Savage & Dangerous

I discovered Savage Master back in 2020, and I quickly picked up every available record from them that year. I loved everything that the band released, and even Those Who Hunt At Night from 2022 was another solid record from the band. So when I heard that the band was releasing a new record this year, I could not have been more excited.

Dark & Dangerous is pure Savage Master metal through and through. Savage Master have always had that 80's metal influence to their sound, but there is something about this new album that sounds even more 80's. There is a bit more polish to these songs, and even a couple that lean towards ballad territory (without being cringe), but the record is just a head banging good time. Honestly, it feels like if this was released in 1986, people would be talking today that is was a metal classic.

I wasn't sure which colored vinyl option to go with on this one. The black vinyl was the more limited version, but I still felt the need for some colored vinyl... even if it was a splatter pattern. The "dripping candles" red with black splatter was limited to 800.

Gatefold sleeve so that we can have a big photo of Stacey Savage in fishnets.

Disembodied Psalms Of UK

Early into 2025 I discovered Disembodied. I was only 25+ years late, but I eventually came around. I was certain that I didn't like the band after checking them out in the mid to late 90's. They were too metallic and too chaotic for my tastes at the time... and while I tried the band's first couple of releases, I quickly moved on and forgot about them. That all changed when I heard If God Only Knew The Rest Were Dead this year.

After listening to If Only God Knew... for a coupld of months, I needed more Disembodied. I remembered that I had their Existence In Suicide CD back in 1995, and I wanted to revisit it. At first I was disappointed to discover that it was never pressed on vinyl, but then after a bit of detective work, I found that it was included on the Psalms Of Sheol comp along with the song from The Confession 7 inch and few others. I queued up those songs and once again, Disembodied became my personality. I played those songs every day until every one in my house was probably familiar with them. If Disembodied don't top my list for most listened to bands this year, I'll be shocked.

Soon after hearing the Psalms of Sheol songs, I knew that I was going to need to buy the record. There are a number of special covers for this release, and I want them all. So when I saw a discogs seller from overseas with a copy of the UK tour press with the New Order cover I did not hesitate to grab it.

Number 41 of 50.

Big Cheese War

It's been five years since the Punishment Park record from Big Cheese was released. At the time, the band kept falling short to capture my attention. I thought they were okay, but it wasn't anything that had me excited. At the time I thought that there was a possibility that they would have potential for me at a later date, but at the time it just wasn't working for me.

A couple of years later, the band quietly released The People's War 7 inch. I don't remember hearing very much about it at the time, but I'm probably so disconnected from what's happening in the hardcore world, it's possible that I just missed the hype. Somehow I noticed that new 7 inch from Big Cheese and on a whim checked it out. The time was right, because I loved those three songs. I went back and listened to Punishment Park again, and that record immediately hit me. Yeah, I knew that this band had potential... I just needed to be in the right mindset for it. So good.

I put the oxblood colored vinyl of The People's War on my Discogs watch list at the time, and here we are over two years later when I noticed a US seller with a copy available. Even though it was priced a little high, I hadn't seen one listed for sale in a couple of years, so I didn't hesitate to add it to my cart. I'm glad to finally have this record in the collection.

Night On The Sun

It was recently announced that Modest Mouse were going to be touring with The Flaming Lips this summer, with a stop in Portland Maine the day before my birthday. They will be playing at an outside venue that is right on the water, so with some nice weather it will be the perfect spot for a summertime show. I don't know anything about The Flaming Lips, and even though I've heard that they put on a great show, for me it will be all about Modest Mouse that night.

I was excited about getting tickets, and was telling my friend Alex about it. She mentioned that she really liked the band, and we got talking about favorite songs. Modest Mouse is such a unique band and it feels like ten different people could each have a different favorite song. When Alex said that one of her favorites was Night on the Sun, I was surprised... not because of her song choice, but because I'd never heard of it before.

I found the song on Spotify to check it out and immediatly I was hooked on it. I can see why it would be someone's favorite Modest Mouse song... it is so good. I started digging in to find out more about the song and it looks like it was released as a single around the time of The Moon & Antartica, but never appeared on an album. I was so excited to discover a Modest Mouse song that I'd never heard that I quickly grabbed a 12 inch single from Discogs for $14. Deal was too good to pass up.

