Legendary Witchcraft

When I heard that Witchcraft were releasing a new album this year, it immediately moved to the top of my most anticipated albums of 2012 list. When I first heard this band back in 2007, I fell in love with them. The comparisons to Black Sabbath were undeniable, and we all know how much I love Sabbath.

As soon as I saw the album was available to order, I didn't hesitate to buy a copy...overseas shipping fees be damned!

The first few songs come crashing off the vinyl with doomy brilliance, and I am in awe. Holy shit, this album owns me. Then things settle down into more of a rocking sound, kind of like Graveyard. Still good, but not as powerful as the first half. And while the whole thing is not as strong as Firewood or The Alchemist, you'd be a fool to dismiss this album. Easily one of my favorite Metal releases this year.

Again, Nuclear Blast puts the hand numbered sticker on the shrink wrap of a gatefold LP. Frustration. Thankfully they remove easily enough, and can be applied to the poly sleeve I use for storage.

Along with the Legend LP, Nuclear Blast also had the It's Not Because Of You single available for order. Limited to 250 on green vinyl.

This single is worth the price paid for the non-LP track, Take Me With You When You Die. B-side songs on the single are typically throw away songs. Not this time around. The song is amazing.

Two and a Halfmast

At the beginning of the year, I picked up a copy of Halfmast's first 7 inch, Influence. I'd never heard it before, and after stumbling across a copy on eBay, 15 years after it's initial release, I decided to finally grab a copy.

The one I bought had a green cover, but I also was aware that a white and a yellow cover also existed. When I recently saw the 7 inch with the white cover available for 99 cents on eBay, I couldn't resist buying it. I'm a sucker for buying different pressings of those early to mid-90's bands that no one cares about anymore.

Hey, this record isn't going to blow anyone away, but for some mid-90's Straight Edge Hardcore, it is still a fun listen.

When I posted about my first copy back in February, I had commented on the cheap vinyl that came with the green cover pressing. It looks like Third Party used some better quality for the later pressings that got the white cover.

Mental Jah

I've been wanting to get back to collecting Mental vinyl for a while now. I started making a small dent back in 2006 with a few additions of Get An Oxygen Tank, but since then all progress on it seriously stalled.

Recently I seem to only be posting new release vinyl or cheap ebay wins, and I felt the draw to pick up something a bit more exciting...something more substantial. In my ebay quest, I found an auction for the And You Know This record release. Here I was looking for a big purchase, and there was this Mental record practically calling out to me. It was destiny.

Who doesn't love a special record release cover? The spray painted "rasta" cover on this looks amazing.

Nice touch with the hand numbered record labels, and the record release date on the inside sleeve. Whoa, this thing is almost 10 years old. Holy shit.

Bonus Records

Some guys are just good dudes. When I picked up the REV25 LP from an old friend that had gone to the Cali shows, he mentioned that he was going to throw in a few extra records that he had laying around. He no longer collects records, so he saw it as an opportunity to clean out what was left of his old collection and dump it on someone that might appreciate it.

I wasn't really sure what to expect, and while there were some pieces that I already had, I was quite happy to add a few surprises. I've set aside the doubles of the Maelstrom LP, as well as the All Systems Go comp...plus I already had the CR flexi, and the Flagman 7 inch. Everything else was a good score.

The one that I was most excited about from the lot was the Wrecking Crew 7 inch. Mark McKaye from Slapshot originally released this back in 1988, and while there were certainly better records from this time period, I'd still consider this one a Boston Hardcore classic based on historical relevance alone...plus Guts and Glory is a rager of a song.

800 were pressed on black vinyl. Some got red covers...others got grey. Some were numbered...some were not.

Mine was handstamped as number 77.

Seems as though someone was a big fan of Smartfood popcorn, and put a message on the inside sleeve.

The other record that I was very happy to receive was the Battery 7 inch. Released back in 1991, this record has eluded me until now. I've always liked Battery, so how has this 7 inch slipped past my radar? I'm just happy to finally have a copy.

