Red Rainbow Connection

Last year was kind of random and everything felt unfocused when it came to my record collecting. I bought a number of singles in 2020, and while it feels totally pointless picking them up, it is also a lot of fun for some reason. Don't ask me to rationalize it, I just do what I enjoy. I've only picked up a couple of singles this year, but when I was recently buying an album from a UK seller, I took the opportunity to add a few cheap ones to the cart.

While I've been obsessing over various singles, for some reason that hasn't bled over into my record collection for all things Ronnie James Dio. Seeing this Rainbow single for L.A. Connection b/w Lady Of The Lake available from a seller that I was already picking up a couple records from, it was obvious that I needed to add this one to the cart as well. The Dio years of Rainbow are the only ones that matter.

While there isn't anything new offered here on this single, I was still at unexplainable levels of excitement when it arrived. For me, there is just something very cool about collecting these old pieces of history... plus, that red vinyl looks fantastic.

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.

Double Live Snakes

Back in 2010, I picked up one of my first Whitesnake records. I remember finding a sealed copy of Live... In The Heart Of The City for $5 on eBay and being pretty excited about finding such a great deal. Shortly after, however, I discovered that this was initially released as a double LP, but the one that I'd picked up was only the single LP version. Weak. I knew that at some point I was going to have to fix this oversight and grab the double LP. Eleven years later, I'm finally getting it done.

The single LP version only has the 1980 live set from the Hammersmith Odeon, while the double LP also includes their set from 1978. Both sets are incomplete with some songs dropped so that the recording could fit on a single LP, so I'm kind of disappointed that we don't have the full setlist included to truly document both tours properly.

The 1978 show had been previously released as a Japanese only release titled Live At Hammersmith, so the collector in me feels the need to track down this record as well. Hell, I probably should have skipped this double LP pressing and just picked up that Live At Hammersmith record and called it good alongside my single version of Live... In The Heart Of The City. I'll figure this shit out someday.

Red Vinyl And Broken Badges

A couple months ago I picked up the purple vinyl pressing for the Rusty Medals And Broken Badges LP from Over My Dead Body. It was so fun revisiting that record that I started checking Discogs to see what other pressing there were for it.

Discogs told me that in addition to the purple vinyl, there was also a transparent red pressing that was sold at the band's record release show. This was limited to 103 and there weren't any available for sale, in fact at that time Discogs had no record of one being sold on the site. I was interested in adding it to the collection, so I threw it on my Discogs want list.

I think that I got fairly lucky when I received a notification shortly after that stating that one was available, and at only $15, I'd say it was a very good deal and I immediately snatched it up.

This transparent vinyl is so dark that the only way to really appreciate the look is to put some light behind it...so here is a decent picture with both the red and purple vinyl.

Not Done With You

Triple B recently moved their warehouse, and to avoid having to inventory and move some stock, they decided to throw in some free records with each order. I know that this was an opportunity for the label to unload some stuff that no one cares about anymore, but I was just hoping to not get some hot garbage and possibly receive something interesting. As expected, I didn't care about most of it, but I was happy to find the Stick Together album included when my order arrived.

While I remember enjoying this 12 inch when it was released six years ago, it didn't stick with me and I haven't really listened to it since then. Thankfully Triple B sent me this second pressing on brown/orange vinyl as a reminder because I'm getting a charge out of listening to it today.

I honestly didn't even know that Triple B did a second pressing of this record, and I guess in hindsight they probably didn't need to do one. Oh well, it at least put the band back on my radar and reminded me how great they were.

Metal Command

When I was at the Vantage Point record release show in early 2020, I picked up a flyer for an upcoming gig. One of the bands listed was High Command, and since I'd seen their name around recently I figured that I'd download their latest album on Southern Lord to see if it was something I'd be interested in going to see live. The album was pretty good but I never did get down to Massachusetts for that show, and after one listen I moved on to other obsessions and never returned to the band.

