Bane Reunion

When Bane played their "last" show back in 2016, I couldn't get myself interested enough to make the trip to Massachusetts for it. When I saw the photos and videos after the show, and all of the old acquaintances that were there, I kind of regretted not going. When it was announced 7 years later that Bane were going to start playing shows again, I quickly jumped in to buy tickets for that reunion. My brother was on board for the show, and two of his boys wanted to be there as well. Kind of weird to be going to see a band with my nephews, when I'd first seen Bane before they were even born, but I was looking forward to it.

The show ended up being a few days before I was set to leave for holiday in the UK, and in an effort to do my best to avoid covid, I decided that my best move was to stay away from all the action at the front of the stage, and resign myself to the sidelines. Once Bane started their set, and I could see my brother and nephews launching themselves from the stage into the crowd, I regretted my decision.

As we were eating dinner before the show, my brother let me know that he had heard there was going to be some special edition vinyl at the show. I've never really collected Bane records, but if there was a special pressing for the reunion show, I wanted it. As we would come to learn in the days to come, while there were a couple of colored vinyl options that were available at the show, there were still 5 or 6 other versions that were available through multiple exclusive retailers. With that many different versions, for me, it just means that none of them are that special. I'll take the copy that I got at the show, but it isn't really a big deal at this point.

The packaging on this is really nice though. With the diecut gatefold cover, and the booklet attached to the inside cover, this a great looking edition.

I do like the bright pink vinyl for this.

The Tempter

After a steady stream of cheap records earlier this year, I started making conscious decisions to buy records that would make a more serious impact on my collection. Records plucked from the dollar bin for unknown and forgotten hardcore bands is fun, but sooner or later it just gets to the point when I question what the fuck I'm doing. I'd added a couple heavy hitters over the recent months, and it pushed me to actually look at my Top Wants list for the year.

The first four Trouble albums are doom metal perfection. I own the vinyl for Run To The Light and the self titled record, but their first two were missing in my collection. The singer, Eric Wagner, died of covid complications a few years ago, and that loss pushed the first Trouble record near the top of my want list. It has taken me longer than I want to get my hands on one, but it was worth the wait because, other than a crushed corner on the cover, this thing is in fantastic condition. Colored vinyl was not that common when this album was released back in 1984, but Metal Blade nailed it when they originally had this pressed on white vinyl.

Ugh. This record is so heavy and Eric Wagner was a force on vocals. He was still touring and recording with his new band, The Skull, at the time of his passing. Such a tragic loss.

Envision Straight Edge

Envision are a straight edge band out of Florida, and they really jumped onto my radar when I found out that Lennon from Ecostrike plays in the band. I fucking love Ecostrike. Lennon isn't singing with this new band, and instead is on drums, but still, I needed to hear them. They released an EP last year, but by the time I discovered them, the record was already sold out... so as soon as I heard that preorders were up for their new album this year, I didn't hesitate.

Dude, I'm a sucker for young bands that are wearing X's when they play live and proudly have the words "straight edge" on their records. Even at my age, if a band comes hard with that message, they will get me every time. Envision deliver that whole 90's straight edge vibe... hell, they recorded a cover of Kingpin's Holding Tomorrow last year... so of course I'm down.

When I ordered the Burning Strong record from the label earlier this year, it was shipped in the cheapest box that provided minimal protection. That record arrived a bit warped, but I was able to fix it and didn't think much more about it. When From Within shipped the new Envision record and this one arrived damaged as well... now I'm gonna be hesitant to order from them again.

I contacted the label, and they were nice enough to send a replacement at no cost. Too bad they only had the black vinyl pressing available to send.

The Old Ways Remain

There was a time when I was obsessed with Rise Above Records. Sandwell and I would keep each other apprised of new preorders for all of their shit. We would order anything and everything, with zero regard for overseas shipping costs... and then, at the end of 2018, the label got too eclectic for me, and I stopped paying attention. By coincidence, the last thing that I ordered from Rise Above was the Lolly Willows 7 inch from Blood Ceremony in 2019. At the time, I was hopeful that there was a new Blood Ceremony album on the way. Well, one global pandemic and four years later, here we are.

I have loved Blood Ceremony's brand of occult rock since I first heard Living With The Ancients back in 2011. I hadn't really heard anything like that at the time, and they blew my mind. Seeing them open for Ghost at The Middle East in Boston in 2012 cemented it for me. This band was amazing and I was fully onboard for everything they released after that. So, obviously I jumped on those Rise Above preorders for The Old Ways Remain.

Blood Ceremony deliver exactly what they do best on their latest album. It may not be as doomy as previous albums, but those haunting vocals and flute from Alia help stamp their trademark sound throughout. It wasn't an immediate hit for me, but this has really been a grower. The more I listen to it, the more I appreciate it.

The old ways remain with Rise Above diehard pressings as this one comes with a bonus 7 inch with the exclusive song Falling, plus a demo version of Powers Of Darkness.

You really can't beat a Rise Above diehard clear vinyl pressing. Feels really good to have a new one in my hands.

Run Your Fucking Luck

Back in 2020, Drain released California Cursed on Revelation and at the time I couldn't give a shit. Sure they were on one of the best hardcore record labels, kids everywhere were hyped on the band, and their live shows looked sick as hell... but based on the 30 seconds that I spent checking them out, I did not like their sound at all, and I put them in my rearview mirror.

Drain released a new album this year, and for some strange reason I was feeling like maybe I needed to give this band more of a chance this time around. So it was with an open mind that I blindly bought a copy of Living Proof back in February.

Straight out of the gate, when the opening song kicks off with "Run your fucking luck!", I was hooked.I get it now. The hype on Drain was real, but I was too stubborn to pay attention. This record is rad as fuck. I'm even down with the hip hop Intermission. The only thing that feels out of place here is the Descendents cover of Good Good Things. Drain absolutely nails the song, but it just doesn't fit the vibe of the record overall, and when I'm listening to this on Spotify, it is an easy skip. So glad that I gave the band a chance... now to go back and get right with California Cursed.

Best One Yet

Back in 2012, Marcus over at Endless Quest posted about his Black Flag colored vinyl collection. That shit looked so rad that I told myself that I wanted a piece of that action. I wasn't going to fool myself into thinking that I could match him record for record, but the colored vinyl looked so good that I need needed something on my shelf. I didn't want to make it look like he had any kind of influence on me, and lose credibility in the blogger world for being unoriginal, so I played the waiting game until all other blogs had folded and no one reads these things any more. Ten years later I can finally make my move. Look at me with some Black Flag colored vinyl!

I was listening to Slip It In a lot earlier this year. I'm not sure what it was, but I just kept returning to that record, and it kind of made me think that the time was right to make a big move. Everyone knows that clear versions of colored vinyl are superior to the solid options, so that was the way that I wanted to go here. Plus, the clear red was the first colored vinyl pressing for the record, so it just made sense.

I'll admit that the vinyl for both the green and the grey colors look good, but red is obviously where it is at.

Unpopular opinion, but there are times when I think that Loose Nut is my favorite Black Flag album. I mean, Damaged is probably the BEST, but for the one that I reach for the most, it very well may be Loose Nut. This record just hooks me. It is fun... it's got some bounce and it is a fun record to listen to. When I was grabbing Slip It In, and I saw the seller also had the colored vinyl for this one, yeah, I had to grab this one too.

See you in 2043 when I pick up My War and In My Head.