tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225652832024-03-19T08:43:01.388-04:00The One Thing That Still Holds TrueMusic is my passion. I need it at all times. The influence it has had on me is undeniable. My record collection is much more than wax and cardboard. It is who I am. This documentation captures new additions to my collection. This is my addiction.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03975324094301949169noreply@blogger.comBlogger2436125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565283.post-77927436342360949322024-03-14T19:34:00.002-04:002024-03-14T19:34:28.899-04:00Atlanta Vacation<div style="text-align: justify;">One last record before I checked out of Wanna Hear It. I said that I wasn't going to spend a lot, and while I did walk out of there with six records, they were all relatively cheap, so I'm saying that I did an okay job with self restraint.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-7iyC5U_C_xG23OhdxC7cq2377lbXpx6Qt7j281Dk7IAmZbxCuT_JaO1OHjEFWUPGRMVM4UweJErjcK2TAZ4mKOYD7SQen4kEyrW-ALulWQbFhLieHgZO7cMlkc0QBkVzKOkjl7d1UF8KlZv6Q7lymYFghdsJif-5YbR9u5k1MOgxRenrR3im5A/s1935/AOP1.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1451" data-original-width="1935" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-7iyC5U_C_xG23OhdxC7cq2377lbXpx6Qt7j281Dk7IAmZbxCuT_JaO1OHjEFWUPGRMVM4UweJErjcK2TAZ4mKOYD7SQen4kEyrW-ALulWQbFhLieHgZO7cMlkc0QBkVzKOkjl7d1UF8KlZv6Q7lymYFghdsJif-5YbR9u5k1MOgxRenrR3im5A/s400/AOP1.jpg"/></a></div>When I bought the Abuse Of Power <a href="https://recordnerdyo.blogspot.com/2017/06/when-then-becomes-now.html" target="_blank">7 inch</a> back in 2017, I only grabbed the black vinyl pressing, and I was okay with that. Black vinyl was the more limited pressing, and while there was a small itch to grab a colored vinyl option, I kept my cool and didn't do it. Now that I have this edition with the Atlanta Vacation cover, and it puts my total collection for this record at 2, I'm really feeling a pull to chase more for this one. I listened to this 7 inch today for the first time in a while, and it is still a really good record.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIiT-n0p4kqHcMKyhKxyIVji4BQouPqPBUT-bPwWY_Rp1lAg3leznA_HTiYvevbVHNt3qEtVEt96Qy-reBsEb3sdzJdJV9IfencaK_TE0BepaJDIlPbZx0TW_EScQ9bFKVtZAIz1is3crWF7dz_vIOLh32YlJX9p_GJEZRRzK1zOP5vkJId2l4Lg/s1916/AOP2.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1436" data-original-width="1916" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIiT-n0p4kqHcMKyhKxyIVji4BQouPqPBUT-bPwWY_Rp1lAg3leznA_HTiYvevbVHNt3qEtVEt96Qy-reBsEb3sdzJdJV9IfencaK_TE0BepaJDIlPbZx0TW_EScQ9bFKVtZAIz1is3crWF7dz_vIOLh32YlJX9p_GJEZRRzK1zOP5vkJId2l4Lg/s400/AOP2.jpg"/></a></div>There are a series of Atlanta Vacation tour sleeves. This one is for the Northeast tour for Baltimore, Boston and Wallingford CT... but there is also a different cover for their California tour, plus two others for each of their European tours... and I want them all. This copy was only $15 from Wanna Hear It, so I'm trying to stay chill and not chase the $30 to $50 ones available on Discogs right now for the other covers. Patience.</div>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03975324094301949169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565283.post-8522263465453299622024-03-11T19:54:00.001-04:002024-03-11T19:54:45.957-04:00Test Press Of Fire<div style="text-align: justify;">I'm not a big fan of live recordings. Sure I'll break out Kiss Alive or Black Sabbath Live Evil every now and then, and I'll grab the occasional live bootleg for the historical documentation of what songs some of the big metal bands were playing at that point in their career, but for hardcore bands... kind of pointless. Is there a single live hardcore record that people listen to on a regular basis? Fuck. I was at the last Have Heart show, and still, I have no interest in listening to the live album from it.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-nVVjSRPtN7xcnNHg15w3cDUlOUume1l4V-VF1P9FrmNu5ab_jJem-vJJ2yDear8l5Rniw8jzdlA_uT4dxEVcyoOrYKYu_j0Ve-8pgEXKd8IhHilYF_vBTBdaRH7hI6CZUp-B0y7oBNMPTIlqPuE_pvIF3bMrnZsfdZ0IhMuAgvkyPG5-OnQKaw/s1707/FOF1.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1279" data-original-width="1707" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-nVVjSRPtN7xcnNHg15w3cDUlOUume1l4V-VF1P9FrmNu5ab_jJem-vJJ2yDear8l5Rniw8jzdlA_uT4dxEVcyoOrYKYu_j0Ve-8pgEXKd8IhHilYF_vBTBdaRH7hI6CZUp-B0y7oBNMPTIlqPuE_pvIF3bMrnZsfdZ0IhMuAgvkyPG5-OnQKaw/s400/FOF1.jpg"/></a></div>So when I was obsessing over the early 2000's in recent years, and picked up a couple of <a href="https://recordnerdyo.blogspot.com/2022/10/red-fields-of-fire.html" target="_blank">Fields Of Fire records</a>, I noticed that they also had a live 7 inch. Hard pass. Zero interest. But then when I was at Wanna Hear It with Sandwell, and I saw a test press of the live record in the rack... well, now you have my attention... and for $3, get in my collection.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwtUt8-zp3CS5CwgmdCUHhFVVdVHsqJoIq1KvRNzdqeLtjlda6qgl3rkpriMJVD7i8wa9CbqrUgFi4VhViOmKBuD-AIfXOMOq-zvJhIpYVu7t474E_aXu1Izi0OjZL_FWw1ND0XDhCRN40Keu4ywlC1A8sVeRrFrs0aQESwznj5gX9ykrwGW4nzg/s1601/FOF2.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1601" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwtUt8-zp3CS5CwgmdCUHhFVVdVHsqJoIq1KvRNzdqeLtjlda6qgl3rkpriMJVD7i8wa9CbqrUgFi4VhViOmKBuD-AIfXOMOq-zvJhIpYVu7t474E_aXu1Izi0OjZL_FWw1ND0XDhCRN40Keu4ywlC1A8sVeRrFrs0aQESwznj5gX9ykrwGW4nzg/s400/FOF2.jpg"/></a></div>Nice special cover as a tribute to <b>Sounds Of Nature</b> from Christ On Parade, and number 4 out of 20.</div>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03975324094301949169noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565283.post-47684605407995276262024-03-06T19:05:00.000-05:002024-03-06T19:05:29.566-05:00Broken Distance<div style="text-align: justify;">When I listen to music, I usually pick a year and then stick around listening to the records from that year over and over, until I feel the need to move on to something else. A couple of years ago, I found myself stuck in a 2008 playlist. For me, that seems to be a time period that I rarely reach back to, and I attribute that lack of attention is due to the fact that my brain insists that 2008 was just a couple of years ago. I either listen to stuff that is brand new to me, or stuff that is really old... anything in the middle kind of gets lost, and 2008 kind of falls in that weird in-between place. Because of this, it was really fun to stick around in that year and dust off and rediscover some records.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbdRVDq4Ukwg_p7VUgh7dSjAvu8mc5KztIeuTX7rtAaDuB3P0vO7DEv7_AsmUq1lifm2hsyBbQY2FQpZ290UOfTSa3-vzfgE8LPgFad8iz6MRQ_V7aB0uMcm5It_RUv-GWwtdGcxKaB1_fxSRmSKuPm-cNYxREdDsBj9Do-VbFsDl4bFT0aZ8Pkw/s1930/broken1.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1448" data-original-width="1930" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbdRVDq4Ukwg_p7VUgh7dSjAvu8mc5KztIeuTX7rtAaDuB3P0vO7DEv7_AsmUq1lifm2hsyBbQY2FQpZ290UOfTSa3-vzfgE8LPgFad8iz6MRQ_V7aB0uMcm5It_RUv-GWwtdGcxKaB1_fxSRmSKuPm-cNYxREdDsBj9Do-VbFsDl4bFT0aZ8Pkw/s400/broken1.jpg"/></a></div>One of the records that I found myself really getting into when revisiting 2008 was the <b>Hourglass</b> 7 inch from Broken Distance. I wasn't really familiar with the band at that time, but years later became good friends with the singer, David, when he was running Salad Days Records, and it was a lot of fun to finally spend some time with one of his early straight edge bands. I started digging into the pressing info for <b>Hourglass</b> because I was tempted to pick up some colored vinyl if the price was right, and in the process I discovered that there was a second 7 inch from the band. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kk7GUmtnWRo" target="_blank">Sundown</a> was released 9 years after <b>Hourglass</b>, so I'm assuming that the band just got back together to record the final songs that they had written... but I immediately loved what I heard and wanted to buy the record.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPBeuZMGMA_CPbgihJFF8p6AqC56Sp9RX9Xwb1R69kEML3k7PnV0suUaA2z2PjB-fweeCP-NvvvwrberswIvjrQuO8_2GGgYP4Ulzrkrol-ftXRUMDvfSJhaGtp2F6l7F-qQT72-vfAHEmZzXPyZOUAZaYOoDsU5r8YVI94JiilY8Ukspfo0nhXg/s1729/broken2.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1297" data-original-width="1729" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPBeuZMGMA_CPbgihJFF8p6AqC56Sp9RX9Xwb1R69kEML3k7PnV0suUaA2z2PjB-fweeCP-NvvvwrberswIvjrQuO8_2GGgYP4Ulzrkrol-ftXRUMDvfSJhaGtp2F6l7F-qQT72-vfAHEmZzXPyZOUAZaYOoDsU5r8YVI94JiilY8Ukspfo0nhXg/s400/broken2.jpg"/></a></div>I reached out to David immediately and asked if he had any spare Broken Distance records laying around because I wanted to buy one of anything he still had available. He told me that he probably had some stuff at his parents house, and that he would check the next time he was there. Over a year later and I still haven't heard back from him on it, so when I saw a cheap copy of the white vinyl in the racks at Wanna Hear It, I quickly added it to the handful of records that I needed to buy.<p>158 pressed on white vinyl.</div>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03975324094301949169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565283.post-25258884029248333882024-03-02T14:25:00.000-05:002024-03-02T14:25:19.636-05:00The Title Fight You Forget<div style="text-align: justify;">This is the last record that I picked up last year that was influenced from sharing songs with my friend Sarah. There are a few other bands that she turned me on to that I'd still like to pick up the record for... namely Life Of Agony's <b>River Runs Red</b>, and maybe the <b>In Love There Is No Law</b> album from Twitching Tongues. This record, however, is from a band that I never expected to like, Title Fight.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1bSttghVzGZlaMEhlPlnl9fY6Ugv4KaaPAQGiRNL8PSR8qcCgHu8ApQK4guGK2Pf9xn4DuioDemoRElgKO6kn8oV1KPpKSeU1y-cqZEYP3Tl_fIiu6QTljWXUeltSPtNjM7EEyYDEmaxKAIlQTGS7KsIYb5-qUfUA_lbQ0cFbfuj20Yob96dNyA/s1778/title1.