Blackalicious

I got the new Paint It Black album, New Lexicon, a few weeks ago. The album is really good, but like their last album, I figure that it will take some time to really grow on me. I swear, Dan Yemin has one of the most intense voices in hardcore today. The words he screams just drip with passion and sincerity. The band is no different live. I've seen them twice, the first time was shortly after their first album was released and Paul and I saw them open up for Strike Anywhere in Boston. Dan opened up their set with the line, "In two seconds, the teacher will begin to speak.", which was a line lifted from the great hip hop artist KRS-One. One of the coolest intros that I've heard. The second time I saw them was when Rob and I drove to Posi Numbers in 2005. During the set, Dan got knocked in the nose and the guy was covered in blood. Apparently, the medication that he was on, thinned his blood and it just flowed from his nose. The guy didn't miss a beat as he ripped through their set. Like I said, intense. Unlike Tyler, who got lucky enough to get the limited friends press from Rivalry, mine was on black vinyl, which was limited to 270 for pre-orders.

Resisting A Career

Man, things have been pretty busy around here lately, and I haven't had time to get this blog updated. Between late nights watching movies and Celtics games with the wife, helping the kids with homework, to spending some time with Jeff as he works his way through a rough time in his life, to just kicking it with our friends Rob and Heidi as we managed some time away for a great dinner and a bad movie. Just loving life. Basketball has started up at work, and I'm playing as much as I can...and that means that I'm usually exhausted at night and falling asleep on the couch by 9:00. I've got so many records sitting here by my computer, that I need to start getting them cleaned up.

A while back I got some vinyl from REVHQ. I was excited to see the Resist record, We Want Our World Back, was finally released. It is always great to see Wrench from Ten Yard Fight and Stand & Fight taking the microphone for a straight edge band. You can't help but hear the similarities between Resist and Wrench's previous bands. Great straight edge hardcore. This vinyl was pressed on blue with black splatter colored vinyl.

The thing I love about Last.fm is all the great new bands that people have recommended to me. Tyler pulled through once again and sent me some mp3's from Career Suicide. The band friggin' rips, and I immediately fell in love with their Attempted Suicide album so I decided to pick it up from REVHQ as well. Sometimes I get stuck in a mood of only wanting to listen to Heavy Metal or 70's hard rock. Bands like Career Suicide bring me back to listening to only hardcore real quick. This copy is on black vinyl.

Back From The Dead

Mercyful Fate released Time in 1994. At the time of it's release, I had pretty much distanced myself from anything Metal. I was getting pretty immersed into the Ebulliton Records scene of politics and political correctness. Music was serious business for me at the time, and the theatrics of a band like Mercyful Fate were ridiculous. While I would still catch the occasional show by Strife or Mouthpiece, for the most part I was going to see shows by scruffy hardcore punk bands in an empty room behind a health food store in Alston, Massachusetts. It was a great way to distance myself from the tough-guy bullshit that was going on in the hardcore scene at the time. These shows were pretty small, roughly only 50 people at the most, and there was no dancing what so ever. Slamdancing was seriously frowned upon in the scene, and therefore we all stood there with our arms crossed, bobbing our heads to the music and watching the band. I saw a lot of really cool bands during this time...like Shotmaker, Bleed, Weston, Rye and Cable, but to be honest, the whole thing was pretty pretentious and way too serious (except for those early Weston shows which were always great fun). Over the next couple of years, the Youth Crew revival kicked in and reminded me how much fun hardcore could be with stagedives and sing alongs. What is the point of music if it can't be fun...and damn it, Metal is fun. Time was re-issued through Night of the Vinyl Dead early in 2008 on white splatter vinyl. Mine is number 309 of 500 pressed.

When I started checking out the back catalog of Night of the Vinyl Dead, I saw that they had released a couple of Sodom albums on vinyl. I hadn't heard this band since I bought Agent Orange in 1989. Code Red was released 10 years after that, and in looking into their discography I was surprised to see that they were still around and releasing albums. I downloaded the albums that the Vinyl Dead had to offer and holy shit, I had forgotten how much fun Metal could be. Sodom are great, and here they are still true to their roots and blasting out some totally ripping German thrash. Code Red just blew me away, and I started searching eBay for the vinyl. Released on red vinyl, and mine is numbered 310 of 500 pressed.