When Triple B announced earlier this year that they were going to be releasing a new High Command 7 inch, I figured that maybe it was time for me to check them out again. They definitely fit in with some of the newer metal/crossover bands like Power Trip and Enforced...and they make me think of Black Breath as well. I liked what I heard, so I didn't hesitate to buy the latest 7 inch. I'm really digging this, and I'm obviously going to have to revisit that Beyond The Wall Of Desolation album.

These two songs were originally released by Southern Lord as a digital release, but I don't fuck around with that, so I'm glad that Triple B released this record...even if the vinyl looks gross.

Getting Closer Still

There was a time when I was obsessed with collecting multiple pressings for every record that I liked. It didn't matter what it was, if I was preordering the record then I felt compelled to buy every piece of colored vinyl available. At the time, one of my go-to record labels was React, and I ate up everything they released. Even for bands that I didn't particularly like that much, I still bought two or three copies. React has kind of gone quiet in recent years, and at the same time I've lost a lot of interest in the multiple pressing game. Still, when Aram and company released the new Change record last year, I felt that old spark of obsession flame back up, and I quickly found myself ordering each pressing that React had available. When the label announced that they were doing a second pressing, I really wanted to ignore it but in the end the temptation of owning a full collection someday proved to be too strong.

Second pressing on a nice looking blue vinyl. 500 pressed.

It is too easy to collect multiple variants when the vinyl looks this good. While there are some newer bands that I like more Change, I can't be bothered to chase the various pressings because they look like shit. I mean, I'd love a solid Ecostrike collection, but the Triple B vinyl with all the ugly patterns does not tempt me at all.

Shortly after the second pressing from React was available, the Deathwish store received 25 copies on white vinyl from Refuse Records. Given the opportunity to but it from a US seller and not have to fuck around with overseas shipping, I jumped on it.

It was cool to finally get my hands on a Refuse pressing to see the little differences from React. 460 on white as the second pressing from Refuse.

Far from a complete collection, but I still wanted to pull the Change records out for a photo. Maybe someday I'll be able to get my hands on that Euro tour press and the Refuse blue vinyl.

Blow Up Your 12 Inch Singles

Back in 2017, when I started toying with the idea of collecting Australian pressings for the Bon Scott era AC/DC albums I never would have expected my obsession over the the band to explode the way it has. I was just going to collect those Aussie pressings because they were so different than the US versions that I grew up with, but the last couple of years have seen me also chasing singles and some pricey first pressings from their latter period. I want it all, and after picking up a Spanish promo for Rock Your Heart Out earlier this year, it had me in the mindset to pick up more singles.

I've been on the hunt for the UK 12 inch pressing of That's The Way I Wanna Rock N Roll for the past year. When I saw a copy pop up in my want list over on Discogs from a US seller, I didn't hesitate to jump on it, even if the price was a little high.

Released as a single for the Blow Up Your Video album, the major selling point for this record is the exclusive b-side song Borrowed Time. I don't think that a lot of bands were throwing exclusive tracks like this around at this time... or maybe as an American, I just missed out on cool shit like this from overseas... but either way, it is cool to discover stuff like this 30+ years down the line.

How cool is that gatefold cover for a 12 inch single? This entire package feels special, and not some cheap throw away.

Honestly, one of the things that really drew my attention to this 12 inch single was the patch that came with it. That red patch for the Blow Up Your Video world tour in 1988 looks great. I love collectible shit like this.

Shortly after picking up the That's The Way I Wanna Rock N Roll single, the other single from Blow Up Your Video fell into my lap. I picked this one up from a seller in the UK, and as I was loading up my cart with cool records from them, I definitely needed the Heatseeker single as well.

The Heatseeker single gives us another exclusive b-side song with Snake Eye.

Another good looking gatefold 12 inch cover, and it feels good to pick up both Blow Up Your Video singles in one shot. Okay, what AC/DC record should I pick up next?