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1334" data-original-width="1778" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1bSttghVzGZlaMEhlPlnl9fY6Ugv4KaaPAQGiRNL8PSR8qcCgHu8ApQK4guGK2Pf9xn4DuioDemoRElgKO6kn8oV1KPpKSeU1y-cqZEYP3Tl_fIiu6QTljWXUeltSPtNjM7EEyYDEmaxKAIlQTGS7KsIYb5-qUfUA_lbQ0cFbfuj20Yob96dNyA/s400/title1.jpg"/></a></div>I was obviously familiar with Title Fight when Sarah sent me the song <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhviwQv8msQ" target="_blank">Loud And Clear</a> to check out. The band had a lot of hype when they were around, and it seemed like everyone liked them, but they just never seemed interesting to me. I tried to get into both their <b>Shed</b> and <b>Floral Green</b> albums at the time because it seemed like they were everywhere... but no matter how much I tried, each time I just felt like they were kind of bland. Ten years later, I gave Title Fight another chance with the song that Sarah sent me... and surprise, I fucking loved what I heard. Looking back at 2012/2013, I was heavily into stuff like Mindset and those first two Turnstile records... stuff that had more of a HARDCORE sound... so I can understand why Title Fight didn't interest me at the time. Listening to the band in 2023/2024, after loving stuff that is more melodic like the first Anxious 7 inch, and heavily getting into bands like Seaweed, Title Fight made more sense to my ears these days and I could finally appreciate what they were doing.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3iZD16TudJbzmMIvqF-LaS4tPn1AVIL17TkOO77BXZ4zJY3xsJ1iAKLqYsT9DkDidNCUpYAYHrxntrzxKzIz5C0QEy4bXAr78AHfKThyoE6m-euArk6zmahcvy1SiV9H1DXc6xuvQ4n6kcoKWMSg8VNgdO3y6K9wVQv4GRBVkOwY903_g7oaXpw/s1857/title2.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1391" data-original-width="1857" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3iZD16TudJbzmMIvqF-LaS4tPn1AVIL17TkOO77BXZ4zJY3xsJ1iAKLqYsT9DkDidNCUpYAYHrxntrzxKzIz5C0QEy4bXAr78AHfKThyoE6m-euArk6zmahcvy1SiV9H1DXc6xuvQ4n6kcoKWMSg8VNgdO3y6K9wVQv4GRBVkOwY903_g7oaXpw/s400/title2.jpg"/></a></div>I ended up listening to those songs from the early Title Fight EPs quite a bit the last six months, and when I saw the 7 inch for <b>The Last Thing You Forget</b> in the racks at Wanna Hear It, I was excited to grab it. I was hoping for a colored vinyl version, but after quickly checking Discogs, it looked like those records carry a price tag that I wasn't really ready to tackle at the time, so this inexpensive black vinyl third press from 2015 was good enough for me.</div>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03975324094301949169noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565283.post-869600303282670792024-02-29T10:38:00.002-05:002024-02-29T10:38:51.275-05:00Can't Get There From Here<div style="text-align: justify;">I listened to a lot of R.E.M. last year. There was just something about that band that struck the sad and melancholic nerve in me, and I returned to their records again and again. When I was flipping through the 7 inch racks at Wanna Hear It and I saw the single for <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gD3cYh5Pp1I" target="_blank">Can't Get There From Here</a>, and it was obvious that I needed to buy it even though I've never given much thought to collecting R.E.M. singles.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGSnYM4z6uNJgqabr8Heyu_dYLo-_qodx8h-AhrYvvJMdlEbpU8reOQfdl0ltXrw8qhabtb-HvTKtF9pYJ5M40cH2Bu6URlRzcCJhDfnMtZaCfsWRGRr9ICaGksvSbggy5hQ5yJUSX6z09ZjxK6evyWLrS0d9cn4Pd9Ot_wbcvUFIUuEd91dYlpg/s1872/rem71.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1407" data-original-width="1872" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGSnYM4z6uNJgqabr8Heyu_dYLo-_qodx8h-AhrYvvJMdlEbpU8reOQfdl0ltXrw8qhabtb-HvTKtF9pYJ5M40cH2Bu6URlRzcCJhDfnMtZaCfsWRGRr9ICaGksvSbggy5hQ5yJUSX6z09ZjxK6evyWLrS0d9cn4Pd9Ot_wbcvUFIUuEd91dYlpg/s400/rem71.jpg"/></a></div><i>Can't Get There From Here</i> is from the 1985 album, <b>Fables Of The Reconstruction</b>. I still don't have the vinyl for that album, and it seems to be one that you can still pick up for a reasonable price, so maybe I'll have to add that one to the collection soon.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi010Gh7pd5w-SdRDaJcZy0TByQuLmv36ZTIfT37GqufyvEVtjKLcypcLP1e6O9G6DNUdllz5INi-CIIGGg9aW8Z-uUs4o0QAEyc_Qx1WADyGiMl6vWHS8XK9xunB3N0PJHtSScyNs1qYJRH4Bj_F4odI5gQhw7O9HGc79gZNog2cvWcoQulO2YhA/s1652/rem72.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1238" data-original-width="1652" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi010Gh7pd5w-SdRDaJcZy0TByQuLmv36ZTIfT37GqufyvEVtjKLcypcLP1e6O9G6DNUdllz5INi-CIIGGg9aW8Z-uUs4o0QAEyc_Qx1WADyGiMl6vWHS8XK9xunB3N0PJHtSScyNs1qYJRH4Bj_F4odI5gQhw7O9HGc79gZNog2cvWcoQulO2YhA/s400/rem72.jpg"/></a></div>R.E.M. singles are cool because they come with an exclusive track on the b-side. The flip side for this single features the song <i>Bandwagon</i>... and since I've never bothered with R.E.M. singles, this is the first time that I've heard the song, almost 40 years after it was released. Apparently the 12 inch single has two exclusive songs, so obviously that was the way that I should have gone, and I'll have to remember that if I want to keep collecting R.E.M. singles.</div>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03975324094301949169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565283.post-89119263215221882782024-02-25T12:15:00.001-05:002024-02-25T12:15:10.747-05:00Wanna Hear Crumbsuckers<div style="text-align: justify;">Sandwell was back in the US last October for his holiday in NYC (yes, I'm just posting about it four months later), and asked if I wanted to meet up with him in Boston for a day. I wasn't able to see him when he was here in 2022, so I was happy that I could make the trip to see him this time around. So he hopped on a bus, and I jumped in my car, and we both made the trip to Boston hang out, shop for some records, and get some good vegan food at Veggie Galaxy. Typically we just meet at the bus terminal in South Station and then jump on the subway to Harvard Square and visit the Armageddon Record Shop, but for this trip I really wanted to introduce him to Wanna Hear It Records... which is not on the subway line, so it meant that I was going to have to drive through Boston for the day. I'm not a big fan of driving through Boston these days, but for records I'll do it.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_g_Zf-4xzotamC0Hl0LkmnoXzyIsEy7uctoQkEkJtY6hE02ajGbVQVmbTfWvPfPrMS00Z6YeQGuyaDslY_BYoSDWuT-o6e89WwY8gKsLtb1NWVpc5VdKUX4svL4ldU_HKSpW9zWJ6gDJSec-_KkyWylLnfPqYggqlkwhXKKXVCefKbseDlYupYw/s1867/Crumb1.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1403" data-original-width="1867" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_g_Zf-4xzotamC0Hl0LkmnoXzyIsEy7uctoQkEkJtY6hE02ajGbVQVmbTfWvPfPrMS00Z6YeQGuyaDslY_BYoSDWuT-o6e89WwY8gKsLtb1NWVpc5VdKUX4svL4ldU_HKSpW9zWJ6gDJSec-_KkyWylLnfPqYggqlkwhXKKXVCefKbseDlYupYw/s400/Crumb1.jpg"/></a></div>I had told myself that I needed to limit my spending and take it easy at the record store, but we are talking about Wanna Hear It, so that was going to be really fucking hard to stick to. I bought a lot more than I intended to, so obviously this is going to be spread out over a number of posts to cover this entire record haul. First up is the <b>Life Of Dreams</b> album from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unluOEn_Qaw" target="_blank">Crumbsuckers</a>.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhab6v07vNR3EUuqRv9hQzI5pSaQj9XHUJbRoJwfAIduts36cRkCugYmnWvkV0dGqnHqoqnxaVbEFCsxX4ptDXaAF80VQm6v6esacyMD-hSA906UeS5nhJ1M03N48hfb0r0H-q5hWXUWOzI4ra55l_DIgmfxVRUq_cm-FshGraePFiUDLHdrbm98w/s1874/Crumb2.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1406" data-original-width="1874" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhab6v07vNR3EUuqRv9hQzI5pSaQj9XHUJbRoJwfAIduts36cRkCugYmnWvkV0dGqnHqoqnxaVbEFCsxX4ptDXaAF80VQm6v6esacyMD-hSA906UeS5nhJ1M03N48hfb0r0H-q5hWXUWOzI4ra55l_DIgmfxVRUq_cm-FshGraePFiUDLHdrbm98w/s400/Crumb2.jpg"/></a></div>I've owned the <a href="https://recordnerdyo.blogspot.com/2010/12/combat-and-war-with-ebay.html" target="_blank">Beast On My Back</a> record from the Crumbsuckers for years, and while I do love that album, <b>Life Of Dreams</b> is really where it's at. Seeing it in the rack at the very start of our shopping trip, I knew that I was going to be in trouble with my self imposed spending limits for the day. The price was right, and I was not going to be able to pass up this classic. Doug Free, from Free Spirit and Rival Mob was working the counter at Wanna Hear It, and when I brought my stack of records up to pay, he told me that he had the original Sean Taggert artwork for this album cover framed on his wall. Very cool.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlr8rnPRFSpXMj7SK26rz5RPPlM8PbxpeuBxgwX5pNiWFDSR9NQT061OhWjK6xj3kecGpKjioHX5ajvU3ebZtqtMBSyvmphTQfK5-k5fJuLkoh2prDKjW_u1iLieJRHYxg94T7VOvESvfqCYUyTP0HGxzZfNCWQe6bVCailea1859425C3LiIwag/s1170/WannaSandwell.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="876" data-original-width="1170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlr8rnPRFSpXMj7SK26rz5RPPlM8PbxpeuBxgwX5pNiWFDSR9NQT061OhWjK6xj3kecGpKjioHX5ajvU3ebZtqtMBSyvmphTQfK5-k5fJuLkoh2prDKjW_u1iLieJRHYxg94T7VOvESvfqCYUyTP0HGxzZfNCWQe6bVCailea1859425C3LiIwag/s400/WannaSandwell.jpg"/></a></div>Great day hanging out in Boston with Mark, and a great excuse to get down for some record shopping. More posts to come.</div>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03975324094301949169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565283.post-73039514473806188372024-02-24T16:39:00.000-05:002024-02-24T16:39:29.302-05:00Guided By Angels<div style="text-align: justify;">Another band that my friend Sarah recommended last year, that I wouldn't have bothered to check out otherwise was <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z--D1flPLnk" target="_blank">Amyl and the Sniffers</a>. I don't think that I'd even heard the band name before she sent me a song to check out, but there was something there that I would have avoided if it weren't for her recommendation. I'm not sure why that is, because the band name seems like it was lifted straight out of the 70's punk scene, but it kind of turned me off. Still, in my effort to approach new music with an open mind last year, I hit play on the song... and holy shit, it hooked me immediately.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCTyZXfMvLM_wtOfonSC5HlnAgu4MnnWujQcxd4Yqjuj-dwPzQUFM6g5YXjoMyzFp8qQRLc73gGuC_ytPCQAw2KoZNlA7Cqja06jY2fIgjMyb14ew1wKqy8wxBKSYYXAeiUcgy7rgSfkjn9JzUWg0ezd0sK4k-IsBRWHiLMB1CFuix-SJG5bttpw/s1691/Amyl1.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1269" data-original-width="1691" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCTyZXfMvLM_wtOfonSC5HlnAgu4MnnWujQcxd4Yqjuj-dwPzQUFM6g5YXjoMyzFp8qQRLc73gGuC_ytPCQAw2KoZNlA7Cqja06jY2fIgjMyb14ew1wKqy8wxBKSYYXAeiUcgy7rgSfkjn9JzUWg0ezd0sK4k-IsBRWHiLMB1CFuix-SJG5bttpw/s400/Amyl1.jpg"/></a></div>Amyl and the Sniffers was so fucking infectious and catchy, that I ripped through the song Sarah sent me three times and then I moved on to check out the entire album. I was floored. There was so much energy here that it captured my full attention. I stopped what I was doing at work and could not turn away from what was coming out of my speakers. 