Songs For The Willow

One Step Closer released their second record, This Place You Know, a couple of years ago. I expected big things from that record, but it didn't hit like I'd expected it to, and with all the other cool shit released that year, I kind of forgot about it. Of course that didn't stop me from jumping in to preorder the latest EP from the band.

The latest 12 inch, Songs For The Willow, arrived at my house months ago, but I just haven't been in the mood to check it out. One Step Closer covered Turning Point's Broken a couple of years ago, so I always think of them trying to take that same trajectory of going from a hardcore band and progressively getting more and more melodic. OSC aren't Turning Point though, so with this latest EP, I was worried that they may have tried too hard and completely diluted their sound. Despite my hesitance, these three songs are a great blend of hardcore and melody. I'm kind of impressed... and at around 10 minutes, I can see myself revisiting these songs often.

"Sunset orange" colored vinyl is limited to 500.

Congregation Of Annihilation

Mike Howe had rejoined Metal Church in 2015, and released two great albums with the band before his untimely death in 2021. Metal Church has seen a few different singers over their long career and the Mike Howe albums are just as crucial to me as the original David Wayne ones. I figured that the loss of Howe was the end of the band, so I was surprise to hear that the band had a new singer and were releasing a new album. Initially I wanted nothing to with it. No thanks, I'm good.

After the album was released, I didn't want to be that guy that cuts a band off and doesn't give them a chance after a change. Kurdt Vanderhoof is still the guy writing all the music for Metal Church, so I decided to check a new song with an open mind, and goddamn, it was really good. Metal Church still delivers some great traditional metal, and after checking out the full album, I knew I had to pick one up.

Rat Pak has always done a great job with packaging for the recent Metal Church albums, and Congregation Of Annihilation is no exception.

Out Of Time

It has been a weird year for me when it comes to listening to music. I've been kind of lost and searching for something different to listen to, and I've found myself gravitating towards bands and styles that have been a bit unexpected. I spent a lot of time last year with new hardcore records, but this year I've just felt kind of indifferent. I can feel that changing a bit as we approach the end of 2024, and I'm starting to listen to some newer shit more and more, but overall, my listening habits this year have been odd and all over the place. Case in point... R.E.M.

I've listened to more R.E.M. this year than I probably have ever in my life. I mean, I liked the band in the early 90's, but even then I didn't listen to them as obsessively has I have this past year. After spending over a decade thinking that I never needed to listen to them again, my enjoyment of the band has grown over the last couple of year. This year, however, I just keep returning to them again and again... specifically their 1991 album, Out Of Time. I don't know what it was about this record, but I've listened to it a lot. Before this year, I don't think that I'd listened to it but two or three times over the past 30 years... it has never been my go-to R.E.M. record, but when I gave it a casual listen back in January it hooked me hard, and I've easy listened to it more than any of their other albums this year.

I've listened to Out Of Time so much that I needed a copy in my collection. I thought that I'd be able to pick up an old copy of it for cheap, but I guess that since it was released in '91, when vinyl was in a decline, those original pressings may have seen smaller numbers, and therefore are more expensive than I expected. Since an original press was priced the same as a newer colored vinyl press, I decided to put my money toward the newer version. That yellow vinyl looks so good that I couldn't resist.

New York Blue

First of all, I don't like letting go of any record that I own. Even if I don't particularly like it. What if 25 years from now I have a change of heart, and that band suddenly becomes a favorite. The thought of having to buy a record that I already once owned would literally kill me with wave after crushing wave of regret. Nope. Best to just keep everything. Second, record trades always make me feel awkward. I'm glad I came into record collecting in the day of eBay, and I could just buy what I want. I get such anxiety if someone asks me if I'd be willing to do a trade for a record that I have. No, I don't have a trade list, or a handy list of records that I would be looking for... it is fucking random chaos in my world of collecting. No organized plan or order.

So when someone recently messaged me through Discogs asking about working a trade for a record that he wanted from me, I promptly ignored it. That worked for a month or so, until he tracked me down through Instagram and dropped me a message there. Ooof. That one was more difficult to ignore. I immediately hit up Marcus to see if this guy was legit, or if he was just a pain in the ass. Marcus vouched for him, and said that if I was interested, I should draft up a list of records that I would be willing to trade for, and see if the guy could make it happen. Now I wasn't really attached to this record, but after a lot of hand wringing, I finally got back to the intial offer to tell him that I just wasn't interested in making a trade at that point... but in reality, Marcus had mentioned that he wouldn't mind having this in his collection, and that was all that I needed to hear. I just didn't want to give it to anyone other than Marcus.

When I went to visit with Marcus this summer, I was delivering a bunch of records that he'd purchased and had shipped to my house, so that I could pack them on the plane and deliver them like the little vinyl drug mule that I am. I dropped that record into the pile for him. He knew what I was thinking of asking the original trader for, but I honestly wasn't concerned about it. I gave it to him with a "you deserve this more than anyone else, so just trade me anything that you think is fair". A couple of months later and he came through. Fair ended up being the blue vinyl for Judge's New York Crew.

I can't begin to explain how happy I am to have this record in my collection. I've never actively sought it out or given it much thought. It always just seemed to be one of those classic record pressings that was too big for my collection. It was kind of dumb thinking, because I've definitely spent more on a record than it would have taken for this one... but still it never entered my brain as a possibility until I was forced to come up with a list of possible trades for that intial message. Now that I have this Judge record, it makes me want to chase other big shit like this.

