remembered that ANTI CIMEX had not even played a gig before Anarkist Attack was released. However, in the Encyclopedia they say, “The first EP was released before they had made any gigs at all.” According to Charlie this is not true. He told me they had not played any gigs before their first 7” came out and their first gig was Skövde December 13, 1981. Interesting though, cos the recording date for Anarkist Attack was December 5, 1981 and there is no way that record came out in less than a week – right? Haha, something ain’t adding up. I didn’t wanna keep punishing Charlie though. Maybe in the future I will inquire. He told me that SKITSLICKERS also played that gig, and this was the earliest line-up where a woman (whose name I don’t know) was on vocals. I had read about this before but never learned more about it, or my brain is just fried and I can’t remember. Maybe they covered it in Negative Insight and I’ve forgotten. I will have to find that zine one of these days in my mess of shit.

Oh yeah before I go… the image above, haha, I think Nillen originally shared this flyer with Shit-Fi? I was moving fast so don’t quote me on that, but that is where I got the image. The relation here is that BOHMAN BRINNER was a pre-CIMEX band with Jonsson, Jocke, and Nillen. And the song Heroindöd from Anarkist Attack was originally written by BOHMAN BRINNER. Alright, that’s it for today. I’m sorry if that was a waste of time for you. Cheers and thanks for reading.

Hello and thanks for reading. Not sure if anyone noticed or cares, but I had a typo last week when describing the guys in the photo I shared. The guy on the left is Frank who was the drummer of RÖVSVETT and 16 BLÅSARE UTAN HJÄRNA. On the RIGHT is Fredde, who played guitar 16 BUH and PALIMPSEST. I accidentally said Fredde was on the left as well. The photo from this week is NYX NEGATIV, obviously. I pulled it from the Encyclopedia of Swedish Punk – a book I reference multiple times a week, haha. (Thank you for showing it to me, Marko.)

So, I was thinking more about Jawbreaker and I realized they made no mention of the vocalist before Nillen. I have read in the Encyclopedia of Swedish Punk that Bonni, who played guitar in ASTA KASK, was the very first vocalist of ANTI CIMEX. I wish I was at the NYC showing where they did the Q&A with Charlie after, haha. The book also mentions Bonni was in PRODUKT ASSAR. I think maybe this stuff is more obscure? But it rips. They kinda have more of a “punk” than hardcore sound with the way the music is catchier and the way they play their mid-tempo parts, but the guitar is distorted as hell and the band can get wild with the gang vocals.

They did appear on legendary Really Fast Vol. 1. Bonni was not on their Naked Ass in Paradise tape, but he did play on that compilation. That tape is cool, but there are a number of those songs on different comps and I prefer those versions. The band does sound way more locked-in and faster on this tape, though. I like the vocal style genuinely, but when compared to the other material it comes off kinda lazy or something. They were on those Varning För Punk CD reissue box sets as well, so maybe they’re not as obscure as I think. But still, in the end they never had their own record. I had first discovered them with a bunch of other bands when I Thrash, Therefore I Am was reissued. Their tracks were pulled from their tape, but I don’t think recordings released by BCT were ever like exclusive, right? PRODUKT ASSAR can also be found on Kloak Skrål 1. That’s probably my favorite shit by them. It is kinda crazy to hear the slower version of “Regeringen,” but again I prefer their sound here compared to their tape. All the songs on that tape are special to the release, as they were all recorded at Kloakens Alternativa Antistudio for the comp.

Ah yes, Kloakens Alternativa Antistudio… I have raved about this studio and the person responsible for it many times here. I apologize for repeating myself. Micke Blomqvist was this person, guitarist and vocalist of ASTA KASK. At his studio he recorded so many bands, including many essential Swedish hardcore bands like: ANTI CIMEX, AVSKUM, ASOCIAL, SVART PARAD, CRUDE SS, NYX NEGATIVE, RÖVSVETT, EATER and THE BRISTLES. See why I care so much about him? Haha. In the Encyclopedia when talking about ASTA KASK, the author writes a good bit about Micke.