15 minutes after Sarah had sent me the link to the song I was on Discogs and buying the record. I could have taken the 10 minute drive up the road to the record store and grabbed a deluxe vinyl version that included a second LP containing their <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huK6_LpBI34&t=676s" target="_blank">live at Williamstown</a> set, but I figured that this US press on "Romer red" would be good enough.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLgV7eY9Zx_JNq0LqPheMckkb-v87iRdbZ4U9zonBUvoClFPbpRzhlVIANLpLRxlMlmJm_FoliurQjWX19vHzzM38sE8BqUIcdzxJ95hkl53_EGkaL3D7dbyDy-aawdBCAL9FRhTy8YSCiKThVC8Infl-RARt2vltFiYOr_M2dwy9Cocmsc33Zlw/s1797/Amyl2.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1349" data-original-width="1797" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLgV7eY9Zx_JNq0LqPheMckkb-v87iRdbZ4U9zonBUvoClFPbpRzhlVIANLpLRxlMlmJm_FoliurQjWX19vHzzM38sE8BqUIcdzxJ95hkl53_EGkaL3D7dbyDy-aawdBCAL9FRhTy8YSCiKThVC8Infl-RARt2vltFiYOr_M2dwy9Cocmsc33Zlw/s400/Amyl2.jpg"/></a></div>After hearing Amyl and the Sniffers, I obsessed over them for a solid week, checking youtube for any <a href="https://youtu.be/qhn2GBcikEU?si=bcvOWfQj4mM4VIKW&t=26" target="_blank">live performance</a> from the band that I could find. I was fascinated with the energy and intensity of the singer and I could not stop watching. After a while, and listening to the record multiple times a day, I had to force myself to put it away for a bit so that I didn't burn myself out on it... but this album and the <a href="https://recordnerdyo.blogspot.com/2024/01/self-inflicted-mental-terror.html" target="_blank">Gulch record</a> were probably two of my favorite finds last year.</div>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03975324094301949169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565283.post-42065399955161800052024-02-19T16:11:00.001-05:002024-02-19T16:11:43.794-05:00Moonkisser<div style="text-align: justify;">When I first heard of of <a href="https://head2wallrecords.bandcamp.com/album/moonkisser" target="_blank">Moonkisser</a> back in 2018, I was disappointed to discover that their 12 inch EP that was released earlier that year was already sold out. Only 100 were pressed on vinyl, and it was difficult to find one for sale at the time. A couple have popped up on Discogs over the years, and at decent price, but I never made a move for one. When I saw that <a href="https://head2wallrecords.bigcartel.com/product/moonkisser-moonkisser-12-ep" target="_blank">Head2Wall Records</a> was doing a limited reissue, with new cover art, I figured that it was time to finally grab one.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVaWbaewjVDVXLjQObfYTzZMQtW_2Vo9fjhn2ouCu4dslVi2iett8HKd5hJKyBGUFRhkS0y_lEwMz_7M32H73SWRb8MBs3wtiipmrJEqTzT9Ql31GtJFKqh8UZxWsH5qmKCs8SPsj7b3QEKcqPqcJ1_KId7Q4reAHY8jfo0mlm0snhaUEZQ4__ig/s1907/Moon1.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1431" data-original-width="1907" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVaWbaewjVDVXLjQObfYTzZMQtW_2Vo9fjhn2ouCu4dslVi2iett8HKd5hJKyBGUFRhkS0y_lEwMz_7M32H73SWRb8MBs3wtiipmrJEqTzT9Ql31GtJFKqh8UZxWsH5qmKCs8SPsj7b3QEKcqPqcJ1_KId7Q4reAHY8jfo0mlm0snhaUEZQ4__ig/s400/Moon1.jpg"/></a></div>Moonkisser features a couple of guys from Over My Dead Body and Desperate Measures, but here they play a style that is more influenced by that 90's post hardcore sound. I've been reaching for stuff like Shift and Lincoln a lot recently, and Moonkisser fit right in there with that sound, so I'm glad to get this band back on my radar and in the rotation. I believe that the band have been working on a new record, so hopefully we see that soon because I'm ready for more.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbSk6Mqz2p7n-2i735Iz9OErxKmj9ttIg3vCqSwf08NoANnhwRUAXg9KFvATrqTj1Mi5EbFm3XQh7eIKCgjYq1Enrem1a-ZzjcX84aUIHtvSH-f8t0v5yp0c9Z2wtFyRbKEY3tCsTuAhk63gw6qrEzOGoPoxdjJbL3wJo1Vo0IPXoaDDbXVVhmvg/s1848/Moon2.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1386" data-original-width="1848" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbSk6Mqz2p7n-2i735Iz9OErxKmj9ttIg3vCqSwf08NoANnhwRUAXg9KFvATrqTj1Mi5EbFm3XQh7eIKCgjYq1Enrem1a-ZzjcX84aUIHtvSH-f8t0v5yp0c9Z2wtFyRbKEY3tCsTuAhk63gw6qrEzOGoPoxdjJbL3wJo1Vo0IPXoaDDbXVVhmvg/s400/Moon2.jpg"/></a></div>I love the look of this record. Limited to 100 on this pink with clear and green splatter.</div>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03975324094301949169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565283.post-46059985612254703872024-02-15T20:07:00.001-05:002024-02-15T20:07:26.841-05:00Black Radical Love<div style="text-align: justify;">A couple of years ago, Triple B released a 7 inch from a band out of Boston by the name of Move... or <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioSk04rAz6U" target="_blank">Move BHC</a>. That record come out in the fallout of dirty Trump politics and the height of the Black Lives Matter message. The songs were pissed off and in your face, and I was there for that level of anger and frustration. I don't think that I ever heard anyone else talk about this band, and I was starting to wonder if that 7 inch was going to be all that we saw from Move... so I was happy to see that Triple B was releasing an LP from them last year.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdCy0Q3BNydW_6wkHCzZ5UKeGRUkXviK6-r6w_1bt4yIJ3_0SatHdHDvG6QTvcyff_vF2p-PKXvkM2t61lpOgc_rh0ZtSGsini9nZEALNeMObBFSRtM06n9y0i2BR1l4B6EwYeesdkGdlhoFo2pe8j4y9NcYTNSijSaNUJODXeMwEOykKtsY8hmw/s1917/Move1.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1438" data-original-width="1917" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdCy0Q3BNydW_6wkHCzZ5UKeGRUkXviK6-r6w_1bt4yIJ3_0SatHdHDvG6QTvcyff_vF2p-PKXvkM2t61lpOgc_rh0ZtSGsini9nZEALNeMObBFSRtM06n9y0i2BR1l4B6EwYeesdkGdlhoFo2pe8j4y9NcYTNSijSaNUJODXeMwEOykKtsY8hmw/s400/Move1.jpg"/></a></div>Move BHC very much identifies with BIPOC politics, and with <b>Black Radical Love</b> that is even more evident. The message is important and cannot be said often enough or loud enough, so I'm glad that bands like this exist and ask us to look at ourselves and challenge the powers that be... and musically this is good and hard as well.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXvytfaKIm-qL5ods3TCsPzLEBtR5A-BWI8GfORsXAGILoXRk7rFt7yUtWgYDUTq7wuAtv3vF4ICmmefKFZoldHRdkcRh_swwy90Q2QN8D7TeBxvVjLljVos01eL3OIKuqMUFznB49U9Q__gZl7NLLRh93a3RyJMWyJTgVYOxdYS87_xB201j9aQ/s1923/Move2.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1442" data-original-width="1923" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXvytfaKIm-qL5ods3TCsPzLEBtR5A-BWI8GfORsXAGILoXRk7rFt7yUtWgYDUTq7wuAtv3vF4ICmmefKFZoldHRdkcRh_swwy90Q2QN8D7TeBxvVjLljVos01eL3OIKuqMUFznB49U9Q__gZl7NLLRh93a3RyJMWyJTgVYOxdYS87_xB201j9aQ/s400/Move2.jpg"/></a></div>Normally, I would be put of by another Triple B colored vinyl abomination, but with this record I think it works. It was supposed to be some kind pink A side with a white B side and a neon green splatter, but maybe it tried to do too much because the neon green appears to have been lost in the mix compared to the <a href="https://triplebrecords.net/collections/all-products/products/move-black-radical-love-cd-lp-digital" target="_blank">mock up in the Triple B store</a>. Whatever. 350 pressed.</div>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03975324094301949169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565283.post-69345264037998592832024-02-09T19:43:00.001-05:002024-02-09T19:43:58.840-05:00Locked Inside Record Collecting<div style="text-align: justify;">There was a time when I wanted every single variant for every single record that I bought. It was fun for a while, but I got burned out on that game as labels were pressing so many different versions and records were getting more an more expensive. I said "fuck it" and walked away. These days, it is rare for me to buy more than one copy of a record, but occasionally I'll get that collector itch and I'll do something dumb. That was the case with the Locked Inside 7 inch, because if I'm going to do something stupid, I might as well chase a record that has 12 different variants.<p>Last year I picked up three more copies of the <a href="https://recordnerdyo.blogspot.com/2023/07/three-lock-box.html" target="_blank">Locked Inside record</a>, bringing my total to seven. I posted a picture of the collection to Instagram because I was so happy with it, and someone brought it to the attention of the guy that runs Not Like You Records, and he mentioned that he had extras of a few that I was missing. We exchanged a few messages and struck a deal for me to buy three more versions.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS10OJSUYNYaPYlU9J4B79-QHTy-zzCE4iNXac7_3TnEOvyXcW7NjeX1q7hckHqbA4n1AsdqytHKLSlqomluvYadUjl5EijNtdq1TxgZ6RR7oXSoEi0-t0nJNmmxXaZ93gg39TCcuZiN8itY9ot1wIz4iJD0tlbth3T3I6l535NbofXlJLagCL_g/s1851/Locked1.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1387" data-original-width="1851" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS10OJSUYNYaPYlU9J4B79-QHTy-zzCE4iNXac7_3TnEOvyXcW7NjeX1q7hckHqbA4n1AsdqytHKLSlqomluvYadUjl5EijNtdq1TxgZ6RR7oXSoEi0-t0nJNmmxXaZ93gg39TCcuZiN8itY9ot1wIz4iJD0tlbth3T3I6l535NbofXlJLagCL_g/s400/Locked1.jpg"/></a></div>First up is the purple vinyl version, limited to 54. I don't know if the photo really does this color justice, but man, this thing looks so good.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix9gm08isFNCwVdWe5hd3FMew4ZSSTC7KQqIsTY8xg2Jkj3oK5uf-KW9LiopxmMRz24bcN_EE1LZpTkdj_ITKDXEdwXlW-Xzy6Aw_o1gfQiVLBtM5dNstSX7ouxE1yF4IyqtsUvn0jp74lVCESJmzCMio9ydEVIcfCrrf16WHdnoSxMFVnQ5_c4A/s1835/Locked2.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1378" data-original-width="1835" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix9gm08isFNCwVdWe5hd3FMew4ZSSTC7KQqIsTY8xg2Jkj3oK5uf-KW9LiopxmMRz24bcN_EE1LZpTkdj_ITKDXEdwXlW-Xzy6Aw_o1gfQiVLBtM5dNstSX7ouxE1yF4IyqtsUvn0jp74lVCESJmzCMio9ydEVIcfCrrf16WHdnoSxMFVnQ5_c4A/s400/Locked2.jpg"/></a></div>Another one that I was very happy to grab was the smoke colored vinyl. This one looks really nice as well, and apparently comes with different degrees of smoke... but yeah, this one is good and smokey. Limited to 47, and came with the word "smoke" written on the dust sleeve.