Yeah, these were Battery's early days. Is Brian McTernan wearing lipstick in that photo? And Ken Olden smiling? The last few times I've seen that guy play, he is so damn serious. Dude, when you are playing bass for Youth of Today, how can you not have fun? Weird.

The last piece of vinyl that was a keeper for me was the Rebirth of Hardcore: 1999 comp. This LP was huge at the time. New songs from some of the biggest names in hardcore at the time...and many of these songs are still only available here. Ten Yard Fight, Rain On The Parade, Fastbreak, Atari, and Better Than A Thousand. Plus as a bonus, you get a couple of Shelter songs that don't sound like complete shit.

The packaging for this LP is crap though. For a record sleeve, you basically just get a giant poster that is folded up. Go ahead and keep pulling this out to check the lyrics, unfolding it, and then folding back up...let me know how long it takes until the seams start to split.

I'm feeling pretty good about this small haul. Free records rule.

Grim Gods & Devils

I started working on my Fire & Ice collection back in December of 2010. When collecting records, my mind kind of wanders. I start out all gung-ho on a band, and after I buy a few pieces of their vinyl, something else catches my eye and I move on. That has not been the case with Fire & Ice. I've been locked in a focused, and now, almost two years later, I've picked up the last two 7 inches that I need.

While not very exciting, the black vinyl for Gods & Devils was still a necessity. All vinyl from the first pressing had sold out by the time I got into the game, but apparently Triple B held on to this one so they could flip it to eBay. That's cool, I guess. All profits go to future Triple B releases.

350 pressed.

The clear orange pressing of Grim was limited to 200. I've been on the hunt for this record for a while, and when Triple B put a copy up on eBay, I was determined to win it.

Does this fully complete the collection? Not yet. But I'm close...so very close.

I'm the Heretic

Black Sabbath may be one of my favorite bands of all time, and I consider Orchid to be a present day version of that greatness. Orchid attack with songs full of heavy doom riffs...some of them sounding like they were lifted direct from Sabbath's back catalog. An excellent homage to the Sabbath legends, while delivering songs that still pack plenty of power.

I don't typically collect multiple copies of Metal records, but in this case, the excitement got the better of me and I couldn't resist. I fell totally in love with Orchid's 2011 release, Capricorn, and when Nuclear Blast announced they were releasing the band's follow up EP, I was beyond excited for the new material. Of course the EP was only available overseas, but without blinking an eye, I still added two copies of the Heretic 10 inch to my cart.

Cool ass photo on the inside of the gatefold, with the vinyl delivering three new amazing songs, plus one that was included on last year's Capricorn LP.

Clear and orange (also known as gold) vinyl. Black vinyl was also available, but I didn't bother buying one at the time. Now I want one. Record collector regret.

Each pressing was hand numbered and limited to 250. It's a nice touch, but completely irritating that the sticker was affixed to the shrinkwrap. This record has gatefold sleeve, so in order to see the full gatefold packaging, you have to remove the shrinkwrap and thus remove the sticker. Frustrating. In the end, I ended up using a hair dryer to heat the sticker and remove it from the shrinkwrap, so I could then affix it to the poly sleeve. Pain in the ass.

Step Aside For The Second Press

Released at the end of 2011, Step Aside's debut, Reaching Out, did not fail to impress. Apparently I wasn't the only one that thought so, as Life To Life quickly sold out of the first pressing.

In an attempt to possibly follow in the footsteps of Bottled Up's pressing for the Have Heart demo, Life To Live Records give us four different colors of vinyl for the Reaching Out second pressing. That totals 7 pieces of vinyl in under a year! Time for record collectors to step up.

75 on red. 100 on gold. 125 on white. 200 on "frost", a.k.a. clear vinyl.

Since I'm only missing the test pressing, I figured that I'd haul out the entire collection to get a group photo. Who doesn't like pictures of colored vinyl? Looking good Life to Live.

