Dream World

Spirit Crusher is one of the best hardcore bands from Germany, if not the best hardcore band at the moment. Tastes differ obviously, but for me Spirit Crusher is THE band. I love everything they have released so far, but it's their live shows where it's really at. I saw them a couple of weeks ago, actually it was the very day it was announced that their new 7" and follow-up LP are going to be released on Triple B, and they have such a fantastic energy live, they even made me stage dive, which I hadn't done in a very long time. Whenever I seem them, I'm really hyped. 

For any European band to be released on a US label is always something special. There are so many great bands from Europe, but hardcore in the US seems to be very US-centric. I can only think of a handful of bands from Europe that were released on US labels in the last couple of years. Well, if there's one band from Germany that definitely deserves to be noticed on a global level, it's Spirit Crusher. I'm not saying others don't deserve to be seen more, but Spirit Crusher have definitely earned it. 

On Dream World they deliver two new songs. I don't know if those songs will be featured on their upcoming LP as well or if those will be exclusive to this 7", but any new material by Spirit Crusher is always more than welcome. There are some changes musically, but standing still is never good, and the changes are subtle enough for me - still clearly the Spirit Crusher sound, but different from the older material. Those two songs turned our really great and I can‘t wait for the LP to drop. 

White/Purple Haze on Triple B /250 (Merchpit Exclusive)

Surprise, Surprise

2023 is running out of time and I still haven't posted every record I picked up this year. I won't even be able to blog about every 2023 release I added to the collection. So I have to prioritize. 

A couple of weeks ago I was going to a show with a very good friend. On the way home we talked about hardcore in 2023 and which releases were going to make our best of lists. He asked me if I had heard the new Vantage Point LP yet, which I hadn't because I wasn't even aware that Vantage Point was still a band. For some reason I had it in my head that hey had split up. He played Against Myself in the car and while listening to the first song I was like "Whoa, this is a good song." By the third song I was at "really good" and by the end of the album I thought this was an awesome record. If I remember correctly, I ordered the record that very night even thought it was already kind of late. But I knew I needed to have this record on vinyl. And I was absolutely right. Ever since I got the album, it's seen a lot of spins on my record player. I really like surprises in general and this has been a very welcome one. 

Green / Yellow Swirl on Triple B Records /350

I was browsing the mailorder I bought the Vantage Point LP from, when my eyes caught this cover. Seeing bands like Inside Out, Swiz and Dag Nasty being mentioned in the description, I was more than intrigued, so I ordered a copy without thinking too much about it. And again, I didn't get disappointed. While some of the reference points might be a stretch, this is a very good record in its own right. Plus, for splatter vinyl it does look really, really good. So, a clear double win in my book. 

Green / White Splatter on Indecision Records /300

How Much Is Enough?

 

A few months ago, Bane announced on their social media accounts that they were getting the band back together. I know some people still make a fuss about reunions, especially if the final tour/show was announced with a big ado, but I don't really care. Bands come, bands go, people change their opinion for whatever reason. If the members of a band decide to get back together because they miss what meant so much to them at one point in their life and it makes them happy, who are others to judge them? No one's force to attend reunions, so why bother if you claim you don't care? 

Around the same time, Bane announced that was going to be a repress of Give Blood. Kind of like a 20 year anniversary reissue, only two years late, but kind of keeping in tune with how the band handles anniversaries, haha. As it goes nowadays, a record release or a re-release means at least half dozen variants, and in this case, nine different variants were announced all at once. The hardcore kid in me applauds band and label for keeping the record in print, and I get why they do so many variants from an economical point of view. However, the record collector in me was not thrilled at all. Nine variants, each $40+, means a large financial commitment. And that is before shipping (from different sources of course) and customs fees. I didn't pull the trigger back then and so far I have not been able to talk myself into buying all of the variants successfully. 

I decided to pick up the variant that one that looked the best and the one that was the most special and skip the rest for now. Obviously, that means a huge hole in my Bane collection, which up until this reissue looked pretty good - and yes, this kind of gnaws at me. Collectors, right?

First of all, the reissue is done really, really well and you definitely get a high quality product. Die cut gatefold sleeve, big booklet within the gatefold sleeve and good quality vinyl. Neither label nor band skimped on this reissue. So you definitely get your money's worth. 

I'm really glad label and band didn't go full 2023 when it came to choosing the vinyl colors. Keeping it classy with this colorway in particular, which is why I chose this one. 

Coke Bottle Clear on Equal Vision /300 (Brooklyn Vegan / Revolver Exclusive)

I also got the Tiger Records exclusive variant. Tiger Records is a record store run by James Siboni, who played bass in Bane when the band dissolved. This is really a beauty. Four way gatefold which folds out into a giant red cross on the one side and shows an incredible live picture of Bane when you flip the whole thing over. You also get the reproduction of a set list circa 2001, a full lyric sheet, a promo shot from the Give Blood era and three cool band pictures. Just beautiful and a real labor of love. 

Fold out red cross with all the extra goodies. I can see those pictures framed on a wall in the future. 

White/Orange /1000 (Tiger Records Exclusive)

Flip side with an incredible live shot by Matt Miller. I wasn't that much excited about reunion shows, but by now I'm really looking forward to seeing Bane live again.

