Open Your Eyes

A couple of months ago, I was feeling like I might need to reign in my record spending. I've bought a bunch of stuff this year with little consideration paid to my savings account, and felt like I needed to pump the brakes a bit (spoiler alert: I still haven't done that). Before I slowed things down though, I wanted to make a run at something that would make more of a substantial impact to my collection instead of some $5 record from a 90's band that no one remembered.

I've been terrible at keeping my focus on my Top Wants of 2022 list that I keep in the sidebar of this blog. I use this list to keep some major records at the forefront of my attention, with hopes that I'll pick them up over the year. This year, I just haven't cared to focus on that list and have just been going wherever my attention is at the moment. When I was thinking that I'd buy one more record before taking a spending break, I wanted to cross off at least one of those records from my Top 10 Wants list before I found myself in December and the list untouched.

Warzone is one of those classic hardcore bands, and settling for one of those recent Revelation reissues for their classic albums wasn't going to cut it. I needed the original Caroline pressing for Open Your Eyes. Reasonably priced records seem to be a rare thing on Discogs a lot of the time, so when I saw a seller listing this classic at a decent price, I grabbed it. Such a great hardcore record, even though The American Movement makes me cringe every time I hear it.

Completely unplanned, but when I found myself in this same predicament last year, I also used this "one last record" excuse when I picked up a copy of Warzone's Don't Forget The Struggle.

Don't Forget The 2021 Want List

These past couple of months have been a bit wild when it came to buying records. I've had zero self restraint and have been chasing whatever pops up on my radar lately. I got a bit out of control, and I knew that I probably needed to reel things in, but before I started to lock things down I wanted to have one last fling.

I wanted to go big. I wanted to make a dent. I looked at my Top Wants list for the year, and there at the top was the first pressing of Warzone's Don't Forget The Struggle LP. I haven't done a great job in tackling this list in years past, and I didn't want that to be the story for this year as well. As soon as a good looking copy popped up on Discogs, I was making moves.

This album is a classic for a reason. There is a lot of youthful energy and charm here that keeps this record sounding fresh after all these years. While there are definitely some cringe worthy aspects of the band, I still really dig them...however, if a band came out today playing songs like Fighting For Our Country or The American Movement, I'd tell them to fuck right off.

Young And Unaware

When I was young, and starting to get into Hardcore, I remember hearing the name Warzone thrown around a lot. I figured that they must be a big deal, so when I saw their self-titled CD sitting on the racks at the local music store, I quickly grabbed it, eager to check out this legendary Hardcore band.

In hindsight, that release from 1989 might not have been the best place to start...but I didn't know any better, and as I was crossing over from Metal to Hardcore, I quite enjoyed that record.

Sometime down the road, a friend shared the REV comp, The Way It Is, with me...after hearing As One, it suddenly clicked why Hardcore kids revered this band so much. However, even after getting the first two Warzone records dubbed to a blank cassette tape, and recognizing how superior those are, I still had a soft spot for that self titled turd.

Like Token Entry's Weight Of The World, everyone likes to cast stones and ridicule these oddballs...but me, I love 'em...and since I've been checking records off the World's Shittiest Wantlist this year, I figured it was time to scratch another big time player off the list.