Anchoring Some Dead Weight

I feels like it has been a while since I've posted some new REACT! Records vinyl on here. Seems like earlier this year, I was continually posting about some new pressing from that label.

When pre-orders went up back in August for the debut Dead Weight 7 inch, it was described as "four songs of raging Accused-style speed-picked hardcore". Honestly, that was as far into the description as I got. I was on a huge Accused kick and listening to The Return of Martha Splatterhead constantly. As soon as I saw the Accused name listen in the Dead Weight description, I bought three copies.

200 pressed on grey.

While there are a few spots of that Accused speedy guitar sound, that is where the comparisons end. To be fair, the Dead Weight description also lists comparisons to New York Hardcore, and that is way more accurate. Unfortunately for me, I was expecting something a bit more wild from the band, and was left feeling a bit underwhelmed. This 7 inch is solid...it just doesn't blow me away.

300 pressed on clear.

500 pressed on black vinyl.

I honestly wasn't too excited over the announcement that REACT! would be releasing the North American pressing of last year's Anchor LP, Recovery. I had downloaded some of their past material, and it didn't interest me at all. Still, this was a REACT! release, and I felt the need to order at least one copy. Therefore, I added the more limited version, on yellow vinyl, to my cart. Hey, wait. This copy that I received isn't on yellow vinyl.

I seem to have had a string of bad luck since REACT! started using Hellfish to distribute their catalog. Bent corners, missing download codes, and now the wrong vinyl. Damn, I miss the days when REACT! had their distribution in-house. Sure it took them longer, but it seemed like more care was taken...it felt more special, like it was family that was pulling it all together and sending your stuff. Now it feels like there is some kind of detachment...like it is less personable. I don't know. I still respect the hell out of them, but I guess that a label has to do what a label has to do.

Anyway, this Anchor LP was better than I expected. There is a solid early 90's vibe to it that I can appreciate. Sure, some of the songs don't stand up as strong as the others, but I'm still glad that I checked this album out.

200 pressed on black.

Crusading Parables

Crusades was a huge surprise for me last year, almost working their way into my Top 5 for 2011. Their blend of melodic, upbeat, and dark punk rock, with a strong anti-religious stance, was absolutely perfect. I could not get enough of their The Sun Is Down LP. Sandwell was the one to introduce me to Crusades, and it was him again that let me know they had released a new 7 inch over the summer.

I really wanted to get this new record, but I couldn't find it available in North America. If I was to order it, I'd have to pick it up direct from the overseas label that released it. I wasn't excited to have to pay more in shipping than the one record that I wanted...so I waited. I think I lasted almost a month before I broke down and finally ordered it from Destructure overseas. Oh well, at least I was able to pick up the clear vinyl that was limited to 100 for this release.

Upon first listen, I wasn't too excited over the Parables 7 inch. At first I thought that the songs weren't as strong as the ones from the LP, but the more I listened to them, the more I liked them. I think that was initially threw me off was that the two song 7 inch was just too short, and it was over too quickly for me to really get into them. After sitting with these two songs for a couple of weeks, I'm loving them and hoping for some more from this band.

Beware Second Pressing

Finally. I was finally able to get in on a Back To Back pre-order and get all the pressings. No need to whine and complain about missing out on the more limited color this time around. It feels good to get a win.

Considering how much I think that these guys compare to Chain of Strength, I find the green vinyl and lettering on the cover to be a nice choice.

100 pressed on green.

350 on black.

Better Times With Commitment Records

I won't buy tapes. I have no use for that format, and I refuse to acknowledge it's resurgence as of late. That goes for demo tapes as well. Fuck 'em. Better Times is a really good Straight Edge band, but after releasing a demo and their first EP, Better Measures, on tape, I still had nothing from them in my collection.

Thankfully Commitment Records was there to give that EP a proper release on vinyl. 200 pressed on green vinyl.

210 on black vinyl.

While I was picking up the two copies of the Better Measures 7 inch, Commitment also had a few copies of the test pressing for sale. I really like this record, and since the price was around 6 bucks, I couldn't resist the call.

