Running Free

The place that I work, offers a sabbatical program that provides employees four weeks of paid time off. The thought is that it gives people that have invested some time in the company the chance to unplug and pursue some personal goals so that you are refreshed and prepared to come back to work with new energy. I applied this year, and was selected to participate, so I couldn't be happier to use the month of October to hike some mountains, and spend a bunch of time reading and listening to records. That said, I have a backlog of about 28 posts for this blog, and it would be nice to finally get that cleared up this month...you know, so that I'm using my time off wisely.

When I first started to get into collecting records around 2005, I got it into my head to try to collect all the Iron Maiden 7 inch singles. I made a pretty good run at them but eventually let it incomplete and focused on records that were more important to me at the time. Given my obsession with the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal this year, and especially targeting some early singles from that scene, I figured that it was a good time to get back to Maiden.

Outside of the self released Soundhouse Tapes, the first Maiden single with EMI was for Running Free b/w Burning Ambition. With the b-side a non-LP track, I've never really been that familiar with it, so it was great to give Burning Ambition a spin.

Everything about this single is perfect. The single cover art, the black and white live photo with Eddie the 'ead as the stage prop, plus those custom center labels. Damn. If you were a metalhead back in 1980, even then you had to know that Iron Maiden were destined for big things.

I'm still missing some of the early Maiden singles, but it feels good to get Running Free into the collection.

No More Room In Hell

Earlier this year, a few old blogger friends were going nuts over the new Possessed album. While I loved the Possessed records from the 80's, I just couldn't get myself motivated to check out the new one, Revelations Of Oblivion. Part of my resistance was that I absolutely treasure Beyond The Gates and The Eyes Of Horror, and I was afraid that I would be left disappointed with the new record...and the other reason for my foot dragging was that I really only wanted to listen to hair metal and stuff from the early 80's. I figured that I'd get around to it sooner or later, but I was just in no hurry.

As I was digging into a few older thrash bands, like Death Angel, Flotsam & Jetsam and Overkill, that had released new albums in 2019, I figured that it was finally time to check out that Possessed album that everyone seemed to be losing their minds over.

While Jeff Becerra is the only original member from the 80's, this new record totally captures the band's sound from those days. Guitarist Daniel Gonzales comes into Possessed from the band Gruesome, where he nails the sound from the early Death records, and here he makes you believe that Revelations Of Oblivion would have been a natural follow up to The Eyes Of Horror in the late 80's. Believe the hype, because this album slays.

I had options for more limited pressings of Revelations Of Oblivion at my local store, but the red vinyl just seemed like the better option, so I went with it.

12 Years In The Tomb

I love the Scott Reagers era of Saint Vitus. I was lucky to catch the band live in Boston a few years ago when the band reunited with Reagers after 20 years...and man, the band could still fucking deliver live. I figured that they would play a few shows, and maybe do a small tour, and that would be the end of it. When I heard that Vitus were doing a new album with Reagers, I was over the fucking moon.

Reagers sounds as good as he did when Saint Vitus released their self-titled album and Hallow's Victim back in '84 and '85. His voice ranges from doomy to absolutely maniacal, and fits the songs perfectly while Dave Chandler and crew keep cranking out some amazing doom.

I was pretty excited for this new album, and most of these songs deliver the punch that I want from Vitus. There are a couple of times when things slip for me, and would have preferred to have some of the padding trimmed off, but overall, this record is fantastic.

Crystal clear colored vinyl is looking sharp, and I was able to grab a copy locally, so that was cool with me.

Keep Your Edge

The 7 inch from Bystander was a nice surprise at the end of 2018, and even made it's way into my Top 10 for that year. With Greg Bennick from Trial on the mic, I had high expectations, and Bystander was able to meet them. The band still sounded relevant and intense in '18. I was surprised to see the band following up that debut EP so soon, but I was still onboard and quickly preordered a copy.

Between the German pressing on Goodwill, and the US pressing from Safe Inside, there were five different pressings to choose from. I rarely order from Deathwish, but when I saw that they had the record available through their distro, I grabbed the pink vinyl pressing from them. The vinyl looks more red than pink, but it is still a good look.

150 pressed on "pink".

Bystander keep things rollin' with their newest 12 inch EP, Where Did We Go Wrong. This is hardcore, and this is what I want to listen to when I'm in the mood for hardcore. I've only listened to it a handful of times, so I can't say where it will land overall, but this is some good shit.

New Organon

There has been some cool new metal records released this year, but one of the more anticipated records to come out, for me, has been the new Slough Feg album. The band released a teaser with the New Organon single last year, and I have been itching for the band to give us the full length album since then.

