Sunday, January 29, 2012

Judas Priest Painkiller

A couple months ago, I went to see Judas Priest in concert. The Epitaph tour. It is supposed to be their last tour, and quite possibly it was my last chance to see them live. Since I'd only seen them one other time, I was really looking forward to catching them again. The setlist was pretty cool, as they played at least one song from each of their Halford albums. Halford's voice isn't what it once was, but to see the band do songs like Never Satisfied, Beyond The Realms of Death, Starbreaker, and Blood Red Skies...it was pretty fucking awesome. For me, the highlight of the show was Night Crawler from the Painkiller LP. It was an unexpected surprise, and kicked the ass of those standard songs that Priest feel the need to play over and over and over.

Back on Black recently repressed the majority of Judas Priest's catalog on vinyl...skipping Rocka Rolla and Sad Wings, and ignoring the Ripper years. Last Christmas, I picked up a vinyl copy of one of Priest's last classic albums, Painkiller. Damn, this album is so good. It doesn't compete with their 70's output, but it sure tops what they were doing with Turbo. Unlike my past purchases of Back on Black titles, I didn't get this one on colored vinyl. There was a limited pressing on red vinyl, and I was disappointed to open mine and see it was on black vinyl. Oh well, it still feels good to finally own this on vinyl.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Fire, Ice and a Test Press

A while back, Triple B Records put up a bunch of rare vinyl in their webstore to fund some up and coming releases. I picked up a couple of things, but I was also pretty tempted by the test press they had available for the Fire & Ice Collections album. It was priced at $100, and in the end, I thought it was too high, so I passed on it.

A month or so later, there was another one up on eBay. I had my eye on it, but when it sold for $66, it was still too rich for my blood at that time.

November rolls around, and I find another one up on eBay. This time it is being sold by Ryan Groat, the band's guitar player. Now I'm determined to finally own a copy. Sale price, $38.00. Sweet deal.

Nothing too exciting with the packaging. Just a white sleeve with a sticker up in the corner.

Limited to 15.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Four Bars

I've been thinking about picking up some Black Flag vinyl for a while. Great classic band, and I seem to be listening to them more and more nowadays...kind of rediscovering the greatness of those Rollins albums. Some of it I've never owned, some I've owned on CD...some on cassette. I figured it was time that I owned some vinyl, so I picked up a few for Christmas. Yesterday I saw the latest posts from Marcus and I realized that my copies are shit. I now want colored vinyl.

In My Head. Nope, never owned this before. I downloaded it years ago, but I always preferred the early years of Black Flag, and I never really warmed up to the band's last album. In fact, I've probably listened to it a total of 5 times in my life. Back when I was on a Stoner/Doom kick, I gave this album a spin and liked what I heard. It was time to own a proper copy.

I Can See You. I didn't even know this record existed until a couple years ago. I remember seeing it down at Newbury Comics in Boston. I was completely stunned as I'd never heard of it before. It is the band's last studio recordings, and since I'd paid so little attention to In My Head, it shouldn't have come as that big of a surprise that I'd never heard of it before. I didn't pick it up from Newbury's at the time, as I wanted to find out more about it. I didn't want to buy it only to discover it was some crap instrumental/poetry record. I downloaded it to preview it, and loved it even more than In My Head. Out Of This World is one of my favorite latter day Flag songs.

Even though I've always preferred the early stuff from Black Flag, the only thing that I ever owned from this period was The First Four Years....on cassette. Embarrassing.

The vinyl that I got, has the b-side label offset, so center hole gets punched through one of the song titles.

TV Party 7 inch. Finally some Black Flag colored vinyl!

One of my more embarrassing confessions. The I Can See You EP was a surprise, but I figured that it had to be the last songs of Black Flag that had somehow escaped me. Not true. Say hello to the TV Party record. Sure, I knew this existed, but like Nervous Breakdown, Jealous Again, and Six Pack, I assumed that the songs from the TV Party EP were included in The First Four Years compilation LP. I never double checked as I was pretty sure in my assumption. Amateur. Somehow, over the past couple months, I stumbled across the track list for TV Party, and realized that I had never heard of the songs from the b-side. Mind fucking blown.

Grabbed this copy on orange vinyl from REVHQ with my latest order. Time to slowly start working on the other colored vinyl for this band.