“Their massive impact on the punk scene began with the success of Kloakens Alternativa Studio (KAOS); with the help of his father (a carpenter), Micke rebuilt their rehearsal room into a primitive recording studio for any punk band to use. Practically EVERY hardcore band would end up doing at least one trip to Töreboda in the following years to come. It’s a huge understatement to say that this has meant a great deal for the punk scene in the early/mid 80s! Just check the credits on your records and tapes, boys and girls!”

Sorry, I don’t really know where I am going, but back to PRODUKT ASSAR. I saw we have this reissue in stock that came out a few years back. I am a petty hater, and I don’t really buy stuff released on this label. But I try not to be petty, and there are always exceptions to everything, haha. The copies are sealed but I could already see there were tracks I had never heard. Naturally, I had to make the purchase. I learned from this reissue all their material was recorded at Kloakens Alternativa Antistudio. I also learned their tape was recorded after the stuff that appeared on comps. Like I mentioned, there are songs I had never heard, so it seems they have released the entirety of their first recording session, where the band selected only certain songs for compilations. On the B side, it’s their Naked Ass in Paradise tape. Man, does it sound better than ever here. There are also more songs here than found on their original demo. One song was recorded previously and the other doesn’t seem to appear anywhere else. With those, and the few songs I hadn’t heard from the other session, I am very impressed. The sound is solid. It’s certainly the best I have heard these songs. The tracks from the tape have a lot more clarity. Of course, there is still a lo-fi element to them, so the sound is not super full. There are some photos of the band on the insert and some lyrics on the back side. I do wish there was some type of history or bio of the band. Also, if there was a breakdown of the tracks and where they originally appeared that would be ideal. But all things considered, with the sound quality and tracklist, this is a great reissue I have been sleeping on. Oh fuck… I was just looking at the back cover and realized why I did not even check it out originally. This is a co-op release and one of the labels is Uproar from Sweden. The label owner is a known outspoken right-wing conservative. Great, I’m an idiot but I am not about to try and find something else to write about now. Alright I guess, that’s it for today, haha. Cheers and thanks for reading.

Hello and thanks for reading. I missed last week cos I was out sick. My good friend Ante sent me this picture a little while back. (Hi Ante!) He’s in the middle and they were on the way to see MDC sometime in the late 80s. The guy on the left is Frank who was the drummer of RÖVSVETT and 16 BLÅSARE UTAN HJÄRNA. On the left is Fredde, who played guitar in REA RESPIRATOR, 16 BUH, and PALIMPSEST. I am not that familiar with REA RESPIRATOR, but they’ve got a tape from 1986 alongside a handful of comp appearances that I recognized them from. 16 BUH is fairly obscure compared to other Swedish bands. I think I first heard them on Delirium Tremens Nr:6, of course their long, hard to pronounce name makes them unforgettable haha. If you don’t know them, check em out. Don’t be fooled by the more poppy tracks that begin each demo, this shit rips.

Anyways, whenever there is an 80s reissue, especially from a Swedish band, I am going to check it out. Sometime recently we got these PALIMPSEST reissues from Aftermath Tapes. The original was released in 1987 and I knew nothing about the band until this reissue. I didn’t even know Ante was their drummer until he showed me the tape, so sick! PALIMPSEST has a heavy influence from DRI, with their ultra-fast tempos and especially with the nod to them on the intro. I’d say it’s safe to assume RÖVSVETT was also a big influence. They have similar styles with the riffs and speed, and they were actually from the same place as PALIMPSEST. Some of those guys went on to form 16 BUH after. Besides the ultra-fast, they have a good amount of mid-tempo parts. They actually get a little post-punky with it at times. The guitar tone changes significantly on leads, and it reminds me a lot of Norway’s BETONG HYSTERIA. They might also be another good comparison in how they were a hardcore band, but not so straight-forward by incorporating bits other hardcore bands would not typically do. If you haven’t checked this one out yet, I suggest you do! I should have prepared more and maybe asked Ante a few questions, but unfortunately I did not. He’s always got such cool and interesting trivia when it comes to Swedish hardcore, like knowing who coined the term “kängpunk" hehe.

