Labels

Sorry State

  • 01. Revansch
    02. Primitiv Energi
    03. Inget Jag Vill Ha
    04. Förlorad
    05. Du Gömmer Dig För Verkligheten
    06. Instängd/Fri
    cover

    INSTÄNGD

    Drag Utan Drog

    Format
    7" lim
    Release-Datum
    27.08.2011
     
  • 01. This Life
    02. Family Values
    03. Invalid
    04. Mask
    05. Never Enough
    06. Escape
    07. Court of Public Opinion
    08. Stupid Pills
    09. What Goes Around Comes Around
    10. Sold Out
    11. Party's Over
    12. Active Shooter
    13. Exile
    14. Killjoy
    cover

    INVALID

    Invalid

    [engl] Invalid’s cassette-only debut, Do Not Resuscitate, came out on their hometown label Cruel Noise Records early in 2020 and, for me, it was love at first listen. Invalid plays hardcore in the tradition of Black Flag’s Damaged, deploying sophistication and craft not to show off, but as tools that allow them to go further and deeper as they exorcise their demons. Invalid’s bulldozer intensity is the first thing that grabs you, but the great riffs and songs keep you coming back, every track containing an improbable hook like the martial chant of “Wake up / eat / shit” in “This Life,” the primal howl of “wasting away” in the chorus to “Escape,” or the instant-classic intro riff to “Stupid Pills.” Fans of records like Direct Control’s first 7”, C.O.C.’s Eye for an Eye, and Unseen Force’s In Search of the Truth are perhaps best primed to appreciate Invalid’s punishing yet catchy and energetic style of hardcore. This self-titled LP contains all eight tracks from Do Not Resuscitate plus six new ones cast from the same mold.
    Format
    LP lim
    Release-Datum
    27.05.2022
     
  • 01. Barron Wasteland
    02. Workshopping
    03. DDYSWHP
    04. Elevator Shaft
    05. Shoko Ones Pt. 1
    06. Aromatherapy
    07. Fake V Flake
    08. Fletcher From Pennywise
    09. Mac N Me
    10. Nut
    11. Outta My Gourd
    12. White Man In Hammerpants
    13. Chrome Song
    14. Diet Yogurt
    cover

    ISS

    Alles 3rd Gut

    Format
    LP lim
    Release-Datum
    10.07.2019
     
  • 01. Spikes
    02. Metforming
    03. Cellmate
    04. Facemask
    05. Popes, Queens, Wings and Things
    06. (Uni)forming(atl)
    07. One-sided Triangle
    08. Sexts and Guidance
    09. Too Punk for Heavy Metal
    10. a msg 2 u
    11. Hittrack
    12. I Wanna Be Dated
    13. Armchair Aryan (Richard Spencer's Gifts)
    14. C.H.U.D.F.R.E.A.K. Swap Meet
    15. My Miata
    16. Puttin' on the Blitz (remix)
    cover

    ISS

    Spikes+

    [engl] Spikes+ is an expanded edition of ISS’s pandemic-themed 2020 cassette, whose uniquely packaged, self-released edition came and went before most anyone could hear about it. With some of ISS’s best songs—like the anthemic title track, the unexpectedly touching "Cellmate,” and the blistering “Facemask”—Sorry State couldn’t bear to let Spikes pass as a mere blip in the zeitgeist. Besides the five tracks from the original Spikes cassette, Spikes+ includes “Puttin’ on the Blitz” from 2016’s Studs cassette, 2018’s self-titled 7” on Sorry State, ISS’s three tracks from 2019’s American Idylls compilation, and the 2020 single Too Punk for Heavy Metal. Highlights abound here too, from the cowbell-infused “One-Sided Triangle” to the Agent Orange-inspired lead guitar on “I Wanna Be Dated” (courtesy Scarecrow’s Jef Leppard). Like the best odds-n-sods compilations, Spikes+ sounds great whether you’re revisiting old favorites or making new ones.
    Format
    LP lim
    Release-Datum
    23.12.2022
     