Monday, January 23, 2012

Stay Cruel

I remember when Cruel Hand's Lock & Key album was released a little over a year ago. Meh, it was okay, but not nearly as good as the Prying Eyes LP. Time has improved my perception of this album. Listening to Lock & Key these days, I can't help but be impressed with how great this album is. HARDcore.

I picked up my second copy of this LP when Bridge Nine was having a Black Friday sale. Cruel Hand albums were on sale for $6.00, so I grabbed the sea foam green pressing (limited to 700). In hindsight, I should have picked up the grey vinyl as well to complete my Lock & Key collection.

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Overlooked

I have this Overlooked 7 inch in my pile of new vinyl. I got it a month or so ago, and I know that I ordered it from Life To Live Records, but I can't remember what it was that made me decide to add this to my cart.

Since I've received it, I've found comparisons to Suicide File and Panic. Overlooked do seem to have that early 2000 hardcore sound, and I couldn't get enough of that stuff when I placed the order...that could have pushed me to pick up this 7 inch. Solid.

375 on grey/mixed colored vinyl.

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Ghost of Christmas Present

It isn't very often that I head out to shows these days, even more rare that I make it out to a Metal show. However, last night was one that I could not miss. Ghost and Blood Ceremony in Boston. Yes, I even skipped the Step Forward and Disengage show that was happening the same night. While I love those two Hardcore bands, it would have taken a Chain of Strength reunion to keep me away from making it out to catch a date on Ghost's first US tour.

The show was worth the two hour drive by myself. The show just felt like something special. I love Blood Ceremony, but they still exceeded my expectations on the stage. Alia O'Brian was pretty hot, and the band sounded amazing. When the guitar riff kicked in for the song Oliver Haddo, it put a huge smile on my face. Ghost was an amazing spectacle. Musically they weren't as impressive as Blood Ceremony, but you still could not take your eyes off their satanic pope front man, Papa Emeritus. He was a commanding presence on that stage. Even their cover of Here Comes The Sun from The Beatles, was incredibly haunting. All in all, it was a hell of a night out.

After catching Ghost live last night, I figured that it was a good time to post my latest copy of their Opus Eponymous LP. This one was a gift from my Mom at Christmas. 500 pressed on clear with purple splatter.

This is my fourth copy of this album. I typically don't purchase multiple copies of Metal albums for my collection. Usually one is enough. That does not seem to be the case for Ghost. After setting up the four copies of vinyl for this picture, I found myself overwhelmed with the desire to head over to Rise Above, and grab another copy.

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Double Team With The Ladies

A few months ago, I finally got around to checking out The Ladies. I fell in love, and set out to pick up a couple more. They were a little older, but they were still fast and tight.

The Hole Sailor 7 inch was released in 2009 from No Way Records. It has Dirty Pictures Of Your Mother...of which, I'm a big fan.

I don't think I've ever heard someone say, "You know what we need more of in Punk Rock? Drawings of a big veiny penis.". Nope, not ever.

The vinyl is bluish green, but you don't really get the full effect unless you hold it up to the light. 200 pressed.

The first 7 inch from The Ladies was originally released by Riff Raff in 2008. Grave Mistake repressed it the following year. One run of 500...all on black vinyl.

I did multiple searches on the internet, but I was unable to find the songs for this 7 inch to download. Not a problem. I have no issue with taking matters into my own hand, and doing the job myself.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Keeping Up With The Parade

Two years ago, I started working on my Rain On The Parade collection. Twelve years after it's initial release, I picked up my second copy of the Full Speed Ahead 7 inch from Marcus, and the chase had begun.

Now I've never been able to really focus on collecting one band. There are so many records that I want, that I can't help but get distracted. Marcus has worked to keep me locked in on Rain On The Parade. I'm pretty sure that for every ROTP record that I've bought since I started collecting the band, I've been tipped off by Marcus to the ebay auction. This latest record is no exception.

This is the third press of Full Speed Ahead from My War Records. Blue cover and yellow vinyl, which I'm pretty sure is limited to 400. Thanks for keeping me focused, Marcus!

Monday, January 16, 2012

Paranoid Government Warning

Early on, Government Warning were such a great band. No Way Out, No Moderation, and Arrested were all great records. 2009 came around and they released the Executed 7 inch...meh...it was just okay. The sound was a little different...the guitars and vocals a little too distorted.

