Expire...again

Records don't fit through your average letter box. I dare say some people are smart and get them delivered to work or something? I don't. When I get home from work I usually find a card telling me somethings being held at the local collection office, it's ten minutes drive away, I got home 10 minutes before it closes, I jumped back in the car and went to get it, Royal Mail don't rob me of a nights listening, HELL NO!

Same band two posts in a row. In my last ramblings I talked about Expire and the 7" teaser for this record that came today, their new album Pendulum Swings. Now granted I've only had three listens through and one involved my four year old daughter 'singing' along but its actually a bit bloody good.

 I know a few guys like myself had felt the 'Suffer The Cycle' 7" was a little uninspiring but this already sounds like a real leap forward. The opening shout of "Everything is going fine" brings things crashing in well and the record doesn't let up from that point on. There's some banging riffs on offer here and whilst they aren't reinventing the wheel musically or anything, there is definitely enough to have you furiously nodding along with a big old grin. My only criticism is that the vocals seem a little low in the mix, although maybe it's my levels I dunno.

As I didn't pre-order this or select it from Bridge Nine, I have the 'Coke Bottle Clear' version as it's simply the one that came through. I'm guessing it's the most common version, as there was a 'Coke Bottle Clear w/ Black Splatter' pre-order and also a Gold version. Can't say I'm at all fussed though as I like how this looks (I think I say that about every record I get haha), and it seems to work with the cover.

 So whilst I have to explore this record more yet, I'd definitely say if you'd dismissed Expire previously this record might just change your mind. Check out 'Just Fine', 'Spit Out' and 'Abyss' as instant choice cuts.

Due to EXPIRE

I got a beauty of an order through from Bridge Nine a few days ago. Now the main thing I ordered I'm not going to write about for a little bit, and I'll explain why when I eventually do (ohhhh the suspense) but one of the other records that came through was this 7" - EXPIRE - Sink With Me.

 I have to admit I added this to my order just to bulk it up a bit and make the postage costs worthwhile, not because I don't like Expire, but mainly because this 7" is basically just a one track sampler of their new album Pendulum Swings. That track is entitled 'Abyss' and it's actually a bit of a barnstormer and has really wet my appetite for that upcoming album. The B Side is a Sick Of It All cover 'The Pain Strikes' from Just Look Around.

I have the half white, half black version but it's also available on clear vinyl. No idea of pressing numbers as Bridge Nine haven't updated it in their discography yet. That back cover is pretty apt with the watch as it's 2AM here, does everyone else blog at a more sensible hour??

I don't seem to be able to feature a record without adding something else I also have by the band. With that in mind....

I have this from Expire too. Suffer The Cycle which came out on Six Feet Under at the beginning of 2011 I think. The four tracks here are really good too, in fact I just had a listen again for the first time in a while and don't know why I haven't listened to this more, although buying too much music (is that possible?) might have something to do with it.

This is the second press of 400 I believe. The first press was all on black and as that white vinyl goes really well with the the rest of the record I'm fine with that.

'I never wanted this

I'm really sorry Miss

I pulled you down with me

into the abyss

Sink with me'

Police & Thieves

I got this record a while ago but figure it's a good time to get it put up on this here blog. It's the european release of Police & Thieves - Amor Y Guerra. This LP combines a couple of their earlier 7"s and was released by a label I talked about in the Out Of Vogue post Salad Days Records.

I have the clear version of the Washinton DC bands LP which is limited to 156 copies, but it was also pressed on clear with pink splatter (108) and Black (252).

 This is another quality offering from Salad Days in terms of package and it's a really good offering from the band too. They sound kinda like Bane and Ten Yard Fight with nods to Dag Nasty/ Fugazi and that traditional DC Dischord sound.

The Great ICE hype

So it finally came yesterday, a little later than my stateside friends got this but hey dems the breaks, and I'm not really complaining as Reapers postage cost is reasonable and as quick as I think they can be. This is the debut full length from the much hyped Fire & Ice on Reaper Records entitled Not Of This Earth. It's kinda hard to believe that this is the bands debut as their name seems to have been everywhere over the last year or so.

As you can see I opted for the blue version (which seems to catch the light loads) of this release, mainly because I thought it looked the best and seemed to go nicely with the graphic on the front of the album. It's not the rarest though, that honour goes to the black pressing of 300, but hell there's no way I'm taking black over colour vinyl, no sir, it just isn't as cool or as visually pleasing to me. There's also a white pressing of 1000.

So I've only really had chance to give this a couple of spins so far and I like it. Is it deserving of the hype? probably not, I mean there's nothing earth shattering here and there are other bands (ironically on Reaper) that I think are similar and better, but when does the hype ever match the reality? very rarely. What we are looking at is a really fine first release of quality hardcore, that will certainly be getting a lot more spins on my decks, and as I've only had a couple of listens so far this might grow on me even more.

Picture included simply because I have a new turntable.

TUI get it right across your face!

I've always been critical of Trapped Under Ice's merch. I love Trapped Under Ice as a band but some of their merch is just plain ugly. It's something I've joked quite alot about with my fellow blogger acrossyourface however I think this time they've struck gold!

