Dissonance Coroner

Earlier this year, I picked up the Coroner album R.I.P. from Tim's collection. I didn't really expect much from that record, but surprisingly I really got into it. As I was writting up the blog post for that record, I discovered that Coroner had just released a new album... and caught up in my own hype over the band I decided to check it out.

I'd seen some praise for the new Coroner album, Dissonance Theory, so I approached it with a bit of hope and it did not disappoint. The band has not released an album in 32 years, and the last that I heard from them was No More Color from 1989, and yet this new record feels like Coroner have not missed a step with their brand of technical thrash. I love it when bands from the 80's can still deliver something that is still so heavy and urgent sounding.

When I was ready to buy the vinyl, it seemed that it was a hot commodity and I rushed to buy this colored vinyl version on coke bottle clear from Discogs. There weren't many options at the time, and I probably paid too much for it because now there seem to be plenty of copies available. Oh well, I needed to get this shit in my collection before the end of the year and I was desperate.

Rude

I was late getting into Spiritual Cramp. I did not care for them at all when I checked out their first 7 inch on React Records back in 2017, but I happened to hear a song from the band at the end of 2023 as their new album was about to drop, and I quickly became obsessed with them. That new record blew me away and Spriritual Cramp became my favorite band of 2024.

Having falling so hard for Spiritual Cramp, there was no doubt that I was going to preorder their newest album. I was so excited. I didn't need to hear preview song or anything... no questions asked... take my money.

When the album arrived, I couldn't wait to give it a spin... and then was promptly disappointed. Rude did not have that same driving energy that I heard with the self titled debut album. This record was missing that urgency that I loved with the earlier Spiritual Cramp stuff, and it felt a little tame and watered down. It took me a long time to finally come around with Rude, but eventually the songs began to click with me in a big way. I love this record, but it did take a handful of listens for me to get there. Honestly, the more I listen to it, the higher it climbs on my favorites of the year list.

Blue, red and black marble vinyl is limited to 250.

Drain Is Your Friend

With the latest Drain album, ... Is Your Friend it feels like they missed an opportunity by releasing this in November, because Drain definitely bring a summer vibe. Dude, the tunes, the album cover and photo... this would have been THE RECORD to thrash around to over those hot summer months. Instead, I have to play these songs through my earbuds as I'm out shoveling snow. Shit doesn't seem right.

Once again Drain deliver their blend of hardcore/crossover and this shit is so much fun. For me, nothing tops their last record, Living Proof, and I'm assuming that one will fall in behind the Drain debut if I'm ranking them, but this is still a solid release for a hardcore band that is three albums in.

Bands love a gimmick name for colored vinyl, and Drain have a number of them for this album. Chum bucket swirl... frosted coke bottle... kewpie blue dream splash... but I picked up Santa Cruz sunburst because I thought it might pair best with the album cover.

Restraining The Future

The second Restraining Order album never reached the heights of the first one. I liked it well enough, but Locked In Time didn't give me anywhere near the amount of excitement that I get when I play This World Is Too Much. When I heard that there was a new Restraining Order album on the way this year, there was no doubt that I was going to have to order it, but I expected that I'd listen to it and then shelve it without giving it much thought.

I'm not sure what it is, but for me Future Fortune hooked me straight out of the gate. Maybe I'm just in a better mindset for this kind of hardcore right now, but this shit gets me moving. I haven't really spend much time with this record, but I'm already appreciating it more than their last one... so that is a nice surprise.

The hype sticker for this says the vinyl is an orchid, sky blue and magenta colorway. Limited to 100.

Para Bellum

Testament have been on the four year cycle with albums since they stormed back in 2008 with The Formation Of Damnation... and every one of them has been fucking solid. It has been five years since their last one, Titans Of Creation, but I figure that with covid in the mix, I'll allow them the additional year between records. Still, with Testament's excellent streak of records, when preorders were announced for their new record, I quickly got my preorder in.