A couple months ago, I picked up the last Government Warning LP, Paranoid Mess from REACT! with one of my orders. Released back in 2009, it was the only GW record that I was missing, so I figured that I'd pick it up.

Paranoid Mess continues down the path started with Executed. It isn't bad, but it really doesn't move me like those first couple of records.

Sunday, January 15, 2012

American Nightmare Demo

American Nightmare. I don't dig them nearly as much as a lot of people. They are pretty good, I guess, but I never really lost my mind over them. Fact: I've never even heard the We're Down Til We're Underground LP. The high point for me, with American Nightmare, was their first few recordings...the demo and first two EPs. I rarely listen to those records nowadays, but at the time of their release, I really liked them.

When I was in the Bridge Nine webstore a couple months ago, I saw that they had the vinyl pressing of the demo for sale. I only owned the cassette copy, so I figured that I'd pick up the record for the hell of it.

In fact, the major selling point for me was that it was pressed on "random" colored vinyl. The description on Bridge Nine stated that "no two records look the same". It sounded like a cool concept, so I ordered two copies just to see how they looked.

While they might not look exactly the same, the differences are pretty small. I wasn't impressed by the "random" colors. Big deal. I guess I'll put one copy into my pile of shit to throw up on eBay someday.

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Test Press Alert

Back at the end of October, Six Feet Under put up a bunch of eBay auctions. One of the records was the test pressing for the new Alert 7 inch. Within two days, the auction was up to $63.00. What the fuck? There were still five days left. Kids need to calm the fuck down. I was really struggling with some money issues, and when the record sold for $72.00, it was too rich for my blood and I was out.

Mike Puffer sings for Alert. Mike is a pretty nice dude, and we've spent some time at shows hanging out and talking. A couple weeks after the SFU auctions, Mike sent me a message, asking if I was interested in buying an Alert test press directly from him. I was still broke, but the price was lower that the one that SFU sold...plus it was coming from Puffer. I don't like turning down these offers, so I accepted.

The test press comes with a special cover and is limited to just 13.

I thanked Puffer for the offer, told him that the payment had been sent, and let him know that the only pressing I was missing for the Find Your Way 7 inch was the one that Six Feet Under did for the Sound & Fury fest. Much to my surprise, Mike threw a copy in with the test pressing he sent me.

Limited to 54 and packaged with a special cover for the fest. Awesome record, great dudes, straight edge.

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Damage Scars

I was really into the "Ebullition sound" of the early to mid 90's. I bought a lot of my records from Kent McLard's distro, and I ate up just about anything he carried or put out with Ebullition. Some of those bands didn't really stand the test of time, and a lot of them have fallen off my playlists. Still, when I pull out something from likes of Shotmaker, Downcast, Current, or Iconoclast, I'm reminded that there were some real classics from those days.

While I no longer actively search out newer bands that play this style these days, Damages seem to have made their way to my turntable. Introduced to me through their REACT! 7 inch last year, I was kind of impressed that bands like this are still around, and how well Damages can pull off this sound.

In addition to the REACT! release, the label was also carrying the band's Scars 7 inch in their webstore. I don't really know a whole lot about this band, but I believe this is the first 7 inch from this Canadian band. Listening to it now, and damn, it makes me want to pull out my copy of the Navio Forge LP. Cool shit.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

H2O Go!

I don't know of any band that is more hit or miss than H2O. I like the band, but every other album seems to be a clunker. No doubt about it though, they came out strong with their first album.

With the 15 year anniversary of the debut LP, Bridge Nine took the opportunity to repress it again on vinyl. Typically, the label has been re-issuing those classics that were released before I got into Hardcore. Antidote, Agnostic Front, Project X and Underdog. Back when I was buying Armored Saint and Dio cassette tapes, those bands were completely unknown to me, and would not even register on my radar for another 3 or 4 years. The latest Bridge Nine re-issue is different because I was around for the original release.

I remember first picking up the H2O single from Equal Vision in 1995, and thinking that they were a pretty good melodic pop punk band. The label was releasing records from bands like Shift and Serpico, and I thought that H2O fit in with the poppy sound that the EVR was putting out there at the time. Then the album dropped and I was surprised. Holy shit, H2O suddenly sounded like a Hardcore band?!!? Of course the band would walk this fine line of melodic Hardcore for their entire career. Sometimes it worked...sometimes it didn't.