Fucking Assholes Don't Get It

While on holiday in the UK this past summer, we took the opportunity to fly over and spend a couple of days in Paris with Marcus and Anna. Soon after we had landed at the Charles de Gaulle Airport, Marcus gave me a heads up that there was a special edition of the new Planet On A Chain LP that was available. There were only 50 made with a special screen printed cover, so as soon as we got to our hotel for the night, I was on the wifi and ordering myself a copy. Shortly after arriving back home in the States, the record landed in my mailbox like a hardcore souvenir of my trip overseas.

Apparently the guys from Armageddon and Drop Dead are long time friends with the guys in POAC and wanted to make a special edition cover for their newest album, Boxed In. Named the Fucking Assholes edition from the Drop Dead song of the same name, the packaging on this looks hardcore as fuck. Bad ass looking cover screen printed on a heavy black card stock that folds around the original sleeve.

The website states that there are only 50 of these, so why does it look like there are still some available months later?

Insignificant 7 Inch

Prior to travelling over to the UK, Marcus and I had discussed the old zines that we did in the mid 90's. Thankfully, I only had a single copy of the embarassing personal zine that I had done called Still Hope, so I wasn't able to get him a copy. Marcus, however, had additional copies of the Insignificant zine that he did, and was able to give me the two issues that he had done. Right out of the gate, I can tell that Marcus's zine was way above the quality level that I was working at at the time. Cleaner layouts, interviews with band, and actually printed as opposed to running off copies on the office photocopier like I had done. I haven't taken the time yet to read through these, but I'm sure the writing is more interesting as well.

One of the more interesting things about this zine, was that issue number two came with a 7 inch. Evel are one of those 90's melodic bands out of the mid-west that no one knows or will remember... I know that in my case, I'd never heard them until Marcus handed me this copy of his zine. The record was released by Foresight Records prior to getting scooped up to be included as a bonus 7 inch with Insignificant, and while I was aware of the label and had picked up couple of their early releases (including the excellent Ceilishrine 7 inch from '94), by the time this Evel record was released in '96, it didn't even register on my radar at the time.

To be honest, I was not really interested in this Evel record when Marcus handed it to me. I'm sure that he told me what they sounded like, and I know that we talked about Ceilishrine, but my mind is stubborn and I was too fixated on the band name and assumed that this was some metalcore bullshit that I wouldn't like... which again is dumb, because I definitely like what was considered metalcore in the 90's. I have no idea why I was being so stubborn here, but when I finally put this record on the turntable as I was preparing to write this post, I had to stop and reevaluate because I did not expect this record to be this good. This record just fits that mid 90's melodic vibe so well and I eat this shit up. Fuck yes, this is such a great find 25+ years after its release.

"We firmly believe in limited edition and personalised products."

Nice sticker with info about the Insignificant version of the Evel 7 inch, and hand numbered out of 531.

Red Rhythm

Back in 2015, I fucked up and without doing any research on pressing information, I bought the common black vinyl version of Rhythm Collision's second album, Now. It was an impulse decision and an amateur move, and Marcus didn't hesitate to call me out on it. At the time, Marcus had never heard Rhythm Collision, and it took him about 8 years to finally check the band out... and then quickly pick up some colored vinyl for cheap. When I was visiting him in the UK earlier this summer, he took the opportunity to finally set me straight with a colored vinyl pressing of my own.

Rhythm Collision are just a fun band. They play an uptempo and melodic brand of punk, but they still have plenty of grit to keep it interesting. Definitely a summertime band, and one of the few Dr. Strange bands that I listen to.

No doubt, the red vinyl is the color of choice for this album. Such a good look, and I'm glad that a great friend helped to correct my previous mistake.

Bane Reunion

When Bane played their "last" show back in 2016, I couldn't get myself interested enough to make the trip to Massachusetts for it. When I saw the photos and videos after the show, and all of the old acquaintances that were there, I kind of regretted not going. When it was announced 7 years later that Bane were going to start playing shows again, I quickly jumped in to buy tickets for that reunion. My brother was on board for the show, and two of his boys wanted to be there as well. Kind of weird to be going to see a band with my nephews, when I'd first seen Bane before they were even born, but I was looking forward to it.

The show ended up being a few days before I was set to leave for holiday in the UK, and in an effort to do my best to avoid covid, I decided that my best move was to stay away from all the action at the front of the stage, and resign myself to the sidelines. Once Bane started their set, and I could see my brother and nephews launching themselves from the stage into the crowd, I regretted my decision.

As we were eating dinner before the show, my brother let me know that he had heard there was going to be some special edition vinyl at the show. I've never really collected Bane records, but if there was a special pressing for the reunion show, I wanted it. As we would come to learn in the days to come, while there were a couple of colored vinyl options that were available at the show, there were still 5 or 6 other versions that were available through multiple exclusive retailers. With that many different versions, for me, it just means that none of them are that special. I'll take the copy that I got at the show, but it isn't really a big deal at this point.

The packaging on this is really nice though. With the diecut gatefold cover, and the booklet attached to the inside cover, this a great looking edition.

I do like the bright pink vinyl for this.

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.