Remember The Pusher Man

I don't pay much attention to Uncle Acid these days. Their albums are good, but not something that I return to very often, and it had me thinking that I might just let their next full length record pass me by. I've got other things that I'd rather spend my money on, so why chase this band when I listen to their new stuff a handful of times before shelving it?

When Rise Above released the Pusher Man single, I promptly ignored it. The track was pulled from Uncle Acid's 2015 album, The Night Creeper, and while it is a pretty good song, the album, as a whole, didn't rate too high on my list. Therefore, I had no interest in chasing the single.

Then I saw that they covered Iron Maiden's Remember Tomorrow on the b-side. That I needed to hear.

Wow, this version is great, and Uncle Acid give the song a great creepy vibe. Buying the purple vinyl for the US pressing for Rise Above releases still feels like dirty hobo sex in the back of a burned out station wagon, but hey it only cost me a few dollars, and in the end the urge is satisfied.

Night Creepin'

The hype around Uncle Acid hasn't seemed to die down over the past couple of years, and while I'd entertained purchasing one of the special pressings that Rise Above did for the new album, by the time I'd realized that they were for sale, they were all long gone.

To be honest, while I enjoyed the last Uncle Acid album, Mind Control, it didn't have a lot of staying power for me, and as we rolled out of 2013, I rarely reached for it again. Fully acknowledging this fact, I still rushed out to purchase The Night Creeper as soon as it was available at my local record store.

In the end, I think I enjoy the idea of Uncle Acid, more than the record itself. The look of this album is top notch, and fits the creepy vibe that Uncle Acid bring to the table, with songs that weave a story of drugs, sex and violence. The songs on the other hand kind, while decent, don't really excite me...with the exception of Melody Lane...that song rules.

Who knows, maybe with a few more listens, I'll warm up to this record...or maybe I'll just shelve it and listen to the 35 other new Metal records that I've purchased this year.

1,000 pressed on purple vinyl for the US.

Runaway Girls Got Limits

Rise Above Records has been releasing some pretty cool 7 inch records this year. We've seen some cool shit from a couple of favorites of mine...Blood Ceremony and Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell...and recently the label has given us three more.

I initially ignored the first Death Penalty release, the Sign Of Times 7 inch. I wasn't interested in another female fronted band, so I didn't bother checking it out this little two song record. When the band released their self titled LP a few months later, there was enough buzz for me to give them a shot. It ended up being worth my time, and after buying the LP, it only made sense to go back and get the 7 inch as well.

500 pressed on purple vinyl.

When I can, I've been trying to avoid the high shipping prices from Rise Above. The records get some solid distribution in the US now, so I tend to only empty my wallet when Rise Above has a solid Die Hard pressing with some cool extras. The new Uncle Acid 7 inch, Runaway Girls, did not count as one of those Die Hard editions that I needed to have...but since I was picking up something from the Rise Above store anyway, I figured "What the fuck", and I bought the clear vinyl pressing that was limited to 100.

I haven't really listened to any Uncle Acid lately. While I enjoyed most of their last LP, there were some songs that kind of dragged a bit at the end, and because of this, they haven't showed up on my playlists lately. This 7 inch, makes me rethink that stance. The Runaway Girls song is really good, and the acoustic version of Devil's Work is haunting. A great reminder that I need to move this band back into rotation.

The final 7 inch in this trilogy is for Horisont. The band has yet to disappoint, so I was really looking forward to this release. The artwork for the record seemed like an odd choice for the band, but a quick peak at their video for Break The Limit, and I was sold. Classic hard edged 70's rock.

200 pressed on red vinyl.

Rise Above Singles

Rise Above recently released a couple of 7 inch singles...well, since I'm about two months behind on my posts, I guess it wasn't that recent.

First up is the Uncle Acid single for Mind Crawler. This song is obviously from their latest album, so it was odd to see them release the single several months later. Still, I was interested in checking out the b-side song which is a Charles Manson cover. Yeah, it is a strange trip.

The packaging on this is great. Clear vinyl is limited to 100.

The Uncle Acid 7 inch was cool, but I was more interested in the one that Rise Above was releasing for Horisont. The band had a killer album last year, and I was very eager to check out some new songs. Writing On The Wall is a great preview of the new album, and the video is fucking over the top. Check it out if you are into seeing nuns drinking and driving, running over a baby, vomiting and then making out. Who isn't into that, am I right?

The back cover has an AC/DC Back In Black vibe going on with the layout. I love it. 100 pressed on orange vinyl.

Uncle Acid's Mind Control

As the story goes, a holy man claimed that God and enlightenment could be found at the top of the tallest mountain. He took seven of his disciples on a long trek, struggling through snow and sickness to reach the summit. Once there, they discovered only the silence of nothingness. There was no God. The holy man then proceeded to slaughter each of his followers, convinced that he was the chosen one. The son of God.

He retreated from the mountain with the vision of a supercult. On a stolen motorcycle, he rode around picking up runaways and forgotten children to join his new cult. Through a steady diet of drugs, fear, and repetitive mantra, he taught them love and violence. There, in their desert home, the disciples awaited the final plan of their holy man.

That is the story woven through the nine songs of Uncle Acid's new album, Mind Control. The band's sound is a mixture of Doom, the early creepy stuff from Alice Cooper (think Halo of Flies and Black Juju), as well as a healthy dose of The Beatles...and used as the backdrop to Uncle Acid's lyrical story, the tale is truly haunting.

The album's packaging helps reinforce the concept and story. To fully grasp the greatness of this album, one really needs to sit and immerse oneself in the packaging, sounds and lyrics. Rise Above did such a great job with this. Amazing.

After missing out on the most limited pressing from Rise Above, I decided to just grab a copy from Last Rights in the States. 600 pressed on solid orange vinyl.

Uncle Acid Rotten To The Core

Uncle Acid has a new album coming out soon, and in order to get everyone primed and ready, Rise Above released a 7 inch single for the song Poison Apple. We are seeing more and more of these singles, with the exclusive b-side track. While I like the thrill of the new stuff, I can't help but feel like I'm being taken advantage of when labels release these things. Oh well, I'm sure there are bigger wastes of money out there.

It's funny. When I first checked out Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats last year, I couldn't stand the name. Maybe it was the uptight Straight Edge side of me, but I hated that I liked this band so much. Now with this new single, the name on the cover has dropped The Deadbeats, and I find that it really takes a bit away from the whole dirty, fucked up and strange, drughead trip. And you know what? I miss it.

I don't know if it is the influence of the green apple on the cover, but man, the vocals on this thing have a serious John Lennon influence. Great stuff. Can't wait for the next bit of Mind Control.