The Most Unbreakable Record Release

Over the past year, Down To Nothing has become one of my favorite bands from today's scene of straight edge hardcore, and The Most was easily one of my favorite albums from 2007. I had two different pressings of the album and I was happy to pick up my third copy when Revelation Records released it again, this time on purple and orange colored vinyl (limited to 525 pressed). Shortly after the second pressing of The Most, Revelation also released Unbreakable. This new record is just a compilation of the albums that Thorp Records had released, Save It For The Birds and Splitting Headache (which itself was a compilation of 7 inch recordings). My copy is on white vinyl and limited to 330 copies.

The other Down To Nothing vinyl that I picked up recently was a copy of The Most, from the bands record release show. I had resigned myself to not buying any new records for a while, when Rob sent me an email with a link to an ebay auction on a Have Heart record. It was a copy of the Have Heart 7 inch that the two of us had bought at the Posi Numbers show in 2005, and he was wondering how much it would go for. I had noticed some records going for ridiculous amounts of money recently and I started looking around ebay to check prices on stuff. I have absolutely no interest in selling anything from my collection...ever, but sometimes I surf around checking to gauge where prices are. To my surprise I came across this Down To Nothing album from their record release show and the tempation was just too strong. The record was limited to only 50 made (this one was number 13), and suddenly I needed to own it. If I didn't, I was afraid that I may never see one available again and would regret not buying one when I had the chance...just part of my collector paranoia. So I was very happy to win it, and at a pretty decent price for such a rare item.

Save The Whales

When I bought the Generations comp that Revelation Records put out a couple of years ago, I was most impressed with a band called Robot Whales. I had never heard of them before and they were unlike any other band on the compilation. The song was just straight forward, driving hardcore....I don't know, maybe similar to the first Quicksand 7 inch, or maybe some of those early 90's emo hardcore bands like Navio Forge or Admiral. I was instantly hooked on that song. I was afraid that the band might just have the one trick, and the style may fall flat when played out over a full length album, so when Vehicle was released, I downloaded it. Man, this entire album is rock solid....just great songs that overflow with incredible passion and emotion. I bought the LP though Revelation but I can't find anything other than a sparse myspace page on the record label the released it. Therefore, I have no idea how many were pressed or if there is anything other than the yellow vinyl that I got.

My Heart Still Beats

Have Heart are one of my favorite hardcore bands of all time, so I was excited to see that some new colored vinyl was being pressed again. Seriously, they could press The Things We Carry every six months and I'd probably buy it. The band will be releasing their new album this summer, and I'm expecting for it to match the intensity of their last record. Can't wait until it drops.

This time around we have new colored vinyl for The Things We Carry from Bridge Nine Records. This is the first pressing that does not come with the cool looking gatefold cover. The white, green and yellow colored vinyl is pretty ugly looking. It is limited to 1,000. I have no idea what the pressing info is for the 2003 Demo 7 inches. Bottled Up Records doesn't really have the pressing info anywhere on line, so I'm at a loss on the numbers pressed for each color. It's too bad, because I really like to keep track of that information. Anyway, the newest colors were clear blue and an opaque yellow. My Have Heart collection is now up to 23 pieces of vinyl.

*Update* I sent a message through myspace to Jeff from Bottled Up Records, asking for the pressing info and he directed me to his trade page on howsyouredge.com. The clear blue vinyl is limited to 121, and the yellow with black labels is limited to 300.

I Love The Dead

I've recently become very interested in a record label out of Italy called Night of the Vinyl Dead. The mission of the record label is to re-issue Metal records that never got a proper vinyl release. Each record is released in limited quantities, and is hand numbered. I remember when they released their first record, the War is My Shepard 12 inch single from Exodus, back in 2006. A friend of mine had told me about the label, but at the time wasn't really into collecting Metal records, and since the price was around $35 for the single I quickly passed on buying it. A year and a half later, and here I am looking to expand my Heavy Metal collection. I checked out the Night of the Vinyl Dead site, and was surprised at how many awesome pieces of vinyl the label had released while I wasn't paying attention. All of a sudden I had a desperate need to own something from this label. I hit ebay and started to search. I was able to pick up two of their newer releases, both of them from overseas ebay sellers. Shipping cost was a bitch, but I did not want to miss out on getting these two records.

