Keep An Eye Out

There was a time when Take Offense were on the top of the hardcore world. After the release of Tables Will Turn in 2011 and Under The Same Shadow in 2012, I was obsessed with the band...but with the United States Of Mind album in 2013, I was pretty underwhelmed with the whole thing, and started to write the band off. It took five years for the band to follow up that album, and with the Tensions On High 7 inch from last year, I went in with low expectations and was surprised at how the band bounced back, and they released one of my favorite records in 2018. With a new album scheduled to be released this year, I was still apprehensive and I approached Keep An Eye Out with a bit of caution.

Take Offense have a sound that has always reminded me of Suicidal's Join The Army record, and while they have been around for over 10 years, they still have that same style...and that is a good thing. Keep An Eye Out doesn't break any new ground, and that is fine with me, as this is a solid hardcore record. Good to see the band still doing their thing and overcoming that slump that was United States Of Mind.

Clear with red and yellow splatter. Limited to 650.

Tensions On High

Man, with those first two Take Offense records, I was absolutely loving the band. Their Suicidal/Join The Army sound sucked me in, and I could not get enough of it. I was so high on the band that when they dropped their United States Of Mind album in 2013, I had no control and bought every single pressing and bonus record that I could get my hands on...which then turned into the biggest disappointment, and was probably the catalyst for me ending my run of buying every pressing for albums.

When I heard that Take Offense were releasing an EP earlier this year, I approached it with a bit of caution. While I was still interested to see if the band could rebound, I was not rushing in blindly, and I refused to buy a copy until I'd heard the entire record.

Yes! This was everything that I'd hoped for, and the band completely redeemed themselves from the lackluster sound of their last album. I am loving this record, and it remains to be seen how high it will go for my Best of 2018 list.

Originally, this EP seemed to only be available on cassette through REV. I could not find a vinyl release anywhere, and it was driving me mad to find a copy. At some point I had seen an Instagram post the 7 inch pressing for Tensions On High, so I knew it existed, and I was doing weekly searches online trying to find a place that was selling them. Finally, I discovered that Upstate Records was distributing the record in the US, and I quickly bought a copy. Happy to finally have this!

No Offense

When I first heard the first Take Offense album, Tables Will Turn, I was blown away. They had a sound very reminiscent to Join The Army era Suicidal Tendencies, and I could not get enough of that album. I might have missed the limited pre-order color for the first album, but when their 12 inch follow up, Under The Same Shadow, was released, I made sure I hit the Reaper store as soon as pre-orders went up. I loved that EP as well, and ended up going back to Reaper to buy the other two copies of colored vinyl. I was stoked for the new Take Offense album this year, and did not hesitate to buy one of everything.

The album arrived and I couldn't wait to drop the needle to the grooves to hear what Take Offense had to offer. Whoa. What the fuck? Upon first listen I was incredibly disappointed in the whole thing. I don't know if it the production, the guitar tone or the vocals, but they seem to have lost all of that Suicidal sound that set them apart from other Hardcore bands going on today. The whole thing sounded very generic and uninspired. My initial impression was not a good one.

300 pressed on clear vinyl.

I wanted to like this record so much, so I tried desperately to not dismiss it. Maybe it wasn't as bad as I initially thought, and I needed to just spend some time with the album. I stuck with it, and after a handful of listens, I got to know the songs a bit...bit by bit I started to hear the band's signature sound come through.

700 pressed on green vinyl.

I've warmed up to the album since my initial spin, but it doesn't come close the band's first two releases. It's too bad. This thing could have been a top release for the year, but I think it comes up a bit short. 1,000 pressed on silver vinyl.

In addition to the new album, Reaper also had a live 7 inch from Take Offense available. I'm not a fan of these things, but it was Take Offense, and I felt the need to buy a copy...even though I'll probably listen to it once and file it away, and never think of it again.

Hand numbered and limited to 500.

Another worthless purchase that I made was for the Place Your Bet single. Released on a green flexi, this may be the most pointless item in my record collection. Nothing new or special. Why, Reaper? Why?

At the end of the day, I spent $60...when really, just one $15 copy of the album was probably enough. I need to make better decisions.

Under Two More Shadows

Occasionally, I'll try to cut back on the number of records that I buy. I've spent so much money on records this year, it is ridiculous. In an effort to cut back, I only ordered one copy of Under The Same Shadow from Take Offense. Yeah, that level of restraint didn't last very long, and a few months later I was ordering two more copies.

With their brand of Join The Army/Suicidal style hardcore, Take Offense can do no wrong in my eyes. Why did I think that I could get away with only one copy of this record?

600 on gold vinyl.

950 on clear.

Taking Offense

My Top 10 list from 2011 was pretty solid, but looking back at it now, I think that I'd have to find a way to include the Tables Will Turn LP from Take Offense.

I decided to check out Take Offense prior to going to see them play with Backtrack and Trapped Under Ice last November. I downloaded the album and was immediately impressed. The band has a strong influence from Join The Army-era Suicidal Tendencies mixed with a healthy dose of New York Hardcore. Damn, this record is so good.

700 were pressed on what Reaper calls purple and black marbled vinyl. I love those redish/purple streaks in there.

Earlier this year, Reaper Records put up pre-orders for the new Take Offense EP, Under The Same Shadow, and I didn't hesitate to order a copy. The EP picks up right where the LP left off, and the band keeps thrashin' that same Suicidal style. If you don't dig this then you must be trippin'...trip at the brain, you know what I'm sayin'.

The one-sided 12 inch format is still very strange to me. If the recording is too long for a 7 inch, why not use both sides of the 12 inch? Odd.

Surprisingly the most limited pressing of this EP was on black vinyl. 400 pressed. I feel like I'm going to have to pick those colored vinyl pressings soon.