Keepin It Real

It is kind of shocking to me just how quickly I forget about recent bands and records. Even though I've slowed way down on the number of new releases that I buy, I still find that the majority of them don't stick around on my radar for very long. I listen to them throughout the year they are released, but then in January my brain resets and I kind of leave them behind. After picking up this Struck Nerve 7 inch, I took a look back at what else had been released in 2018, and there was so much good shit that year that I haven't thought about for years. Thanks for the reminder that hardcore rules.

I love finding other cool records when I'm buying from a Discogs seller. As I was scrolling through what else the seller had when I recently added a record to the cart, I was very surprised to see the record release version of the Struck Nerve 7 inch... and even more shocked that it was listed for under $10.

Special record release cover... number 13 of only 15 made.

Rattle The Record Release

When I first bought the Struck Nerve record from Youngblood, I didn't think that I needed multiple copies of it, and I only ordered the red vinyl version. The record really grew on me once it arrived and I started to give it regular spins. When I had the opportunity to grab a copy with the special This Is Hardcore 2022 cover, I jumped on it because it seemed too good to pass up. Having two copies of Rattle The Cage just made me want to get more, and when the record release version popped up on Discogs at a fair price, I quickly added that one to my collection as well.

The record release cover uses the simple red and white variation on the art, and I like the look. I wish there was some note regarding the date and place of the record release show, but oh well, I guess it really isn't that important.

The record is numbered out of 50.

Now I have three copies of this thing, and I'm not sure what more I should do. I guess it would be nice to grab the clear vinyl pressing, but do I try to get a white vinyl with the regular cover as well? I suppose that if they came along at the right price, anything is possible.

Struck Gold

When I picked up the Struck Nerve album from Youngblood last year, it was the first that I'd heard of the band. That record grew on me quite a bit, to the point where I found myself thinking it was a good idea to own multiple copies. Recently, I became aware that the band had also released a 7 inch back in 2018. It was on WAR Records, and it must have been before I was paying attention to that label, because I totally missed out on it. When I was buying one of the newer records from WAR, I noticed that they still had a couple of copies of that Struck Nerve 7 inch still in their store. I figured that it was a good time to grab one.

This is such a cool record, and it totally give me vibes of Desperate Measures, or maybe a bit of Mental (especially with that "real recognizes real" line from one of the songs). I think that this was originally a demo, so it isn't surprising that the songs are a bit more rough and raw compared to the Youngblood record, but I'm definitely glad that I picked this up.

Gold vinyl limited to 100.

This Is Struck Nerve Hardcore

When I first heard the Rattle The Cage record from Struck Nerve at the end of 2020, I wasn't too excited over it. I thought it was okay, but it wasn't something that I returned to very often. By the time the vinyl arrived ten months later, those songs were finally clicking with me, and now I'm loving this record... so much so that I'm apparently buying additional copies now.

Youngblood had made some special covers of the Rattle The Cage Record for This Is Hardcore 2022, and when they had a few leftover after the fest, they threw them up in the webstore. Luckily, I was paying attention and was able to quickly grab one. Numbered out of 50 made.

I really dig the look of this metallic silver ink on the black cardstock. Damn. I didn't mean for this to snowball, but now I want the test press with the gold ink... and while I'm at it, I also would like the record release cover. For a record that I initially wasn't interested in collecting, my position on that has changed quite a bit since this TIHC2022 pressing arrived.

Struck Nerve

We are a few days short of the one year anniversary for when Youngblood Records started preorders for their latest release, the Rattle The Cage 12 inch from Struck Nerve. I'm used to Youngblood preorders taking a long time, and I've got more patience than most, but this one seemed to take longer than usual and I was starting to question if they were ever going to ship. The label posted on Instagram back in July that records were starting to go out, and after three more months I finaly broke down and dropped them a line asking what was up. I got a quick response that it would ship soon, and a few weeks later it finally arrived.

When preorders opened up last November, I remember not being too impressed with what I'd heard from Struck Nerve, but it was Youngblood so I ordered a copy anyway. I mean, what I'd heard wasn't bad, it just didn't immediately knock me on my ass. Where I usually buy multiple copies from Youngblood releases, this time I just bought the one record and hoped it would grow on me.

As expected, I liked this Struck Nerve record more and more with each spin. Had this record actually arrived in 2020, there is a very good chance it would have made my Top 10 list for the year. Solid aggressive straight edge hardcore. You can always count on Youngblood to deliver... even if that delivery seems to take forever.