Saturday, August 31, 2019

What On Earth Can We Do?

It has been a good week on the blog for hardcore records, but let's squeeze in one more before the month is up.

Over the past couple of months, I'd already placed two orders with Triple B for my latest hardcore haul, but once the new Abuse Of Power record was up for preorder, I was going back to the well for a third time.

Abuse Of Power released their demo back in 2016, and then their first 7 inch for Triple B back in 2017. Both of those had a great early 90's hardcore sound, and it felt like the band would have fit in perfectly on the Words To Live By comp that New Age released in '91. Needless to say, I was really looking forward to what they would deliver with their first LP, What On Earth Can We Do.

Damn. There have been a number of great hardcore records released this year, and it is going to be interesting to see how it all shakes out. The one thing that you can count on though, the Abuse Of Power album will be near the top of the list. This thing does not disappoint.

I think that I missed the preorder announcement for this record, and by the time I got in there, the most limited pressing was already sold out. Oh well. Looks like the clear vinyl with the red spot will have to be good enough. 300 pressed.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

One Last Prayer

Two years ago, Marcus posted on his blog about the Vanished Crusade album from Forced Order. He had picked up three different pressings of the record, and I wasn't sure if he truly liked that album that much or if he was only buying it because it was released by Revelation Records. I asked him if Forced Order was something that I should check out, but as soon as he made the comparison to Integrity, I got the fuck out. I wanted nothing to do with that.

When I was recently adding records to my cart over at the Triple B store, the cover for One Last Prayer caught my eye. I didn't remember my exchange with Marcus over Forced Order, so I figured that I'd give them a listen. I went in with an open mind, and I was surprised with how much I liked what I heard. Without pause, I listened to the entire One Last Prayer album on Spotify, and proceeded to add the vinyl to my Triple B cart. I was sold.

Honestly, I don't understand my attraction to this record. With the term "metallic hardcore" thrown around, and a bio that drops names like Hatebreed, my good sense tells me that I should hate everything about this...but still, I keep coming back to this record, and I'm giving it plenty of spins. To me, I'm more reminded of 90's bands like Culture and One King Down, and that's the kind of shit that I can get onboard with. Who knows, maybe in a couple of years I'll actually get around to checking out their stuff on REV.

I love the record cover for this, and the white/red vinyl complements it very well. While it isn't the most limited, as far as I'm concerned, this is the colored vinyl to own.

Monday, August 26, 2019

Half Alive, Full Ekulu

Last year, I posted on Instagram about how I thought that the Mindforce album was most likely going to end up as my Record Of The Year for hardcore. A couple of people took the time to comment that they liked some band named Ekulu even more. I'd never heard of them, so I quickly checked out a song from their 7 inch that year, but it didn't really do much for me, so I shrugged my shoulders and moved on.

In 2019, Ekulu delivered their follow up 7 inch, Half Alive. While I was adding new records to my Triple B cart, I figured that it couldn't hurt to give the band another chance. I queued up one of their new songs, and immediately I was feeling it. Yes! This time things were clicking, and before that song was done, I was already adding a copy of the new record to the cart.

Oh man, this two song 7 inch is so good. It hits hard, and reminds me of the Power Trip album from a couple years back. I love it.

Because I was late to the party, I missed the most limited pressing of this. 300 pressed on olive green colored vinyl.

Since I was loving the Half Alive EP, I figured that I'd go back and check out that first 7 inch again. Now that I was in the right frame of mind, I was enjoying this record quite a bit more. It isn't going to come close to that Mindforce album, but it is still really good. I'm glad that I finally got hooked on this one.

500 pressed on clear purple colored vinyl.

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Who The Hell Is Wild Side?

After recently picking up a couple of new records from Triple B, I was fired up on the core. The new One Step Closer and Fury records were cool, but I needed more. I went back to the Triple B store to see what else was going on, and since there were a bunch of new records from bands that I'd never heard of before, I just bounced over to their bandcamp page to see if any of it was worth my attention.

Admittedly, I had low expectations from Wild Side. That album title was just not sitting right with me, and I was expecting some bullshit, but with the hype machine talking about "what the third Warzone LP should have been", I decided to give it a chance. Holy fuck. Yes! This record rules. There is definitely a Warzone influence here, but I'm reminded more of Warzone knock-offs like Iron Boots...and since I fucking love Iron Boots, I'm down with this Wild Side record. Quite possibly my favorite hardcore record of 2019.

I'm not wild (see what I did there) about the colored vinyl options. Platinum and metallic gold are two of my least favorite colors, but I grabbed one anyway. Platinum is limited to 200.

Saturday, August 24, 2019

It's Only Failed Entertainment

While I was in the Triple B store picking up that One Step Closer EP, I saw that they had the new Fury album available as well. I really liked their Paramount record from a few years back, so I figured that I'd pick up their new one while I was buying new hardcore releases...you know, to make me feel a bit more relevant.

While this is definitely a hardcore record, in no way is this the generic standard hardcore sound. I've listened to this record a number of times, and I'm still trying to unpack this thing. There is a lot going on here, and while I find that I really like it, it seems like it's one of those records that you need to listen to twenty or thirty times before it really starts to hook you. I can see this as a record that could easily get shelved, and when it gets dusted off years from know, it flat out punches you in the face because you just didn't realize it's full potential when you initially heard it. I'm going to be sitting this one for a while to see if it truly is a grower.

While Failed Entertainment was released through Run For Cover Records, the Coke bottle clear colored vinyl was exclusive to Triple B and limited to 300.

Thursday, August 22, 2019

One Step Closer

No lie. For most of this year, I haven't cared one bit about hardcore. I've mostly been focused on early 80's metal, and have had zero interest in spinning old hardcore records or even checking out new bands. I don't want to say that it has all seemed stale, but it has failed to move me for the most part. My moods fluctuate though, and after months of ignoring anything related to hardcore. suddenly my interest was sparked...and most of the credit goes to that Have Heart reunion show this summer.

