2021 Owes You Nothing

This past year was a lot of fun for me when it came to record collecting. There were so many newer hardcore bands that I discovered over the past 12 months, and that was what I spent the majority of my time listening to. It seemed that each week I was finding a band from the past few years that I missed out the first time around, and then was doubling back to grab what I could for their records. I also felt locked in and focused on my collecting. I wasn't wasting time and money chasing goofy early 80's MTV singles, and instead I was checking off some big time metal and thrash records that I loved as a teen, and that shit made me more happy than I can explain. I felt like I was making big moves for what I want my collection to represent, and I hope to continue that feeling of satisfaction into 2022.

For 2021, I picked up 194 new records. It was a bit more than I've been hitting the last few years, but where I really saw an increase was in the amount of money I spent. Nearly every month I was adding one or two big ticket items to my collection and it certainly showed when I totalled up how much I spent over this past year. No doubt, I was having fun...and I even managed to cross off five records from my 2021 Want List.

It was tough coming up with my top five records that I picked up this past year. There were so many great ones, but I guess these were the ones that had me the most excited.

1. Down To Nothing 'Life On The James' record release - It had been a while since I'd listened to Down To Nothing, so when Chris mentioned that he was selling his record release copy of Life On The James, I basically bought it only because I owned the record release pressing of The Most, and in my mind it just made sense to own both. Once it arrived, I was reminded how great DTN were and I listened to them a lot for the rest of the year.

2. Foundation 'Turncoat' blue and red mix - I never put much thought into chasing this one, but when a Discogs seller listed it with the description of a "purple explosion in space', I just had to get my hands on it. Limited to 100 and an absolute beautiful piece of vinyl. Worth the price I paid for it.

3. Dark Angel 'Darkness Descends' first Combat pressing - I bought a few first press 80's metal records, and each one had me stupid excited. These were such a huge part of my teenage years, and as I originally picked them up as cassettes or CDs, it feels extra special to add the vinyl to the collection. Honestly, I want to do more of this in 2022. To grab this Dark Angel record from '86 in mint condition was a fantastic find...even if I had to pay a high price tag for it.

4. Split Lip 'Soul Kill' on blue - I spent a fair amount of time this past year stuck in an early 90's hardcore playlist. On a whim, I checked Discogs for Split Lip records and when I saw a seller with the blue vinyl available for sale, I had to feed the need.

5. Righteous Jams 'Rage Of Discipline' on red - Goddamn. I'd forgotten how much fun the first Righteous Jams record was. This thing was huge back in the day but it fell off my radar a bit over the years, and it apparently did the same for everyone else as well because I was able to scoop this up for pretty cheap. That red vinyl with the cover is a good look.

2021 was a big year for hardcore for me. There were so many bands that had me excited throughout the year, and putting together a Top 10 was a tough job. Marcus reminded me early in the year that New Age Records was still putting out some good records, so when I took a chance and checked out the Vanguard record, I was blown away. Considering how much I loved rediscovering Bloodlust Revenge from One King Down in 2020, it was no surprise when Vanguard hooked me so hard. Rage Of Deliverance was easily the record I listened to the most through 2021, but Ekulu, Turnstile and The Dividing Line were no slouch either. There was no doubt that these were going to be my Top Four.

For the most part, new metal records failed to impress me much this past year. To be honest, this Top Ten list covers just about every new metal records that I picked up, and for a while I wasn't sure that I was going to even list ten here. The top five are really solid, and I fucking love Freeways, but really anything at the bottom of this list is kind of a shoulder shrug from me. It's okay, but doesn't knock me on my ass. This was probably the strangest thing about 2021. With bands locked down due to Covid-19 the year before, I expected a flood of new records from bands that I love, but instead things just seemed a bit light. Maybe, metal records will knock me out in 2022.

So there is my 2021 collecting in a nutshell. It might not be very impressive to the serious collectors, but if you are down with some cheap records from hardcore bands that no one cares about, or old 80's metal bands, thanks for hanging out.

No Time, Too Much Pressure

A box just landed in my mailbox today, so I've got to quickly get this post up before I start working on my 2021 recap to end the year.