  • 01. Do You Know Who I Am?
    02. Used Condos
    03. Rote Atlas
    04. Soft Pipes
    05. The Weather
    06. The Leather
    07. Fatigued
    08. M.I.A. (Intelligence)
    09. Cube In Hand
    10. Rake
    11. A Knock On The Roof / A Reply
    cover

    JOINT D#

    ... / Intelligence

    [engl] A highly significant leaked dossier of ripping hardcore, ‘Intelligence’ is dripping with arch rage and lateral hatred. This unrelenting dispatch from camp ? sees their quick fire bile launcher trained expertly on insidious fascisms old and new, looking both inwards to their home state of North Carolina and outwards to the murderous effects of American foreign policy, facing down this complex cluster fuck without flinching, reduction or cliché, instead deploying all the class, riffs and wordplay you’ve come expect from these quarters. Fusing the wild-ass pace Japanese hardcore mania with riffs recalling Poison Idea at their moist concentrated dose, Intelligence is both a sonic ultimatum and a helpful compass. Mandatory listening for both those who are just waking up to the nightmare, and those, like Joint D?, who’ve had eyes on their drones in the sky for quite some time
    Format
    LP lim
    Release-Datum
    03.04.2017
     
  • 01. Pollutant
    02. Harm in My Head
    03. Snakeskin
    04. E.R.V.
    05. Never Elaborate
    06. Heavy Water
    07. Accelerant
    08. False Flag
    09. Satan Is Real Again, Again
    cover

    JOINT D#

    Satan Is Real Again, Again, or: Feeling Good About Feeling Good About Bad Thoughts

    Format
    LP lim
    Release-Datum
    17.10.2013
     
  • 01. Recognise the Word
    02. Pulsating Gore
    03. Do the Work
    04. Heavy Hauler
    05. Drink from the Lake
    06. Smashed Berry
    07. Be Your Own Killer
    08. Stacking Up Bricks
    09. Last of the Punks
    10. Saudi Royalty
    11. Where Do You Fit
    cover

    KNOWSO

    Pulsating Gore

    [engl] With previous releases on Total Punk, Drunken Sailor, and Neck Chop, many of you know Knowso. Maybe you’re even familiar with Cruelster and Perverts Again, projects that share members and sensibilities with Knowso. As for the rest of you, some percentage will hear fifteen seconds of Pulsating Gore and decide it’s not for you. (You’re missing out.) Knowso is too quirky, too nerdy… they don’t rock. But if you have a soft spot for angular rhythms, they’ll pull you in. From there, Pulsating Gore has layers to peel back. Its music is intricate, dense with notes delivered quickly and precisely, layered into interlocking patterns that brim with organic tension. The vocals are not really singing, but memorable nonetheless… a kind of purposefully forceful, yet emotionally detached incantation. And then there are the lyrics, which quick-cut between cryptic images, cracked and fragmented slogans, violent premonitions, and austere documentation of drudgery, words and phrases repeating as their meaning throbs in time with the music. Much of the imagery comes from singer / guitarist / bassist / artist Nathan Ward’s day job as a trucker: roads, highway stops, caffeinated beverages, gory accidents, etc. The images have a darkly psychedelic quality, relating to Nathan’s preoccupation with the ideal of reality “glitching,” a topic Knowso explores both musically and lyrically throughout the album. Also informing Pulsating Gore is Nathan’s intense but ultimately futile struggle to unionize his workplace, with many of the album’s lyrics reading as abstruse but biting analyses of work, labor, and capital. Rather than topics for separate songs, these ideas float through Pulsating Gore’s music and lyrics like garbage in a gas station parking lot on a windy fall day. And that’s only part of the story, so strap in and let Knowso sweep you away.
    Format
    LP lim
    Release-Datum
    26.01.2024
     
  • 01. 700 Club
    02. Selfless
    03. It's O.K.
    04. Government
    05. Dear Sirs
    06. Nauseous
    07. Blap!
    08. Acid Casualty
    cover

    KORO

    EP (2023 edition)