I believe that all Commitment test pressings have the same cover art...with the exception of the individual catalog number in the lower corner. I'm not a fan of the cartoon covers, but when I was placing my order for one, I kind of liked the sense of consistency the label uses for all their tests.

The back cover has all the information that you'd need for this test press. Number 16 out of 21.

Commitment also did a three way split 7 inch with some Straight Edge bands from around the world. I'd downloaded the Truth Inside songs a while back, and I've been looking to check out XcurraheeX, so since I was in the Commitment store, I figured that I'd grab a copy...or three. Honestly, three copies may have been a bit overboard. I'd been on a bit of a spending spree...buying anything in sight...and now I'm feeling broke, and wish I could have taken this one back.

Uggg...another cartoon cover! XcurraheeX are pretty decent UK Straight Edge band. The four songs on this record were a good introduction, and I may have to check out more of their stuff.

The Truth Inside songs rule this 7 inch. Easily the best band here.

Unforce are from The Philippines, and end up as the weakest link on this split. Meh, I won't seek out anything else from this band.

200 each pressed for white, clear, and yellow vinyl.

Bouncing Souls

Bouncing Souls are a band that I really like, but one that I never listen to. Odd as it sounds, I own all seven of their albums, up to and including The Gold Record from 2006...yet, outside of the first two, I've only listened to each one a total of 4 or 5 times.

When I heard that they were releasing a new album in 2012, I thought that maybe this time around I would pass on it. With the impending new release, I was inspired to go back and listen to a few of those older albums. You know what? I found that I couldn't get enough of them. It was a great rediscovery.

Still, I wasn't completely sold on purchasing the new Bouncing Souls album. It had been six years since I'd heard any new material from them, so I approached with caution and made sure that I downloaded the album first. The album hit my ipod at the right time, providing the perfect soundtrack to carefree summer days. Seriously, this type of music was made for rolling down the windows in the car, and heading to the beach. Yeah, I'd be buying a copy.

500 pressed on blue vinyl.

Another Thing That Still Holds True

The REV repress train keeps on a rollin'. Damn, these things are starting to hurt my wallet.

Considering that this blog is named The One Thing That Still Holds True, it is a bit embarrassing that I haven't owned this Chain LP on vinyl until now. Yup, I opted for the CD when this was first released in 1996, and then I even ignored the second pressing in 2001. Shameful, really. I was not going to miss out this time around, and didn't hesitate to place my order.

557 pressed on white vinyl. My copy has a spot of pink streaked in it. It isn't that big of a deal, but I'm curious if they all had this.

Like Chain, Side By Side's REV 7 inch release is an undeniable classic...and like Chain, I completely ignored REV's expanded LP release in 1997. Meh...I had the 7 inch and comp songs, plus I had a copy of Lost & Found's CD pressing...did I really need an LP copy of this? You better believe I did. Too bad it took me until now to realize it.

550 pressed on red vinyl.

While not nearly measuring up to classics like Chain of Strength and Side By Side, when Ignite started making noise in the mid-90's, it was still a refreshing change from the Metal influenced Hardcore of bands like Earth Crisis, and along with bands like Fastbreak, Ten Yard Fight, and Floorpunch, they were a reminder of how great Hardcore should sound. Ash Return still can give me chills.

549 on gold vinyl.

This Is Reality

Earlier this year, I picked up the Face Reality 7 inch on Youngblood Records. To be honest, I was a bit let down by it. Sure the band showed some growth since their Face Reality 7 inch, and it was still pretty good, but it just didn't grab me as I'd hoped.

The band's new 7 inch, Strong Survive, is very much in the vein of that Youngblood record, but for some reason I'm enjoying it more. Before, where the vocals sounded too gruff and out of place, now for some reason they tend to remind me of Infest...although not nearly as intense...and they seem to fit the songs better.

The Back To Back store lists that there are 150 on orange...but I think it came out more red.

I'm glad that I didn't write them off, because the Strong Survive record is a nice step up for the band.

350 on black.