Verse 2012

In 2006, Verse released one my favorite albums of the year with From Anger And Rage. It was my mission to collect every pressing for that record...in fact, I think I tried to buy every pressing for most of the records that I bought at that time. It ain't 2006 anymore. I'm trying to be a bit more selective on which bands I collect vinyl for, and after failing to really ignite me with Aggression in 2008, I basically walked away from actively trying to collect Verse vinyl. It's not that Aggression was bad...it still maintained some passion and intensity...but something was just missing, and it never got it's hooks in me.

Verse proceeded to break edge and break up...although not necessarily in that order. In any case, when it was announced that they were back together and recording a new album for 2012, I struggled to show any interest. Bands that go away and then come back, rarely maintain any of magic that made them so good the first time around. Still, it was Verse, and based on the strength of those first two albums, I figured that I owed it to them to at least give the new record a listen.

While I find Bitter Clarity, Uncommon Grace to be a bit better than Aggression, they certainly haven't strayed too far from where they left us four years ago. They are still some intense motherfuckers, and there is no doubt that they pour every ounce of emotion into these songs. Lyrically, this is some serious shit, and Verse still can create a rally cry for those looking to change the world around them. Impressive on all fronts, but I still hang on to From Anger and Rage and Rebuild, and think, "yeah, but it is nowhere as good as those first albums". So while I do like Bitter Clarity, maybe it just needs to marinate in my playlists, and it will improve as I become more comfortable with it...or maybe it will be like Have Heart's Songs To Scream At The Sun, and forever be in the shadow of those that came before it.

As typical with Bridge Nine releases, the packaging is outstanding. I love the look of the clear with red smoke vinyl. In buying only one copy of this LP, I'm glad that I went with this color.

Some Bridge Nine Aggression

From 2005 to 2008, Rivalry Records was one of the top labels in hardcore. It was the home of some of the biggest bands of that time...Verse, The First Step, Go It Alone, and Betrayed all released albums through Rivalry. In 2008, after the release of the last Verse LP, Aggression, the label quietly faded away. With Verse back together and recording a new album, Bridge Nine took the opportunity to make Aggression available again on vinyl.

To be honest, Aggression wasn't even close to being my favorite Verse album...Rebuild and From Anger And Rage completely destroy this record...still, it isn't a bad album by any stretch. Bridge Nine reissued this record a few months back, but I've been hesitant to spend the money on an album I already own...trust me, I know how stupid that sounds coming from me. Hell, Aggression already had Rebuild beat 2 to 1 in my record collection, so I should have been investing the money elsewhere.

What sold me on it was the colored vinyl. Bridge Nine chose a unique pattern for the vinyl pressing, and I couldn't resist the temptation to own one. The orange and white, fried egg style, was the best of the three pressings, so I went with that one. Maybe someday I'll take the leap and pick up the white/black and white/grey pressings as well.

What provided the push to finally order that Verse record was that Bridge Nine was promising a "free Have Heart 7 inch" for anyone that placed an order over the weekend. They hyped it as one of the Mystery Box 7 inches that wasn't going to be ready in time, so they were offering it as a bonus. I figured that the time was right to order the Verse LP, so I jumped on it...excited to see what it could be. A few live recordings? Some studio cover songs? How cool would it be to get their covers of Reinforced and More Than Music finally on vinyl? Could not wait to discover what the surprise was.

Fuck me. Just before the package arrived, reports started to trickle in that the whole thing was a joke, and a cheap one at that. I felt like a fool, and a laugh was being had at my expense. Yes, I go retarded for Have Heart vinyl, but for someone to play off that to bump up their sales for the weekend felt wrong to me. What was supposed to be funny, felt like a school yard bully prank. "Ha ha ha...we sure fooled those Have Heart record collector nerds". Maybe Chris Wrenn will consider me to be one of those "wet blankets"...maybe I'm too serious to fully appreciate the joke, but in the end it felt like the B9 messageboard took over the record label for the day. The label that I used to love, and try to collect every vinyl pressing a few years ago, lost a bit of integrity.

In the end though, I'm not going to piss and moan too much. I'm not really out anything. I bought a record that I would have bought regardless, and I got a free Have Heart ruler. No real reason to get upset, right? So why do I still have a bit of a bad taste in my mouth over the whole thing?