    Format
    7''
    Release-Datum
    10.01.2023
     
  • 01. Tempos Fracos
    02. Rombo
    03. Estrada de Ossos
    04. Alma sem Remissão
    05. Negativo
    06. Ritmo Pavoroso
    07. Pausa do Resto
    08. Corpo no Trilho
    cover

    LASSO

    Lasso

    [engl] Sorry State is proud to present the debut 8-song EP from Brazil’s Lasso. These eight short, fast songs fit with the long tradition of raw and urgent hardcore punk bands from Lasso’s part of the world, but there’s more than just aggro here. Lasso’s secret weapon is the subtle death rock sensibility that cuts through their songs, manifesting in the dynamic and memorable songcraft and in the dark, melodic guitar leads that occasionally pierce the mix. Carlos Casotti’s cover art beautifully captures the tension in Lasso’s music, balancing intensity and elegance in a way that’s immediately striking, but rich in depth and detail. Like other classic bands who blended hardcore and death rock—Rudimentary Peni, Part 1, False Confession—Lasso’s music is like an eerie and intense nightmare that stays with you long after you wake up. Limited to 350 copies.
    Format
    7''
    Release-Datum
    16.10.2021
     
  • 01. Nowhere
    02. Rite Of Passage
    03. Mania
    04. In The Name Of Order
    05. Forget Who You Are
    06. Wrong Profession/Same Results
    07. Nervous Habits
    08. Desperate Plea
    09. Throwaway
    10. Second String
    11. Thread Of Life
    12. False Starts
    cover

    LIBYANS

    Expired Language

    [engl] It's been a while since we've heard from Boston's Libyans, but Expired Language proves that the passage of time and the increase of space between members hasn't blunted this band's attack at all. While not quite as frantic as A Common Place, you still get plenty of rapid-fire vocals and Dan's trademark epic snare rolls, but Expired Language is an entirely subtler and more melodic record than the previous one. The guitars in particular are stunning; dense and melodic without leaning on typical punk power chord tropes. And if you liked the big sing-alongs on A Common Place, then be prepared for Expired Language to knock you out, because the choruses on this record are truly epic.
    Format
    LP lim
    Release-Datum
    22.11.2013
     
  • 01. DSM-IV
    02. Double Crossed
    03. Common Characteristics
    04. MK Ultra
    cover

    LOGIC PROBLEM

    Logic Problem

    Format
    7" lim
    Release-Datum
    27.08.2008
     
  • 01. Subversive Intent
    02. Static Kill
    03. Silence
    04. Under the Influence
    05. Death Watch
    cover

    MANIPULATION

    Manipulation 2

    Format
    7" lim
    Release-Datum
    27.08.2011
     
  • 01. Receiving End
    02. Punk Star
    03. Castration Camp
    04. Love It or Leave It
    05. Barbed Wire Brain
    06. I.O.U.
    07. Slimy Enemy
    cover

    MEAT HOUSE

    s/t

    [engl] When White Stains guitarist Eric Montanez (who also did time in Government Warning, Direct Control, Blood Pressure, Sickoids, and many others) moved back home to Raleigh, North Carolina in 2021, it wasn’t long before he was playing with some of the area’s best musicians, recruiting Alex Greenberg from Mutant Strain on drums and Scarecrow / Public Acid guitarist Jeff Young on bass. When the trio invited White Stains vocalist Keith Caves on board—even though he lives in Pittsburgh, 500 miles from the band’s home base—Meat House was born. After a handful of rehearsals and a couple of low-key gigs, in December 2022 Meat House spent a couple hours laying down seven tracks with the Shaved Ape, who recorded them live with the same 4-track setup he uses to produce his own recordings. The results, a loose and lethal homage to the filthiest, fastest, and catchiest early 80s US hardcore punk, could have easily fit on a 7”, but the band decided to cut them loud on a 45RPM 12” with a ton of dead wax in homage to records like Black Flag's Jealous Again or Battalion of Saints' Fighting Boys. Nothing about this record is precious or overwrought… it’s just seven raw blasts of go-for-the-throat American hardcore punk.
    Format
    LP lim
    Release-Datum
    28.07.2023
     