Both of these records were new to me, as they were both originally released when I was totally immersed in hardcore and had no interest in the Metal scene. Mercyful Fate, Into the Unknown, is a really cool record. Sure it is a step or two removed from the classics of Melissa and Don't Break the Oath, but it is still some great Fate. The vinyl is pressed on "sunset" vinyl, and just looks sick...matching the album cover nicely. My copy was numbered 367 out of 500. The King Diamond record is a "Collectors Edition" EP. Originally released on CD in 1999, it features songs off of a couple of King's latter day records. I'm really having a good time discovering these albums that I missed the first time around. Fun stuff. The King Diamond record is pressed on white vinyl and comes in a cool PVC cover. Mine is numbered 271 out of 500 made. I can't wait to get more from the Night of the Vinyl Dead catalog.

Thinking Straight

I recently sold one of my records, and made a very nice chunk of change in the process. I really hate parting with anything from my collection, and it's why I make a terrible record trader. I really can't part with anything, because I fear that I'll regret it at some point down the road. Therefore, I hold on to everything. This one record however, the price was very high, and it was one that I really never cared about, so I made the jump and sold it on eBay. Once I had the $350 in my paypal account, I was ready to go on a shopping spree. My initial reaction was to use the money for a nice rare Hardcore record. I made an attempt to get a first pressing of Youth of Today's Can't Close My Eyes. I lost the auction as the record ended up selling well past my maximum bid of $65. I really wanted an original pressing of a Youth of Today record, but at the end of the day I figured that the smartest move was to really put the money towards the new addition we are doing on the house, and buy some shelving for my music room.

However, I was not going to just walk away without buying something! I was watching another auction for Youth of Today's Break Down the Walls. It had the original cover, and looked like it was in mint condition, so I was surprised when I won it for only $5. When I recieved the record, and slid the vinyl out of the sleeve, I noticed the label on the record had Ray decked out in some Krishna gear. I thought it was odd for the Break Down the Walls album, since I didn't think that Ray got into the Krishna thing that early. Upon further investigation it appeared that the vinyl was from the 1992 reissue the Revelation Records did, and not the original pressing. I had heard that Rev had thrown some new vinyl in with the old covers that they had lying around, and it appears that was what I got. I was kind of disappointed, but hey, at $5.00, I'm not going to cry too loudly. So here I sit, still without an original Youth of Today pressing.

As a side note, the one and only time that I saw Youth of Today was at one of their reunion shows. Paul, Rob and I took a drive down to Pennsylvania for the Knife or Death fest in 2004. A ton of great bands played, but I was really looking forward to seeing Mouthpiece and Youth of Today play. The place were the show was held decided that they didn't want the bands swearing on stage and there was NO STAGEDIVING. I was really disappointed, but still had a lot of fun getting up front and screaming along. Unintentionally, this trip kind of kicked off our annual tradition for the Guys Roadtrip.

Bring It On

My recent obsession with metal continues to grow more and more. I find that I keep going back to listen to the classic thrash from my youth, digging out CD's from bands like Kreator, Destruction, and Sodom. I had heard a lot of good things about a new thrash band called Warbringer, and when someone tipped me off that their new album, War Without End, was available for pre-order, I took a chance on it. This album is really good. At times I'm reminded of the first Testament album, and on occasion I expect the band to start doing a cover of Over the Wall. This band recently played at Mark's Showplace in New Hampshire with Exodus, and now I'm kind of regretting that I didn't go. The new Exodus is really starting to grow on me, and now I feel like I should have seen them and Warbringer when I had the opportunity. Anyway, this album is pressed on red vinyl, and I believe it was limited to 1,000 pressed. When the record arrived in the mail, there was also a poster enclosed. Sam thought that the album cover was so cool, that he stole the poster from me to put up on his bedroom door. That boy knows how to make his father proud...I get a little choked up just thinking about it.

