The Tempter

After a steady stream of cheap records earlier this year, I started making conscious decisions to buy records that would make a more serious impact on my collection. Records plucked from the dollar bin for unknown and forgotten hardcore bands is fun, but sooner or later it just gets to the point when I question what the fuck I'm doing. I'd added a couple heavy hitters over the recent months, and it pushed me to actually look at my Top Wants list for the year.

The first four Trouble albums are doom metal perfection. I own the vinyl for Run To The Light and the self titled record, but their first two were missing in my collection. The singer, Eric Wagner, died of covid complications a few years ago, and that loss pushed the first Trouble record near the top of my want list. It has taken me longer than I want to get my hands on one, but it was worth the wait because, other than a crushed corner on the cover, this thing is in fantastic condition. Colored vinyl was not that common when this album was released back in 1984, but Metal Blade nailed it when they originally had this pressed on white vinyl.

Ugh. This record is so heavy and Eric Wagner was a force on vocals. He was still touring and recording with his new band, The Skull, at the time of his passing. Such a tragic loss.

Envision Straight Edge

Envision are a straight edge band out of Florida, and they really jumped onto my radar when I found out that Lennon from Ecostrike plays in the band. I fucking love Ecostrike. Lennon isn't singing with this new band, and instead is on drums, but still, I needed to hear them. They released an EP last year, but by the time I discovered them, the record was already sold out... so as soon as I heard that preorders were up for their new album this year, I didn't hesitate.

Dude, I'm a sucker for young bands that are wearing X's when they play live and proudly have the words "straight edge" on their records. Even at my age, if a band comes hard with that message, they will get me every time. Envision deliver that whole 90's straight edge vibe... hell, they recorded a cover of Kingpin's Holding Tomorrow last year... so of course I'm down.

When I ordered the Burning Strong record from the label earlier this year, it was shipped in the cheapest box that provided minimal protection. That record arrived a bit warped, but I was able to fix it and didn't think much more about it. When From Within shipped the new Envision record and this one arrived damaged as well... now I'm gonna be hesitant to order from them again.

I contacted the label, and they were nice enough to send a replacement at no cost. Too bad they only had the black vinyl pressing available to send.

The Old Ways Remain

There was a time when I was obsessed with Rise Above Records. Sandwell and I would keep each other apprised of new preorders for all of their shit. We would order anything and everything, with zero regard for overseas shipping costs... and then, at the end of 2018, the label got too eclectic for me, and I stopped paying attention. By coincidence, the last thing that I ordered from Rise Above was the Lolly Willows 7 inch from Blood Ceremony in 2019. At the time, I was hopeful that there was a new Blood Ceremony album on the way. Well, one global pandemic and four years later, here we are.

I have loved Blood Ceremony's brand of occult rock since I first heard Living With The Ancients back in 2011. I hadn't really heard anything like that at the time, and they blew my mind. Seeing them open for Ghost at The Middle East in Boston in 2012 cemented it for me. This band was amazing and I was fully onboard for everything they released after that. So, obviously I jumped on those Rise Above preorders for The Old Ways Remain.

Blood Ceremony deliver exactly what they do best on their latest album. It may not be as doomy as previous albums, but those haunting vocals and flute from Alia help stamp their trademark sound throughout. It wasn't an immediate hit for me, but this has really been a grower. The more I listen to it, the more I appreciate it.

The old ways remain with Rise Above diehard pressings as this one comes with a bonus 7 inch with the exclusive song Falling, plus a demo version of Powers Of Darkness.

You really can't beat a Rise Above diehard clear vinyl pressing. Feels really good to have a new one in my hands.

Run Your Fucking Luck

Back in 2020, Drain released California Cursed on Revelation and at the time I couldn't give a shit. Sure they were on one of the best hardcore record labels, kids everywhere were hyped on the band, and their live shows looked sick as hell... but based on the 30 seconds that I spent checking them out, I did not like their sound at all, and I put them in my rearview mirror.

Drain released a new album this year, and for some strange reason I was feeling like maybe I needed to give this band more of a chance this time around. So it was with an open mind that I blindly bought a copy of Living Proof back in February.

Straight out of the gate, when the opening song kicks off with "Run your fucking luck!", I was hooked.I get it now. The hype on Drain was real, but I was too stubborn to pay attention. This record is rad as fuck. I'm even down with the hip hop Intermission. The only thing that feels out of place here is the Descendents cover of Good Good Things. Drain absolutely nails the song, but it just doesn't fit the vibe of the record overall, and when I'm listening to this on Spotify, it is an easy skip. So glad that I gave the band a chance... now to go back and get right with California Cursed.