I'd seen the name Time And Pressure thrown around a few times over the summer and given that I was hot to check out new bands, I queued them up... it also didn't hurt that the band name was the same as one of Mindset's 7 inches. I was hoping for something similar to Mindset, but instead I got something a bit different and maybe more in line with Ruiner from the late 2000's. While it wasn't what I was expecting, it certainly had my attention and had me revisiting it often. This shit was surprisingly very good, and once the vinyl arrived I quickly had to get this post up so that I could include it in my Top 10 list for the year.

I grabbed the REVHQ exclusive on yellow vinyl, but damn, seeing how much I'm loving this record, I kind of want the confetti splatter pressing... which is very weird for me, seeing how I'm not a fan of splatter, but there is something about that pressing that looks nice next to the cover... hell, any of the Safe Inside pressings look great with the cover. Instead, I have yellow.

Sabbath Bootleg Haven

I've picked up a number of live bootlegs this past year. I just kept finding them and could not resist the opportunity to buy another one. Looking back, I'm kind of shocked at how many I bought this year, but damn, they were all so great that I just had to add them to the colleciton. As I was talking to my friend Jeff a couple months back, and showing off the latest bootleg that I'd bought, he started complaining about a Black Sabbath one that he had and that he thought it was a piece of shit. I told him that no matter how bad the live recording is, I usually still enjoy them...and without giving it a second thought, he gave me the one he had.

This Black Sabbath boot isn't one of those amazing looking releases from the past few years. Recent bootlegs have some fucking fantastic packaging, and this is not that. This is a bootleg that was released back in 1983, and like most old school boots, the packaging is an uncoordinated mess. The record is actually made up of a few different shows from '75 to '78, however, the front cover photo of Ozzy is from the early 80's when he was fronting the Ozzy Osbourne band...and then the writing from the back cover is all about Ian Gillan and when he joined Sabbath. Good old fashioned bootleg chaos.

Yeah, this recording is a bit rough, and I can see why Jeff was eager to dump it. The recording from the first LP is a bit slow and off pitch, so it is kind of a difficult listen... and overall, it just isn't put together very well. Still, it is an old bootleg from the 80's, so I've got to keep it.

Exodus Non Grata

It has been seven years since Exodus have released a new album. Gary Holt is the driving force behind the band, and getting the call to join Slayer for their last record and final tours was too good an opportunity to pass up...so therefore, Exodus was put on hold so that Gary could help send Slayer off in style. Over the past 20 years, Exodus has been a pretty proficient band, so waiting seven years between albums is not the norm for them. As much as I prefer Slayer, it is still nice to have Exodus back with a new album.

When it was first announced that Exodus were recording a new album, I'll admit that I wasn't too excited. Since it's release in 2014, I haven't given Blood In Blood Out much thought, and I kind of wrote it off as a disappointment. Revisiting it a few months ago, I was surprised at how well the record has held up, and it unexpectedly had me looking forward the new record Persona Non Grata.

Zetro's vocals can be a bit grating, so it took me a little while to warm up to this new Exodus record, and initially I just found myself wishing that the band had stuck with Dukes. After a few spins, I started to appreciate Persona Non Grata more and more. The band can still deliver some quality thrash, and some of the slower songs here are heavy as fuck...plus that cover art is amazing. Great record.

Down To Collect

I listened to a lot of Down To Nothing this past year. It wasn't planned, but when the opportunity came up to grab a copy of Life On The James with the record release cover, it just kind of spiraled from there. Suddenly, I was reminded just how fucking great that band was, and because there are so many different variations of the All My Sons 7 inch, I've had the itch to be an idiot and to pick up another copy of that record.

Apparently, Reaper Records found themselves with 25 to 30 pieces of vinyl leftover for the All My Sons 7 inch, so they threw together a couple different limited covers. This is the version with the live shot. David Wood is looking like a young Ray Cappo here on the cover with the blonde hair, no shirt and X'd up fists.

Second pressing stamped labels. I now have four copies of this 7 inch, and I'm trying to play things cool, but man, I really want more of these.

No Rest For The Wicked

A month or so back, I picked up the first Anthrax album from an eBay seller. That record was in top condition and I was happy with whole exchange. The seller and I sent a few messages back and forth, and when he mentioned that he was slowly listing a few pieces of his collection each week, I knew that I was going to have to keep an eye on his auctions. A couple of weeks later I found myself back and placing a bid.