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijh90dGc9NsHlvGk0AZLzm2RGrxkTqoDVwi2JC0p7r6NphOoeE6fwQt8FV-ccWuCXushahwXKw2yKOx4rdlJrFmkQSa81e1mfBNxXUI31q1_hwy99o4O4hBoMxQFQ7nz9gCp-qY7PKZaissMzeZ7VYg5YUnzTgXGJUkRI0es0srflEJsDZ2x8eUw/s1635/Locked3.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1224" data-original-width="1635" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijh90dGc9NsHlvGk0AZLzm2RGrxkTqoDVwi2JC0p7r6NphOoeE6fwQt8FV-ccWuCXushahwXKw2yKOx4rdlJrFmkQSa81e1mfBNxXUI31q1_hwy99o4O4hBoMxQFQ7nz9gCp-qY7PKZaissMzeZ7VYg5YUnzTgXGJUkRI0es0srflEJsDZ2x8eUw/s400/Locked3.jpg"/></a></div>The last one that Mike from Not Like You offered me was a black vinyl version with the center labels getting hit with a blue stamp. He made sure to let me know that this was not a record release version, but I remember Marcus picking up a <a href="https://endlessquestrecords.blogspot.com/2021/03/locked-inside.html" target="_blank">couple records like this</a> from the label a few years ago.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ4a-67LFY1BU_JfjDY_Y3leiNTaki5YJOTtiPkyyU_7LgMZHVahFSfQ0mSP_Df9G5JRRtdqd4e8DuZKO0b57lSNXSox5pUngSLcd2tSaXQBlFGiHM9f2_uGmAOpUjmA-j7nCrMdsHf_ezKcdUPLjC8y-x3sM1_LY2Bniec4ETQCGD3yf7uRXnGw/s1379/Locked4a.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1035" data-original-width="1379" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ4a-67LFY1BU_JfjDY_Y3leiNTaki5YJOTtiPkyyU_7LgMZHVahFSfQ0mSP_Df9G5JRRtdqd4e8DuZKO0b57lSNXSox5pUngSLcd2tSaXQBlFGiHM9f2_uGmAOpUjmA-j7nCrMdsHf_ezKcdUPLjC8y-x3sM1_LY2Bniec4ETQCGD3yf7uRXnGw/s400/Locked4a.jpg"/></a></div>Mosher dude on one side, and Locked Inside stamped on the other.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl3nITG39r6llVvVZbtgzHIlPsXhieFyEYp2PmZil1u21HQ-IGIvPaRcIqxDy2MPndJihMCtHYuGf2wD7vPVNVYdi1xfiGxP139p4y07UpS3XcIjZ4YfW78MigMkQjDXk8jRdm0ec2zykmdoLSpklgnYac7iz45DfTpd-YFOMk68gRnFIC-Oh8wg/s2048/Locked5.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl3nITG39r6llVvVZbtgzHIlPsXhieFyEYp2PmZil1u21HQ-IGIvPaRcIqxDy2MPndJihMCtHYuGf2wD7vPVNVYdi1xfiGxP139p4y07UpS3XcIjZ4YfW78MigMkQjDXk8jRdm0ec2zykmdoLSpklgnYac7iz45DfTpd-YFOMk68gRnFIC-Oh8wg/s400/Locked5.jpg"/></a></div>For someone that doesn't chase different record versions anymore, I somehow now have 10 copies of this.</div>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03975324094301949169noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565283.post-51192343217285796482024-02-06T19:31:00.000-05:002024-02-06T19:31:57.674-05:00Like Sand...<div style="text-align: justify;">I picked up the <a href="https://recordnerdyo.blogspot.com/2022/08/almighty-watching.html" target="_blank">Almighty Watching 7 inch</a> back in 2022, and that thing ended up being one of my favorite hardcore records that year. I'm not sure that they caught the attention of anyone else, but they definitely made an impression on me. They really nail a 90's hardcore style that never fails to hook me.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiALiz0OM-hEbUum0l1IP6x5HcgWeSVFeAXZB7HbmfXPGshuti-Bm3Bj_ftEtOsjLb96n2_PUjGRu0QJtJYJuCXAw9FAROwtBCwuVsH-iT7YgXkIIrdkZqDgReyvDG5yf1JYzv9CEYVPXPi8XbamcOC-ndkKr9tjO47b_rnwn4H9XJDCydq0CF38Q/s1894/Almighty1.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1422" data-original-width="1894" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiALiz0OM-hEbUum0l1IP6x5HcgWeSVFeAXZB7HbmfXPGshuti-Bm3Bj_ftEtOsjLb96n2_PUjGRu0QJtJYJuCXAw9FAROwtBCwuVsH-iT7YgXkIIrdkZqDgReyvDG5yf1JYzv9CEYVPXPi8XbamcOC-ndkKr9tjO47b_rnwn4H9XJDCydq0CF38Q/s400/Almighty1.jpg"/></a></div>I don't typically pay attention to discography or band compilation records these days, but I did get sucked into picking up the <b>Like Sand...</b> record for <a href="https://almightywatching.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank">Almighty Watching</a>. The a-side has the songs from the <b>Doubtless</b> 7 inch, but I was just happy to have the collection of comp songs on the b-side... with a Breakdown cover thrown in for good measure. I don't own any of the comps that those songs originally appeared on, so it was cool to have them all in one place.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCyIztdkw9yVUiGBZuqoowT7W00WgF27bOP3nwoYsyoOBNN8hm-Yu67WAiVEm63QhLmg3MIY_e1WYmiU2ABuzEMicIJX66CDct0IIx-alzPvMlyoqs_78CcoVQ-zPMZPH5HMlK1zKbE_7s3AlEVoHVS1eMrSgw1mRMGgB6LzL9c-VHNX0PBX1ONw/s2011/Almighty2.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1508" data-original-width="2011" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCyIztdkw9yVUiGBZuqoowT7W00WgF27bOP3nwoYsyoOBNN8hm-Yu67WAiVEm63QhLmg3MIY_e1WYmiU2ABuzEMicIJX66CDct0IIx-alzPvMlyoqs_78CcoVQ-zPMZPH5HMlK1zKbE_7s3AlEVoHVS1eMrSgw1mRMGgB6LzL9c-VHNX0PBX1ONw/s400/Almighty2.jpg"/></a></div>Shit. Now that I own this, it has kind of created a collector itch, and I want to scratch it by picking up the green vinyl press of the 7 inch. Clear vinyl for the comp LP is limited to 100.</div>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03975324094301949169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565283.post-84693417797524598882024-01-30T19:15:00.000-05:002024-01-30T19:15:12.246-05:00Reign In Pain<div style="text-align: justify;">It has been a while since I've picked up a new bootleg. I'd gotten in the habit of checking the Hells Headbangers store for Iron Maiden boots, but once those seemed to stop showing up there, I stopped checking for anything. Thinking that it had been too long since I'd added one to the collection, I took a look. As soon as I saw this live Slayer bootleg, I quickly added it to the cart.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5UxVMLd09ULgh2Ce9w6l3EZxxA8z3XcwZ0rmlsh0K5YmzMmNNiWzBxQIMRNEG5z3ZBnJcFEJomka-tmOhBDbiAcOt83Dxp1ZMCFxi0vztziEve1qxuVY1kb1SHmv6JJUteFkI9K3s7wzsO8YYYxAHK1-5oBlJBoe7pPHXPeiKpnLJextkFJeEQA/s1739/SlayerNo1.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1305" data-original-width="1739" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5UxVMLd09ULgh2Ce9w6l3EZxxA8z3XcwZ0rmlsh0K5YmzMmNNiWzBxQIMRNEG5z3ZBnJcFEJomka-tmOhBDbiAcOt83Dxp1ZMCFxi0vztziEve1qxuVY1kb1SHmv6JJUteFkI9K3s7wzsO8YYYxAHK1-5oBlJBoe7pPHXPeiKpnLJextkFJeEQA/s400/SlayerNo1.jpg"/></a></div>There are a few bands that I'm a sucker for live bootleg recordings, and Slayer is one of them. I'm not sure if it is the intesity of a live setting, or if it is Tom Araya's between song banter, but sign me up every fucking time for this shit. I was thinking that I only had a couple of Slayer boots, but checking the collection for this post, I discovered that this live set from the Reign In Blood tour is my fourth from this band. I've already got a live recording from this tour... a week later for a show in Berlin... but this one at the Odeon Theatre in Birmingham sounds so much better. The quality of this is great... the sound and the cover art are fantastic.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfxNC2_pyfRrrPv82dWueJf4_4eqXru7UjG8PdQfZh5c7lMenmJakfXtGmC3XQk46OyKM2GJ5dY7EH2MdamDJDboyWp9DB_fAnTgB_LNtgqaGx0H0n_qznRMSnWMEnFGVJHath9sRMydX9DSKfwwEKcMzLF3eS1CPQD4gj1UaZlYerTMgRLev0SQ/s1894/SlayerNo2.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1421" data-original-width="1894" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfxNC2_pyfRrrPv82dWueJf4_4eqXru7UjG8PdQfZh5c7lMenmJakfXtGmC3XQk46OyKM2GJ5dY7EH2MdamDJDboyWp9DB_fAnTgB_LNtgqaGx0H0n_qznRMSnWMEnFGVJHath9sRMydX9DSKfwwEKcMzLF3eS1CPQD4gj1UaZlYerTMgRLev0SQ/s400/SlayerNo2.jpg"/></a></div>The D side of the vinyl has songs from a live set at Studio 54 in New York. There is only five songs here, so I'm assuming it is an incomplete set, and it was just thrown in to take up space, but it still sounds great.</div>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03975324094301949169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565283.post-18736484458466681212024-01-27T11:17:00.000-05:002024-01-27T11:17:17.156-05:00Black Mask<div style="text-align: justify;">In discussing music and sharing songs with my friend Sarah last year, there were a few things that she introduced me to that I liked so much that I had to buy the record for my collection. The <a href="https://recordnerdyo.blogspot.com/2024/01/self-inflicted-mental-terror.html" target="_blank">Gulch record</a> that I posted a week ago may have been one of my favorite discoveries from her, but there were a few other things that had me scrambling to Discogs as well. One of the first things that I ended up buying based on her song suggestion was the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhGqIH81szk" target="_blank">Black Mask</a> 7 inch.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUVImcIpJ9UpQT72JdaI2TIFJ8mN_9YaV5f3vdHpbQ175JtbrHd80VzTd0O-8BQpmZmiMXgCfATFUI1hlsyfyBOMnDAkwmUWsOgHWUCiLOX92xZscFYCLJ2SeORUhy5He0o72ZaJ_dMhN_tJ8DtoBMSXdoC0vvsO1Az4Gwmy7OZCdXa97I7t0oQA/s1806/BlackMask1.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1356" data-original-width="1806" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUVImcIpJ9UpQT72JdaI2TIFJ8mN_9YaV5f3vdHpbQ175JtbrHd80VzTd0O-8BQpmZmiMXgCfATFUI1hlsyfyBOMnDAkwmUWsOgHWUCiLOX92xZscFYCLJ2SeORUhy5He0o72ZaJ_dMhN_tJ8DtoBMSXdoC0vvsO1Az4Gwmy7OZCdXa97I7t0oQA/s400/BlackMask1.jpg"/></a></div>This shit is fucking harsh. It is noisy, chaotic and absolutely unrelenting in its brutal attack. Six songs in ten minutes, and it does not allow you any time to catch your breath. This style would have been a bit outside what I was into in 2012, but I'm kind of surprised that I'd never even heard of this Pennsylvania hardcore band until now.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8e8VmcSg2MBZB-NG4ZeNMX8nR1UxbquBvme5RF5jx7Hx2qYuaI6J5ZzJkAuBF3lHq0eb9h7WfeqPvQvu6Mw_VOg0StQPbtLTq29IEeO60q-sxi5SMZ9a7orPHGtMLy4LPJ2Lbr_15Qtb6hj1AAycPN2k2Srhoo9B4Xa9o2fxmZkfmzcUM2weV-A/s1881/BlackMask2.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1409" data-original-width="1881" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8e8VmcSg2MBZB-NG4ZeNMX8nR1UxbquBvme5RF5jx7Hx2qYuaI6J5ZzJkAuBF3lHq0eb9h7WfeqPvQvu6Mw_VOg0StQPbtLTq29IEeO60q-sxi5SMZ9a7orPHGtMLy4LPJ2Lbr_15Qtb6hj1AAycPN2k2Srhoo9B4Xa9o2fxmZkfmzcUM2weV-A/s400/BlackMask2.jpg"/></a></div>I'm guessing that no one else knows Black Mask either, as this record cost me less than $5 on Discogs. Black in blue vinyl was limited to 100, but this dust sleeve is numbered out of 15... or is that 25... so this is a nice version to have, even if I have no idea what that writing is supposed to say.</div>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03975324094301949169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565283.post-23112935475420431902024-01-24T19:07:00.000-05:002024-01-24T19:07:07.736-05:00Endless Torment<div style="text-align: justify;">It has been a couple of years since we've heard from Dead Heat, so it was cool to see a new EP drop from them last year.