  • 01. Worked On
    02. Walled In
    03.
    04. Shut The Door
    05. Really Clean
    06. Expensive Taste
    07. Party Talk
    08. Night Shift
    09. Homeless
    10. Sleep
    11. Solutions
    cover

    MOB RULES

    The Donor

    Format
    LP lim
    Release-Datum
    17.03.2011
     
  • 01. Terrible Heat
    02. Crutch
    03. Knuckle Dragger
    04. Tethered
    05. Night Hag
    06. Carolinian Jawbreaker
    07. Murder Of Crows
    08. Don't Care Don't Know
    09. Peace Of Mind
    10. What's Next?
    11. Words Fall
    cover

    MUTANT STRAIN

    Murder of Crows

    [engl] Like their self-titled debut from 2020, Mutant Strain’s second album, Murder of Crows, is a hardcore tsunami. Mutant Strain’s songs are so intense and delivered at such inhumanly fast tempos you’ll spend your first few listens to Murder of Crows scooping your jaw off the floor and locating your newly missing teeth. But speed and volume aren’t the entire story. Much of Mutant Strain’s explosiveness comes from the density of their songs, each of which seems to cram a full album’s worth of music into a highly compressed thrill ride. The riffs never stop moving, careening like subatomic particles around an unstable uranium isotope. But while Mutant Strain flirts with the edge of meltdown, the formidable rhythm section always stays locked into the groove. That’s why, unlike most bands that play at these speeds, at their gigs, the crowd doesn’t stand around waiting for the breakdown (also because there are no breakdowns). Mutant Strain’s shows look like Hieronymus Bosch paintings: piles of writhing, possessed bodies with vocalist Maryssa hovering over the chaos like a demonic overlord. Murder of Crows is bathed in that same ecstatic energy, so turn it up loud and hang on tight.
    Format
    LP lim
    Release-Datum
    26.01.2024
     
  • 01. Pt. 1 Born Into Pain (Toofless Doofus / Juice / Dirt)
    02. Pt. 2 The Evil Hand (Burning / Gross / Hogtied)
    03. Pt. 3 Dismantling the Oath (Headache Hash / Pill / Can't Have a Lick)
    04. Pt. 4 The Execution (Basket Case / Hypocrite / Mutant Strain)
    cover

    MUTANT STRAIN

    Mutant Strain

    [engl] Mutant Strain has been playing for a while now, blowing away every band they share the stage with. Their sound is densely compressed and explosive, with intricate rock and roll riffing and wild, seemingly eight-armed drumming working around heavy, grooving bass lines and vocals that sound like they’re riling up an army of demons. The result is a batch of songs with MC Escher-esque complexity but straightforward, crowd-pleasing catchiness. In order to capture the energy and excitement of their live show, when Mutant Strain recorded these tracks with Hollywood Jefe (Vittna, Scarecrow), they not only recorded live, but also recorded the songs in batches of three with no breaks in between, just like when they play live. The result is a record that is as manic and exhilarating as being in the pit at a Mutant Strain gig. The LP version is limited to 500 copies and is elaborately packaged in an homage to old Crass Records releases, featuring a huge, 24”x36” 6-panel fold-out poster sleeve, printed inner sleeve, and multiple inserts. credits
    Format
    LP lim
    Release-Datum
    13.11.2020
     
  • 01. I Say Nothing
    02. Bad Luck Eyes
    03. Average Cost Of Living
    04. Brat
    05. Bad Habits
    06. New Hues
    07. Behave
    08. Like It Should
    09. So It Goes
    10. Gun
    11. Fashion Device
    cover

    NATURAL CAUSES

    Natural Causes

    [engl] at you could hear on the earlier 12”. We tend to love bands that fall in the cracks between subgenres here at Sorry State, and the way Natural Causes combine the atmospheric arrangements and angular riffing of post-punk with the energy of garage-punk, all the while sprinkling the whole thing liberally with big pop melodies, makes them a perfect fit for the label. Recommended if you like your punk loud and aggressive, but still forward-thinking and adventurous.
    Format
    LP lim
    Release-Datum
    02.03.2017
     