A couple years back, I rediscovered a few bands from my early teens that I'd completely forgotten about. Bands that really helped to lead me down the path of heavy metal. They may seem kind of light weight these days, but back then they were a huge influence. One of those bands was Helix. I grabbed a couple of their records back in 2019 when I was getting down with this band again, and while I'd also wanted a copy of No Rest For The Wicked, it just didn't happen at that time. When I saw that my new favorite eBay seller had a copy available I was able to grab it as the only bidder.

No Rest For The Wicked was Helix's major label debut in 1983. I know that either my brother or I had the cassette for this album, but when I revisited it a couple years ago, I had no recollection of any of these songs. As kids, we probably didn't stick with Helix very long before we were off chasing something heavier and faster, but now...man, this record is so much fucking fun. The title track is probably my favorite Helix song ever. So good.

Dare2Be Straight Edge

Dare are a straight edge band out of Orange County California, and you'd think that would be all the info that I would have needed to check out the band. Yet, despite releasing two EPs on Reaper, I had zero interest in Dare until I heard they had an album coming out on REV this year. Given how interested I've been in checking out newer hardcore bands this year, I figured that I'd finally roll the dice with Dare.

With my first listen of the new Dare album, Against All Odds, I was a bit underwhelmed. The singers voice was a bit different than what I was expecting, and it really threw me off. To be honest, if this was a few years ago, I would have ditched it then and there without looking back...but these days, I'm trying to be more open minded so I queued it up on Spotify a few more times. With repeat listens, I started to connect more and more to the songs, and it got to the point where I was going to need to buy a copy.

Initially, I was really interested in the purple vinyl that was exclusive to the REVHQ store, but when I was looking to buy a copy, it was listed as SOLD OUT. I thought that I might be able to scoop it off Discogs for a decent price once the record was finally released, but soon a few shithead sellers started looking to flip it for $80. Fuck that. I went for the indie store exclusive on orange vinyl at a much more reasonable price. As luck would have it, this color looks fucking great...also, REV currently has the purple vinyl available in their store again, so Discogs sellers can eat shit.

We All Need American Metal

At the start of this year, I really wanted to make a run at some early American metal records. I love that early 80's traditional metal shit, where even mediocre bands are still a fucking blast to listen to, and I wanted to make a dent in filling some obvious holes in my collection. I picked up a couple records throughout the year, but newer hardcore bands became such a big distraction and I couldn't focus on anything else, so that metal quest was shoved aside without much progress. So with the end of the year looming just around that corner, I wanted to snag one more crucial metal record before we move into 2022.

Lizzy Borden were a huge band for me in the mid-80's... in fact there are times when I would rate their Love You To Pieces album in my Top 10 for 1985 (and that year is no slouch for great metal records). Their over the top image captured my attention (dudes stalking women in lingerie with an axe is so totally 80's), but man, that band could deliver some serious metal as well. I'd picked up thier Menace To Society record over this past summer, and I was so excited to finally add it to my collection that I needed to grab the first Lizzy Borden album as well.

Love You To Pieces is loaded front to back with straight up classics. Council For The Caulron, Psychopath, Red Rum, American Metal, Rod Of Iron.... goddamn, this record doesn't let up with hit after hit. When I found a copy on eBay in great condition, I couldn't resist finally grabbing a copy.

This Place You Know

One Step Closer were one of the bands that really re-ignited my interest in newer hardcore bands a couple years ago. I never really lost my passion for hardcore, but about five years ago it seemed to take a back seat as I was focused more on metal records. Watching One Step Closer play the Have Heart reunion in 2019 kind of woke me up to the fact that there were a bunch of newer hardcore bands that I'd been sleeping on. For this, I'm thankful because without witnessing the fire that OSC brought to the stage at that show, I may never have been pushed to check out some of the newer bands that have quickly become my favorites from the past couple years.

I was really looking forward to the new One Step Closer record, This Place You Know. Their 2020 promo with Lead To Gray and the cover of Broken by Turning Point had me excited to see what the band would deliver next. With this record, OSC expand a bit on their hardcore sound, but a lot of their original foundation is still intact.

This is a good hardcore record, but some of these songs don't have an immediate impact, and it feels like I will appreciate this one more and more with each listen.

The purple and pink swirl colored vinyl that was exclusive to Run For Cover Records sounded interesting when I ordered it, but the reality is a bit dull. It's less of a "swirl" and more of a "blend". At least it matches the front cover artwork nicely.