So last week I traveled north with Daniel to Richmond to catch the ANTI-CIMEX documentary Jawbreaker, followed by the PUBLIC ACID / INVERTEBRATES homecoming gig with K.O.S. Not that anyone is asking, but I have a few things to say about the documentary. I imagine some readers have seen it while the majority have not? It was a great watch overall, but naturally there will be criticisms with anything one anticipates this much. I was impressed by them having the members of all eras of ANTI-CIMEX in there. You could easily see the documentary took place over a long period of time, with people having significantly different haircuts at different points in the film. I’m pretty sure this thing almost fell apart multiple times over the years, cos of posts Charlie would make online. They included some segments from Andra Takter and it was nice to have English subtitles over that. I wish I could see that entire thing in English. I’m gunna try and figure that out by next week, so stay tuned haha. It’s been a super long time since I watched that documentary, and I didn’t have time to watch it again before writing this. In Jawbreaker, you hear Charlie talking about the recording session for Anarkist Attack. They are comparing demo recordings of those songs to the actual 7” and pointing out how much more aggressive and fast the demos were. There was no story behind it like I had hoped for. It was actually kinda funny cos they had a handful of what appeared to be hyper rare cassettes on the table, but instead of jamming those they seem to be listening to the music digitally on a laptop, haha. I can’t find this or remember where I saw it originally; I thought it was a comment on the Andra Takter documentary, but I don’t see it there. I don’t think they even talk about that 7” in the documentary… I could be completely confusing bands or something, but I swear I remember reading a Swede translate something like ten years ago saying that the studio engineers during Anarkist Attack demanded the band “calm down” or they would not record them. To me, that accounted for the slower tempos and unenthusiastic vocals. I need to look more into that though.

Speaking of vocals, it was super cool to have Nillen in the documentary and hear his account of the band dynamic during his time. It was also really cool to have Jean-Louis in there and get some more backstory on why they began to incorporate a percussionist in the band. Cliff was hilarious…haha. I didn’t really know what to expect, but fuckin hell despite all the negative things I have read, he was so funny. Naturally, having a legend like Tomas Jonsson in there was a big deal. Last time I read anything with his words was quite a while back and I was surprised when it was released. I also had no idea he has a band again, and we see some of that in the documentary. Jawbreakeralso included parts from this 90s WOLFPACK video. If you haven’t seen this, I’d watch it. I’m not even a WOLFPACK fan, but the bits between the songs make it all worth it, haha. I wish I could have gone to the New York screening of the documentary, where they had Charlie doing a Q&A. I had A LOT of questions, haha, especially what did he mean when they were counting to threes cos of DISCHARGE? Like playing riffs three times surely, and not the way he’d count within the measure, right? Haha, anyways that’s it for today. Cheers and thanks for your support.