Between Earth & Sky

I like to think that I was pretty tuned into what was happening with hardcore back in 2011, but somehow the record from Between Earth & Sky completely passed me by. I don't even remember hearing the name... although to be honest, a name like Between Earth & Sky is pretty forgettable to me. At least I wasn't the only one that was in the dark on this band, as Marcus only just discovered them last year, and his post about them finally put them on my radar.

Greg Bennick from Trial handles the vocals here for Between Earth & Sky, so it is easy to draw comparisons here to Trial... and I love those Trial records so it should be pretty ovbious how much I'm enjoying this record. The lyrics are a bit more "poetic" than Trial's straight forward delivery, but this record still sounds like it could have been pulled from the mid to late 90's.

There were 335 pressed on clear vinyl, and it comes with two stickers, while the blue vinyl was more limited and came with 5 stickers. Sticker collectors take note.

My Generations

Man, when Revelation dropped the Generations comp in 2005, it was the end of a long drought from that label. For years REV released stuff from bands like Curl Up And Die, Shai Hulud and Since By Man, and I wanted nothing to do that shit. The label was dead to me for new releases, but with this comp, suddenly they were showing signs of life in a big way.

Generations features a lot of hardcore heavy hitters from that time period making this a crucial comp to pick up back in the day. Plus there are a ton of exclusive songs here, so where a lot of comps fade to obscurity, this one still feels important and it is one that I still reach for today. The Robot Whales track is probably the most underrated song on here... it still gives me a charge everytime I hear it.

Of course when Generations was orginally released I only bought the CD version. When I recently saw a first press on blue vinyl available from a Discogs seller that I was already loading up my cart with records from them, I knew it was time to finally buy this on a proper format... plus it was much cheaper than the current grey vinyl that is available now from REV, so it only made sense to buy this. 550 on blue vinyl.

Cut The Bullshit

If I was to make a list of my all time favorite hardcore records, I would have to include Harmed And Dangerous from Cut The Shit in there somewhere. There are records that made more of an impact, and there are records that are "better", but I never get tired of this album from Cut The Shit... it is angry... it has attitude... and it is a fucking fun time.

Once again, I find that collecting records from bands in the early 2000's is no sweat. This album is 18 years old, and I'm still able to buy a copy for well under $10. If kids were making investments and buying records like this with hopes that they could flip them years down the line and cash in, they msut be sorely disappointed.

Discogs lists this clear vinyl pressing as having a Gloom Record stamp on one of the labels and a cowboy boot stamp on the other. The labels on this one are obviously blank.

Ten years after picking up the white vinyl pressing, it feels good to finally add the clear vinyl to the collection.

Just Can't Stand It

Earlier this year I picked up a Tear It Up 7 inch for cheap. The clear orange vinyl looked great, and it was fun to revisit the band, so I got the idea in my head that I might want to start collecting the band. When I recently grabbed a Drug Test record from a Discogs seller, I noticed that they also had a few other records available at a good price so I started adding shit to my cart.

One of the records from that haul was the Tear It Up 12 inch, Just Can't Stand It, from 2001. 12 songs in 15 minutes...from start to finish this record rages. Fast and furious thrashy hardcore that is pissed off and nihilistic, and Tear It Up were one of the best at this style.

20 years after its release and I'm finally adding the vinyl to the collection. 200 pressed on red vinyl.

Phenobarbital Mosh

Earlier this year, Marcus over at The Endless Quest posted about a couple of Drug Test records and it got me thinking about those records from the early 2000's that have been buried by time and dust. I mean, I rarely pull this stuff out for a spin... and it just seems that most people overlook this stuff. A lot of times it seems that people only care about the latest hyped band, or classics from the 80's, and a lot of stuff in between gets pushed aside and forgotten. I tend to get a charge out of collecting records that no one cares about, so when Marcus posted two great looking Drug Test records, it prompted me to hit Discogs and see what I could find for the band.