Horizon Hardcore

It's funny how two of my favorite finds this year were for 7 inch comps from 30 years ago. A few months ago I discovered the Beneath the Wheel comp with Admiral and Greyhouse, and then a month or so after that I found the Horizon Hardcore comp. Both were from 1991, and I didn't even know that either of them existed until this year.

When I discovered the Horizon Hardcore comp recently, I was floored. How have I never heard about this record? The 7 inch contains some great bands from the early 90's and this record could be the kid brother to the Words To Live By comp from New Age Records. How it has flown under my radar for the last 30 years is a fucking mystery.

I first discovered this comp when the new Encounter 7 inch finally arrived in September. I started digging into their Discogs page, and was totally shocked when I looked at the page for all the compilations that the band had appeared on. What the fuck is this? A Horizon Records Hardcore Compilation? A song from Encounter named Solitude? How have I never heard this song before? Plus there is a Flagman song here that I've never heard as well? Give it to me. I don't fucking care how much it costs.

While this comp is worth owning for the Encounter and Flagman songs, the early recordings from Ressurection and Lifetime songs are pretty cool to hear as well.

Two Step To Hell

A couple years ago, I picked up the Chain Whip album, 14 Lashes. The songs were packed with a frantic punk rock energy that I loved... a bit pissed off, but they still knew how to have a good time.

When I saw that the band was back with a new 12 inch EP, I was excited to check it out. What I wasn't excited about was the colored vinyl options. I think that the clear vinyl was already sold out, which wasn't a surprise since it was limited to only 50, and that left a metallica silver option. I hate the look of silver colored vinyl, so I started to procrastinate, and then much quicker than I anticipated that option was sold out as well, and I was left with only black vinyl. The album was then pressed by some UK label, but I wasn't hot to pay overseas shipping, and soon those were sold out too. With a heavy sigh, I decided I better just settle for the black vinyl before that one was gone as well. It's all good though, because I'm actually happy with how the black vinyl looks with the orange and black colorway for the cover.

In the end, these six songs from the Two Step To Hell EP are great. The band recorded these songs during the pandemic last year, and as the blurb from their bandcamp page states, these songs are "meaner, faster, and a bit more pissed off". Right on.

8 Inch Rust

As Friends Rust released a two song 7 inch last year, and it was easily one of my favorite records of 2020. I listened to that thing a ton, and I never got tired of it. In fact, those two songs stoked the flame of obsession, and before too long I was revisiting the older As Friends Rust stuff over and over again. I was desperate to add a couple of their EPs to my collection, but the quest proved to be more difficult than I expected. Apparently, sellers in the US for As Friends Rust records are few and far between, and if I wanted immediate satisfaction then I would have to resort to paying overseas shipping. As much as it pained me, I played it smart and played the waiting game. 18 months later, I got my first crack at this with a seller from the States, and I didn't hesitate to pull the trigger.

The self titled As Friends Rust EP was released in 1999 through Doghouse Records. For some reason, someone wanted to be as obnoxious as possible and they decided that an 8 inch record was the only way to go with this. Obviously the vinyl choice of psychopaths and perverts. Either way, the five songs on this record are fucking amazing. I don't know if I fully appreciated this at the time...I mean, I know that I enjoyed it, but now I'm fucking loving it.

There is a definite dip in sound quality with this 8 inch record. It sounds a bit muffled compared to the CD and digital streaming options... kind of like how picture discs sound. I'm not sure if it is due to this odd size, or if it is just my copy. I guess the only scientific way to be certain would be to also buy the blue vinyl pressing for this as well to check. I may have to add that to my Discogs want list, you know, for science.

To All The Fakers

I try to stay away from buying discography records these days, but every once in a while I'll make an exception. I was obsessed with One up a few years back and bought a bunch of records for the collection, so when Hellminded announced the discography LP I was interested in checking it out.

For me, the main draw to pick up a copy of Many Miles Long was that this was the first time the songs from It's Time To Believe were pressed on vinyl. Somehow that album was only released on CD, so I was not going to miss out on finally having the chance to get them on vinyl. In addition to those songs, I was surprised to discover that this discography includes two unreleased songs from The Single recording session. Fuck yes. It's cool to finally hear these songs 15+ years later.