Hello and thanks for reading. This week I will try to be more concise. This EXCLAIM Reality & Future 7” sounds like a could have been a flexi released in 1985. I love it. I mean it was recorded in 1985, just unfortunately not released until now. It would have fit well on like Half Alive or More Records, or like Hold Up; labels that are home to (what I consider) cult classic bands like A.T. DET, JUDEN SOUCHI, ANTISEPTIC and HEADLESS. I can’t quite figure it out why, but they also remind me a bit of THE BONES. Maybe it’s just cos of that little poppy intro to the 7”, haha. All the bands I have named, however, don’t really match the speed of EXCLAIM. I was trying to think of the Japanese bands that played a similar style at the time, and it feels like EXCLAIM pushes the envelope when it comes to speed more than others. SYSTEMATIC DEATH was a good reference that came to mind when it comes to speed. The general vocal style of EXCLAIM is much harsher than SYSTEMATIC D, though. Of course they remind me of G.I.S.M., alongside shit like GAGIZE, especially with their back-and-forth/gang vocals. The palm-muting and heavy metallic riffs are actually pretty damn Randy Uchida-esque. While this band is totally influenced by G.I.S.M., it feels like the roots are more into hardcore with the structure and actual style. I’m not the best with words, so maybe that doesn’t make much sense, haha. This record has a note inside informing the listener of audio degradation from the original tape, and the limited sound sourcing that was available. Regardless, I think the record sounds great. I’ve heard way worse sound on reissue records and contemporary releases. If you haven’t heard this yet, I’d check it out and suggest you get a copy!!

Moving onto the EXCLAIM Fusillade 12”, we have two recordings from 1986 compiled onto one record. From the insert, it appears these were recorded at the same place in ’86. There is not much info otherwise though, and if these tapes were just dubbed by hand in small quantities. I didn’t know about EXCLAIM until I heard about this reissue, but I was able to check out the tape Fusillade online. The other tape Final seems to have no internet presence at all. Anyways, the sound changed over that year for the band. While the 1985 stuff was killer, and I might favor it more, it feels like the band had developed more of their own sound that would set them apart from the standard hardcore formula when it comes to their 1986 material. The recording quality is exponentially better than the 7”. The vocals kinda sound even more like Sakevi here, and I’m happy to hear they still utilize the gang vocals a bit. I understand there are similarities between this stuff and GASTUNK, and they are described as a major influence in the interview with the drummer featured on the insert. I don’t really know their stuff. If you played them, I could probably pick it out from the cheesy vocals, but that’s about it. I never got into them, namely cos of the vocals. Maybe one day that will change, haha. I hear similarities between this EXCLAIM material and the ZOLGE 12” that was released by Dogma in 1984, especially on the track “Never Never Land.”

Track 10 starts the other recording session on the record, Final. They come right out of the gate with the cheesy-ass high pitch vocals, but due to the lower fidelity sound I kinda fuck with it hard, haha. Man, that track “The Man Of Leisure” is way too good to handle. The simple leads are absolutely perfect. The riffs are generally very simple, but the guitar is used in a percussive way at times, which I really think compliment the song structure. While the riffs are simple, the song structure is seemingly not so simple. They go back and forth between two riffs in the standard way, but after coming back around that second time they bust into an anthemic punchy/accenting bit. When you think it’s gunna be over it continues onward to a percussive rolling passage that builds tension, appearing nowhere else in the song. From there they go back into that back-and-forth between the main riffs, and about a minute later we are back into that build-up part again. However, this time it is not followed by the rolling passage; instead, the drummer builds up on the hi-hat playing 16th notes and the guitar plays a slightly different riff than the first time around, and we are launched into a wailing solo that’s followed by some additional riffage, taking us into the end of the song. Can you tell how much I like this song after reading my dissection? Haha. Anyways, yeah, I think this record is killer and you should check it out! (and buy a copy.)

Alright, I think that’s it for today. I am so stoked on these releases, and very grateful for people like Tom GS putting in the hard work to get stuff like this officially released for us all to rage to in 2026! Oh yeah before I go, I wanted to mention I have been jamming this Tarantula On My Cock tape often these last two weeks. This is that kinda fan club shit I live for. Get one before they are gone!!! Cheers and thanks for reading. Much love to my friends out there.