Looking For Gold

Man, I was really hoping for the gold pressing of the new Get The Most record. This is the bands demo, finally pressed to vinyl and it was released on React Records, which is Aram's new label. In true collector-geek fashion, it was pressed in very limited numbers for the three different colors. By the time that I saw that the vinyl was available for pre-order, the gold pressing was sold out. I had spoken to Aram at the Edge Day show and he had let me know that he would hook me up when the record was released, so even though the gold vinyl was sold out when I placed my order, I still had a little hope that I may find it when I received the package in the mail. Oh well, it didn't happen, so my next mission is to continually search eBay, waiting or one to show up for bid. Still, I feel good about the two that I did get, limited to 150 on red and 250 on black.

Die By The Sword

Okay, so I may have a problem. I was going to be headed to Jeff's over the weekend, and I wanted to show up with the 12 inch split of The Sword and Witchcraft. I had seen it at Newbury Comics a month ago, and since then they have been selling for around $25 on eBay. All online stores were listing it as sold out, and sure enough, it was gone at Newbury's as well. I took a trip over to Bull Moose Music and found that they had a copy of Age of Winters by The Sword. I already owned this on CD, but I picked it up anyway. First reason was that I really had my heart set on buying some vinyl, and my addiction was not going to let me walk out of the store without buying something. Second, slight paranoia crept in that I was going to regret not buying this for $11 when I saw it....just like I got burned with the split 12 inch. Yeah, I may need a serious detox program.

Two Years Too Late

Lights Out released their Overload album in 2005, yet it took me until the middle of 2007 to finally appreciate how great this record is. I don't know what took me so long. Maybe with all the music I had coming in, I never really took the time to give it the attention that it deserved. Just listening to it here and there, until one day it just clicked and I was blown away. I saw this band twice. Once in Maine with Stand & Fight, Blue Monday and Desperate Measures, and then again at the Planet Metal record release show. Both times I didn't know one song that they played. Man, I missed out.

Tyler dropped me a line that Youngblood apparently found 10 copies of the Overload album in the YBHQ basement, and had them up in the store. I immediately checked online and ordered myself a copy. Black vinyl, 525 pressed. While I was shopping I also picked up the third pressing of the Far From Breaking 7 inch, which is limited to 350 copies on gold colored vinyl. For the 10 year anniversary, Youngblood made 200 hockey pucks. As this record label continues to impress me, I picked one of those up as well.

Flying Solo At Nuggets

Things were a little different for our annual trip to Boston for the Celtics / Magic game. The game was on December 23rd, and due to Rob's Christmas travelling plans he would be driving back from Rhode Island on that day, so we would be meeting in Boston just before the game. That meant no NBA 2K8 on the Xbox 360 before driving down, no stop at Chicago Dogs for their awesome veggie dogs, and that I would be stopping at Nuggets by myself. This trip I was actually a litte disappointed with what Nuggets had to offer. I wasn't left holding a stack of vinyl after browsing, and having to make a decision on what I needed to put back to stay within my budget. Instead, I only found three records that were worth buying, and then one of those I bought just because it was in great shape, and had a $3.00 price tag. I also bought a Mercyful Fate CD at Nuggets. When I got out to the car, I noticed that it had a saw cut in the spine of the jewel case. Fuck, I hate cut-outs.

• Raven - Rock Until You Drop : Raven's first and classic record. I was really excited to find it. It was an Italian pressing and in really great shape. Later I realized that it didn't come with a lyric sheet, and I was left wondering if one was missing, or if the Italian press didn't come with one. Now I'll need to find and original pressing and make sure I get the insert.


• New Model Army - Thunder and Consolation : I love this record. New Model Army play a great style of Rock with a slight punk twist and a political slant. This album is the high point of their career. These songs are full of anger and passion...such emotion is put in to them that at times it gives me chills.


• Ratt - Out of the Cellar : This was the one that I bought because it was cheap. I remember buying the original copy when it was released. I had spent the night at my Aunt's house, who lived intown Portland at the time. We took a walk around the city, had lunch and she gave me the opportunity to stop at one of the music stores, and she would buy me something. This was a big deal for me! At that age, all my record shopping was limited to the Mall, and never made it into Portland to shop at the "good" record stores. I was still kind of young and too new to buying music to really grasp the opportunity that was presented to me. I often wonder what other records were available at this store while I was there...back when vinyl was the dominant medium for music. In any event, I walked away with a cassette of this Ratt album. I loved it. We went back to her apartment and I popped the tape into my Walkman, put my headphones on, and just tuned everything out. Great memories.