With Para Bellum, Testament keep doing what they do best, although there are times here when they thrash so hard and heavy that it reminds me of The Gathering when they leaned into a bit of the death metal sound. Some of these songs really have Chuck growling those vocals and I love it.

It feels like this past year has been fairly low key when it comes to new metal records, but a new Testament album is certainly a highlight.

Black and orange swirl colored vinyl (which looks more like camo) is limited to 750.

Ritual On A Chain

Another year, another Planet On A Chain record. Honestly, I'm surprised at how much this band has released. Three albums over three years, plus a couple of 7 inches before that. It's impressive for a hardcore band.

Ritual Routine keeps doing what POAC does best... unrelenting fast hardcore. I don't think that they really do anything new here, and that's cool with me. While all of their records kind of feel the same and interchangable, there was something about their last one, Culture Of Death, that I really enjoyed more than others... and for me, this new one falls a bit short. Maybe I just need to sit with it a bit more... or maybe there was just something with Culture Of Death that clicked with me more. Who knows... but either way POAC keeps doing what you'd expect POAC to do, and that album cover art is rad as fuck.

330 pressed on yellow colored vinyl.

100% Never Again

I really need a system to keep track of records that I've ordered. A few years ago I used to keep a notebook that I would use to capture info on when I would place an order for a record... writing down the date plus any any info about it that was kicking around in my head at the time, including what put it on my radar in the first place. This was useful when months later I would finally get around to the blog post. My 2026 resolution is to start that back up, because sitting here now and looking at this Never Again record, I have no fucking idea what prompted me to buy it. This kind of thing happens to me more than I'd care to admit. My memory really is shit.

My email records show that I ordered this 7 inch back in February from Cash Only Records, but I'm not sure where I heard about it. I mean I assume that I saw it on the 'gram somewhere, but I'm not sure who would have shared it that it made enough of an impression that I would have to immediately search it out, listen to the songs, and buy it within a 10 minute span... but that's exactly what happened. So whatever it was that made me check it out, I'm glad that I did because this record is that good. Pure straight forward hardcore, and that is exactly what I wanted.

Red/black smash (or more commonly known, dark red) colored vinyl that is limited to 200.

Meantime

I hadn't heard of Meantime until I saw Marcus post about this record a couple of months ago. I don't really follow what Indecision Records is releasing, so I wasn't surprised to find that this came out a couple of years ago and that it had passed me by undetected, but once Marcus dropped comparisons to Go It Alone and Champion, I sat up and took notice.

That isn't to say that Meantime exactly sound like either of those bands, but their sound does bring me back to those mid-2000 hardcore days. Man, those were special times for me with so many good bands, so Living In The Meantime clicked with me immediately and I had to rush over to Indecision to pick up a copy.

150 pressed on this splatter pattern vinyl, and while I'm not really looking to collect multiple copies of this, it would be really nice if one of those record release versions managed to become available to pick up at some point.

Spite And Desertion

I took a chance on the first Spite House record back in 2022, and while I didn't really listen to it a whole lot at the time, it was a really solid album that reminded me of some of the melodic post-punk stuff of the early 90's. I've come to really appreciate that record over the past couple of years, but I was still a bit hesitant when I discovered that they had a new album on the way this year. I'm aware that skepticism is my default reaction, especially when it comes to new music from band that play this kind of style... like, okay your band was good enough to pull off one record, but surely you will fuck up the next attempt and go too soft and melodic... but most of the time bands prove me wrong, and I'm happy that is the case with the new Spite House album, Desertion.

While it took me some time to ease into the self-titled Spite House album, with Desertion, I was immediately hooked. I'm not sure if the songs are better here, or if it was my state of mind, but right from the start I was into it. I'm kind of at a loss as how to describe this... on the one hand they remind me of that 90's melodic style that bands like Garden Variety were doing, but I also hear some Title Fight here... I don't know but it is really good.

Violet a-side and blue b-side with glitter colored vinyl. Limited to 150.