A World View on Hardcore

Ordering from Speedowax Records is very much like a box of chocolates - you never know what you're gonna get. Rich always hooks me up with a upgrade here and a rarer colour of vinyl there which always makes the Speedowax mail a nice surprise to look forward to.

World View - Face It

This was the record I was most interested in and the initial reason for my order. The blurb stated that this Aussie band sounded like Gorilla Biscuits, Down To Nothing and Have Heart so I knew I'd like this. The Gorilla Biscuits influence is very prominent but you won't hear me complaining about that and this is a superb record. I really wanna hear more from World View. Speedowax seem to have uncovered a load of great bands over the last few years and this is yet another.

When I came to order this I believe there were only the standard cover versions left but low and behold a record release cover version came through with a note from Rich saying he'd found one. Out of 50 on black.

Point Blank - Life Crisis

Point Blank sound like the kind of angry young men you wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley. Heavy, thrashy stuff with harsh vocals, musically in the vein of say Terror but with a pitbull singing for them. When they get it all to click like on the track Cold Embers it's pretty good.

This is the gold vinyl version out of 150 copies.

Spirits / Tomar Control - Split

You might remember i'd been keen to hear Spirits on their last Speedowax outing but they hadn't quite hit the mark with me on that release. This, on the other hand is much better and alot more focused and I really enjoyed the tracks on offer here. The band even throw in a cheeky Cranberries cover which I liked.

Tomar Control are an all female band from Peru. It's fairly mental but worth a listen. This was the slush puppy blue vinyl version of the release of 165 copies.

Mind Control/Hardout -From The Alleys To The Valleys

UKHC split from two bands I hadn't heard before. Both bands are pretty good and whilst both in the same Youth Crew genre they sound quite different. Mind Control in particular I found myself really liking.

Love those centre labels. This is the Violet colour version.

Unforce - Keep On Struggling

I'd been meaning to check this out for a while and I'm glad I waited as whilst I'd ordered a normal version of the record it was this test press numbered 19/20 that came through. Nice!

Unforce are from the Phillipines and play good if not fairly bog standard straight-edge hardcore. One label and in just a few records we've been to Australia via Peru to the UK over to the Phillipines and then to the States. Brilliant!!

Gameface / Old Flings

When I picked up that Fade record from Speedowax, Rich threw in this record too. Who doesn't like free records?

Gameface / Old Flings - Split

I haven't listened to Gameface in the longest time, they aren't really a band I've kept up with over the years. I have their Three To Get Ready LP from years ago but that's about it. Actually though I really enjoyed the track Frames that they offer up here. Really good catchy stuff.

Old Flings are the other band on the split and whilst not normally my thing, again I liked this track Grip. At least on this song the band remind me a bit of a less macabre and somber Alkaline Trio,which actually I'm okay with, as the missus loves Alkaline Trio and I've begrudgingly come to like some of their stuff.

On a side note I really like the centre labels Speedowax have used here. I can't remember if that style have appeared before or not but they are smart.

Fade

Being a big old fan of Speedowax Records ran by the ridiculously busy and hard working Rich, I like to think I have my finger on what they are releasing but it wasn't until Marcus Endless Quest posted about this band that I realised I'd missed a trick.

Fade - Demo

It was Marcus referencing Man Will Surrender that caught my interest and he was definately right about that. That's what's going on here with maybe some Understand mixed in and even some 90's Alt rock/grunge and it's really good stuff. Featuring members of Shrapnel and Violent Reaction though how could it not be?

This is the Grey Swirl mix vinyl and Speedowax's 98th release in 17 years! Awesome!!

Fade - One With Serenity

Of course one record was never going to be enough and after getting the demo record I also sought out the bands Neutral Words release One With Serenity.

Can't get enough of this at the moment. This is the Green vinyl version out of 125

Higher Power - Space To Breathe

Whilst over at Neutral Words I also spotted another record that sounded interesting this debut E.P release by Leeds band Higher Power. It mentioned Leeway and Life Of Agony and yep that's definately on show here, at times they even remind me a bit of Turnstile. Another great release by a UK band!

This White vinyl version of the record is out of 100

Check both bands out

Record Store Day 2

November the 23rd in the U.S is Black Friday and our lucky friends from across the pond have themselves a mini record store day with some exclusive releases issued. This year I got involved...sort of. This could be a long one...

So this little haul of vinyl started early Friday morning at 1am. I'd seen that Banquet Records has some of the Black Friday releases in and they would go on sale in the small hours. Luckily I'm something of a night owl and this sort of time doesn't put me off, so I waited up and swooped for the one record I was interested in. Incubus - S.C.I.E.N.C.E

See back in 1997 I LOVED this record and whilst I haven't been able to stomach anything the band has done since, I still think this is a superb album, so when I heard it was being pressed on vinyl for the first time I knew I wanted to get it.