It has been about five years since I first heard Slough Feg, and I was introduced to them with the Digital Resistance album in 2014. That record came out of nowhere for me, and I was blown away by the band. I committed to diving into their back catalog at that point...covering eight albums...and while I loved what I was hearing, for one reason or another, I never pulled the trigger on more vinyl. I love this band, so it feels really good to finally add another record to the collection with New Organon.

But seriously...I need to get off my ass and get a copy of Down Among the Deadmen or something soon. My metal collection will be better off with more Slough Feg in it.

Slough Feg have such a unique sound, and I can't think of another band that sounds like them. I love this record. I'm not sure where New Organon is going to land in my Top 10 for the year, but I guarantee that it will be slugging it out somewhere in the top five.

Blood Red Pressure

Recently, I was on a big kick for newer hardcore bands. Triple B has had a solid string of releases, and I definitely spent most of my time immersing myself into those records, but there is more to hardcore than Triple B, right? What the hell else is going on out there?

While I was trying to figure out what else was going on in hardcore scene, I saw a post on Instagram for the latest Blood Pressure record. I'm obviously out of the loop, because this record was from 2018, but I had no idea that the band had released a follow up to Need To Control from 2015. To be honest, I didn't remember anything about the last Blood Pressure record, but fuck it, I was itching to check out more hardcore, so I checked the songs on Spotify. Oh damn. If this was released this year, it would top my list of 2019 hardcore albums. This albums rips and rages, and fires me up the same way that the first Boston Strangler record did.

I was so excited over the Surrounded record that the regular black vinyl pressing wasn't going to cut it. The red colored vinyl was limited to 150, and was long sold out from the label, but I wanted one bad enough that I paid a ridiculous price for one through Discogs. I considered the higher price to be my punishment for sleeping on this when it was first available last year. Thank you, sir, may I have another.

Long Stick Goes Boom

Early this year, and completely on a whim, I picked up the Hardware record from Krokus. I really wasn't expecting very much, so that fact that it has ended up as one of my most played albums this year is a testament to how much it surprised me.

Shortly after buying Hardware, I was in another record store and happened to find a copy of The Blitz from '84, and suddenly I was diving into a lot of the Krokus back catalog.

I'm fairly certain that my brother or I owned the cassette for One Vice At A Time when we were young metalheads, but I didn't really remember anything about the album. I feel like we quickly pushed those Krokus albums aside as our musical tastes were getting heavier and heavier...and it is a damn shame because albums like Hardware and One Vice At A Time are fucking fantastic.

This stuff is pure AC/DC influenced heavy metal. If I'd heard this stuff back in '82 and '83, I imagine that I would have been rocking this stuff right along side Powerage and Flick Of The Switch.

When I was checking out the Krokus discography on Discogs, I noticed that the Swiss pressing of the Hardware album came with a much nicer insert than the shitty record label advertisement insert that came with my US pressing. Suddenly, my copy wasn't good enough, and I vowed not to make the same mistake when I started chasing other Krokus records. When I was looking for a copy of the One Vice At A Time album, I noticed that the album art was a bit different for the overseas pressings...and when I discovered a Switzerland pressing that included the fan club insert, I knew that was the one to have...even if the price was a bit higher than most people would have paid.

Tyger Bay

I've picked up a few solid New Wave Of British Heavy Metal records this year, and I've been itching to finally pick up some big names. Some of this stuff isn't difficult to find, and the prices are reasonable...so it really just comes down to me getting off my ass and getting it done.

The Tygers Of Pan Tang were a pretty big deal back during the early days of the NWOBHM. After releasing their first EP on Neat during the label's early years of '79, the band was quickly picked up by a major label. By the time they released their second album, Spellbound, in '81, they had a new singer and a new hot shot guitarist by the name of John Sykes (who would go on to play in Thin Lizzy, Whitesnake and Blue Murder).

Spellbound may be my favorite album from Tygers, and the deciding factor on that is because the song Gangland is just so fucking good. When I was looking to pick up my first Tygers album on vinyl, Spellbound was where my attention was.

When I started looking around for a copy on Discogs, I noticed that Spellbound originally came with an autographed poster. Of course every available copy at the time did not include the poster, so I threw it on my Want List and played the waiting game. As soon as I got the notification that there was a copy up for sale that included the poster, I jumped on it...and the $15 price tag didn't break the bank, so I was happy.

It should go without saying that I needed a copy of the album with the merchandise insert as well.