  • 01. Nuclear Exposure
    02. Burning Inside
    cover

    NO TOMORROW

    Nuclear Exposure

    Format
    7" lim
    Release-Datum
    27.08.2012
     
  • 01. I Fear the Fall
    02. Why So Serious?
    03. We're Multiplying
    04. My Shell Is Broken
    05. Bet You Wanna Live
    06. Life in Danger
    07. Cutting the Red Wire
    08. Annima City
    09. Lights Out
    10. I Seldom Try
    11. Television
    12. What's the Use?
    cover

    ROUGH KIDS

    s/t

    [engl] After two 7”s (one on Deranged and one on Sorry State), Raleigh, North Carolina's Davidians deliver their first 12” record. Realizing the sound hinted at on their previous two-song single, City Trends combines elements of art-punk and hardcore into one of the freshest and most distinctive sounds in contemporary punk. While Davidians pick up on various threads in punk’s 40-year history—the pulse and heaviness of 90s noise rock, the quirky rhythms of the Wire branch of post-punk’s family tree, the brooding atmosphere of goth, and the velocity and concision of early 80s US hardcore—these elements are fully digested, growing organically out of the sound of four people of varying ages and backgrounds playing in a room together. Rather than just referencing other parts of my record collection, for me listening to City Trends reminds me of a time of discovery, when every new band I found was a universe unto themselves ripe for exploring. With this record, the RIYL is rendered obsolete… you either like Davidians, or you don’t. But if you like smart, dense, and original punk rock then I’m pretty sure you’re going to like it a lot.
    Format
    LP lim
    Release-Datum
    31.03.2016
     
  • 01. Traicionados
    02. Hipocrita / Desobediencia
    03. Nunca Digas Nada / Gritos Para Desahogar
    04. Aqui No Es
    05. La Ley
    06. Me Dan Asco
    07. Desesperacion
    08. Se Dejaron Ir
    09. Curriqui de Barrio
    cover

    RULETA RUSA

    Aqui No Es

    [engl] Debut 12" from this San Francisco punk band that first caught my ear on their split 7" with Mexico's Los Monjo. Like Los Monjo (and like singer Jose's old band, Peligro Social), Ruleta Rusa take the big, anthemic riffs of old Spanish punk like Eskorbuto and inject them with the wild energy of 80s US hardcore, sealing the deal with a sprinkling of infectious, rocked-out lead guitar. Whether they're bashing out an upbeat singalong like "La Ley" or a darker, more downbeat song like the title track, Ruleta Rusa fill every moment with maximum power and energy. Recommended for punks who like punk.
    Format
    LP lim
    Release-Datum
    22.08.2013
     
  • 01. No Hay Paz
    02. Hijos de Perra
    03. Detenidos
    04. Cambios
    05. Odiado
    06. Antiaerreas
    07. Divina Providencia
    08. Es Un Desorden
    09. Todo Es Mierda
    10. Vivire Sin Ti
    11. Unidos/Un Dia En Texas
    cover

    RULETA RUSA

    Viviendo Una Maldicion

    [engl] It's been nearly five years since Ruleta Rusa released Aqui No Es, their debut LP for Sorry State, but if you think they've slowed, mellowed, or otherwise slipped off their game you are sorely mistaken. If anything, they're harder, faster, and punker on Viviendo Una Maldicion than they were on Aqui No Es, as perfectly exhibited on Viviendo's furious opening track, "No Hay Paz." Elsewhere on the album you get a similar mixture of classic Spanish punk, US hardcore, and second-wave UK punk that you heard on the band's previous releases, but everything feels a little more direct and a little rougher around the edges. Oh, and dig the show-stopping pair of Paralisis Permanente covers that close the album! In a word, Ruleta Rusa have gotten better... the tougher parts are tougher, the catchy parts are catchier, and they've delivered what is (to date, at least) the crowning achievement of their discography.
    Format
    LP lim
    Release-Datum
    17.04.2018
     
  • 01. Sleep Starved
    02. Not Your Prey
    03. Little Secret
    04. Epidemic
    05. Dream Desire (You're My)
    06. There's No Hope for the U.S.A.
    07. 5:45 A.M.
    08. Boys in Blue
    09. Fast Living
    10. Certain Death
    11. Trend Setter
    12. Starved for Attention
    cover

    S.L.I.P.