Hello and thanks for reading. I am trying to make a greater effort and get back into writing staff picks, but I am a bit rusty when it comes to writing after not doing it for so long. This week I am writing about the new ABSOLUT / DESTRUCT split 7”. I feel like there has been an increase in good splits in the last handful of years. There have always been splits in the punk world, but into the 90s I feel like they hit a dark time, haha. It’s like hell yeah this 90s goregrind band fucking sucks… but check out this other shitty pornogrind band while we are at it! But yeah, splits used to be a great way to make record pressing more affordable and help with the distribution of the record. The way things are done now with most stuff being released by pretty well-established labels rather than self-releasing, I don’t think that really factors into the equation so much anymore. It was also a really cool way to hear a band you had never heard before if you bought the record for one band in particular. I was not buying records in the 90s, but this has happened to me from time to time over the years, even though I often go into it thinking the other band is gunna suck. These days you can like damn near always check out a band online though.

When I think of splits from the 80s, shit comes to mind like: KAAOS / CADGERS, WRETCHED / INDIGESTI, DECLINO / NEGAZIONE, RIP / ESKORBUTO, IMPACT / EU’s ARSE, FAITH / VOID, CHAOS U.K. / ENT, STENGTE DØRER / PROCES, EXECUTE / INFERNO, KAFKA PROSESS / DISORDER, ACCUSED / REJECTORS, GENOCIDE / MIA, CCM / I REFUSE IT, ZYKLOME A / MORAL DEMOLITION, OI POLLOI / A.O.A., CRASS / POISON GIRLS, LÄRM / STANX, PYHÄKOULU / ABORTTI 13, ADS / CITY-X, and I guess the DOOM / NO SECURITY split was right there at the very end of the 80s. These are all great splits, to say the least. Maybe the last few I could tell you pretty easily which side I prefer – but overall those are straight up bangers on both sides. I was trying to think of the earliest split I knew, which is the KAAOS / CADGERS from 1981. I suspected it was punks who made the first proper split record, but you never know I guess. I figured there had to be a split that existed before 1981 and I just didn’t know the record. Well, the internet showed me this split from 1978 with two bands from Belgium, X-PULSION and STREETS. The X-PULSION side is pretty cool, especially for being from 1978.

So, going into the 90s there were a TON of splits. In the midst of all the butt-crust and shitty grind bands, there were still some absolutely killer splits. The CROCODILESKINK / NO SECURITY split is one of the first that comes to mind. I’m not sure I could ever pick my favorite NO SECURITY material, but I can tell you this is my favorite CROCODILESKINK stuff. Well, favorite stuff that I have by them. There is a discography CD with a bunch of material I am not super familiar with cos I don’t have it. Their sound on this record is so blown out, but like in a good way, it’s insane. It’s not blown out in that hi-range noisy way, but like heavy as hell. The vocal delivery is absolutely perfect. They go back and forth, often delivering long phrases over riffs that dissolve into throat-y sounds of disgust, like that of EXTREME NOISE TERROR. NO SECURITY needs no explanation from me. I think they are easily one of the greatest Swedish hardcore bands to ever exist. There are days I wonder if I like them more than TOTALITÄR (I know, I ponder such big, important things). I do think NO SECURITY are under-rated since all their releases but one are splits or tapes. If for some reason so you aren’t so familiar with them, check out this compilation now and get excited for the reissue that will hopefully happen one day soon. Oh man, I was just listening to that CROCODILESKINK compilation CD online and holy shit there is an unreleased NO SECURITY cover on it. That is so cool and unexpected to hear. Oh whoa, after that is a cover of Norway’s WITHIN RANGE. That’s even more unexpected to hear.