Many Miles Long was pressed on three different versions of colored vinyl, with each one limited to 100. I grabbed the bubblegum swirl version.

If you were signed up to receive the Hellminded email newsletter, the label sent you a code that allowed you to get in early and place your order before the preorders were available to the public...so a pre-preorder. There were 15 copies of the test press available, and with the Speak Out tribute cover, I really wanted one for myself.

I really like the look of this special cover for the test press, and the upside down REV star is a nice touch.

Number 24 of 25. Good deal!

How Flowers Scowl

A couple months ago, I wanted to get an idea if any cool bands were coming down the pike, so I was looking at the preorder page over at REVHQ. I saw the record cover for a band I don't think that I'd heard of called Scowl. Their logo reminded me of Give, and with the description that mentioned influences of 80's hardcore and punk, I knew that I'd have to check them out.

I did a quick search on youtube and found a live studio session that was recorded earlier this year, and I figured that I'd check it out. I was in awe. I don't typically watch live recordings, but with this, I couldn't tear my eyes away. In fact, as soon as it was done, I was immediately jumping into another live set from Scowl. The band just raged, and Kat's fierce vocals had me hooked. I knew that I was going to have to get my preorder in for How Flowers Grow.

Preordering this record made me feel like I was kind of ahead of the pack. I wasn't coming in six months to a year late... poking my head out from a cave to check out what has been happening while I've been asleep. This time I felt, at least for a few seconds anyway, like I was actually in touch.

Technicolor Turncoat

With each post that I write up about Foundation, it seems that they all start with something along the lines of, "I don't really collect Foundation records, but (insert some excuse as to why I've bought another Foundation record)". I suppose that I can only use that line so many times before I have to finally admit it... yeah, I collect Foundation records now.

Back in 2015, I missed out on the more limited color vinyl pressing of the last Foundation record, Turncoat. I sat around pouting about it for a number of months before I finally just bought the black vinyl because it was cheap and available. As soon as I sat down and listened to the record, I knew that taking the easy way out was a mistake. This record was great and I wanted something more special than the black vinyl. I dropped the limited red/blue split color into my Discogs want list, and figured that I'd wait until the hype on this band calmed down.

As we were approaching the end of 2021, I wanted to make one more stupid impulse purchase before the year's end. When I saw the Turncoat record listed on Discogs where the seller included the description of "This shit is crazy, looks like a purple explosion in space god damn. Straight edge." Fuck me. Take my money. I wanted to own this more than anything. I didn't care what the price was and smashed that Add To Cart button and checked out.

This colored vinyl is fucking amazing. Completely worth losing my mind over. Limited to 100.

Wraith In Chains

I'm amazed at how low my interest has been in new metal records. There have been a few decent albums released here and there, but for the most part I've been underwhelmed. As we were fast approaching the end of the year, I was starting to get desperate in the need to find a metal album from 2021 to get excited about...and then I saw a post on Instagram about the new Wraith record.

Early in the year, I was introduced to Wraith with their 2019 album, Absolute Power. It was a fine slice of grimey thrash, and it reminded me a bit of Midnight's Satanic Royalty album with that same influence of old school thrash and Venom. I was impressed and immediately made attempts to pick up the vinyl. Everywhere I checked, that Wraith record was sold out...hell, there weren't even any sellers on Discogs. I was stuck. As soon as I discovered a few weeks ago that the band had just released a follow up with Undo The Chains, I was all over it. There was no way that I was going to miss out again. I'm glad that I made moves when I did because this thing is now sold out and unavailable.

350 pressed on "dominator" splatter vinyl.

Haunting Gasp

I wasn't paying attention when Triple B released the Final Gasp 12 inch over this past summer. The label had released a string of a few records that I just wasn't feeling, so I didn't even bother with this one. Doug set me straight though, and after he reached out to recommend them, I jumped on Spotify to see what he was going on about.

Final Gasp have some serious Samhain worship going on. Hell, even the photos from the lyric sheet insert show the band performing live covered in blood. The music and image are spot on and this 16 minute EP is like finding some lost songs from the November-Coming-Fire recording session. I'm not a giant Samhain fan, but this record leaves me impressed.

I avoided the more limited splatter pressing and instead when with the purple and red swirl. 350 pressed.