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Up15dKmzMyo-98VOv1ykN7AuDfsG8ezfq9jNNKWguKSdPwrvQ31CfadUtZ1XTu1cTTGiP13VPkFiRlYT172C6wvxscgstM6V43TBMyUin-_5im9N-9wEaZE2texf8IsR0ozcA-oyiMct53AzUEC_G8iOICT-21m1YLUypEvxSZUfn0HFzqOjlg/s1996/Deadheat1.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1498" data-original-width="1996" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Up15dKmzMyo-98VOv1ykN7AuDfsG8ezfq9jNNKWguKSdPwrvQ31CfadUtZ1XTu1cTTGiP13VPkFiRlYT172C6wvxscgstM6V43TBMyUin-_5im9N-9wEaZE2texf8IsR0ozcA-oyiMct53AzUEC_G8iOICT-21m1YLUypEvxSZUfn0HFzqOjlg/s400/Deadheat1.jpg"/></a></div>If you are familiar with the band, you know exactly what you are going to get with <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJkFN81A85w" target="_blank">Endless Torment</a>. Dead Heat nail that crossover thrash sound that I absolutely love. Think bands like Suicidal, Excel and Crumbsuckers... they just play that style perfectly, and I will eat it up every time. There are only five songs here, but at 18 minutes it is kind of the perfect length. Get in, rip it up, and leave 'em wanting more. Great stuff.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8mtp2vLFS9STFL_6a92fxjor-eb1Pzek5dwc2id6wvsdXCgr2wvKSrlnc68bYcCtDb52llDu3LrKYVXvU_sTpnbFgYESrypTeY6eRAUrf139zTZSdi8JYp-ruoNh672kZeSPIWh3Z8JjLfqdirwKeLPDQ7kg4Kul8NxaGPw3GyW6PwZc3K9qcFw/s1901/Deadheat2.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1426" data-original-width="1901" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8mtp2vLFS9STFL_6a92fxjor-eb1Pzek5dwc2id6wvsdXCgr2wvKSrlnc68bYcCtDb52llDu3LrKYVXvU_sTpnbFgYESrypTeY6eRAUrf139zTZSdi8JYp-ruoNh672kZeSPIWh3Z8JjLfqdirwKeLPDQ7kg4Kul8NxaGPw3GyW6PwZc3K9qcFw/s400/Deadheat2.jpg"/></a></div>Maybe it is because the cover art is so over the top, but I kind of like the look of this obnoxious splatter pattern and screened b-side. 250 pressed.</div>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03975324094301949169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565283.post-29286859801795581162024-01-17T16:54:00.000-05:002024-01-17T16:54:01.825-05:00Self Inflicted Mental Terror<div style="text-align: justify;">I had a lot of musical surprises last year. Things that I never expected to like, and would have previously dissed and dismissed, but sitting down and approaching it with an open mind was shocked to find some bands that I really enjoy. One of my favorite surprises was Gulch.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1qoAHuoznCCUBTawRZpfFTQYaLYVBYyyHgrYr_46_LKrPgdiowmKUlQtIspCS-DYU-j8uOQhxB5MN5gfsX-QB3YFU5mXcE6OnsETHh09CgjfPcAFmxBkW2pDgHuVb1_vOj_SIPGJQCANw6RqMjH8Z1-OcPxKbbuiN61X6NSICbKNTP46eSTgCnA/s1967/Gulch1.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1474" data-original-width="1967" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1qoAHuoznCCUBTawRZpfFTQYaLYVBYyyHgrYr_46_LKrPgdiowmKUlQtIspCS-DYU-j8uOQhxB5MN5gfsX-QB3YFU5mXcE6OnsETHh09CgjfPcAFmxBkW2pDgHuVb1_vOj_SIPGJQCANw6RqMjH8Z1-OcPxKbbuiN61X6NSICbKNTP46eSTgCnA/s400/Gulch1.jpg"/></a></div><a href="https://gulch.bandcamp.com/album/impenetrable-cerebral-fortress" target="_blank">Gulch</a> were around a few years ago, and I remember at the time making assumptions that I would not like them. They were associated with record labels that didn't hold much interest for me, and I just assumed that they would be some shitty modern hardcore sounding band... whatever the fuck that might mean. So yeah, I avoided them. Then last Fall, a friend shared their song <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUn0CZeb-rE" target="_blank">Self Inflicted Mental Terror</a> with me, and with my first listen it was everything I expected it to be. It was noisy and chaotic with some over the top vocals throughout, and I didn't like it. It didn't fit that straight forward hardcore sound that is my default setting. Still, the song ended up on a playlist that I was visiting frequently, and after a handful of listens I started to settle in and get it. Then, before I knew it, everything that made me intially pull back from it, was exactly what I loved about the song. It had me thinking of the chaotic and noisy stuff from the 90's, like Rorschach and Born Against, and then I was visiting the entire <b>Impenetrable Cerebral Fortress</b> album regularly and I needed to own record.<p>Side note: <i>Self Inflicted Mental Terror</i> came up on a Spotify playlist when I was in the car with my wife recently, and I was trying to explain to her how I didn't think that I'd like it at all when I first heard it, but that I absolutely love it now... and her response was, "Really? It sounds exactly like the other stuff you listen to." Maybe she knows my music taste better than I do.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVCnrEz6KVOhRn_yzpNl376uUeeQFkHkXEpVJRRUZjsleZ_0N4BHj9S4Rcn-2mEqXBJgd-Zy82kYt9n-vQ-i_hHeTJj3BXsPi9s8V31KyMCk9cna7RpxmtcDFLOOOmoFR0bY1qFvPoYNhxikehS-vQpK_m-qhfFpzFBnQaLHUTdnMFmhyYjLoPLg/s1931/Gulch2.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1448" data-original-width="1931" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVCnrEz6KVOhRn_yzpNl376uUeeQFkHkXEpVJRRUZjsleZ_0N4BHj9S4Rcn-2mEqXBJgd-Zy82kYt9n-vQ-i_hHeTJj3BXsPi9s8V31KyMCk9cna7RpxmtcDFLOOOmoFR0bY1qFvPoYNhxikehS-vQpK_m-qhfFpzFBnQaLHUTdnMFmhyYjLoPLg/s400/Gulch2.jpg"/></a></div>I thought that I'd hate the look of this colored vinyl, but I actually think it looks great next to the crazy cover art. Since I was so late discovering Gulch, I paid a bit more for the vinyl off of Discogs, but the $35 that I spent is nothing compared to the seller that has one listed now at $300. Good luck with that, pal. Limited to 300.</div>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03975324094301949169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565283.post-84072438426536018422024-01-16T17:42:00.001-05:002024-01-16T17:42:20.333-05:00Anklebiter Straight Edge<div style="text-align: justify;">Back in 2022, I caught an article over on <a href="https://www.noecho.net/features/anklebiter-hardcore-band" target="_blank">noecho.net</a> about a new band that that was kicking it around the Northeast of the US. Anklebiter were described as a straight edge band, playing fast hardcore that's influenced by the early Lockin' Out bands like Mental and Righteous Jams. Well fuck. That was all that I needed to hear, and I downloaded a copy of their demo. Those four songs were a lot of fun, and as soon as it was announced that they were releasing a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vu6s4Dmdulo" target="_blank">new 7 inch</a> this year, I didn't hesitate to order one.<div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHZKdAkRzaoCBM02Tw_FLm3Kx7Py9yQhLiKknulO_YvFkMk8X5aa_HDLijfEFyuQJjMYF6jNQ6kSM0JvBNxkiSqj5GWR7cMFiBvxZD_NlllAUrWJc9cQo6_gKaDUCzywoK-4NyPga_VdYcQPBbqUYImK-76AD46TQgAqIonNXjA7dYl2YXsCvvFA/s1939/Ankle1.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1455" data-original-width="1939" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHZKdAkRzaoCBM02Tw_FLm3Kx7Py9yQhLiKknulO_YvFkMk8X5aa_HDLijfEFyuQJjMYF6jNQ6kSM0JvBNxkiSqj5GWR7cMFiBvxZD_NlllAUrWJc9cQo6_gKaDUCzywoK-4NyPga_VdYcQPBbqUYImK-76AD46TQgAqIonNXjA7dYl2YXsCvvFA/s400/Ankle1.jpg"/></a></div>I'm really not a fan of the cover art on this 7 inch. I assume they are going for a more colorful and playful style similar to Mental, but this doesn't work for me here and I kinda hate it. The songs on the other hand are a blast... and watching videos of the band rippin' it up on a stage with big fat 90's style X's on their hands will get my attention every time.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE_Q9o0qk3X1gWhjQMVCaO_TXRE1WiJFCUV8-LJHdmRFfVdWmTQfxqFHF3I7Ai2CLrnk8DuD2fs7Kqr8tebxKEGpinxC9E6FM_hot9zRsRIIZxsoko0-WI7NPitvUkcPOwLbW5OMu8Sbc2DSm_w2cEzNUN_hAUhlxWUXG5qgXuuTPWlVpQYU9Vyw/s1894/Ankle2.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1419" data-original-width="1894" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE_Q9o0qk3X1gWhjQMVCaO_TXRE1WiJFCUV8-LJHdmRFfVdWmTQfxqFHF3I7Ai2CLrnk8DuD2fs7Kqr8tebxKEGpinxC9E6FM_hot9zRsRIIZxsoko0-WI7NPitvUkcPOwLbW5OMu8Sbc2DSm_w2cEzNUN_hAUhlxWUXG5qgXuuTPWlVpQYU9Vyw/s400/Ankle2.jpg"/></a></div></div>100 pressed on pink colored vinyl that was exclusive to Brooklyn Vegan. I have no idea what a Brooklyn Vegan is, but apparently they rate high enough to get their own colored vinyl to sell.</div>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03975324094301949169noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565283.post-78352091338326084872024-01-14T19:02:00.000-05:002024-01-14T19:02:29.847-05:00Wrong War Reflection<div style="text-align: justify;">I love the band Current from the mid 90's. They play a style of hardcore punk that doesn't get old or stale for me, and their records are still in rotation in my playlists today. Absolute perfection. While Wrong War has the singer from Current, they play a more straight forward style of hardcore... and while I very much enjoy what that band is doing today, there is still a bit of me that wants them to lean into that Ebullition emo sound a bit.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZATBj7oQzD-1OzwuskAX6SVEB7ifZ-vSx54G_saj7qR_AeKwvyYz0gD2FWDS8rbiRlqNtxGguAtFa3acXuO0mMsU63U5m2j4_R1X5JLO8iMEcCTCjwKRf6RrFeyXhgny7UpsRLFKaw93ewswgBUmI5bz16nouMpURz2HiyqsA-eRjJJxFwl0SSw/s1910/Wrong1.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1431" data-original-width="1910" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZATBj7oQzD-1OzwuskAX6SVEB7ifZ-vSx54G_saj7qR_AeKwvyYz0gD2FWDS8rbiRlqNtxGguAtFa3acXuO0mMsU63U5m2j4_R1X5JLO8iMEcCTCjwKRf6RrFeyXhgny7UpsRLFKaw93ewswgBUmI5bz16nouMpURz2HiyqsA-eRjJJxFwl0SSw/s400/Wrong1.jpg"/></a></div>Either way, <a href="https://wrongwar.bandcamp.com/album/on-further-reflection" target="_blank">Wrong War</a> pull influence more from that early 80's hardcore sound, and really remind me of Articles Of Faith. The band has been very productive, releasing albums in both 2021 and 2022, and just kept things rolling with this 7 inch in 2023. Everything from this band has been solid, and this EP is no exception.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_LSLb6uGtrglQgA-n79lMcD-S1pUPzwNTlwHlqb9sSTSNzugqtIhFyLo0gYPogHDtK4kyjXD4mIFd2yLiWIMsUlWrFLtWWes3do6SwHddJLlsU3HNuxs0sBiiGDtZFISiCGJ_pML2KvYUy-YR1E1swRppdJVHswPyHrjkn3nkcGpuoGDVidealQ/s1930/Wrong2.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1448" data-original-width="1930" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_LSLb6uGtrglQgA-n79lMcD-S1pUPzwNTlwHlqb9sSTSNzugqtIhFyLo0gYPogHDtK4kyjXD4mIFd2yLiWIMsUlWrFLtWWes3do6SwHddJLlsU3HNuxs0sBiiGDtZFISiCGJ_pML2KvYUy-YR1E1swRppdJVHswPyHrjkn3nkcGpuoGDVidealQ/s400/Wrong2.jpg"/></a></div>250 pressed on translucent red vinyl.