Best One Yet

Back in 2012, Marcus over at Endless Quest posted about his Black Flag colored vinyl collection. That shit looked so rad that I told myself that I wanted a piece of that action. I wasn't going to fool myself into thinking that I could match him record for record, but the colored vinyl looked so good that I need needed something on my shelf. I didn't want to make it look like he had any kind of influence on me, and lose credibility in the blogger world for being unoriginal, so I played the waiting game until all other blogs had folded and no one reads these things any more. Ten years later I can finally make my move. Look at me with some Black Flag colored vinyl!

I was listening to Slip It In a lot earlier this year. I'm not sure what it was, but I just kept returning to that record, and it kind of made me think that the time was right to make a big move. Everyone knows that clear versions of colored vinyl are superior to the solid options, so that was the way that I wanted to go here. Plus, the clear red was the first colored vinyl pressing for the record, so it just made sense.

I'll admit that the vinyl for both the green and the grey colors look good, but red is obviously where it is at.

Unpopular opinion, but there are times when I think that Loose Nut is my favorite Black Flag album. I mean, Damaged is probably the BEST, but for the one that I reach for the most, it very well may be Loose Nut. This record just hooks me. It is fun... it's got some bounce and it is a fun record to listen to. When I was grabbing Slip It In, and I saw the seller also had the colored vinyl for this one, yeah, I had to grab this one too.

See you in 2043 when I pick up My War and In My Head.

Dropout Boogie

It has been a weird fucking year when it comes to what I want to listen to. I've felt lost and unfocused. I tend to always be obsessing over some band... some sound... some era, but for most of this year I haven't felt any strong pull towards anything. When I have locked in on something, it tends to be some oddball thing that I wouldn't typically pay much attention to normally... but now, for some reason, I fucking need it.

At the start of this year, I wrote up a post about a record from The Black Keys that I'd picked up. There was a time when I really enjoyed this band, but I hadn't really given them much thought over the past ten years or so. I bought Thickfreakness on a whim... just to add something else to my cart, but it unexpectedly had me dipping back into those old records, and I found that I was really enjoying them. So much so, that I even decided to give their latest album, Dropout Boogie from 2022, a chance. Damn, that shit was fun and as soon as I found there was pink vinyl version of it, I kind of wanted to own it.

I got tired of The Black Keys around 2010. They seemed to be moving away from that stripped down bluesy rock sound and getting a bit more polish, and I wasn't feeling it. I haven't really paid any attention to those albums they have released since Brothers, but checking out Dropout Boogie had me impressed. This is just a good time. I don't expect it will be something that I return to regularly a year or two from now, but as I'm floundering around this year and trying to find something interesting, this record filled that hole.

Nostalgic For Enforcer

Ten years or so ago, the New Wave Of Traditional Metal was riding high, and near the top of it all was Enforcer. That band was melting faces all over the place, and I felt lucky to catch them on their From Beyond tour when they came through Massachusetts with Warbringer in 2016. By 2019, however, some fans turned on the band when they released their Zenith album. Enforcer were trying some new sounds and injecting a bit more melody, and while some people weren't having it, I still liked the record... although it does sit at the bottom of my album ranking for them and I could have done without the Regrets ballad. Enforcer felt the backlash and with the release of Nostalgia, and word from the band was that they were going to give the fans what they wanted with their new album this year.

I'm not going to lie, when I heard the first single for Nostalgia, my faith in this band was shook. It isn't a bad song, but for a record that was hailed as a return to form, I wanted them to come out of the gates storming, and the first single is a ballad? It did not inspire a lot of confidence. Still, I preordered the album, because it is fucking Enforcer and with their second single, Metal Supremacia, the band showed they could still bring the heat. Goddamn, that song fires me up and makes me hope they do another US tour because I would love to see this band again. Nostalgia is such a great record, and it is cool to see the band back and doing what they do best. You can bet that this record will be near the top of my favorites for 2023.

With the rainbow on the front cover, I took a chance on the multicolored splatter vinyl. As I expected, it didn't come out as nice as I'd hoped, but that's okay, it is still better than the metallic gold option. 800 pressed.

