Thursday, May 31, 2018

Temperance Act Of 1995

When I was picking up the new By The Grace Of God record over at REVHQ, I noticed that they also had a listing for the Searching For Silence album from Temperance. Since the BTGOG record had put me into a mid-90's kind of mood, and this was the first time this Temperance album was pressed to vinyl, I didn't hesitate to add it to my cart as well.

Originally released only on CD back in 1995, I was surprised to see that people cared enough about this forgotten Rhode Island Hardcore band to finally give this a vinyl pressing. I mean, I saw Temperance quite a bit back in the day, and in the Boston area, the band seemed like a pretty big deal...kind of following in Kingpin's shoes and going from a straight forward Hardcore band, and then adding in a more melodic flavor. I even tried to book both Temperance and Dive for a show in Portland back in '93, although both of them bailed a couple of weeks prior, and I had to scramble to fill their spots with much smaller bands to keep from completely cancelling...but still, I spent a fair amount of money on long distance calls with the bass player, Adam, talking about setting up the show and just talking about shit in general. I'm not sure how much interest this record will generate over 20 years later, but I'm pretty stoked to finally have this on vinyl.

Only 300 pressed, and only on black vinyl.

Tuesday, May 29, 2018

By The Grace Of 2018

It has been almost 20 years since the last record from By The Grace Of God, so it was quite the surprise to see their Above Fear record listed in the Upcoming section at REVHQ. As a fan of 90's Hardcore, and since I've been hot for new Hardcore records, I was eagerly looking forward to hearing this. The video for (Drowning In) White Tides sealed the deal, and I quickly preordered a copy.

This one sided EP hits the spot. Six songs in 14 minutes. The perfect length to get in, rip it up, and leave 'em wanting more.

150 pressed with the pink silk screened b-side.

Monday, May 28, 2018

Time Is Havok

When I first started getting into Hardcore, around 1990, I pretty much stepped away from anything that had to do with Metal. Hardcore was new to me, and it consumed my attention...I had no interest in anything else for a solid ten year stretch. I started to get back into Metal around 2000, when I dusted off some of my old Metal CDs, and I was surprise with how much I enjoyed listening to those old albums. Soon after that, I started checking out newer Metal bands, and was downloading albums from Slipknot, Mudvayne, and System Of A Down. That stuff was okay, I guess, but it didn't really stick with me. Soon I had stacks of burned CDs from newer Metal bands that I'd downloaded through Napster and WinMX, and while I liked the aggression, I found that there wasn't much that was memorable and I was bored after a few songs. Then along comes the Thrash revival.

Older Thrash bands, like Death Angel, Kreator, and Exodus, are making some noise with great new albums, and soon there is a wave of newer bands adding some fire to the scene as well. This was the shit that I was waiting for. I tossed most of those newer Metal bands into the trash, and was loving what bands like Bonded By Blood, Evile, and Gama Ray were bringing to the table. Thrash hard!

There were a number of new bands from the Thrash revival that I really enjoyed, but the Time Is Up album from Havok always stood out as one of my favorites. That album was full of 80's Thrash mayhem, and did not let up.

When Havok released their new album last year, I was checking the vinyl pressing info for their other albums on discogs. I noticed an entry for a hand numbered pressing of Time Is Up on purple vinyl was listed, but with none available for sale, I added it to my Want List.

A year goes by without any hits on it, and then surprisingly one shows up in my discogs daily notification. With a $12 price tag, I didn't think twice about scooping it up.

Got to love a low number! Number 3 out of 500 pressed on

Friday, May 25, 2018

Forever A Universal Tribe

A couple months ago, Turnstile played their record release show for their new album Time & Space. I was locked away in my house, avoiding people, listening to records and reading a book. Another wild night. I always keep the ringer turned off on my phone, because well, no one should ever need to get in touch with me that urgently...I'll get your message on my terms, goddamnit. Well, when I happened to check my phone that night, I had a message from a friend asking if I wanted a record release pressing. Holy fuck, yes!