That's right! It's a god damn TUI coaster! It came with a pre-order from Reaper today and man does it rock.

Who doesn't wanna put their steaming hot cuppa on Johnny Depps face? Well done TUI

Jealous??

Backtrack

As soon as I mentioned them in my last post I knew I'd be writing about Backtrack next. I don't know why I didn't get to them sooner because they are pretty bad ass. With the exception of the a 2010 release that combines two of these I believe this is everything they have put out.

Up first the latest release, the bands debut full length Darker Half on Reaper Records on the aptly named 'Piss Yellow'. 600 were pressed in this colour, there is a more limited green press (100) and a clear press(400) but I actually liked this colour the most.

I'm not gonna pretend I'm O.G on this shit, this is the release that I first heard from the band and I loved it straight away, it's absolutely quality modern hardcore. It lead me to check out the bands earlier releases.

The Deal With The Devil E.P from 2009, which is also really good. In fact there's not a lot between the two releases. I have the second pressing on Red and White vinyl. I'm not sure of the pressing info in terms of numbers or other colours, I know the first press was long gone by the time I came sniffing though.

Nice how the full length continued the artwork theme.

And this is The '08 Demo from errrrm '08 although again I believe this is the second pressing. Going backwards with a band is always interesting, the two later releases are much better, not that this is bad, it most certainly isn't and had I heard this first I'd have been all over it, it's just not going to get the same amount of spins now as the later two records.

It's great to hear the progression from the demo to the Reaper release like this though.

I bought this from Flatspot Records and I know we in the UK always run this risk when ordering from the States but it seemed to take a super long time to get to me (over a month), which was a bit of a shame really as I wouldn't mind a few other things from Flatspot, like that new 'The Extermination' comp, but that has put me off a little, am I being too fussy? I mean it's not like the record didn't arrive at all right?

Soul Search

Here's a band I've been straight doggin' on (American Pickers represent!!!) recently, Soul Search. I'm fairly late to the party I think and I don't really know a ton about this band but what I do know is I like them a lot, they are right where I am with hardcore at the moment. Along with bands like Take Offense and Back Track 

Intolerable Weight is I think their first release and it's released on Thick Skin Records.

 This only arrived today so haven't really had chance to spin more than the first track yet. I was actually pretty surprised to see it show up in the V-Revolution web store, but those guys just keep getting the quality releases in, check em out if you are in the UK.

I love the simple, no nonsense, artwork on the front. It actually looks pretty 'Oi' to me. I'm not sure of pressing details for this one or what other colours if any are available.

This is the Bury The Blame release on BBB that I already had. I just have the black vinyl release but I believe there is a red and a green version also. Only thing letting this release down is the dude on the far lefts choice of footwear...what the hell are those things? haha

Hopefully I'll be able to strike a little sooner for any future releases.

Pay To Cum Red Biscuits

It was a slow week this week in terms of new records, not in terms of quantity because a fair few came through but most of it was 'house keeping buys', by that I mean different versions of records I already have or records I've never had that aren't very interesting but I saw them cheap and decided I wanted them on vinyl. For instance I picked up a copy of Iron Maidens first LP, and also a copy of Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, both highly uninteresting cheap black pressings that I just wanted to add to my 'classics' shelf. Any one else have those sort of weeks?

However here's two that I figured I would share. First, Bad Brains - Pay To Cum 7" on limited red vinyl backed with At The Movies released in 1990.

 I doubt it's that limited but it looks fairly cool and there's nothing wrong with a bit of Bad Brains coloured vinyl.

Second, Gorilla Biscuits S/T on 12" vinyl released by We Bite Records in 1991.

I've had the 7" of this for as long as I care to remember and also have the extra B side tracks on the various compilations and releases that they appear on but to have them all in the one place is cool.

So there you have it, two releases I didn't have that now I do. Unspectacular maybe but worthy additions to my collection I think. I'm pleased to find them a home.

Coalesce - Last Call For The Living

Coalesce - What a great band. Much over looked in my eyes, every release from this band is a scorcher.

Anyway, this is the Last Call For The Living 10". It was meant to be the bands farewell of unreleased material, a thank you to the fans if you will when they called it a day in 2000. It isn't their final release because they have since re-grouped and put out the ace 'Ox' album but hey there ya go.
It's a weird one actually as this is the 'off center' press of which I believe there are 110 of this Strawberry pressing, although as there's also a 'Ooze', 'Hex' and 'Buzzsaw' pressing of the same colour and I have no idea what that means it could be more limited.

I think you can make out that it's off center in these pics, it's not just the center though, the whole thing is pressed 'off'.

The off center thing makes this really difficult to play as the record wobbles and moves about on the turntable uncontrollably and just getting the needle to stay on the darn thing is an exercise in patience.

In fairness it does say on the back cover that the 'record is not meant to be a record for 'listening' to as such, but rather for documentary sake'. The band are also the first to 'admit the first 3 demo tracks are horrible' and they really are haha.

It's a nice, fairly rare record to have in the collection though and also a bit of a novelty. Coalesce have always done their own thing and this kinda embodies that.