Primus Sucks

I definitely fall into the trap of impulse buying. As I was dicking around on my phone one evening, scrolling through social media apps, I saw an ad for a new vinyl reissue for the Primus album Frizzle Fry. I really enjoyed this record when it came out in 1990. I was still very much into metal at the time, and just starting to discover hardcore, but there in the outside of all that aggression was Primus. They were different, and I liked that they didn't fit the stereotype of what people expected me to listen to so I latched onto all the weird quirkiness that Primus delivered. Now I haven't really cared about Primus since those early 90's, with the exception of a slight increase in interest for the band when I caught them live on the Maine State Pier with Clutch back in 2017... but seeing this reissue and how nice the vinyl looked, well, without much thought I added it to my cart and checked out.

While it has been fun revisiting this record, I'm not sure that I really needed the record. I mean sure, for nostalgic reasons, a part of me would like to have a complete vinyl collection of everything that I was listening to as a kid through the 80's and early 90's, so in that aspect it is nice to have it on the shelf... but there are plenty of records that I definitely should own before Frizzle Fry.

500 pressed on clear with blue swirls with people already trying to flip them to Discogs for stupid money.

When I was buying Frizzle Fry, they also had a bundle option that included the live Primus record from '89, Suck On This. I was making questionable moves already, so I might as well go all in.

I had probably listened to this thing a handful of times since the early 90's, but listening to this record I knew every note and between song banter. Not essential, but still a lot of fun.

Overkill Fever

Overkill is always dependable. Twenty albums in, and this band just continues to be one of the best from the old guard that are still kicking around today. As soon as I heard that they had a new album, I knew that I was going to be picking it up and that it would most likely end up near the top of my list of favorite metal records for the year.

I've been a little slow to get to new releases this year, but once I started spinning the new Overkill album, Scorched, it quickly jumped into constant rotation. At first I was a bit hesitant about the song Fever, and it felt like a weak point in the album, but the more I listen to it, the more I like it. It is such a dark and brooding song, and Blitz's voice is so fucking perfect. It was definitely a grower for me, but it is quickly becoming one of my favorites from the record. Overkill can do no wrong.

The amber with green splatter was a bold choice, but I kind of like the look here. 1,000 pressed.

72 Seasons

Metallica work on their own time schedule. It is going to take them 6 or 7 years to release a new album, and if you want to bitch about it, well, the line for the Metallica complaint department starts right over there. Go to it. That shit is so played out. I'm always down for some new Metallica.

72 Seasons exceeds my expectations. Look, there was some great stuff on their last album, Hardwired, but that thing felt a bit bloated and I rarely return to it. This one though, even at 70 minutes, I'm fucking loving it from start to finish (and while the album cover isn't amazing, it is a hell of a lot better than Hardwired). I don't know what it is, but these songs really hit for me. They sound exciting and fresh, and I'm instantly hooked. I absolutely loved Death Magnetic, and this record is hitting me with those same feelings. This is possibly going to be the metal record that I'll be listening to the most throughout 2023.

The "midnight violet" was the indie store exclusive colored vinyl, so on release day, I went to an actual record store and bought it. Felt weird to have to leave the house to get a record and not just have it show up at my door.

Killing Technology

The chain of influence continues. Early this year I posted about an Overkill record that I was excited to pick up, and that led me to rush out and pick up a Powermad album. After writing that post, I hit the ground running to chase down Voivod's Killing Technology. There is just something about picking up those old 80's metal records that hits like nothing else.

I've struggled with a number of problems from Discogs sellers earlier this year. A few times I've ordered a specific colored vinyl version, only to receive a regular black vinyl copy in the mail, and problems struck again with Killing Technology. I really wanted to own an original Noise pressing out of Germany for this record. I don't know... the album was released on Noise, so I wasn't too interested in a US imprint pressing through Combat Records. So when I found a US seller with a listing for the German Noise pressing at a decent price, I jumped on it. Too good to be true and they actually sent me the US pressing... plus it had a promo hole punched into the cover. Fuck. At least the seller was very accomodating and gave me a full refund, apologized and told me to keep the record. I'll take a free record, even if it wasn't the pressing that I was intially looking for.

Man, this album is so killer. Front to back, Killing Technology is loaded with classic Voivod thrash songs. Listening to this album today and now I'm thinking that I want to listen to it everyday. Man, I've been wanting to have this record on my shelf for a long time now, and it feels so good to own a copy (even if it isn't a German Noise press).

Field Of Flames

I wasn't too excited when I was buying the recent Side By Side reissue, so while I was placing an order with REVHQ, I had to find something else to add to the cart to make things more interesting.