The WARCOLLAPSE / DISRUPT split is another one I can never get enough of. I don’t care for DISRUPT’s second track on that split to be honest, but the other track is so good, especially if you read the lyrics alongside listening. WARCOLLAPSE is like one of my favorite bands from the 90s. I do not like their font/logo much at all and I know they can be kinda mid at times on certain records. But when they hit it right, they really hit it damn good. I remember playing this split one night at my old place with Alex (love you) and he was like, “you don’t think this is kinda boring?” Haha, for me it’s perfect. I appreciate the simple, yet effective lyrics. That goes for the riffs, too. I know they aren’t doing anything that special, and I think other bands who emulate this style really suck, but there is something about WARCOLLAPSE that elevates them above others for me. I love the straight forward and low tuned guitars, yet the drums go ultra-fast at times. To me, they are very original for this “crust” sound. That break down at the end of “Skincolour Terror” is so mean. Then the simple-ass guitar lead comes in that is reminiscent of something CIMEX would do early on, but more evil... ugh. So sick. Sometimes they go a bit too slow for me, but they always come back around to the shit I came for, and it keeps me hooked. In the end, regardless of if I like the music or not, for this time period from the 80s into the late 90s (shit maybe even early 2000s), the split was always a cool idea, especially when it featured bands from two different countries. I interpret this as a great sign of trust and international solidarity, something that thrives within the underground and DIY. These underground connections were integral, especially when we didn’t have the internet and social media to connect us.

OK, I have written too much about nothing really again, so that’s enough about 90s splits. So quickly… into the 2000s, it’s about the same to me. Tons of shitty grind and powerviolence split records pressed on obscure sized discs, with some actual bangers sprinkled in the midst. In the more recent-ish 2000s, I try and think about what splits really got me excited. I remember being super stoked for the INFERNOH / NOMAD split at the time. ABSOLUT / PARANOID is another that comes to mind. But not a lot comes to me. In the last handful of years, the ELECTRIC CHAIR / PHYSIQUE, RAT CAGE / NERVOUS SS, SAVE OUR CHILDREN / STUNTED YOUTH, alongside the previous two DESTRUCT splits with LiFE and SVAVELDIOXID were all killer splits I could name off the top of my head. Like I said, I know there have always been splits, but I am happy to see more splits coming onto my radar that I really like. The PUBLIC ACID / INVERTEBRATES 12” split is like iconic, especially in the way of it being a symbol of their friendship. I think this DESTRUCT / ABSOLUT split falls right into that category as well.

This split has been a LONG time in the works, and has had many different changes in the process of it being released. But I have written so fucking much already I can’t get into the story of this record today. I am sorry for wasting your time as I have said virtually nothing about the record I came here to write about today until now, haha. But I should say some quick things before I go. DESTRUCT recorded all the way back in 2024 and ABSOLUT followed a little after in 2025. If I remember right, this is from the same recording session that DESTRUCT recorded their material from the SVAVELDIOXID split. Haha also if I remember right, ABSOLUT scrapped their entire first recording session and re-did it. The artwork was done by legendary Sugi, but there were two artists lined up before him. ACUTE NOISE MANUFACUTRE released this record on paper, but I think it’s actually band-funded. I could be wrong about that. But before ANM, there were two other labels who were planned to release this record. So, DESTRUCT delivers their hi-velocity d-beat raw punk with a super good sounding recording and master. There is not much more I can say about this band that I haven’t said already in previous reviews. ABSOLUT’s recording does not sound nearly as good. I mean DESTRUCT is so particular, that it would be hard to compete with their expectations when it comes to sound engineering. While you can compare the quality of the ABSOLUT recording with DESTRUCT’s and be like, “damn this kinda sucks,” their songs are fucking bonkers. They continue further along the road of insane metal tendencies. While I’d generally described them with having a heavy sound, they kinda have an ‘epic’ side that comes out with the guitar’s metallic tendencies. On this record (and previous tape), the metallic tendencies seem to be not really a tendency anymore and this shit is like full-blown metal guitar with a punk foundation, haha. They continue to add double-kick parts in songs, and contrary to how I feel like 95% of the time, I do love it here. They deliver an interlude bit that reminds me of Hell’s Highest Power, and a completely insane solo on their first track “Judas.” Joel is an absolute mad man, and approaches the guitar like no one I have ever seen in my life. Alright, that’s my quick summary. Buy this killer record. Maybe next week I will give you the part II on the making of the record, if anyone cares. Cheers and thanks for reading, and much love to my friends.