Checking Discogs, it looks like Night On The Sun was initially release on a 6 song Japanese only CD EP in 1999, and then as worldwide 4 song EP in 2000 (with different songs than the Japanese version). The record that I picked up was a 2016 vinyl release of the original Japanese CD EP. I feel like I'm still going to need that 2000 12 inch single version too... because why not?

Celtic Pandemonium

I was excited when Jeff sent me the latest list of records that he'd picked up from Tim's collection. I knew that Tim had a number of metal records in there, and I was looking forward to seeing what I would be able to pick up. I was expecting to pick up some classic thrash albums, but what surprised me was rediscovering and really enjoying a record that I was sure that I didn't like.

I really like the early Celtic Frost records, and while I owned the cassette of their 1987 album, Into The Pandemonium, as a kid, at some point over the years I decided that I really didn't like it. It was all too weird and experimental for my brain that just wanted straight forward crushing metal and I haven't listened to it in well over 20 years. When I saw that the record was available from Tim's collection, I figured that I'd give it a quick spin on Spotify... you know, just to make sure that I didn't like it and I could let Jeff know that I wan't interested in it.

Well shocking, because I fucking loved all of the Into The Pandemonium oddness. From the strange cover song choice of Mexican Radio to start the album, to the symphonic sounds and french poetry of Tristesses de la Lune, the strange electronic pounding drum of One In Their Pride, or the dirge march of Rex Irae... it is all so odd for a "metal" record, and yet listening to it now I see it as absolute genius. It feels like it shouldn't work, and I can understand why I felt like I didn't like it at one point, but right now I can't get enough of this album.

Karate Insight

Last year, Karate ended up back on my radar. I made an attempt to get into the band in the early 2000's, and downloaded four of the band's albums in an effort to check them out. Honestly, I think I tried to do too much too fast, and I never latched on to any of them. The songs were eventually deleted from my computer and I didn't give them another thought until last year when out of nowhere I fell in love with The Bed Is In The Ocean. I was then surprised with how good Unsolved was. I wasn't rushing things like I did 25 years ago... I was taking my time getting to know each record and loving the experience with each one. As we rolled into 2025, I figured that it was time to reach back and check out another Karate record.

This time I decided to check the record that Karate released prior to The Bed Is In The Ocean, In Place Of Real Insight from 1997. Damn, this is so good. Last year I was thinking that The Bed Is In The Ocean was going to be the only Karate record that I needed, but each time I check out something else from them I continue to really enjoy it. I expected that their laid back style would have limited interest with me, but these past couple of years I've discovered that I really appreciate what they were doing. Fuck, I'm currently spinning In Place Of Real Insight for the third time today, so it is safe to say the I'm really digging the band.

Like the other two Karate records that I've picked up, I wanted one of the colored vinyl reissues. 500 pressed on clear teal in 2021 from Numero Group.

Two Brain Cells

Twelve years ago I picked up a copy of the 1987 debut from Dead Brain Cells. I was a little disappointed that I ended up with the UK Rough Justice pressing, and not the Combat one, but it was cheap and at the time I figured that it did the job. At some point over the following years, I actually saw the US pressing on Combat records, and realized what a terrible mistake I'd made.

While the Rough Justice pressing comes in a regular album sleeve, the Combat one has the red lightning bolts embossed in a metallic red that looks really great. This one is far superior, and when I saw that Jeff was selling one from Tim's collection, and knew it was time for an upgrade.

I didn't appreciate this record when I first heard it in the late 80's because it was buried behind the band's second album on the compilation CD that I'd picked up at the time. The second album, Universe, doesn't have the same spark that the band show on their debut, so I probably gave up on the CD before it really started to cook. I guarantee that if I'd heard the self-titled debut from Dead Brain Cells at the time, it would have been one of my favorites. Excellent crossover thrash that I still get a charge listening to today.

The Rough Trade cover with the Combat one on top to try and show the comparison.