</div>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03975324094301949169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565283.post-33410582530780288132024-01-13T13:02:00.000-05:002024-01-13T13:02:51.643-05:00Cirith Parade<div style="text-align: justify;">When Cirith Ungol reunited and released a <a href="https://recordnerdyo.blogspot.com/2018/11/witchs-game.html" target="_blank">one song single</a> back in 2018, it took me by surprise. I never expected this obscure 80's metal band to get back together, let alone produce music that approached the quality of their classic albums... but with their first full length in almost 30 years, <a href="https://recordnerdyo.blogspot.com/2020/06/legions-arise.html" target="_blank">Forever Black</a> in 2020 proved that they still could deliver. <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTi60335csiduG3v1ZtcL1KvHW7gdAEBfgHfRAwJO6TUmMDDKTpUEmhl6nfYHj3LPiTNta9SXwakB8l5uq68kDDMIPFb0C9MSjlKdms0mMOV1pwxZkG4skYhJ36Ozm10iFatufDzPOLT5Baoj0qTHAsG0-EPu4ZaOgrmIuaHkuj8sZO0hJCtbwFg/s1904/Cirith1.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1428" data-original-width="1904" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTi60335csiduG3v1ZtcL1KvHW7gdAEBfgHfRAwJO6TUmMDDKTpUEmhl6nfYHj3LPiTNta9SXwakB8l5uq68kDDMIPFb0C9MSjlKdms0mMOV1pwxZkG4skYhJ36Ozm10iFatufDzPOLT5Baoj0qTHAsG0-EPu4ZaOgrmIuaHkuj8sZO0hJCtbwFg/s400/Cirith1.jpg"/></a></div>I didn't even know that Cirith Ungol had a new album on the way until I was in the Metal Blade store picking up the new <a href="https://recordnerdyo.blogspot.com/2023/12/chaos-corpse.html" target="_blank">Cannibal Corpse</a> back in September. Seeing <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bw19MabSnfs" target="_blank">Dark Parade</a> listed for preorder, I immediately added it to the order. This album is just so solid. Traditional metal with a touch of doom. The band has remained relatively intact over the years, with the exception of adding Jarvis Leatherby from <a href="https://recordnerdyo.blogspot.com/2023/05/demon-outsider.html" target="_blank">Night Demon</a> on bass, but goddamn, they sound exactly like they did back in the 80's. How is it that the singer still sounds the same after all these years? Impressive. For some reason, I don't pull out the Cirith Ungol records very often, but I can tell that I'm going to enjoy listening to this one anytime that I do.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh889AIabIPH_SL8Af-uriz73NyZzkPqbERAS7jueML_bLtNERkKGxk2__7R3V46-2OKrAxrQkPyvd9Dhq4QfqxAK25HddxMUA3YR5uj4A9PZm6euMgGBadtgFaMenFVLJkOFqvVg6r3ZlRKfVekRMWQEk50OS6t9M7pMSaAq25Sw3JWirYLw86JA/s1882/Cirith2.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1412" data-original-width="1882" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh889AIabIPH_SL8Af-uriz73NyZzkPqbERAS7jueML_bLtNERkKGxk2__7R3V46-2OKrAxrQkPyvd9Dhq4QfqxAK25HddxMUA3YR5uj4A9PZm6euMgGBadtgFaMenFVLJkOFqvVg6r3ZlRKfVekRMWQEk50OS6t9M7pMSaAq25Sw3JWirYLw86JA/s400/Cirith2.jpg"/></a></div>Nice looking "mineral marbled" colored vinyl.</div>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03975324094301949169noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565283.post-41650874100515982092023-12-31T23:11:00.006-05:002024-01-01T00:49:24.085-05:00Finding Any Joy In 2023<div style="text-align: justify;">I don't think that I've ever had a year like 2023 when it came to collecting records and just listening to music in general. I really spent the majority of the year feeling a bit lost when it came to what I wanted to listen to. Hardcore and metal were still in the rotation but I really felt the pull to listen to different things. I've always been a full album kind of listener, but this year had me doing specific songs from Spotify playlists and checking out a lot of stuff that I never would have expected to like. Songs from The Smiths, Orville Peck and Zack Bryan... stuff that I would have never been open to listening to in years past were suddenly getting repeat plays... and Lana Del Rey ended up with the most listened to song on my Spotify list, so yeah, even I didn't know who the fuck I was for most of this past year. It was weird and I enjoyed it. Plus, a lot of my focus was pulled off of records and instead I obsessed over books. I've always been a big reader, but this year I met some new friends that shared that obsession and they turned me on to different reading challenges on StoryGraph which only fanned the flame of that passion. With my thoughts consumed with books, I suddenly wasn't too concerned with my Discogs notifications or keeping up to date with this blog, and I pulled way back on buying records. I still picked up some good shit though, so let's check that out.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzEPI-rF2GpKWmjdxgrvV5YqlGyv1rA0kAE35-0tAFp3qaqFIkXcTBjrgRA_PFVapnRcFfPMauFVoDdQUdQFlFh_NDbDds808_2wVTAaGRLYngvGI_ENj8FJ95GjS7GkIwOeAJiVQyCmPt-zp495SgdGgZlKV_j7OUYRur43Dcec5idMFuxhYK3g/s4423/2023_TopPurchases.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="4423" data-original-width="4418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzEPI-rF2GpKWmjdxgrvV5YqlGyv1rA0kAE35-0tAFp3qaqFIkXcTBjrgRA_PFVapnRcFfPMauFVoDdQUdQFlFh_NDbDds808_2wVTAaGRLYngvGI_ENj8FJ95GjS7GkIwOeAJiVQyCmPt-zp495SgdGgZlKV_j7OUYRur43Dcec5idMFuxhYK3g/s400/2023_TopPurchases.jpg"/></a></div>I never have a lot of focus on what I'm buying. My mood shifts and my buying habits flow with it. Basically I just listen to something, and if it really strikes me a certain way, then I just want to buy it. I went from wanting to buy some classic thrash records this year, and then thinking that I wanted to buy some crucial punk stuff... but then my eye would catch on an album that I hadn't listened to in a long time and I WOULD NEED THAT IMMEDIATELY. So here is the randomness that is my Top 9 purchases from this past year.<p>1. <a href="https://recordnerdyo.blogspot.com/2023/11/new-york-blue.html" target="_blank">Judge 'New York Crew' on blue</a> - I didn't expect to ever own this record, and I don't really know why. Small collector thinking. So when I worked a vague trade with Marcus for a record that he wanted, and he ended up sending me this one from a list of wants that I drew up on the spot in about 3 minutes, I was shocked that he pulled it off and was able to score this for me.<p>2. <a href="https://recordnerdyo.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-decision-is-ours.html" target="_blank">Striking Distance 'March To Your Grave' supreme court cover</a> - This is decent hardcore record. I like it, but I've never lost my mind over it. This cover though? Fuck yes. That I wanted in a bad way.<p>3. <a href="https://recordnerdyo.blogspot.com/2023/06/beating-around-bush.html" target="_blank">AC/DC 'Highway To Hell' Australian first press</a> - This isn't the last AC/DC Australian pressing that I need, but it is the last big one for the collection. All that I'm missing right now is the live LP, <b>If You Want Blood</b>. Could not be happier to finally have this Australian alternate cover in my possession. Why the fuck didn't I rate this one higher on my list?<p>4. <a href="https://recordnerdyo.blogspot.com/2023/10/best-one-yet.html" target="_blank">Black Flag colored vinyl</a> - Colored vinyl for Black Flag was a fucking mission for this year. I've wanted this for the collection for years, and early this year I really wanted to make it happen. I spent a lot of time in the Spring listening to the later era Flag, so I was stoked to get these two.<p>5. <a href="https://recordnerdyo.blogspot.com/2023/05/disco-sucks-fuck-everything.html" target="_blank">Sick Of It All 'Yours Truly' on red</a> - It had been a long time since I'd spent time with this Sick Of It All record. Fuck, it has been years since I've probably bothered with any of the SOIA Fat Wreck albums. I'd kinda forgot about them, but when I was spending some time in my early 2000's playlists, <b>Yours Truly</b> came up and wow, I'd forgotten just how fun this shit is.<p>6. <a href="https://recordnerdyo.blogspot.com/2023/01/omdb-farewell.html" target="_blank">Over My Dead Body 'Sink Or Swim' final show</a> - Okay, technically I bought this one at the end of 2022, but it didn't make the blog until the first of this year, so I'm counting it... plus, these past few years I've rediscovered how great OMDB were. Bands can get buried in time and dust, and that was the case with Over My Dead Body. This band was so good. Finding this special cover for their final show at a record store in Boston was not something that I was expecting.<p>7. <a href="https://recordnerdyo.blogspot.com/2023/10/the-tempter.html" target="_blank">Trouble 'Psalm 9' on white</a> - Dude, this record has been on my immediate want list for years, but I keep putting it off for one reason. *whining* "That is too expensive" and "That condition isn't good enough". Fucking hell. I got sick of dicking around about it and I bought one with little regard of the price. Just give it to me.<p>8. <a href="https://recordnerdyo.blogspot.com/2023/07/unified-ukhc.html" target="_blank">Unified Action record release</a> - Lins from Unified Action is an old blogger friend, and when I heard that his band was going to have a special cover for their record release show over in the UK, I immediately sent him a message asking how I could get one. I didn't really expect that he would hold one aside for me, but it didn't hurt to ask. I was grateful that he not only did that for me, but that he also gave me number 15 out of 15. Very cool.<p>9. <a href="https://recordnerdyo.blogspot.com/2023/03/hello-from-gutter.html" target="_blank">Overkill 'Under The Influence' orignal press</a> - An old school thrash classic and the final album I needed for the early Overkill collection. Originally released in 1988 when I graduated high school, and there is no denying how important this record was to me at that time.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNe72olSoNHuxi8CUu0hOONpwAOV27t-CQiudPEHdOeAokYK7Ctp-wZCWiK0VmP0ZzNcUFBd6R3tIQIkyVAe0MEX_F5YU1PmmW-IhwsPVgwxS0NiK9-3CFL14O87ftP0DsfUK-YErcZ3cFjkuISHmunnHFXUl-3FmT6O1BdYlMCfwV_iW-2u12pg/s4435/2023_TopHardcore.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="4435" data-original-width="4429" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNe72olSoNHuxi8CUu0hOONpwAOV27t-CQiudPEHdOeAokYK7Ctp-wZCWiK0VmP0ZzNcUFBd6R3tIQIkyVAe0MEX_F5YU1PmmW-IhwsPVgwxS0NiK9-3CFL14O87ftP0DsfUK-YErcZ3cFjkuISHmunnHFXUl-3FmT6O1BdYlMCfwV_iW-2u12pg/s400/2023_TopHardcore.jpg"/></a></div><blockquote>1. Drain - Living Proof<p>2. As Friends Rust - Any Joy<p>3. Drink Deep - DD<p>4. Vantage Point - Against Myself<p>5. Scowl - Psychic Dance Routine<p>6. Wreckage - Our Time<p>7. Magnitude - Of Days Renewed...