Pressed as a double LP on gatefold the packaging is actually pretty poor. The images seem to have just been blown up from the CD inlay and theres a printing mistake in that some of the thanks list is printed twice. Obviously a rushed job as this seems to have gone unnoticed. I've since learnt that these Incubus albums are getting a standard press in 2013, had i of known this I'd have probably waited. The Black Friday version is limited to 3000 I think of which I have number 1918. It's good to listen to this album on vinyl and I still think it's an interesting listen but man the packaging let's it down.

 

Anyway, the reason I didn't mind staying up till 1am was that I wasn't going to work the next day anyway, me and the Mrs where in fact venturing to Birmingham for the weekend for a weekend of booze, food, fun and....records, yeah you know I had record store motives in mind for the trip.
I'd been meaning to visit Ignite Records for ages and just hadn't ventured to Birmingham in that time, so I was looking forward to it greatly.
On entering I was immediately greeted by the owner Rich who also runs Speedowax Records. Rich set about quickly figuring out what sort of stuff I was into so he could make some recommendations. In fact in talking to Rich it turned out he'd read this blog via Marcus' blog which was pretty cool.

This was the first thing I picked up from Rich. Hardside - Time Is Punishment. Rich noticed me look at it and said he'd put it on for me if I wanted. On listening to it in the store it sounded pretty good so I grabbed it.

 

Good brutal stuff on Green vinyl released by 6131 records. The cover is damn cool too.

 

 

I've spoken before about how in record stores rather than buying on the net I quite often buy records I wouldn't normally be seeking out because It's in front of me and I tend to get a little punch drunk in the store. So LP wise I next picked up this.

 

 

Machine Head - Burn My Eyes. Here's another album albeit in 1994 here that I used to love. Albums like this ushered in a new breed of metal back then and this album was and is a terrific slab of thrash infused ferocity.

 

Nothing this band has done since has interested me in the slightest, they might be back to being meeetttaaaaallllllll now but their band wagon jumping nu-metal and rap-metal days were repulsive to say the least. Tracks like Davidian and Old are still cool though. In fact in a similar vein Rich had a copy of Chaos AD by Sepultura that I wished I'd picked up now too.

So Rich being a true vinyl pusher of course didn't let me leave the store only picking up two LP's he also pushed some 7"s on to me from his own Speedowax label. Glad he did though.

Let me start with this, Black Shapes - In The Mourning Light. Sweet Jesus YESSS!! This band seriously rip, I like this record a hell of a lot. It's the new band of the singer from November Coming Fire and sounds like Converge meets Hot Damn era Every Time I Die with some Refused vocal moments in places. It's bloody good stuff this. Electric Blue vinyl. Not sure of pressing details. Check it out!

Next Collision - Tiebreaker. Melodic Hardcore here in the style of Saves The Day and bands of that ilk. I really like this too, good catchy hook and melodies with some great chants and singalongs. Rich gave me a two cover version, the cover on the left being the pre-order version. Also contains the two pressings of the record on yellow and black. This double pack is numbered 6/25.

Weight Of The World - No Promised Land. Again a double pack of records on thick purple and black vinyl. Numbered 18/25. This is good hardcore stuff in the style of Trapped Under Ice and Expire

 Next two Rich threw in for free.

 

A split release between Douglas and Deathbed. Two pretty different bands of course. Douglas are UK stalwarts and play pop-punk. Deathbed on the other hand are fierce straight edge hardcore from Atlanta. Good stuff.

 

Snake Road - Severed. Quite a weird one this, I'm totally unsure about this band. Screamy shouted vocals in the style of Snapcase or someone but the music is kinda riffy twiddly rock and roll.Not sure it quite hits home for me but I'll give it some more spins.

So that concluded my Ignite leg of the day, Great record store and Rich is a true gent. It's always good to speak even briefly to a kindred spirit and someone with a similar taste in music. I'll defo be back sooner rather than later I think.

Anyway on leaving Ignite we ventured into Birminghams big shopping centre The Bull Ring. As well as picking up Krispy Creme doughnuts I ventured for the first time in a LONG time into HMV just for the hell of it, and wouldn't you know, they only had a vinyl section!! When did this happen? I think purely from the shock I picked this up.

Helmet - Meantime. This is the 2012 Back On Black reissue.

Nice looking gatefold packaging on 180 gram red vinyl.

Did this album really come out in 1992? 20 years ago? Time flys