I'd seen the Field Of Flames (not to be confused with Fields Of Fire) name pop up as a suggested artist on Spotify quite a bit recently. Like, oh I see you are listening to Magnitude, here are a bunch of other bands that you might like. I've never had much faith in those algorithms, but surprisingly Spotify has come through on more than a few occasions. Also, I'm pretty sure that at some point I'd heard the guys on the 185 Miles South podcast mention that Field Of Flames worships that 90's hardcore sound, so after quickly checking out some of their songs, it seemed like a good move to add this record to my REVHQ cart.

Field Of Flames definitely has that 90's influence, I mean, hell, there is a cover of Blanket from Unbroken on this record, so that should give you some kind of indication where they are coming from... although FOF definitely has more of a metallic edge than Unbroken. But even with those older influences, Field Of Flames still definitely sounds like a modern hardcore band, and while I can imagine that this will turn off older hardcore dudes that are stuck in the past, I'm just happy that kids are doing shit like this today.

Don't Fuck It Up

I've never been a big fan of the Side By Side compilation that Rev released back in 1997. The band is one of my favorites from that era, but that record is just too messy for me. Songs from the original 7 inch, compilations, the demo and live stuff... ugh, it's always been too much for me to sit down and listen to. When I listened to the Side By Side episode of the Where It Went podcast, I was surprised to hear Sammy talk about feeling the same way, and that he wanted Rev to reissue a cleaner version of the band's discography.

This year we saw that Side By Side reissue happen. Seven songs from the 7 inch, and the three songs that ended up on the Together and The Way It Is comps. Because I'm impossible to please, I do miss So Fucking Blind from this tracklist though. Since I already own a copy of the original 7 inch (3rd press), I really wasn't sure that I needed this 12 inch reissue, but in the end I figured that I'd better buy a copy now and not regret it later... although has there been a person in the history of record collecting that regretted not buying a reissue? Either way, I've got one.

The packaging on this looks fantastic with the original cover design, and I love the nice large insert. I'm not too excited about the vinyl color, but as a REVHQ exclusive limited to 450, that was the way that I went.

Sometimes I'm Happy

I've always been a bit fascinated with these unofficial releases. Hell, I remember as a kid going into a record store in Portland that had a section of live bootleg cassettes for sale, and as I'd grown up in a time of FBI warnings around illegal recordings of movies and live concerts, I was certain that I was going to be arrested as a part of some sting operation when I bought one. Bootleg records felt dangerous, and I'm sure that fueled my fascination with them.

A couple of years back I was buying a lot of live boots, but I got to a point last year where I made a conscious decision to ease up and put that money towards records that were more important. A year had passed since I'd bought my last one, and that itch came back, so I started looking around at what was easily available.

This Black Sabbath bootleg is from a series of three shows that the band did in Italy in February of 1973. This double LP captures the full live set from their Bologna date, and it sounds fantastic. Recorded on their tour for Vol. 4, we get a bunch of songs from that album, plus an early recording of Killing Yourself To Live that Sabbath would include on their next album, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath... plus the song Sometimes I'm Happy, which will end up being torn apart and pieces will show up in Symptom Of The Universe a couple of years later. Overall, a very cool setlist.

The packaging for this is well done with the Vol. 4 layout, but with Geezer on the front cover and Ozzy on the back. Looking good!

No Sense No Feeling

Admittedly, I was a bit slow when it came to High Vis. I was really digging the first few songs of their album last year, but overall, I was a bit underwhelmed with the record. It did grow on me though, and as we worked our way into 2023, I found that Blending was getting a lot of play time, and for a couple of months it was probably the record I was listening to more than anything else.

I still hadn't bothered to check out the first High Vis album, No Sense No Feeling, but when I heard that Six Feet Under (who knew this label was even still around) was reissuing it this year I quickly preordered a copy. Given how much Blending grew on me, I had high hopes for that first record. I assumed it had a stronger hardcore vibe than their second album, and I was excited to check it out. I think that those expectations keep tripping me up, because the first couple of spins of No Sense left me feeling a bit flat. Like Blending, think that I just need to spend more time with it, and I'm sure it will click with repeat listens.

109 pressed on orange / clear colored vinyl.

The first press on No Sense No Feeling from SFU came with a bonus flexi that the label threw together as a thank you to customers for their patience when the vinyl saw some production delays. Two live songs from a High Vis set back in 2021. Too bad this wasn't from their set at Outbreak fest last year, and included thier version of Dirty Money. What's up, dickheads?! That would have been very cool to have.