After my disappointing trip to Nuggets, I took off for the Garden to meet up with Rob. He caught me as I was pulling into the parking lot, and we took off for our traditional trip to Hooters for supper. We were both shocked to find that it had closed up. First Krispy Kreme's and now Hooters? Is nothing sacred?!? We walked up to Fanuel Hall and ate at Bertucci's instead. Damn, I love broccoli calzones. For the game, the Celtics did not disappoint and keeping with tradition beat Orlando in Boston, thus avenging their first loss of the season. I really love our annual trip down to Boston to watch them take on the Magic, but with Rob as a big Orlando fan, I'm forever grateful that Boston wins each year. I have a feeling that if Orlando wins, he'd be reminding me of that sting for the entire ride home.

2007 Recap

I love statistics for my music. Last.fm tracks what I'm listening to online, and the OrangeCD database helps keep my music collection cataloged with all kinds of data at my fingertips. With OrangeCD, I can sort my albums by year, compare the number of CD's I've bought to the number that I've downloaded...all kinds of geeky shit. I was thinking of putting together a "Best of 2007" list like Tyler does, but it just seemed to overwhelming to go into such detail, so I scrapped the idea. However, 2007 was such a big year for me musically, that I felt the need to put some kind of recap together, and I decided it would be more numbers based.

In looking through OrangeCD, and sorting some data, I found that I had added around 362 new records/CDs to my collection! That's almost a new album each day of the year. The problem with liking so much music, is that I really never get the time to sit and really spend a lot of time with new albums. I worked to remedy that at the end of the year, and my resolution for 2008 is to really get familiar with new music before filing it away deep into the collection. So, anyway, here is the breakdown of what was added to my collection for 2007.

35 - 7 inches
6 - 12 inch singles

90 - LPs

1 - LP box set
109 - new CDs
119 - burned CDs
2 - CD box sets

While 2006 saw the release of some of the best hardcore records with Have Heart, Verse, The First Step, Betrayed, and Outbreak, 2007 managed to drop a few gems on us as well.

Best Hardcore of 2007

1. Get the Most : Moment in Time E.P.
2. Nothing Done : Everybody Knows
3. Down to Nothing : The Most
4. I Rise : Down
5. True Colors : Focus On The Light

• Notable mention : Said and Done - Everyday, Go It Alone - Histories, Red Handed - Wounds Remain, Soul Control - Involution

2007 was also a great year for Metal, as I went from revisiting my youth and falling in love with the classics again to really digging into what the Metal world had to offer today. There has been a huge revival of Thrash, and David (Genocide_Junkie) was really a big help in keeping me in touch with the new music.

Best Metal of 2007

1. Fueled By Fire : Spread the Fire
2. Municipal Waste : The Art of Partying
3. Onslaught : Killing Peace
4. Evile : Enter the Grave
5. Overkill : Imortallis

• Notable mention : 3 Inches of Blood - Fire Up the Blades, Exodus - The Atrocity Exhibition, Dublin Death Patrol - DDP 4 Life

Of course I would be remiss in not mentioning the incredible album that the White Stripes released this past year. Icky Thump was one of their best, and I have yet to get tired of listening to it. And finally, there was only one Hip Hop album in all of 2007 that really interested me, and that was Brother Ali's amazing The Undisputed Truth. Hardcore and Metal really pushed Hip Hop out of the picture for me this year, but this one album was too good to ignore.

