Splatter Vinyl Or Die

Burn released a new 7 inch last year, and even though I was hesitant about checking it out, I bought into the hype, and grabbed a copy. Surprisingly, the record wasn't terrible...I mean, it was a far cry from their debut, but for Burn in 2016, I kind of enjoyed it.

Fast forward to this year, and when Deathwish announce preorders for a new Burn album, I found myself struggling with those familiar feelings of doubt. I mean, how much was I going to care about this record down the road? A year from now would I have any desire to listen to it, or would it just take up space on my shelf? Still, not wanting to miss out, I took a chance and ordered a copy as soon as they were available.

Opinions on this new record are pretty divided. Some people are delusional and are treating this as the record of the year, totally losing their shit over how great they think it is...while others find it completely unlistenable.

I've only given the record a couple of spins, so time will tell how this holds up, but my initially impression is kind of "meh". Some parts of this record are straight up awkward...that chorus for Do Or Die makes me cringe a little bit...but to be honest, it is these weird moments that make the whole record kind of stand out, and not just sound like another Hardcore record. I'm torn on the whole thing at this point.

One thing is for certain though...Deathwish pulled out all the stops when it came the packaging for Do Or Die. With the thick insert booklet, the poster, the extra stickers...everything looks amazing..even the splatter vinyl looks great.

300 pressed on clear with orange and red splatter.

From The Ashes Of Burn

Of course I love the first Burn 7 inch...and I can even hang with the Cleanse record. Yet, for some reason, when it was announced that they were releasing a new 7 inch in 2016, I found it as appealing as a poop flavored lollipop. Still there was some hype around it from a few friends, and I got sucked into buying a copy. Plus it was going to be pressed on pink vinyl, and goddamnit, if I don't own the first one on pink, I figured that I'd at least own the new one on that color.

Preorders went up at Bridge Nine back in April. At the time, I was heavily into late 70's and early 80's style Punk. I wasn't in the musical headspace to appreciate what was going on, and as soon as I placed the order, I regretted it, and wrote it off as a waste of money. Another old hardcore band that was bound to disappoint by trying to relive those glory days...and this would just be another record taking up space in my collection.

Bridge Nine saw numerous delays with pressing this record, so in July they made it available for download for those that had ordered the vinyl. I grabbed it, and really wasn't expecting much. Still, the cover art intrigued me, and I loved the inclusion of those old masks from the first record. Aesthetically, it gave off a great vibe, and surprisingly, I was finding myself more and more interested to check out what Burn had to deliver. Much to my surprise, I found myself really liking this record...much more than I expected to. Suddenly, I was very thankful that I'd bought this when preorders went up.

Once B9 got the vinyl in, they realized that the pressing plant had messed up the color...so we got baby blue instead of pink. To make up for the delay and the color mix up, they whipped up some preorder covers for the record. Hand numbered out of 210. Job well done all around.

Record Store Day 2016 - Part One: RSD Releases

Nine years on, and I still get excited for Record Store Day. I've calmed down on buying one of everything, and no longer get sucked into every overpriced reissue, but you know, it is still a cool day to get out and hit as many record stores as I can. I'm already looking forward to what the 10 year anniversary has in store for us next year.

While I may have been looking forward to Record Store Day, my want list was surprisingly very small. What can I say? RSD reissues excite me less and less each year, and as I headed out the door that Saturday morning, I only had two "must have" items on my list.

At the top of that list was the new Clutch 12 inch.

I didn't need to worry about missing out on the Clutch record, as the store had around twenty of them in stock...and they didn't appear to be flying out of the bins.

Featuring two songs leftover from the Psychic Warfare sessions last year, this is a pretty cool record as you can never have too much Clutch. Plus the etched b-side of the record is pretty badass.

I don't necessarily jump for vinyl discographies anymore, especially when most of the material was originally pressed on vinyl anyway. I guess they make sense for CDs, but vinyl discographies seem a bit obnoxious. I would have much rather seen those three new songs that Insted recorded for the discography back in 2004 pressed to a 12 inch EP, instead of this double LP. Still, seeing this in the store I couldn't help but purchase a copy. The vinyl looks amazing for this thing.

I'm no longer excited over REV reissues. Too much, too fast, and I got burned out on them. They only way that I'll pick them up now is if I don't own an original pressing, and such was the case with the Shades Apart reissue.

The band were never as good after their self titled LP and the Dude Danger 12 inch, but I still enjoy their REV albums from time to time. I haven't listened to Save It in over 10 years, so it was nice to revisit it with this reissue.

I bought the reissue of Burn's Last Great Sea simply because it was there. If it wasn't Record Store Day, and I could only get this in the REVHQ store, I wouldn't have put forth the effort to grab a copy. Now that RSD is done, I see that REV have pressed this again...this time it is available in their webstore on green vinyl. Meh...no thanks. Fool me once...

Besides the Clutch record, the only other thing on my Want List for the day was the new Iron Maiden 12 inch single for Empire Of The Clouds.

I don't care that it is a picture disc, and I'm not bothered that it is just a song from their newest album. Maiden vinyl rules. Period. The packaging for this looks amazing...and considering Maiden didn't release any singles on vinyl for 2010's Final Frontier, I'm glad to see them back in the record game.

Empire of the Clouds is an epic 18 minutes long, and the b-side on the single features an interview about writing the band's longest song.

Yup...that's it for RSD releases. 5 records. Not even close to the epic hauls of years past. I guess it is a good thing that REV and Indecision released something for this years Record Store Day...if it wasn't for them, I may have been tempted to spend a ridiculous $60 on another live record from The Doors.

...Shall Be Judged and Reissued

When I was a kid, I collected Star Wars trading cards. I blew a lot of lawn mowing money on those things. I remember walking to the corner store, picking up a few packs, chewing on the cardboard flavored gum, and flipping through them to see which new ones I could add to the collection. One of my favorite things about collecting those cards was the checklist, where you could tick off each new one you recieved in your attempt to build a complete collection.

At this point, it would be really helpful if someone could put together one of those checklists for REV reissues. Seriously. I feel like I'm so lost at this point. What have I missed? And the question has to be asked...if I missed one, would I really be fussed to track it down and buy it at this point?

I still haven't stepped up to buy a pink vinyl copy of the Burn record, so every time I buy a reissue I feel guilty and inadequate. Still, this blue vinyl looks great. 487 pressed.

In an attempt to beef up my order, I was reviewing the latest vinyl from REV and discovered that Side By Side had been pressed on grey. I have no idea when this happened, but I'll gladly take a copy. Another REV release that I'll keep buying. Limited to 547 on grey.