I was kind of out of touch with hardcore in the early 2000's, and I missed out on a lot of those bands at the time. Even with the great cover art for the Needle In Your Neck 7 inch, I somehow allowed the record to slip by me for years, until I picked up the green vinyl in 2010. 10 years later, I felt compelled to buy another pressing with this yellow copy.

This record was a blast to revisit. It is harsh and uncompromising from start to finish.

Move BHC

Triple B had a great run of records back in 2019, and it really revived my love of new hardcore bands. Since then I keep going back to the Triple B well looking for that same thrill, but for the past year they haven't delivered too much that interested me. Not sure if they are "going Bridge Nine" on us, but what was once a label that had me looking forward to what discovery they would serve up, now just leaves me feeling confused. Their preorders still seem to sell out within hours, so apparently they still have an audience...it just isn't me. Triple B still delivered the Ecostrike album and Mindforce EP last year, so the label isn't a total loss... and because of that, I still will check out their new releases in hopes that I'll find something cool.

When I first saw the announcement for the Move 7 inch, I was expecting something similar to Anxious, but I soon discovered that this record is not that style. Move have no soft edges and they wield thier progressive politics like a fucking sword. This is raw and angry shit, and when I'm feeling pissed off at the madness of the world, Move deliver exactly what I want.

Given how quickly Triple B sells out of their most limited pressings, I was kind of surprised that I was able to get my order in for the purple vinyl. Limited to 100.

American Virus

As Trump was downplaying Covid-19, telling people to inject bleach, and continually referring to it as the "China Virus" last year, Dead Ending did what any self-respecting punk band would have done...they wrote a middle-finger song to the shithead in charge. They banged out two quick songs, and a cover from The Clash, and preorders went up at the end of August. Because all of 2020 was a complete clusterfuck, it took over six months for the record to ship.

Calling out Trump as the American Virus is an excellent way to close out his term as president, and a great follow up to thier Ivanka Wants Her Orange Back single from when he was inagurated back in 2017. Seriously, fuck that guy forever.

While the Complete Control cover from The Clash didn't make it to the 7 inch, the two original songs here are great. Fast and short songs with those Vic Bondi snarling vocals are what Dead Ending do best, and these two deliver what you expect. I was hoping that we'd get a nice limited colored vinyl pressing with this one, but it looks like it may have only seen black vinyl.

Tygers Of Crazy Nights

I love the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal. There is a youthful charm and attitude with those bands that I find exciting and even though that scene only existed for a relatively short period of time, there still seems to be a never ending supply of underground bands to still discover. Sometimes I get so busy running around and checking out small and obscure NWOBHM bands that only ever released a single 7 inch, and I forget that I still need albums from some of the bigger names from that era.

Despite being one of the bigger NWOBHM bands, I really wasn't familiar with Tygers Of Pan Tang back in the 80's. The band was just a year or two before my time, and with an ocean separating us, Tygers never made it onto my radar as a kid. I don't think that I really heard them until sometime after 2000, when I started to really check out what the NWOBHM hype was all about. I liked Tygers Of Pan Tang when I first heard them, but it wasn't until the last few years that I really started to get a deep appreciation for the band. I'm only familiar with their first three albums, as the general opinion is that things get a bit more commercial after that, and the last one that I needed was their third album, Crazy Nights, from 1981.

Tygers Of Pan Tang were on a tear at the start of their career, and their third album is just as important and vital as their first two. The song Never Satisfied has got a hook that grabs me everytime I hear it... one of my favorite Tygers songs. When I started looking to finally pick up a copy, I had to go with the pressing that included a bonus two song 12 inch. So good!

Pink Beyond Recognition

Twelve years ago Marcus posted about the Life Time album from Rollins Band. He was attracted to the special pink vinyl, and his enthusiasm was contagious so that I found myself wanting to grab a copy as well. It took some time, but I was finally able to track one down.