https://publicacid.bandcamp.com/album/pay-no-more

https://invertebrates.bandcamp.com/album/accosted

Hi and thanks for reading. I can’t remember when the last time I wrote was and I can’t remember what I wrote about, haha. Jeff is officially on the road as of yesterday though, so I really need to get back to my contributions to the newsletter. I know he wrote about the upcoming PUBLIC ACID / INVERTEBRATES tour last week and shared the dates. I could be out of the loop, but I don’t often see bands doing tours this length anymore. They are covering the bulk of the US in about three weeks. They didn’t tour nearly as far, but I think BRAINWASH VICTIMS toured a pretty decent length, which is also crazy cos they have only released a tape. The tape definitely got my attention enough to travel up to Richmond to catch their gig though, haha. Anyways, if you are in or anywhere around any of these cities the tour is hitting, you would be a complete fool to miss them. I am spoiled for being able to see bands this good on a regular basis. The sound is perfectly dialed in, the songwriting is not boring for even a second, and the live performances are never shy of explosive. INVERTEBRATES and PUBLIC ACID both have 7”s coming out very soon on Beach Impediment. They both released a preview track from them like yesterday or today actually. Something very cool they did to coincide with this tour was releasing a special split 12” with both bands’ upcoming EPs on it. I think the 12” is limited to 300, and you can only scoop it on this tour. (I’m sorry if you’re just now learning this, and you are an insane collector who can’t go to any of the shows.) I imagine these are guaranteed to sell-out, so if you are a fiend I would definitely hit that merch table as soon as you walk into the building, haha.

Besides this being a cool record from like the “collector’s limited availability” standpoint, I think the record symbolizes something very special this group of people has brought together through their years of everlasting friendship. PUBLIC ACID has been hard at work for so many years now, going back to their roots in Greensboro, NC as HOLDER’S SCAR. I know INVERTEBRATES doesn’t have as much of a foundation, but of course the bands share members. I have spent so much time in a van with these fools, and they still love me regardless of my flaws – which is, to me, true friendship. It means a lot to see them putting out records and touring, especially together as a crew.

It’s funny, when they first announced the tour, I was outta town. It was like a week later and I actually noticed they start the tour in Charlotte, NC. You basically have to pass Raleigh to get to Charlotte from Richmond. I was upset to say the least. I wrote them an angry message in a group chat… haha. (See what I mean about loving me regardless of my flaws?) I was confused as to why they wouldn’t play Raleigh and pass over us to play another city. I then learned they originally were going to start their tour in Birmingham, and last minute got a Charlotte gig thrown together to split up the drive. This makes complete sense. I mean yeah, I would have absolutely loved if they had played our city on this tour, but they didn’t choose Charlotte over Raleigh like I had interpreted it. In addition to my confrontational message, I made some cry-baby comment about not being able to buy their silly special record since they weren’t playing my city. To which they replied they had already saved me a special version… and then when I got back to town, there was a fucking test press sitting on my desk at work. Yeah, I felt like an idiot for sure for talking shit. Then full circle, I caught a ride to the Charlotte gig last night and it was fucking sick.

I was really looking forward to seeing this local band FUCKIN’ WARHEADS. My friend Joe had asked me about the tape a while back, and that’s how it got on my radar. Later, I saw a quick live video on social media and I was like holy shit, these mofos can rip. I got a contact in the band from a Charlotte friend to see about tapes, and I learned they just make them by hand and they had to make more. Maybe we will get some one of these days. I love when I meet young punks who actually still do this. There is the other side of the young punk mind that I have noticed where they just release stuff digitally and do not give a shit about releasing an actual tape. I was talking to the drummer, Levi, a bit last night and learned they recorded themselves straight to tape on a Tascam. So fucking sick. I was really impressed when he said they only used one microphone as well, haha. Like, what? I can hear everything and actually tell what’s happening. Well done. Watching them live gave me some serious SHITLICKERS vibes. I look forward to what they record next. Anyways, that’s it, I’ve written too much about basically nothing. I’ll write something better next week, my bad. Cheers and thanks for reading. Much love to my friends reading.