Thrashard

I've been chasing a handful of different record collecting goals this year, but one of my favorites has been those albums celebrating their 30th anniversary. When the year started, my collection for 1989 was pretty pathetic, however, the past nine months has slowly seen me pick up some top tier stuff...many of my favorite metal albums from that year. It has been a few months since I've grabbed a classic from '89, so it feels great to pick up another one.

I was still a metalhead in 1989, and while I was buying albums from Sick Of It All and Cro-Mags, I was probably still a year away from really discovering the hardcore scene. The Thrash Zone album from D.R.I. was pretty big transition album between the two worlds for me.

Shortly after a group of me and my friends took a trip to Boston to catch Testament at The Channel, I discovered that D.R.I. were playing in Providence in early 1990. It was a good three hour drive to Rhode Island, and when a couple of friends bailed on the trip, I decided to make the trip alone. This was before GPS and smartphones, I packed a state map in my car and headed in the general direction of Providence with no real idea where I was going. I stopped at various gas stations to ask for directions and drove through some sketchy parts of town, but eventually found the club. Growing up only knowing about big arena shows...to be up front, stagediving with Kurt Brecht putting the microphone in my face to sing along to Suit And Tie Guy, and then having the entire band come out on the floor to talk with everyone...that shit was life changing. This was the real deal, and soon after I was travelling to see Agnostic Front and Slapshot play live, and from there, there was no turning back.

It had been a while since I'd given the Thrash Zone album a spin, but diving into my 1989 playlist this year, I've rediscovered how much fun this record still is. Hey, it is no Dealing With It or Crossover, but fuck, this album is a blast.

Humanicide

There are a number of old school thrash bands that are still around and releasing quality albums. Overkill and Flotsam & Jetsam have already released new albums this year, and it is good to see Death Angel on the attack as well. No lie...the new Death Angel albums are heavier and faster than their Frolic Through The Park and Act III albums from the late 80's/early 90's. I'm not saying they are better, but there is a level of intensity and anger that I don't remember from those early days.

Humanicide is the sixth album from Death Angel since they reunited in the early 2000's, and this thing definitely hits hard. Mark Osegueda's voice is absolutely vicious...it doesn't sound like he has lost anything since the metal glory days of the 80's. Mad respect for this band.

I didn't want to mess around with colored vinyl when I picked up this album. Black vinyl gets the job done here. Nice looking etching on the d-side.

I Am The Ugly American

I thought it was just a year or so ago that I had rekindled my relationship with Big Black, but checking the blog for details, it turns out that it has been over three years since I picked up the Atomizer album. Damn. I remember being very excited about buying that album, and I really wanted to pick up more from the Big Black catalog for the collection. Three years have passed with zero progress...until now.

When I was obsessing about Big Black back in 2016 I somehow missed giving the Racer-X EP a spin at the time. I don't know why. I guess that the song titles didn't jump out at me, so I didn't bother with it. When I got the itch this year for some more Big Black, I decided it was time for some Racer-X. I don't know how I couldn't have forgotten these songs because they are absolutely killer. I've had such a good time revisiting this EP that I needed this record in my collection as soon as possible.

I loved the look of the original Homestead pressing, with the exploding car on the front, so that's the one that I stepped up for. I found a copy at a great price on Discogs and I quickly pulled the trigger.

When the package arrived, I quickly ripped open the box to check out the record, and at first I was puzzled. When I first saw the record cover, it wasn't what I recalled buying. I did some research and discovered that the seller sent me the Touch And Go repress from 1992. I was bummed. The record only cost me $14, and I really hate to complain over that small dollar amount, but I reached out to the seller anyway. Thankfully, the seller was very accommodating, and he told me to keep the pressing that I'd received, and he would send out the correct one right away. Two records for the price of one!

It's nice to have both pressings, but damn, this Touch And Go pressing is ugly.

World Shaker

It has been fun digging into some newer hardcore records lately, but it ain't like I'm going to stop chasing some great new metal as well.

Back in 2013, Asomvel released one of my favorite metal records of the time. That Knuckle Duster record was so damn great, I'd be willing to bet that of all post-2000 metal records, it still sits comfortably in the top five. Their infectious, Motorhead influenced sound is just that good.

Shortly after releasing Knuckle Duster, the singer left the band, and band seemed to be in flux for years leaving me to wonder if they were ever going to recover. Then, in 2016, the band came out of nowhere with a new video for a song called The Nightmare Ain't Over, and then in 2017 we got the World Shaker video...now in 2019, we finally get a new album.