Yes, I got caught up in the H2O excitement with the release of thier covers album, and I felt the need to buy not one, but two copies of the Bridge Nine repress of the first album. A true classic.

Monday, January 09, 2012

Boogadaboogadaboogada

There was a period in my life when I took music very seriously. It needed to deliver a heavy message at all times, and I had no time for any band that would have been considered silly. 24 year old me would have probably had no tolerance for Screeching Weasel. I listened to a lot of shitty music in the mid-90's, but as long as they were saying something, I could pretend that I liked it. Thankfully, I'm not so uptight anymore, and while I think the message is still important, I can enjoy a band that really just wants to have fun.

Screeching Weasel don't care about Nicaragua. They hate Led Zeppelin, believe in UFOs and wanna be naked...and because of this, their second album, Boogadaboogadaboogada, absolutely rules. Fast and senseless punk rock.

It wasn't until this past year that I'd even heard Boogadaboogadaboogada. Sure, I had their split with Born Against, but I was never too interested in really checking them out. I'm a part of a group on last.fm called the Album of the Month Club. Just handful of people that are interested in discussing punk and hardcore. Each month someone will suggest an album for the group to listen to, and we'll all discuss. One month, Boogadaboogadaboogada was the album of choice. My expectations were set pretty low, but I downloaded the album anyway. 10 minutes into it I knew it was a keeper. The energy on this is incredibly infectious. While it's playing I can't sit still, and feel the urge to bounce around the room like an idiot. I knew that I needed to hunt down a copy.

The album was repressed a few different times, and I was content to grab a copy that Recess Records back in 2008. 500 pressed on grey colored vinyl.

Friday, January 06, 2012

Give 'Em Enough Rope

Back in August, REACT! posted the pre-orders for second pressings of the Give and Noose 7 inches. I received the package a while ago, but I'm only now just getting them posted. Perfect timing as I currently can't get enough of Give.

To differentiate between the first and second pressings, REACT! went with white labels this time around.

200 pressed on white, and 300 pressed on black vinyl.

Up until this point, I've been pretty laid back about collecting Give vinyl. My collection for Heaven Is Waiting is complete, but that is only because it was on REACT! and I needed everything the label was releasing. I've only got one copy of both the 12 inch, and the I Am Love 7 inch. Hell, I don't even own a copy of Boots Of Faith. I need to begin the hunt to fill in some of these holes.

When REACT! originally pressed the Noose demo to vinyl, they had originally said that it was a one time only press. Apparently the demand was enough, so they did a limited second pressing.

200 pressed on grey vinyl.

My copy has an odd looking black "fingerprint" on it. It's not listed as a transition press, or anything, so I assume that most of the pressing had a similar mark. Still, I wouldn't mind seeing other pressings to confirm.

I took a group picture for Give, and I didn't want Noose to feel left out, so I snapped one of them as well.

Wednesday, January 04, 2012

Tour 7 Inch Split

Back in September, Remission and Police & Thieves got together and did tours on the East and West coast to promote their new split 7 inch on Amendment Records. What a perfect pairing for these two amazing Hardcore bands.

Remission travelling up from South America to tour the States was a special occasion, and one that was worthy of a limited tour cover for their new split 7 inch.

Limited to 100. Upon first glance, it looks like they were supposed to be hand numbered, but closer inspection show there was probably an error with the printer and all the cover were created with "1/100" on the back. To fix the error, the band just put a sticker over the number 1. Still, I wish they were numbered.

The 7 inch includes the tour flyer on the back of the lyric sheet. Nice touch. As you can see, the closest they came to me was New York, and I was not going to be able to make that trip. It was too bad that I missed them, but thankfully Amendment Records put up the leftovers in their webstore, and I was able to grab one.

While I was shopping with Amendment Records, I also picked up the oddball pressing of Remission's LP. What we have here is the second pressing of the album on clear vinyl from Amendment, combined with the Euro press cover from Assault Records. This is what happens with a record label has leftover vinyl with no covers for them. They pull together whatever they can.

To differentiate this special pressing, Amendment stamped the Remission logo on the inside of the album cover.