Live at CBGB

One of my biggest regrets is never making it to CBGB's for a hardcore show. The place was a New York Hardcore icon steeped in the tradition of matinee shows. Some may say it was one of the cornerstones of Hardcore's "golden era", with Youth of Today, Judge, Side by Side, Cro-Mags, Sick of it All, and Agnostic Front thrashing out live sets during their prime in that club. In all my years of going to shows, it never really crossed my mind to drive all the way to NYC and go to a show there. Then Rob, Paul and I went on our roadtrip to New York last year, after CB's had closed down, and I was wishing that we had made the trip a year or two earlier and had caught a show there...any show...just to say I had been there. I feel kind of privileged to have caught the tail end of the club scene in Boston, before shows were killed and driven to church basements and VFW halls (which are still cool in their own right). Yeah, there were Slapshot shows at The Channel, or Sick of it All at Bunratty's, or seeing Strife and the beginning of the 90's Youth Crew revival at The Rat, but man, CBGB's, that's the one that I wish that I had made it to.

So anyway, this entry is for the Triple Threat Live at CBGB's seven inch. I'm not really a fan of live records, and this one doesn't really do anything to excite me, other then the cover of Glue by SSD. However, it is on blue vinyl and limited to 200 pressed. Plus, it keeps my Triple Threat collection complete.

Getting The Led Out

Another afternoon at Jeff's, another afternoon of free records. Once again, Jeff was looking to clean out his vinyl collection, getting rid of the doubles, and I ended up walking away with some classic Rock records. This time around the main focus was on Led Zeppelin, as I was able to grab a copy of Led Zeppelin II, Led Zeppelin III, Houses of the Holy, and In Through the Out Door. Since I've recently discovered how great Rush were in their early years, I was also able to pick up a copy of their live album, Exit...Stage Left. Those early Rush records are amazing...when 2112 kicks into the start of The Temples of Syrinx, it is so heavy and powerful that it gives me goosebumps. One of the best songs to clock in around 20 minutes. The last album that Jeff gave me was a copy of Who's Next by The Who. I'm still on the fence with this band, some of their stuff is pretty cool, and some of it is just okay. It may take me a while longer to fully get into this band, but I can still appreciate them in small doses.

In Rememberance of Old New York...

The Christmas spirit just keeps on rollin' with this entry courtesy of Paul. These three records, he bought for me while we were on our trip to New York with Rob. That weekend was such a blast, and I am still in awe over how amazing Generation Records is. There are still records that I think about from that store, where I am left wishing that I had picked them up when I had the chance.

• Break It Up - No Sides : I took a chance on this one, as I had never heard the band before...but they were on Dead and Gone Records, so I felt it was a safe bet. The band has a couple of guitarists from Voorhees, and play a pretty straight forward style of hardcore. Good stuff. I was surprised to find that the orange vinyl that I got was limited to 200 pressed.
• Youth of Today - Can't Close My Eyes : Pure fucking hardcore fury. Youth of Today are one of my favorite hardcore bands, and I'm ashamed to say that my vinyl collection includes only the Disengage 7 inch, and the live album. When I saw this in New York, I knew it was time to step it up, and finally get it going. The thought of trying to really do something with a Youth of Today collection is pretty intimidating. There are so many different pressings, and it would cost way more than I can really put into it, but I feel like I owe it to myself to at least get some of their vinyl into my collection. This is a start.
• Misfits - Earth A.D. : Speaking of hardcore classics, here is another one that I feel should be the part of every one's collection. This album just totally rips, and is one of the more hardcore Misfits albums. I remember when Paul bought this tape when we were kids. It was a total wall of noise upon first listen, and it was really hard for our ears to hear what was going on underneath the chaos...but over time, wow, this was some intense, pounding shit.

Anyway, it was nice to get this great reminder of our trip from last Fall. Thanks Paul...already thinking ahead to where we might go for Roadtrip 2008.

Picture Perfect Ending

As 2007 drew to a close, I had one more $20 gift card at Newbury Comics to spend and I wasn't about to let it see the beginning of the new year. The last time I was in the store blowing a major part of my gift card load, I stumbled upon this picture disc of Overkill's newest album, Immortalis. I had set it back on the rack in between all the other vinyl, and after I left the store I knew that I needed to make a trip back in a couple of days to pick it up. I had originally put it back because I tend to really hate the picture disc format...they typically sound like crap, and the plain plastic sleeve kills it for me when it comes to packaging. Three things changed my mind on this one. First, the cover art for this album absolutely destroys. Overkill has released a lot of albums, and Immortalis sports the sickest artwork of them all. Secondly, in reading Martin Popoff's book on the Price Guide for Heavy Metal Records, I came to realize that picture discs tend to increase in more value over the regularly pressed vinyl. I finally understood that they are a collector's item. Lastly, and more importantly, this is hand numbered limited edition...mine is number 568 of 1,200. Fuck it, I was sold.