While World Shaker doesn't quite knock me on my ass like Knuckle Duster did, this record is still a ton of fun. Even with a new singer/bass player, they still keep that Motorhead vibe going. They keep the hits coming.

I took the easy way out, and ordered the black vinyl because it was available from a US distro, but now I'm wishing that I'd held out for the white vinyl.

What On Earth Can We Do?

It has been a good week on the blog for hardcore records, but let's squeeze in one more before the month is up.

Over the past couple of months, I'd already placed two orders with Triple B for my latest hardcore haul, but once the new Abuse Of Power record was up for preorder, I was going back to the well for a third time.

Abuse Of Power released their demo back in 2016, and then their first 7 inch for Triple B back in 2017. Both of those had a great early 90's hardcore sound, and it felt like the band would have fit in perfectly on the Words To Live By comp that New Age released in '91. Needless to say, I was really looking forward to what they would deliver with their first LP, What On Earth Can We Do.

Damn. There have been a number of great hardcore records released this year, and it is going to be interesting to see how it all shakes out. The one thing that you can count on though, the Abuse Of Power album will be near the top of the list. This thing does not disappoint.

I think that I missed the preorder announcement for this record, and by the time I got in there, the most limited pressing was already sold out. Oh well. Looks like the clear vinyl with the red spot will have to be good enough. 300 pressed.

One Last Prayer

Two years ago, Marcus posted on his blog about the Vanished Crusade album from Forced Order. He had picked up three different pressings of the record, and I wasn't sure if he truly liked that album that much or if he was only buying it because it was released by Revelation Records. I asked him if Forced Order was something that I should check out, but as soon as he made the comparison to Integrity, I got the fuck out. I wanted nothing to do with that.

When I was recently adding records to my cart over at the Triple B store, the cover for One Last Prayer caught my eye. I didn't remember my exchange with Marcus over Forced Order, so I figured that I'd give them a listen. I went in with an open mind, and I was surprised with how much I liked what I heard. Without pause, I listened to the entire One Last Prayer album on Spotify, and proceeded to add the vinyl to my Triple B cart. I was sold.

Honestly, I don't understand my attraction to this record. With the term "metallic hardcore" thrown around, and a bio that drops names like Hatebreed, my good sense tells me that I should hate everything about this...but still, I keep coming back to this record, and I'm giving it plenty of spins. To me, I'm more reminded of 90's bands like Culture and One King Down, and that's the kind of shit that I can get onboard with. Who knows, maybe in a couple of years I'll actually get around to checking out their stuff on REV.

I love the record cover for this, and the white/red vinyl complements it very well. While it isn't the most limited, as far as I'm concerned, this is the colored vinyl to own.

Half Alive, Full Ekulu

Last year, I posted on Instagram about how I thought that the Mindforce album was most likely going to end up as my Record Of The Year for hardcore. A couple of people took the time to comment that they liked some band named Ekulu even more. I'd never heard of them, so I quickly checked out a song from their 7 inch that year, but it didn't really do much for me, so I shrugged my shoulders and moved on.

In 2019, Ekulu delivered their follow up 7 inch, Half Alive. While I was adding new records to my Triple B cart, I figured that it couldn't hurt to give the band another chance. I queued up one of their new songs, and immediately I was feeling it. Yes! This time things were clicking, and before that song was done, I was already adding a copy of the new record to the cart.

Oh man, this two song 7 inch is so good. It hits hard, and reminds me of the Power Trip album from a couple years back. I love it.

Because I was late to the party, I missed the most limited pressing of this. 300 pressed on olive green colored vinyl.

Since I was loving the Half Alive EP, I figured that I'd go back and check out that first 7 inch again. Now that I was in the right frame of mind, I was enjoying this record quite a bit more. It isn't going to come close to that Mindforce album, but it is still really good. I'm glad that I finally got hooked on this one.

500 pressed on clear purple colored vinyl.

Who The Hell Is Wild Side?

After recently picking up a couple of new records from Triple B, I was fired up on the core. The new One Step Closer and Fury records were cool, but I needed more. I went back to the Triple B store to see what else was going on, and since there were a bunch of new records from bands that I'd never heard of before, I just bounced over to their bandcamp page to see if any of it was worth my attention.

Admittedly, I had low expectations from Wild Side. That album title was just not sitting right with me, and I was expecting some bullshit, but with the hype machine talking about "what the third Warzone LP should have been", I decided to give it a chance. Holy fuck. Yes! This record rules. There is definitely a Warzone influence here, but I'm reminded more of Warzone knock-offs like Iron Boots...and since I fucking love Iron Boots, I'm down with this Wild Side record. Quite possibly my favorite hardcore record of 2019.