Dude has hooked me up with a record release pressing for Angel Du$t and the last Turnstile 7 inch, so I was excited to add another to the collection.

I love the packaging on this. Nice looking insert for the record release, which has all the info from when and where the show was...it's numbered, and slides nicely into the slipcase for the album.

It looks like 700 were pressed on red vinyl for the Turnstile tour, but 200 of them were numbered with the special insert for the record release show.

I'm extremely thankful that this record was offered to me. I probably wouldn't have ever picked up a copy otherwise.

Wednesday, May 23, 2018

Bad To My World

With each Backtrack album, I've been resistant to checking it out...I'll dig my heels in, and make assumptions that I'm not going to like it...and each time I end up surprised at how much I end up enjoying the album. With Bad To My World, from last year, I stayed predictable, and I ignored the record because I was spending my time listening to other stuff, and couldn't be bothered with a third Backtrack record. I mean, I'm sure that this time they would be played out, right? Wrong again.

I feel like it has been years since I've been excited over newer Hardcore releases, but lately, that shit has been moving me. Maybe it has been my mood and mindset...or maybe bands have been delivering what I'm looking for...or maybe it is both...but damn, it feels good to be excited about some newer Hardcore records recently. While, I've been in that Hardcore headspace and was recently jamming through my 2014 playlist, I came across Backtrack's Lost In Life album. I'd forgotten how good that shit was, and I found myself spinning it every few days...then I remembered they released a new album last year that I'd let pass me by. Shortly after grabbing a download off of soulseek, I knew I needed to grab the vinyl too.

When I started looking at vinyl options, Bridge Nine had options of a shitty looking splatter or a boring gray version. Neither one of these were going to cut it for me, so I coughed up a bit more cash to get the superior looking tri-colored pressing from a discogs seller.

300 pressed.

Saturday, May 19, 2018

RSD 2018 - Part 4: World Up My Ass [RSD Release]

Okay...one last Record Store Day post.

Prior to Record Store Day, I glanced at the list of special RSD releases to see if anything caught my eye. There used to be a time when I could easy drop a couple hundred dollars on RSD records, but things have been getting a bit thin the last couple of years. For this year, there wasn't a single thing that interested me, and skipped the participating stores completely, and just stuck to the smaller used record stores.

When Doug posted a picture on Instagram of his Record Store Day pickups, I was surprised to see an RSD release for the live Circle Jerks album, Gig. Whoa. I didn't know this was coming. The next day I was tracking down a copy for myself, and thankfully, Bull Moose still had a couple copies available.

Over the past couple of years, I'd thought about grabbing the 2014 German vinyl pressing of this album, but this US pressing does the job.

I'm not that big on live records, but this one is a good time. The energy really carries this record, and the setlist is top notch. Totally worth adding to the Circle Jerks collection.

Tuesday, May 15, 2018

RSD 2018 - Part 3: Missing Link [The 90's]

The final piece of vinyl from my Record Store Day shopping spree. I certainly didn't expect to find some Fu Manchu vinyl in the used record bins, but as soon as I saw it, I grabbed it without even bothering to check the price tag. It was going to be mine.

[1996] I first heard Fu Manchu about five years ago on Doug's recommendation. I loved what I heard and went on a frenzy, downloading around six of their albums. It was a bit too much, too fast, and I really only stuck with their amazing run of three albums, The Action Is Go, King Of The Road, and California Crossing...everything else was background noise. Seeing In Search Of... in the used bins made me think that it was time to really dig into this one. It was released just before The Action Is Go, so I figured that there had to be some solid stoner grooves hidden in here, and I grabbed the vinyl.

Oh hell yes. This record is full of those fuzzed out riffs! In Search Of... easily stands side by side with what I consider to be Fu Manchu's big three. Awesome album.

I love the iron-on transfer that came with this UK pressing. You don't know how badly I want to use this on a t-shirt...but I can't do it...it came with the record, so it stays with the record.