Funny thing about buying this record. I was reminded of being a kid and heading into the record stores at the mall, and feeling the need to buy albums when I saw them, because when I came back the next week, there was a good chance they would be gone forever. Living in Maine, which is not know for being progressive on the musical front, the record stores would typically get only one copy, if any, of the more underground metal albums. If someone bought it before you did, you lost. After I left Newbury Comics last week, that feeling hit me again. I thought that I'd made a mistake and next trip back, the Overkill album would be gone. When I went back, I started flipping through the 'O' section of vinyl, and wouldn't you know it, it wasn't there. My heart sank. Fuck. I knew it! I missed out. Then I realized, that in my rush to find the record I was flipping through the Hip Hop section in error. Phew! I stepped over two rows to the Rock section and there it was, just as I'd left it, like it was waiting for my return.

Music, Sweet Music

This Christmas holiday came and went, I pulled in a pretty good amount of gift cards for Newbury Comics. I lose all track of time when I go into this store, browsing through all the CD's, agonizing over which ones I will buy. I'm not sure if it is a case of Newbury's not carrying a lot of hardcore and punk CD's that I'm interested in, or maybe it is just that I have been interested more and more in metal, and I've really been looking to replace those old burned CD's with the real deal. Either way, when I walk through the doors, I head straight to the Metal section.

The first thing that I knew I wanted was a Witchfinder General double live album. It was a bit expensive for $27, but the packaging on this was worth it....nice thick packaging including a big book that covers the history of the band and has some nice big photos of their early days. The band was around when the New Wave of British Heavy Metal started to take off at the start of the 80's, and really captured a great Black Sabbath sound. Sure the band is a little immature lyrically, and don't forget those album covers that showcased plenty of bare chested women. But you know what, that is all just a part of their charm.

For the next half hour, I wandered the store...pulling out CD's and then putting them back...trying to make decision on what two CD's I was going to buy. I had the new Soul Control in my hands, but ended up putting that back since I already have it on vinyl (maybe I'll pick it up some time when I see them live), and debated in my head over about 5 other CD's and ended up buying new CD's from Evile and Fueled by Fire...both newer thrash bands that really draw their influence from the mid-80's thrash sound. Cool stuff and now I can toss out those CDR's that I had for each of them.

Still have one more gift card, that I'm already planning on spending on Monday. So much music, so little money.

Possessed and Bonded By Metal

I was really surprised when Reflections Records started an offshoot of their hardcore record label to release some metal vinyl. I wasn't interested in their first record, but I was excited for releases two and three. Back in June, they sent out a newsletter saying that they were re-releasing two classic thrash albums with Bonded By Blood from Exodus and Seven Churches from Possessed, each one limited to 500 each. It took the label forever to finally get this vinyl out. By August, I was getting so impatient that I emailed them, and got a note back saying that they were hoping to have the pre-orders up in October, and then they still didn't get them up until the end of November. Wow, the wait was worth it for both of these classics. Nice thick vinyl, and awesome looking gatefold packaging. Exodus were the real deal...one of the original leaders of the Bay Area thrash movement...unfortunately they never really pulled it all together and were left in the dust as Metallica and Slayer moved on to conquer the world. But, man, that first album still overflows with such thrash intensity, and raw power, it is easily recognized as a classic. This was a movement set out to push Metal music to extreme limits for extreme speed and shocking lyrical content, with Exodus covering all the bases with songs like A Lesson in Violence, Bonded By Blood, and Strike of the Beast, with original singer Paul Baloff snarls and spits out such vocals as "If you got something to say, then come my way, I'm guarded by Satan.". Totally over the top for the 1984 release date. Possessed push the envelope even further come 1985 with their first release, as they portray a more Satanic image. Definitely not for the faint of heart with their extreme sound of thrashing guitars and growling vocals. Larry Lalonde plays guitar on this record, well before moving on to the more quirky stylings of Primus.