Hi and thanks for reading. I haven’t written a staff pick since November. I’m not sure if anyone really noticed, haha. This year has been by far the worst year of my entire life thus far, but yes, thanks to the support from my loved ones, I am still here. Today I am writing about Finnish hardcore (surprise). When it comes to Finnish hardcore, KAAOS is one of the first bands that comes to mind for me. I remember the first time I heard the Totaalinen Kaaos EP. It blew me away. I couldn’t stop listening. I still can’t. I didn’t know hardcore could sound like that; completely unhinged but still somehow grooves. Don’t even get me started on how many tracks they crammed on the sucker, too. KAAOS was from Tampere and had line-up changes on like every release. I think Jakke, the vocalist, was the only consistent member in the band. It’s funny, I think of him being the iconic front person of KAAOS, but he originally started on guitar on their split with CADGERS. I remember seeing their Nukke EP around and it took me a while to listen to it. It was released in 1993, so my foolish ass thought it might suck. The thing is, while this was not released until 93, it was in fact recorded in 1985. I didn’t understand why it was never initially released, but today I was reading they broke up in December 1985. Maybe that explains why this recording didn’t see the light of day back then? I know they didn’t reform until 1999, so it’s interesting Fight Records picked it up in the early ‘90s for a proper release. Also, in 1996 Fight released Valtio Tuhoaa Ei Rakenna. This was another 7” I foolishly passed for even longer than Nukke due to the release date. Later I discovered this session was originally from 1983. Just a handful of years ago Fight released Ei Enää Kipua Ei Tuskaa on a 12”, and this record is the entire session from 1983 I just mentioned. The 7” from ‘96 was only eight of the sixteen tracks KAAOS recorded. These recordings have become some of my favorite shit from KAAOS. The acoustic guitar bridge in “Elektroninen Xtaasi” and the piano on “Syytön Sivustakatsoja” is so fucking cool, totally unexpected and executed with absolute taste. The latter appears on their 12” from 1984 as well. Funny, writing this now I realize that this session, as well as tracks on Nukke, were probably just practice recordings for the real deal that would follow later. Maybe that is actually why they were not initially released? Sonarize did a US pressing of Ei Enää Kipua Ei Tuskaa, and if you don’t have it, I would highly suggest you pick one up.

Anyways, back to Nukke EP. This record has a similar line-up to their Ristiinnaulittu Kaaos 12” from 1984. I think the bassist is the only difference. Nukke used to be available for cheap as hell like everywhere thanks to Havoc Records, but in recent years it seems to have become a bit harder to find. Perfect timing for Fight Records to get this sucker back in print! In Fight tradition, this pressing is limited to 300 copies on color vinyl. I’m sure once it’s sold out it will be repressed on a different color. I was really excited to hear this beast on 12” format cut at 45rpm, as the original was a 7”. This pressing was also mastered analog from the original mixdown tape. Sounds like a perfect formula, yeah? Well, unfortunately, this shit is cut so quiet. It’s a bit disappointing. I’m also not a huge fan of the cover art. When Havoc did their pressing, they used the band picture from the back of Fight pressing as the front cover. I like that look much better, but this reissue is staying true to the original. Knowing that “nukke” translates to “the doll” in English gives a lot more context. The artwork was done by Nappi, who played bass on their debut 7”. I think he may have been in RIISTEYT for some time as well, but I don’t know that for sure or what he played on. OK. So regardless of my critiques here at the end, if you don’t already own a copy of Nukke EP I would suggest you grab a copy of this reissue cos this material is essential. And to keep it real, if you already have a previous 7” pressing, I’d say you can do without this 12” version. That’s all for today then. Maybe you’ll hear from me next week. Cheers and thanks for your support.