Fixation On Secrets

Over the past year, I've picked up both the Fixation 7 inch and the flexi, and those records are great. Raw, angry and fast hardcore. When WAR Records put up preorders for a new Fixation album this year, I quickly grabbed a copy. Shortly after making my purchase I discovered that the band had changed their singer at some point between their previous records and the recording of this new album. That move doesn't always work for me, so I was a bit nervous on how the album was going to sound.

There is definitely a change in the sound with Fixation on The Secrets We Keep. They still sound raw and angry, but instead of that thrashy sound I liked from their other records, here they sound like they would fit in with the American Nightmare kind of chaotic style from the early 2000's. It is kind of cool, I guess, but it was never a sound that got too excited over. Who knows, maybe this will grow on me.

I gave a hard pass on the more limited splatter colored vinyl, and instead just went for the red in black version. Limited to 200.

Fixation Flexi

On the scale of terrible formats, the flexi may rank below the 10 inch. While the 10 inch is just awkward, the flexi feels like it is a throw-away format. Something that you'd find in your order from REVHQ as a promo for some band that you've never heard of and don't care about, so you just toss it in the trash.

I never throught that I'd buy the Into The Pain flexi from Fixation, and yet somehow here we are. I mean, I really like those first two Fixation records, and was happy to pick up the Marked EP last year, but the flexi from 2019... ugh... it was tough to convince me to actually buy it. Still, when I was in the WAR Records store buying the Abstain 12 inch, I figured that I could throw $6 at this thing. Plus, it was the alternate cover that was limited to 100 and numbered, and since they were still available I figured that I might as well do it.

Like the Marked 7 inch, these songs are fantastic. Fast and agressive hardcore. The band has a new singer, so we'll see if Fixation can make that transition successfully with their new album.

This Is Fixation Hardcore

Early last year I went to the Vantage Point record release show just before COVID caused a global pandemic and shut everything down for the the next year and half. While I was at the show I noticed some girl hanging out at the Vantage Point merch table wearing a Fixation shirt. I'd heard the band's name before, and the EP cover design on the shirt looked interesting, so I made a mental note to download the band's EP when I got home and check them out. The fact that some cute girl was wearing the shirt had no influence on me whatsoever. I just like to keep up with what the kids think is good hardcore. Honest.

I've been devouring a bunch of newer hardcore bands this year. Lately, it is all that I want to listen to. When I was picking up multiple copies of the Profile 7 inch on Discogs, I noticed that one of the sellers had the Marked EP from Fixation available with the special This Is Hardcore cover, and at a price that was cheaper than you could pick up a regular pressing from War Records, so it just made sense to finally buy a copy. I really dig the special cover for this one, with the Liberty Bell in place of the face from the regular cover. Number 16 out of 50.

Fixation don't fuck around. This 7 inch contains 8 songs in 9 minutes... fast blasts of hardcore that make me think of that first Boston Strangler record. Impressive.