When I cashed out at the counter, I was a bit stung when I saw the $30 price tag on this record. I checked discogs when I got home, and see that it usually goes for around $70, so I'll count it as a win.

Sunday, May 13, 2018

RSD 2018 - Part 2: In My Dreams [The 80's]

The week before Record Store Day, an old friend reached out to me, pointing me in the direction of a live bootleg video on youtube of Dokken's set during the Monsters Of Rock tour in 1988. The video was from their set at Oxford Plains Speedway, which was the show that we were at shortly after we had graduated from High School. I hadn't really given Dokken much thought, outside of the occasional spin of Tooth And Nail, but watching this video brought back memories from that day. The show was about a one hour drive, but I hadn't traveled much at that point, and at that age it seemed like such an adventure to journey so far from home. We stood in line in the immense heat for hours just to get in through the gates, and after getting tossed around and being afraid for my life during Metallica's set, the rain came down and drenched us for the rest of the day as we braved lightning storms through sets from Dokken and Scorpions. By the time Van Halen took the stage with Sammy Hagar, I was chilled to the bone, our group of friends had splintered, and a few of us headed to the cars to get dry and warm. We spent the night sleeping in our cars, since all the campgrounds were full, and it was pretty much the defining moment of our Summer. Fuck, I miss those times.

With this nostalgia kicking into high gear, I was listening to lots of Dokken, Ratt, Twisted Sister and Quiet Riot...and pretty much had a Record Store Day mission to pick up a bunch of mid-80's Metal albums from those teen years as I could.

[1985] One of the first records that I found on Record Store Day was Dokken's Under Lock And Key...still fucking sealed. Goddamn, it was going to be a good day. Well this didn't stay sealed for much longer, and soon I was dropping the needle to the vinyl. It's funny, I don't even remember if I ever owned this album as a kid...when I think back to other albums I picked up in '85, I don't have any strong memories of Under Lock And Key...I mean I know the hits from this record, but none of the other songs are all that familiar. Either way, I'm loving it in 2018.

[1985] I know that I loved Ratt's Out Of The Cellar when I bought the cassette in '84, but a year later, after moving on to stuff like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Dio...that stuff seemed more heavy and intense, and some of those bands that first introduced me to Metal were starting to feel a little weak and limp. Ratt was one of those bands, and by the time Invasion Of Your Privacy was released, I wanted nothing to do with it. It's funny how much difference a year can make when you are fourteen years old...and even funnier how much I'm digging this album today. There is some great heavy stuff on this album, but I was too busy trying to be hard and edgy at the time to appreciate how good this album is.

[1985] Another band from the mid-80's that I loved back in the day, but had not really paid much attention to over the years, was W.A.S.P. When I saw the Blind In Texas 12 inch single in the used bins, and that the b-side had an exclusive song that didn't make it on to The Last Command album, I quickly snatched it up...and in a case of record collector kismet, as I was holding it in my hands, I received a message from Doug, who had just picked up the shaped picture disc version of the same single.

[1986] I remember buying Queensryche's Rage For Order when it first came out back in '86, and it was a big departure from The Warning. I don't think that I would hang with a change in sound like this today, but back then, I stood by my bands no matter what. I was undying in my devotion, and even something like Gonna Get Close To You was not going to turn me off. Could it be that I was more open minded when I was sixteen?

[1986] I didn't care at all about Ratt when 1986 came around, and I paid no attention to Dancing Undercover. I vaguely remember the Dance video, but really, when I had Slayer's Reign in Blood cassette, Ratt was not going to cut it at the time. Still, this is a fun album to revisit, and remember those few friends that were really into it.

[1987] I was really happy to find Dokken's Back For The Attack on Record Store Day. While I might not have remembered much about Under Lock And Key, I do recall having the Back For The Attack CD, and being surprised with how heavy it sounded to my ears. While Tooth And Nail remains my favorite Dokken album, this one is only a notch below that. So good.