<p>8. Envision - The Gods That Built Tomorrow<p>9. Buggin - Concrete Cowboys</blockquote><p>There were some really great hardcore records released this year. I didn't think much about it over the past 12 months, but sitting here right now and looking at this list... there is a lot of stuff here that I'll be getting a charge out for years. Dude, that Drain album? I did not expect much from that one, and when I started putting this list together, I was thinking that it was going to end up somewhere in the middle. But the more that I thought about it, the higher it climbed. Fuck it. It deserves the number one spot. I also kind of forgot about that Scowl record because it feel like it was released so long ago, but yeah, I still have a good time spinning that one. I wasn't overwhelmed with a bunch of hardcore releases, but the ones that I did pick up are so good.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLJAgdd5lptNxyHAw-iyf7ceTAQpFG-tmd_J3pxFPaUjGH_WDaDeKByStHbHC-vRG2iVHQ017g9RGL-aSp5w-Wyk0HFG_xypREQGqXdtpU_D-AkKw7TTG4LfPgkwCi7uRdunwKNBAcg-P_HL-iU8bV-WSpKrqk6wo8K77HdsARUrmfnxpDCO8u7Q/s4335/2023_TopMetal.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="4335" data-original-width="4329" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLJAgdd5lptNxyHAw-iyf7ceTAQpFG-tmd_J3pxFPaUjGH_WDaDeKByStHbHC-vRG2iVHQ017g9RGL-aSp5w-Wyk0HFG_xypREQGqXdtpU_D-AkKw7TTG4LfPgkwCi7uRdunwKNBAcg-P_HL-iU8bV-WSpKrqk6wo8K77HdsARUrmfnxpDCO8u7Q/s400/2023_TopMetal.jpg"/></a></div><blockquote>1. Enforcer - Nostalgia<p>Blood Star - First Sighting<p>3. Blood Ceremony - The Old Ways Remain<p>4. Overkill - Scorched<p>5. Metallica - 72 Seasons<p>6. Pest Control - Don't Mess With The Pest<p>7. Cirith Ungol - Dark Parade<p>8. Night Demon - Outsider<p>9. Metal Church - Congregation Of Annihilation</blockquote><p>This year I had a hard time getting excited about the metal albums. Very solid albums from Blood Star and Blood Ceremony, and a nice rebound for Enforcer to put them back at number one... plus I was surprised with how much I enjoyed the new Metallica... but overall, for the most part I just didn't find myself in a hurry to return to many of them.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGu3G4nJqyyXQKto78HXKmoVyRzH_oFS8Ww3wACR8MwQluEhUst3OYjedn8FpIBFua62qp9IC5ujNyD3YXYhFU3crLhVNxibjiayztbzBUZGHOQD1AkUHm4qOgE567Vt-ev9gVMwncweEfVWrtL2EPPniajjEn3u_1cLDK0e4kqQ25-k-xrhdgag/s4462/2023_TopListens.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="4462" data-original-width="4462" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGu3G4nJqyyXQKto78HXKmoVyRzH_oFS8Ww3wACR8MwQluEhUst3OYjedn8FpIBFua62qp9IC5ujNyD3YXYhFU3crLhVNxibjiayztbzBUZGHOQD1AkUHm4qOgE567Vt-ev9gVMwncweEfVWrtL2EPPniajjEn3u_1cLDK0e4kqQ25-k-xrhdgag/s400/2023_TopListens.jpg"/></a></div>Yeah, it was kind of a weird year. Like I mentioned, I was kind of lost early in the year for what I wanted to listen to. I think that I spent so much time with new hardcore records in 2022, that this year I was burned out on it. The last couple of years I've kind of rediscovered R.E.M., and that really took off this year. I listened to that band a lot. Plus, The Smashing Pumpkins connected with me in a big way... specifically the Mellon Collie album. I've never given the band much thought, but I started to slowly check them out last year, and when I wanted something different, this band always hit what I wanted. Yeah, I was slow to fully appreciate High Vis, but their last album finally clicked and I listened to that a lot earlier this year. I didn't expect to like the <b>Actions and Indications</b> album from Seaweed as much as I did. I figured that it would be okay, but nothing special. I was wrong. I loved it. <p>There were a number of bands that were introduced to me by a new friend that I met in an online bookclub on Instagram. She had me listen to Gulch and Amyl and the Sniffers from a couple years ago, and they both blew my mind. Plus she made me check out Life Of Agony because I had actively avoided them all these years, and the <b>River Runs Red</b> album surprised the hell out of me. It was not what I thought it was at all, and it shocked me just how good it was. Another one that I wasn't expecting was the Downer album from 2001 that was just released on vinyl this year. Marcus told me to check it out, and it fit that different vibe that I was looking for perfectly.<p>So yeah, it was a different kind of year. I'm not sure if I'll get back on track for 2024, but if you are still hanging out and checking this nonsense, I appreciate it.</div>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03975324094301949169noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565283.post-14459100360291238042023-12-29T17:39:00.000-05:002023-12-29T17:39:44.659-05:00Concrete Cowboys<div style="text-align: justify;">The clock is ticking towards the new year, but I want to get at least one more 2023 new release up on this blog before the new year hits. Something is definitely not going to make the cutoff before it shows up on my year end post, so I had to put a lot of thought into which record I was going to pull for this.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYFRLjKGYBu1H3MgnPjB9ljk62k3VmMbxtKjfw5ZocMFquQfU9OXZdzCNAHsYOdqJgCv0XZrmrAadH0dnyjDPHTzCpfOvAwmWMa-YKq7KQ_iqPA7ZUYyVxx4stf_7-i7ddj1NPt1_wvEcKC6Dq6_4ZuYwEUOGdIpXSoOuBMhq0zXAMo__tjf7wZg/s1854/Buggin1.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1392" data-original-width="1854" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYFRLjKGYBu1H3MgnPjB9ljk62k3VmMbxtKjfw5ZocMFquQfU9OXZdzCNAHsYOdqJgCv0XZrmrAadH0dnyjDPHTzCpfOvAwmWMa-YKq7KQ_iqPA7ZUYyVxx4stf_7-i7ddj1NPt1_wvEcKC6Dq6_4ZuYwEUOGdIpXSoOuBMhq0zXAMo__tjf7wZg/s400/Buggin1.jpg"/></a></div>I picked up the Buggin album earlier this year, but like most new records, I didn't really spend much time with it. This past week though? Holy shit, this <a href="https://flatspotrecords.bandcamp.com/album/fsr67-concrete-cowboys" target="_blank">Concrete Cowboys</a> record is so fun and I've been giving it repeat spins. This record has some great hardcore attitude. There is a lot of bounce and swagger with these songs, and listening to them makes me smile because they are just such a great time.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_itDY0ImKB5e4Wd4wPv5Og4J-oOdQU195edKkcfNUivgL3mm4KDmUMrTKx_xbcH1aqLSgUqABAs5BmYB3d81EJ9d0SAu0p4aVTMhXpZ2Z8KvaWX4m_UR-RLgN5fBqm5nGB2oScWrUCtjs6c9pvsxYxgGaXI1_YA-C5tjRW_0TxgfVqAQZRupuKw/s1579/Buggin2.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1184" data-original-width="1579" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_itDY0ImKB5e4Wd4wPv5Og4J-oOdQU195edKkcfNUivgL3mm4KDmUMrTKx_xbcH1aqLSgUqABAs5BmYB3d81EJ9d0SAu0p4aVTMhXpZ2Z8KvaWX4m_UR-RLgN5fBqm5nGB2oScWrUCtjs6c9pvsxYxgGaXI1_YA-C5tjRW_0TxgfVqAQZRupuKw/s400/Buggin2.jpg"/></a></div>I grabbed the green vinyl that was exclusive to <a href="https://flatspotrecords.com/collections/vinyl" target="_blank">Flatspot Records</a>. 545 pressed.</div>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03975324094301949169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565283.post-81130802771918435152023-12-28T19:38:00.000-05:002023-12-28T19:38:29.949-05:00Restrained In Time<div style="text-align: justify;">The last <a href="about:invalid#zSoyz" target="_blank">Restraining Order</a> album was a fast favorite. That thing was catchy as fuck, and it got to a point where I had to deliberately set it aside and not listen to it so that I didn't overplay that shit. So yeah, when their latest, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50_K0-7-z6M" target="_blank">Locked In Time</a>, went up for preorder, I didn't hesitate to quickly grab a copy.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh29mdRtAlzdjQiiUoKKYj0hjV4bWWZL5_29EAG8d0njRAPou6xlGzTNZJ2m0OKcAnlWy-Glb2JiEEP6Q-zHuBOj9LOxmMAN3ifEvh0grXD7KZxELkmkWhqAD6M8vCxEEntOpOSQttAbdO1C5lpQNM1zkt5FNS-g-CI146W32PFMZlTeRN0VHCCiA/s1938/Restrain1.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1455" data-original-width="1938" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh29mdRtAlzdjQiiUoKKYj0hjV4bWWZL5_29EAG8d0njRAPou6xlGzTNZJ2m0OKcAnlWy-Glb2JiEEP6Q-zHuBOj9LOxmMAN3ifEvh0grXD7KZxELkmkWhqAD6M8vCxEEntOpOSQttAbdO1C5lpQNM1zkt5FNS-g-CI146W32PFMZlTeRN0VHCCiA/s400/Restrain1.jpg"/></a></div>This new Restraining Order album wasn't the instant fave like the first one. There isn't any great change in style or sound, but it feels similar to when Boston Strangler released their <a href="https://recordnerdyo.blogspot.com/2014/12/strangled-and-burned.html" target="_blank">Fire</a> album. It is good and has some really fun songs, but compared to the first? Come on. Still, while it might not rate at the top of my list this year, I can see myself pulling this out in a couple of years and asking myself what my problem was. Restraining Order have to be one of the hardest working bands in hardcore and I hope they keep things rolling through next year.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5UjaNPNddAit9GhKxfh9TMMCCCJJPmplsWJWmoqRxB_fYtNAeUbfDFWhXHErFj0SThCSa1We1GL9q2Fd43DLUqGhxFPmU9JcogRip1QoKhfBTggBQK8ReXRQlzAmi-OxdlwY0tskBP4jD1HEICHAmmo7dw_GVclKuho_yZMpS1apZ7_t6zSleUw/s1930/Restrain2.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1448" data-original-width="1930" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5UjaNPNddAit9GhKxfh9TMMCCCJJPmplsWJWmoqRxB_fYtNAeUbfDFWhXHErFj0SThCSa1We1GL9q2Fd43DLUqGhxFPmU9JcogRip1QoKhfBTggBQK8ReXRQlzAmi-OxdlwY0tskBP4jD1HEICHAmmo7dw_GVclKuho_yZMpS1apZ7_t6zSleUw/s400/Restrain2.jpg"/></a></div>I can't remember if I was late to the preorders and missed out on the limited colors, or if I just didn't give a fuck and picked one that I thought might be the least offensive to look at. This is the common pressing of the 3 color black/white/yellow smash and it doesn't look terrible. Limited to 524.</div>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03975324094301949169noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565283.post-2832959069935868802023-12-26T21:13:00.000-05:002023-12-26T21:13:18.828-05:00Against Myself<div style="text-align: justify;">I didn't spend a lot of time listening to new hardcore records this year, but there have been a few new releases that I was really looking forward to. I've already posted about As Friends Rust and Magnitude, and to complete my Big 3 for 2023, Vantage Point comes rolling in at the end of the year with <a href="https://bbbrecords.bandcamp.com/album/against-myself" target="_blank">Against Myself</a>.