When I bought my ticket for the Have Heart show, it was mostly just an excuse for a quick road trip with my brother...we had both gone to the "final" Have Heart show back in 2009, so I thought it would be cool to make that 10 year anniversary trip to see them again. Still, hardcore did not excite me, and I wished that I was going to see Krokus on their final tour instead. As we got closer to the Have Heart show, I figured that I'd better pay attention to what other bands were going to be playing that day, and proactively check them out so I wouldn't look like such an amateur in front of my brother the day of the show.

I saw that One Step Closer were on the bill with Have Heart, so I decided that I'd check to see what they were about. This record is great, and really caught my attention...especially with that opening riff from The Reach that really pulls me back to the first Have Heart album...then when the band opened and closed their live set with Inside Out covers, I was sold.

While I ordered the first press black vinyl for this 12 inch EP, Triple B must have been sold out because I received the second press on purple colored vinyl. Limited to 350 and looking good.

Much to my surprise, this took me down a hardcore rabbit hole, and I've been on a steady diet of hardcore since then. There are some great new bands kicking around, and suddenly I can't get enough. Strap yourself in, because I'm about to post a string of hardcore records.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Time For Tanith

I haven't been doing a very good job keeping up with new releases this year, and I've been doing an even worse job when it comes to newer bands. I'm not in tune with the metal messageboards that I used to frequent, so I'm feeling a bit out of the loop.

When I saw that Metal Blade was releasing a new album from a band called Tanith, I didn't pay much attention, and initially I let it roll on by. A few weeks later, I saw the name come up again, and this time I noticed that Russ Tippins is a part of the band. Russ played guitar for the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal band Satan, and that band has topped my Top 10 list for each of the three albums they have released since reuniting in 2013. Since Russ was involved with Tanith, I knew that I had to check it out.

Tanith are a bit more laid back compared to the fiery riffs of Satan, perhaps more comparable to Ashbury, but there is still something that captures my attention here. They definitely have a 70's vibe, and I'm cool with that.

Black and white colored vinyl. Number 203 out of 300.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Night Of The Official Bootleg

Mos Generator have been one of my favorite Heavy Rock bands for the past five years or so. They have to be one of the hardest working bands out there, as the main man behind the band, Tony Reed, seems to always have something going on. After the band had finished their European tour in 2017, Tony found a flash drive in his guitar case, which turned out to be a forgotten recording of their show in Manchester UK.

Tony Reed loves to get his hands dirty with the D.I.Y. ethic, and decided to take that live set, and press it to vinyl for the fans. He ran with the idea to design this release after the bootlegs from the 70's, and used an old David Bowie bootleg as inspiration for the design. Tony printed out the cover sheet on either yellow or blue paper, hand numbered them, and then glued them to the white cover stock. Overall, I absolutely love the look and feel of this live record.

100 pressed.

Included with the record is an insert that explains the story behind the record and gives all kinds of nerdy info regarding the setlist for the show. Excellent package through and through.

Monday, August 12, 2019

Aussie Deeds Not Dirt Cheap

I've had a lot of irons in the fire this year. I've wanted to grow my NWOBHM collection...I was obsessed with records celebrating their 30th anniversary from 1989...I've had a blast chasing some 80's hair metal records that I ignored when I was a kid...and because of all these different targets, I've spent very little time focusing on my list of Top 10 Wants that I put together at the beginning of the year. I knocked two of them from the list early, and was feeling pretty good, but since then, I've made no progress.

For the past few years, I've included original Australian pressings for the early AC/DC records. While they tend to carry a hefty price tag, they have been a priority for me. So before we lose too many more months this year, I needed to get off my ass, and get the job done.

The heavy hitters are the first four AC/DC albums. I've already picked up Australian first pressings for T.N.T. and Let There Be Rock, so I was already 50% there. In the game of trying to figure out which one I was going to pick up next, it all came down to availability and cost. In the end, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap happened to be the winner for this year.

One of the big draws for me with the Australian pressings for the early AC/DC records is the artwork for the cover. It is so different from what we saw in the States.

Dirty Deeds also has a couple changes with the track listing. The US pressing had songs like Rocker and Love At First Feel, while the Australia pressing had Jailbreak and R.I.P. (Rock In Peace). So obviously, you have to have both.

Blue Roo or bust.

As if collecting these original Aussie pressings for AC/DC wasn't difficult enough, when I was buying Dirty Deeds, I also had to make sure that it came with the original "song book" insert. Another cool piece of history.

Saturday, August 10, 2019

(It's Not A) Dead Ending

I've been doing this blog for over 13 years now, and it has always been a fun way for me to kill some time. This past month, however, it has been tough to carve out the time to keep the post count up. I guess that I could make the time if I really wanted to, but in reality, my motivation for this has been pretty low, and I've just been choosing to spend my time with other things. I don't plan to abandon this blog, as I still find it to be a great point of reference...and I get a kick out of looking back to see where my head was at during a specific point of time, or what my initial impression was of that second Backtrack album. This is a journal of my musical journey, and I don't see it going away any time soon. Still, it was nice to take a break from it for a while.

I was on Spotify recently, and noticed they had a new two song EP from Dead Ending available for streaming. Whoa. I hadn't heard anything about this. I wasn't exactly blown away by their 2017 album, Shoot The Messenger, but I was still interested to check out what the band was releasing, so I quickly clicked that play button.

Vic Bondi and crew keep that fast Hardcore attack coming with this two song EP. Clocking in just over six minutes, this is a nice quick blast from Dead Ending.

500 pressed on clear vinyl.