[1988] The final album from my 80's shopping spree, isn't really that impressive. I'm not that big a fan of Frehley's Comet, but there are some pretty good songs on this live EP, so I grabbed it. Listening to these live songs, I started to think that maybe I needed to revisit some of their albums, and then the one studio song comes on, and I'm like "Nope...I'm out". I'll just stick with live version of Rip It Out and Rocket Ride.

Saturday, May 12, 2018

RSD 2018 - Part 1: Rainbow Demon [The 70's]

I've been struggling to keep up with this blog lately. I'm so far behind on my posts and records are stacking up. In an attempt to try and appear current, I'm going to have to move my Record Store Day haul to the front of the line, and try and knock out a quick series of posts.

Record Store Day did not disappoint this year. I didn't give a shit about any of the RSD exclusives, so I avoided the bigger record stores and just hit the used bins around town. Every store that I walked into managed to find some older vinyl that I was excited to pick up. Let's break them down, in chronological order...starting in the 70's.

[1972] I've wanted some early Uriah Heep on vinyl for a while now. For some reason, a while back, I got it stuck in my head that I only wanted the UK Bronze pressing, and I'd been kind of hold out for that. I'm pretty sure that I've seen this US Mercury pressing of Demons And Wizards at the Moody Lords store for the past couple of years, and I kept passing it by. This year, when I saw it still in the racks, I just got tired of waiting for that "perfect copy", and bought it. Cool to finally have a copy on my shelf.

[1973] I already owned a copy of Alice Cooper's Billion Dollar Babies, but seeing this copy with the hype sticker on the cover at the first store that I stopped at, I decided on a whim to grab it. Had I seen it later in the day, after I'd spent a bunch of money, I might have passed it by, but here, early in shopping day, I said "fuck it" and added it to the other records I was picking up. Plus, it was only $7, so why not, right?

One of the main reasons why I bought this copy was because my original Warner Brothers pressing was missing the perforated photo cards of the band members from the inside sleeve of the gatefold. This German pressing had those, but was missing the dollar bill insert...so now I have two pressings that are incomplete.

[1977] I really enjoy the first few Angel records. Their second album, Helluva Band, is my favorite, but the third, On Earth As It Is In Heaven, is not slouch. Great 70's Hard Rock.

Seeing that this copy came with both the poster and the merchandise insert, made this one an easy purchase at $8.

Usually I prefer it when the merchandise insert is in mint condition, and I would typically turn down a copy that has writing on it, but for some reason, the answers on this Angel form made me laugh and want it even more.

Monday, May 07, 2018

Insist Demo

So, I'm sitting here thinking how nice it is to be tuned in to what is happening in the Hardcore scene...how I've picked up this great record from Insist, so I'm obviously not as out of touch with things or as jaded about newer Hardcore bands as it sometimes seems...then I notice that it was released back in 2014. Why does it feel like this was just released? Fuck. I'm helpless.

I loved the Here & Now 7 inch that React! released last year, and these demo songs hit with that same kind intensity and feel that The First Step was delivering over ten years ago.

200 pressed on a disgusting looking gold colored vinyl.

Thursday, May 03, 2018

Burn, Baby, Burn

When Fireburn released their Don't Stop The Youth EP last year, I initially resisted the hype. Everyone was losing their shit over it, so I got stubborn and refused to pay it any attention...I can be stupid and jaded like that sometimes. Thankfully, I was able to shake that off, and by the end of the year I finally broke down and checked them out. The band delivers the goods and lived up to the hype...well, minus that reggae song and the dub turd...but other than that, I was impressed.

When it was announced that Fireburn had a two song EP due to be released in 2018, again I was skeptical. I don't know why I'm so resistant to this band, and assumed they would miss the mark with this 7 inch, but happily I was proven wrong again.

I can't get enough of the songs on this Shine EP (two on the vinyl, but three with the digital download).

The metallic gold and silver colored vinyl is more limited, but that is the shittiest look for records, so I skipped them and went for the red vinyl instead. 500 pressed.