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH7QKglLaT0cFUncqX3mw1_IpYQEnihjZXDL-EfRa8GmPA7z2av9-2DPXIYvYVwFXZNt4Hkj49eR2vQcMU4BtNNdq6m7QUaxR-msaLf90lcROhyphenhypheneVYHdzxxuZg0ZE5IkDFwJujQ-T_9uEJ8LkZ58_xrgOyUQzs-w4rOyEpEAjYOMMpISerlhx7pw/s1680/VP1.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1260" data-original-width="1680" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH7QKglLaT0cFUncqX3mw1_IpYQEnihjZXDL-EfRa8GmPA7z2av9-2DPXIYvYVwFXZNt4Hkj49eR2vQcMU4BtNNdq6m7QUaxR-msaLf90lcROhyphenhypheneVYHdzxxuZg0ZE5IkDFwJujQ-T_9uEJ8LkZ58_xrgOyUQzs-w4rOyEpEAjYOMMpISerlhx7pw/s400/VP1.jpg"/></a></div>I've really enjoyed Vantage Point since hearing their first demo back in 2016/2017. They play a straight forward style of hardcore that will hit me in the chest every single time. Even at this age, I'm a sucker for it. I don't even know what to say about it anymore. Either you get it or you don't. This shit has moved me since I first discovered the hardcore scene around 1990, and even during a year where my musical tastes have been all over the map, this brand of hardcore will forever grab me by the throat. The Vantage Point 7 inch from the end of 2019 was great, and this full length, clocking in just over 17 minutes, gives me exactly what I want from the band.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieI-wJypgO_QfnIJDk_tbhcxIPrjne2q90Qx7m-YkikT8H9Pk0W9C8_ZcV28I3ykzDctyGaMXG0VJhn0oxLphuMQrF4hJvMIUrxoDNW9nkClsmhkF2jbaK5x6cCb2bIeZuwl0tuUm4tmiFqIHAJPGRFfmBtUgznFOSNJrlqYMfXU9c0CJcaQTGtw/s1885/VP2.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1414" data-original-width="1885" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieI-wJypgO_QfnIJDk_tbhcxIPrjne2q90Qx7m-YkikT8H9Pk0W9C8_ZcV28I3ykzDctyGaMXG0VJhn0oxLphuMQrF4hJvMIUrxoDNW9nkClsmhkF2jbaK5x6cCb2bIeZuwl0tuUm4tmiFqIHAJPGRFfmBtUgznFOSNJrlqYMfXU9c0CJcaQTGtw/s400/VP2.jpg"/></a></div>165 pressed on some kind of nasty puke looking colored vinyl.</div>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03975324094301949169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565283.post-11759211313010709952023-12-23T17:21:00.000-05:002023-12-23T17:21:51.143-05:00The Decision Is Ours<div style="text-align: justify;">Striking Distance were around in the early 2000's, which was a time when I was a bit out of touch with what was going on with hardcore. I was aware of some bands at the time, but I was really more interested in stuff like Good Riddance and Anti-Flag. I did have the <b>March To Your Grave</b> CD around then, but I never really gave it much attention. Since I've started collecting record around 2005, I've had a few moments when I would want to build a solid Youngblood collection, but for one reason or another, I've never made moves to pick up the vinyl for that Striking Distance LP.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkthsP3ItY9yCHyKofavtMICkiqFbpd6Tq4MRTMJETB8Vgmsfih0Ap2R8LLdTVzZCGs5ojDLoEdc23l2HYhilAbNdXbfmytNjCxER_aQOBBznPjpvMRxtPgQ3g2iiU7g4i6-g3RiiUxile9g6edVYRvBJnyf-7fUh3N6MCerNef140tT9JQCWqBg/s1902/Striking1.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1427" data-original-width="1902" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkthsP3ItY9yCHyKofavtMICkiqFbpd6Tq4MRTMJETB8Vgmsfih0Ap2R8LLdTVzZCGs5ojDLoEdc23l2HYhilAbNdXbfmytNjCxER_aQOBBznPjpvMRxtPgQ3g2iiU7g4i6-g3RiiUxile9g6edVYRvBJnyf-7fUh3N6MCerNef140tT9JQCWqBg/s400/Striking1.jpg"/></a></div>In 2022, when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, they proved that once again the American conservative powers-that-be doesn't give a shit about popular opinion or the rights of it's citizens, and effectively no longer protected a woman's right to abortion. A month after the ruling, Striking Distance played a couple of reunion shows, and packaged <b>March To Your Grave</b> in one of the best special reissue covers ever, so I knew it was time for me to get this record into my collection. Fuck every one of those conservative pieces of shit. Here is something sent special delivery with your name on it.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSFTqYh0s8cBmg85Srh9abajGH2FHQVezU5x_5zPFljfrNqnNQXo0EOxT9B0iOrIEskcFk_xDnXhgmTwqqLhX2Jb09kX-ZeGbuaKmpYZ5UEL0VFYgad1VwV3ADNDpdzYbyy3dkGI_dAL961_ZAxE6UDqLAD65CwqUq6V5Sq29-TRGEi_W6TLm4NQ/s2048/Striking2.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSFTqYh0s8cBmg85Srh9abajGH2FHQVezU5x_5zPFljfrNqnNQXo0EOxT9B0iOrIEskcFk_xDnXhgmTwqqLhX2Jb09kX-ZeGbuaKmpYZ5UEL0VFYgad1VwV3ADNDpdzYbyy3dkGI_dAL961_ZAxE6UDqLAD65CwqUq6V5Sq29-TRGEi_W6TLm4NQ/s400/Striking2.jpg"/></a></div>I really enjoy going back to that early 2000 era. I never really spent a lot of time with those bands, and it seems like most people have forgotten about that period these days, so it feels like you are in an exclusive club when listening to this stuff now.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiepJqOexoXS7TgwRiXoHa_zAhCgettw2j9g1YqL6WQyXvZ30n0nM8LbISiW13upsV4eAmq42N6r9WK6LLjZ_fWAmhTgeHv02cUjEs1WKD9FcM5CmDN9TI7Qoew9VvPrvkOEF3aWXSl_N21JXx-Oe_0Mya0PeAUTghvYEyeqQNdgbJ7yRoWWYILUg/s1819/Striking3.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1367" data-original-width="1819" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiepJqOexoXS7TgwRiXoHa_zAhCgettw2j9g1YqL6WQyXvZ30n0nM8LbISiW13upsV4eAmq42N6r9WK6LLjZ_fWAmhTgeHv02cUjEs1WKD9FcM5CmDN9TI7Qoew9VvPrvkOEF3aWXSl_N21JXx-Oe_0Mya0PeAUTghvYEyeqQNdgbJ7yRoWWYILUg/s400/Striking3.jpg"/></a></div>According to discogs, there were 200 pressed on red vinyl for this reissue, but only 100 of them received this special cover... and of those, half of them had red poly bags while the other half had a regular clear bag... and then 70 of those had the regular glossy insert, while only 30 had a photocopied insert on red paper. Give me the most limited of the bunch.</div>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03975324094301949169noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565283.post-88023598365337780902023-12-21T20:41:00.001-05:002023-12-21T20:41:12.451-05:00Sun Blue<div style="text-align: justify;">Bent Blue was one of my favorite discoveries in 2022. There was something about that band that hit me in a big way and I listened to their two records a lot throughout last year. So yeah, I was definitely on board for something new from the band this year.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3zQ7u_PnMoybfq7IsR-FE0cKY10vKyiPtrPGBXvG-gQf6f4T6DPQ_H8UUnFlKNQ6VNl2lmXdFSmcD2oECsgFaG_Q5U3Zjj5LhHuT4rG6VzSl9jwWiAJ-KKoPPGajwIJj8aambqqSQpsZlnkwwQApfbaXz2F4x07VRfnw9bepW3M_HTy1aCaRriA/s1935/BBSS1.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1451" data-original-width="1935" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3zQ7u_PnMoybfq7IsR-FE0cKY10vKyiPtrPGBXvG-gQf6f4T6DPQ_H8UUnFlKNQ6VNl2lmXdFSmcD2oECsgFaG_Q5U3Zjj5LhHuT4rG6VzSl9jwWiAJ-KKoPPGajwIJj8aambqqSQpsZlnkwwQApfbaXz2F4x07VRfnw9bepW3M_HTy1aCaRriA/s400/BBSS1.jpg"/></a></div>This split 7 inch between Bent Blue and Sunstroke doesn't offer a lot, since it is only one new song plus a cover from each, but I'll take it. Fuck, the new Bent Blue song is so good. I hope the band gives us more because I'm not done with them. I've always appreciated Sunstroke and their very strong influence from the DC Revolution Summer style, so these two bands compliment each other very well. Perfect match for a split release.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgCBfaGkRESSlqiREOfAK5B0Kz6TGLuVsv7BLEuiBOhegTH2EVF2gadx8NJ-gfLKzbMKnKW74UPMN3YOlQf4A8b5gLK7eHhDiUqhm7JN62PZ_39wqYV96ydqxd7ww68_gNAIGJ8E3wFldpInGaLg6iW7zP6zBks5GUE9XfDAGVrL7eWV_TaoOyLg/s1819/BBSS2.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="1819" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgCBfaGkRESSlqiREOfAK5B0Kz6TGLuVsv7BLEuiBOhegTH2EVF2gadx8NJ-gfLKzbMKnKW74UPMN3YOlQf4A8b5gLK7eHhDiUqhm7JN62PZ_39wqYV96ydqxd7ww68_gNAIGJ8E3wFldpInGaLg6iW7zP6zBks5GUE9XfDAGVrL7eWV_TaoOyLg/s400/BBSS2.jpg"/></a></div>I don't collect records for either band, but when preorders went up, I still felt the need to buy both colored vinyl options that were available. Both colors limited to 150 each.</div>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03975324094301949169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22565283.post-3667841913757476602023-12-19T20:23:00.003-05:002023-12-19T20:27:06.732-05:00Pitchfork Impalement<div style="text-align: justify;">I don't listen to a lot of Cannibal Corpse, but when my brain is set to destroy, the band will deliver everytime. You know exactly what you are going to get, so if you want it fast, growly and violent, Cannibal Corpse have you covered.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdvdgrneLVabOY13F1qrh13tKS1pbNNDfrVHmUHYUBp5sNVCmatXwSlCGd6VXcyV0VEg_XPUBcCC2TUrmLlQTSB2bX_jEhRtSx2ypxrLfnZOh5ymOStw1xfoqc_4j5-yDSD0ZivjhVySAB41mrU8a2C8mt9o2XYDeNV4kuQfM6qxatWZe4jBPaCQ/s1953/CC1.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1465" data-original-width="1953" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdvdgrneLVabOY13F1qrh13tKS1pbNNDfrVHmUHYUBp5sNVCmatXwSlCGd6VXcyV0VEg_XPUBcCC2TUrmLlQTSB2bX_jEhRtSx2ypxrLfnZOh5ymOStw1xfoqc_4j5-yDSD0ZivjhVySAB41mrU8a2C8mt9o2XYDeNV4kuQfM6qxatWZe4jBPaCQ/s400/CC1.jpg"/></a></div>A few months before the official news of the new Cannibal Corpse album was announced, the album cover got leaked and was making its way around the internet. As soon as I saw that completely over the top ridiculous cover art, I immediately started looking forward to it... which is a weird thing to say, because I've only listen to the last two Cannibal Corpse albums a total of ten times combined and couldn't tell you a single song off of either one, but sure, give me something new. Still, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3efq20eJi0" target="_blank">Chaos Horrific</a> is such a fun listen.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhe-qL-f6GM_x-sW8vQhiZV1KNGzYCfQ1bRrVjT3qvSeSoCH5bbwVR6PbAmQx-WjA90bAC-asp58vpcmVPA8W5TCpW4ODCast0sm9MAVHBGOrbP7ztV_iCo4lrkzvrEtLlV7F3vjgIe_Lvsa6orb8schMlSR0ay6TWEEB48bKDwRRnYY-WpUe5Ng/s1927/CC2.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1445" data-original-width="1927" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhe-qL-f6GM_x-sW8vQhiZV1KNGzYCfQ1bRrVjT3qvSeSoCH5bbwVR6PbAmQx-WjA90bAC-asp58vpcmVPA8W5TCpW4ODCast0sm9MAVHBGOrbP7ztV_iCo4lrkzvrEtLlV7F3vjgIe_Lvsa6orb8schMlSR0ay6TWEEB48bKDwRRnYY-WpUe5Ng/s400/CC2.jpg"/></a></div>When I was preordering the album, I saw a colored vinyl option of "charred remains". Fuck yes. That is the version that I want. Thankfully the vinyl looks as good as it's name.</div>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03975324094301949169noreply@blogger.com0