I'm not wild (see what I did there) about the colored vinyl options. Platinum and metallic gold are two of my least favorite colors, but I grabbed one anyway. Platinum is limited to 200.

It's Only Failed Entertainment

While I was in the Triple B store picking up that One Step Closer EP, I saw that they had the new Fury album available as well. I really liked their Paramount record from a few years back, so I figured that I'd pick up their new one while I was buying new hardcore releases...you know, to make me feel a bit more relevant.

While this is definitely a hardcore record, in no way is this the generic standard hardcore sound. I've listened to this record a number of times, and I'm still trying to unpack this thing. There is a lot going on here, and while I find that I really like it, it seems like it's one of those records that you need to listen to twenty or thirty times before it really starts to hook you. I can see this as a record that could easily get shelved, and when it gets dusted off years from know, it flat out punches you in the face because you just didn't realize it's full potential when you initially heard it. I'm going to be sitting this one for a while to see if it truly is a grower.

While Failed Entertainment was released through Run For Cover Records, the Coke bottle clear colored vinyl was exclusive to Triple B and limited to 300.

One Step Closer

No lie. For most of this year, I haven't cared one bit about hardcore. I've mostly been focused on early 80's metal, and have had zero interest in spinning old hardcore records or even checking out new bands. I don't want to say that it has all seemed stale, but it has failed to move me for the most part. My moods fluctuate though, and after months of ignoring anything related to hardcore. suddenly my interest was sparked...and most of the credit goes to that Have Heart reunion show this summer.

When I bought my ticket for the Have Heart show, it was mostly just an excuse for a quick road trip with my brother...we had both gone to the "final" Have Heart show back in 2009, so I thought it would be cool to make that 10 year anniversary trip to see them again. Still, hardcore did not excite me, and I wished that I was going to see Krokus on their final tour instead. As we got closer to the Have Heart show, I figured that I'd better pay attention to what other bands were going to be playing that day, and proactively check them out so I wouldn't look like such an amateur in front of my brother the day of the show.

I saw that One Step Closer were on the bill with Have Heart, so I decided that I'd check to see what they were about. This record is great, and really caught my attention...especially with that opening riff from The Reach that really pulls me back to the first Have Heart album...then when the band opened and closed their live set with Inside Out covers, I was sold.

While I ordered the first press black vinyl for this 12 inch EP, Triple B must have been sold out because I received the second press on purple colored vinyl. Limited to 350 and looking good.

Much to my surprise, this took me down a hardcore rabbit hole, and I've been on a steady diet of hardcore since then. There are some great new bands kicking around, and suddenly I can't get enough. Strap yourself in, because I'm about to post a string of hardcore records.

Time For Tanith

I haven't been doing a very good job keeping up with new releases this year, and I've been doing an even worse job when it comes to newer bands. I'm not in tune with the metal messageboards that I used to frequent, so I'm feeling a bit out of the loop.

When I saw that Metal Blade was releasing a new album from a band called Tanith, I didn't pay much attention, and initially I let it roll on by. A few weeks later, I saw the name come up again, and this time I noticed that Russ Tippins is a part of the band. Russ played guitar for the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal band Satan, and that band has topped my Top 10 list for each of the three albums they have released since reuniting in 2013. Since Russ was involved with Tanith, I knew that I had to check it out.

Tanith are a bit more laid back compared to the fiery riffs of Satan, perhaps more comparable to Ashbury, but there is still something that captures my attention here. They definitely have a 70's vibe, and I'm cool with that.

Black and white colored vinyl. Number 203 out of 300.

Night Of The Official Bootleg

Mos Generator have been one of my favorite Heavy Rock bands for the past five years or so. They have to be one of the hardest working bands out there, as the main man behind the band, Tony Reed, seems to always have something going on. After the band had finished their European tour in 2017, Tony found a flash drive in his guitar case, which turned out to be a forgotten recording of their show in Manchester UK.

Tony Reed loves to get his hands dirty with the D.I.Y. ethic, and decided to take that live set, and press it to vinyl for the fans. He ran with the idea to design this release after the bootlegs from the 70's, and used an old David Bowie bootleg as inspiration for the design. Tony printed out the cover sheet on either yellow or blue paper, hand numbered them, and then glued them to the white cover stock. Overall, I absolutely love the look and feel of this live record.

100 pressed.

Included with the record is an insert that explains the story behind the record and gives all kinds of nerdy info regarding the setlist for the show. Excellent package through and through.