I was a big fan of the early Rollins Band albums... including Hot Animal Machine... back when I started getting into hardcore. I mean, they were no Black Flag, but Henry Rollins could still rage at the microphone and got the job done for me. Life Time is probably my favorite of the bunch, although I've really come to appreciate The End Of Silence quite a bit over recent years. The songs on this LP absolutely rip and are catchy as hell... plus this pink vinyl looks bright and sharp... such a good look.

In case you missed it, Ian MacKaye produced this album.

The Repentless Killogy

Slayer released their last album, Repentless, back in 2015. They then toured for the album, and followed that up with their final tour ever. Over that four year stretch, Slayer played Massacusetts six times, New Hampshire once, and the state of Maine one time...eight times they played where I could have taken the opportunity to see them live, and every time I turned it down. What an idiot. Now the band is done, and have left us one final testament with this live album.

I'm not too big on live albums, but I knew that I was going to have to pick up The Repentless Killogy at some point. When I was in the Nuclear Blast store picking up the Exodus picture disk single, I saw a new colored vinyl pressing for The Repentless Killogy, and figured that I might was well grab that at the same time...plus, I liked the look of the colored vinyl with the cover art and thought it was a good match.

As far as Slayer live albums, Live Undead captures the early years, Decade Of Aggression documents the band at their peak, and The Repentless Killogy puts to wax their very last show. What I love about this live album is that it represents all the eras of Slayer with a full seven songs from the band's post-2000 albums (although I'm kind of disappointed that there isn't a single song from Christ Illusion here). Some people may want more of the classics, but I'm damned excited to have stuff like Hate Worldwide and You Against You documented here. Still, there are other songs from the two Inglewood setlists that would have been cool to see here like Temptation or Gemini. Any way you look at it, this is still a killer live record, and the band sounds absolutely vicious here and firing on all cylinders.

Salt The Wound

As I was preparing to write this post, I was thinking about when Exodus released their last album, and in my mind it was only a few years ago. When I checked for the actual release date, I was floored to discover that Blood In Blood Out came out in 2014...almost seven fucking years ago! Damn. Where does the time go? And an even better question, why are they releasing a single from that album after so much time has passed?

This was totally an impulse buy. I was doing the #febmetalpunk challenge over on Instagram, and as I was posting nothing but 80's metal records, it had me in a metal state of mind...I saw this shaped picture disk single in the Nuclear Blast shop as I was struggling to come up with something for the "unique packaging" category and without thinking, I simply added it to my cart and checked out. There is nothing new offered here, other than it is just a cool collectible.

I really liked Blood In Blood Out from Exodus when it was released, but honestly, it has been a good five years since I've listened to it. Hearing the two songs on this single serve as a nice reminder for how good that album was, and I'm already reaching for my copy to give it a spin and revisit it.

It is basically a law that special edition metal records have to be limited to 666.

Too Mean To Accept

The first few months of 2021 have felt like they have been lacking in new releases. I've been keeping myself busy discovering a bunch of records that I've missed from the past few years, but when it comes to new albums, things seem to have been rather quiet. Maybe it is fallout from lockdowns due to COVID-19, or maybe I just need some patience. Either way, it feels strange to be posting my first new album in April...even though it was actually released in January (shut up about that and just accept that this blog basically runs on a two month backlog).

While I was initially excited about Accept's last album from 2017, The Rise Of Chaos, it never really hooked me like the other three albums in the Mark Tornillo era of the band. It is still some solid metal, but I don't really reach for it very often. Too Mean To Die on the other hand, hits like a ton of bricks right out of the gate. This album feels like it is contantly on the attack as the guitars rip and Tornillo snarls his way through the songs. Absolutely vicious. I had high hopes for Too Mean To Die, but I'm still blown away by how great this record is.

After picking up the Undertaker single at the end of last year, that song had me fired up to check out the new Accept album that was on the way and I immediately placed my preorder. Because it is on Nuclear Blast there are a stupid number of colored vinyl options...I grabbed the gold with swamp green pressing, which doesn't look too bad.