    Slippy When Wet

    [engl] With Slippy When Wet, Pittsburgh’s S.L.I.P. go after that rarest of white whales: the all-killer, no filler 33RPM 12” hardcore record. If you’d only heard their earlier stuff, I could see worrying that the lurching, deep-in-the-pocket, Black Flag/Bl’ast!-style rhythms that are at the core of the band’s sound might wear on the ear after a while (god knows some of those later ‘Flag records can be tough to get through in one sitting), but Slippy When Wet reveals that, much like the Adolescents or the Zero Boys, S.L.I.P. are pretty much just writing great pop songs and delivering them with the energy and power of hardcore punk. In addition to being jam-packed with memorable tunes, the playing here is just phenomenal… the “members-of” list for this band is both long and deep, and the experience shows whether they're playing full-tilt hardcore punk like “Not Your Prey” or a Judas Priest-style riff-rock sing-along like “Fast Living.” S.L.I.P. have that Annihilation Time-esque way of using their phenomenal technical proficiency in the service of making music that is fun and energetic rather than dense and pretentious, and like those great A.T. releases, Slippy When Wet is a record that won’t leave your turntable for a very long time.
    Format
    LP lim
    Release-Datum
    09.11.2016
     
  • 01. The Real Criminal
    02. Wretched Souls
    03. Courtesy Professionalism Respect
    04. Skillful Butchers / Lost Children
    05. Grim Outlook
    06. Lying Through Your Teeth
    07. Semblance of Terror
    08. Behind the Service Weapon
    09. Slaughter Bezos
    10. One Last Laugh
    cover

    SCALPLE

    Skillful Butchers

    [engl] Skillful Butchers is the new album from New York City’s Scalple, their first for Sorry State. Since Scalple’s 2018 12” on Roach Leg Records, they’ve expanded to a five-piece and changed their sound, moving toward the thrash-and-mosh dynamics of late 80s UK hardcore bands like Heresy, Ripcord, and Concrete Sox. Those bands took their inspiration from early 80s US hardcore, and just as the sound changed when those bands carried it across the pond, Scalple infuses this style with the filth, grime, and frustration they soak up walking New York City’s streets. More than just a well-timed throwback, Skillful Butchers ups their inspirations’ ante in terms of intensity and precision, and adds new wrinkles like the blistering metallic lead guitars and the crunching industrial interludes courtesy Maggot Champagne, aka Pharmakon. However you categorize it, Skillful Butchers is a great hardcore record, packed with memorable songs and riffs destined to get the pit moving as the world remembers how to mosh.
    Format
    LP lim
    Release-Datum
    01.10.2021
     
  • 01. Viivyttely
    02. Selviytyjä
    03. Hyvä Ehdokas
    04. Älä Tukehdu
    05. Sika
    cover

    SIRKKA

    Viivyttely

    [engl] Kuluttava Kone, the 2020 cassette from Sirkka, has been in constant rotation at Sorry State since it came out, and when the opportunity arose to release Sirkka’s debut record, we couldn’t say yes fast enough. While Sirkka began as a two-person recording project based in New York, on Viivyttely they’ve expanded to a four-piece lineup, albeit one whose members are spread across the US east coast and Leipzig, Germany. Vocalist Sanja’s commanding snarl serves as further evidence that Finnish is the best language for hardcore punk, while the band draws from their roots in early 80s New England hardcore and their fascination with 80s Finnish punk, creating a unique sound that fuses the former’s brute force to the latter’s subtle sense of melody. It’s like Jerry’s Kids, SSD, Rattus, and Kaaos in one giant pigpile. Five tracks of hardcore punk that crackle with intensity.
    Format
    7''
    Release-Datum
    10.01.2023