Wreck-Age

I can't remember where I first heard about Wreckage. They popped on my radar somehow and caught my attention with that great looking record cover. There was just something about that cover photo and the blue and orange colorway that just screamed "90's hardcore", and I needed to hear the record. Our Time was the first record that I bought this year, placing my preorder on January 1st, and even before I heard a note, I knew that it was going to be a killer hardcore record.

Wreckage do not disappoint. At times the vocals kind of remind me of the old Boston Hardcore band Dive, but other than that I can't really make a direct comparison. It is just hardcore, and I can easily say that Our Time will be one of my favorite records of the year.

100 pressed on orange vinyl.

Dio Live In 1983

Starting in 2018, the Dio band has participated in Record Store Day each year (and sometimes twice if they hit the Black Friday RSD as well). The offering from Dio so far has been a string of seven picture disc singles, and while they haven't been life changing, they have been fun to collect. For 2023, however, they changed things up a bit and this time out we get a live Dio record from '83.

Initially, I wasn't too excited over another live Dio album. I already had seven of them in my collection, and wasn't sure that I needed another one. I was soon set straight, because this is a killer live set as Dio, Viv, Vinny and Jimmy rip through a bunch of songs from the first album, Holy Diver, plus some classics from Sabbath and Rainbow. Dio's voice is incredible here and band are just on fire. Ronnie has been gone for 13 years now, so there won't be any new material from the man... so records like this end up being a bit special and are a nice reminder of how incredible he was as a front man. RJD forever.

Red vinyl and numbered out of 8,000 pressed.

Seven Inch Demand

When I was picking up the Jade Dust record from Extinction Burst, I started looking around their webstore to see what else might interest me. I noticed that the label had also released the Demand 7 inch, and since I'd just heard the 185 Miles South podcast speaking highly of the record, I figured that I'd get my hands on a copy.

Demand are a hardcore band out of DC, however, I remember the singer, Zech, from shows in Maine going back about 10 years or so. It was a cool surprise to discover that he was in this band after I'd picked up this record. This five song 7 inch is great. Straight forward hardcore, and while the label drops names like Where The Wild Things Are and Hawker Records, Demand kind of remind me of the Paramount album that Fury did a few years back. I really hope that we hear more from this band because if they keep this up, I sense that they will get better and better.

Nice looking record on white vinyl with the OBI strip around the cover.

Jade Dust

My records show that I first checked out Jade Dust back in 2021. It obviously didn't make much of an impression on me at the time, as I gave the songs from their EP one listen and then moved on... completely forgetting about them until Marcus started talking about them over on Endless Quest. He made some comparisons to DC hardcore bands like Rites Of Spring and Embrace, which had me sit up and take notice. However, when he wrote "I think it's great that there is a band playing this sound in 2023", that one sentence really caught my attention. I know that feeling deep in my core. There are times when I'll listen to a band, and I'll think "man, bands just don't play this style anymore", and when one finally come along, and does it successfully, you fucking savor it.

Based on Marcus's post, I decided to check out Jade Dust again. I was kind of digging the songs a bit more this visit, but the real magic came to the surface with repeat listens. Initially I thought the band was kind of cool, but the more I hear these songs, the more I love them.

The blue vinyl was of course sold out over at Extinction Burst, so I just picked up the "random" color that was available and limited to 200. The yellow/orange doesn't really go with the cover art, but the vinyl still looks great.

Now I'm going to have to check out the band's latest record, Wild Geese, at some point as well.

Don't Test The Pest

Earlier this year, I figured that I'd reach out to a couple of friends to recommend the Denial Of Life record. That thing shreds so fucking hard with the throwback to the old school crossover sound, and I thought that they would appreciate it like I did. I did not get the response that I was hoping for, and was basically told that it was garbage. I don't typically bother people with recommendations, but I figured it was right up their alley. Oh well, I'll keep the cool shit to myself. Of course, the thing to do when you shit on one recommendation is to give out your own, and I was told that Pest Control was the real shit. I wasn't too excited to check them out after the reaction that I got, but I did remember seeing someone post a photo of the record on Instagram recently, so I knew that someone else I followed thought they were good, and I decided to download the album.

Oh shit. Pest Control fucking rip. Don't Test The Pest blasts through 11 songs in 21 minutes, pure fucking crossover thrash similar to what Dead Heat has been doing. I don't think that Pest Control are going to beat out Denial Of Life in my head to head match up, but that doesn't matter... give me more of this style.

Of course when I was looking for a copy, the green colored vinyl was already sold out at Quality Control. A second pressing was on the way, but for me, it was all about the green vinyl first press, so I hit up Discogs and overpaid for it. Don't care. I'm happy to have one.