Overall, I'm very happy with the two reissues that I got, but there's still that tiny man inside my head telling me that I definitely need the other variants as well. 

Death Is Nothing To Us

Fiddlehead have been one of the best bands in recent years. Call it hardcore, call it adjacent. Doesn‘t matter, because they simply make awesome music. Death Is Nothing To Us is another really good album that Fiddlehead put out, but it had to grow on me a little bit. The album title is quite daring, but that has probably to do with age creeping up on me. 

Side note: I ordered that record directly from Run For Cover in the US. I rarely do so these days because shipping overseas is crazy, but every once in a while I will splurge the extra money if it‘s a band I really care about. The other reason I almost never order directly from the States is that the customs office has been much stricter the last few years, so on top of outrageous shipping costs, there‘s usually also customs fees. So, while all of that sucks, I knew what I was getting into when I ordered the record. What I didn‘t know was that the customs office would keep the record for about 2.5 months before they actually processed it and I finally received the record about 3 months after it was mailed.  

It was all worth it though, because I really like this variant. Also, I will always love a huge poster that comes with a record. 

1st Press on Blue Swirl /900 (Run For Cover Exclusive)

Gorilla Bootlegs

A couple of months ago a vey good friend of mine came to stay at our place with his family for a few days. He's one of those friend I don't see nearly often enough, but whenever we do it's like we've been hanging out daily for the last couple of years. It's a great feeling to have friendships like this. 

One of those evenings we got to hang out alone and listened to a bunch of records and talked about this and that. While talking about hardcore I told him that I recently found out that there is a version of Start Today with Walter singing, which was also news to him. I think I learned about this via Axe To Grind podcast and my mind was blown when I heard that. A quick research afterwards told me that there is a CD version of that, aptly called Walter Sings The Hits. I was considering buying the CD version, but then another friend posted a picture of the record below on his Instagram, which obviously made me want to buy the vinyl version. I'm not a big fan of bootlegs, but sometimes there's no way around it. 

That night when I was talking to my friend, I happened to find an online source and quickly ordered two copies. The sound isn't great and if sort of complain about the sound quality of a record, this means something. It's still a fun listed every once in while. 

Black vinyl /???

Safe State

A few months ago my band I got to play a show with Dice Throw from Vienna and Safe State from Zurich. I had never heard Dice Throw before, but the singer was wearing a Go It Alone hoodie, so I took that as a good sign and I didn‘t get disappointed. Really good mid-2000s influenced hardcore.

I bought the 7“ Safe State put out a couple of years ago, just because it was on Straight And Alert Records from France and for a time you couldn‘t go wrong picking up the records the label released. I remember liking the 7“ back then, but as it sometimes goes, bands vanish from your radar for no good reason. So I was more than happy when I could reconnect with the band. I really liked the songs they played live and they were a vey nice bunch of people, so getting their LP was a no brainer. 

1st Press on Grey Marble /200

Of Days Renewed

Another record I‘d been eagerly awaiting. To Whatever Fateful End is a modern day masterpiece. Everything about records was perfect. A straight 10/10, A+ or whatever you want to call it. So obviously anticipation on my side was very high. I feel like it‘s always extremely difficult for a band to follow up on an incredibly good LP. When I first listened to Of Days Renewed… I was indeed a little bit disappointed. It just didn‘t hit me the same way Magnitude‘s first LP hit me. After listening to the record over the course of the last few months it has definitely grown on me, but I still don‘t think it‘s as good as their first LP. It‘s still really, really good, but I personally haven‘t heard a hit yet. Deliverance is a great opening track and it‘s the best song on the album in my opinion. I might not like it as much as my fellow blogger Mike, but I do like it a lot. 

For once I was glad to live in Europe because the exclusive version for one of the German mailorders I frequent is one of the better looking variants out there. 

1st Press on Clear Purple w/ Neon Orange Splatter (Evil Greed Exclusive) /250

Feverchild

I had been really looking forward to this record. I‘ve been really into everything Feverchild had released prior, so when a new record was announced, I was really excited. If you aren‘t familiar with the band yet, Feverchild play 90s influenced emo and remind me a lot of The Get Up Kids. Altering A Memory could have easily been released in 1998. I‘m down for a 90s emo revival. 

1st Press on Burgundy Marble /100

Score

Nowadays you can get pretty much every record you want sooner or later by scouring Discogs. It’s a great platform for music fans and collectors in particular. But it’s also responsible for prices skyrocketing, at least partly. So, what can you do if you want to find rare records that don’t cost an arm and a leg? For me, local listings, formerly known as eBay local listings, has been the best source to find older records at really good prices. 

Sometime in September I found a listing of a hardcore record collection that really made my eyes pop. It was not just a collection of records, there were all kinds of crazy rare records in there that made me drool all over my keyboard - and that was only because  of the records in the pictures, which as it turned out showed only a small of part of the collection that was up for sale. I contacted the seller and he sent me videos of the whole collection. I made a list of everything I was interested in, but I quickly realized that I had to make some cuts because even a conservative estimate was a low four figure number if I really wanted everything on my list. So I made some cuts, and then I made some more cuts, and then I had a list I was happy with. I sent the seller my list with offers and we came to an agreement. 

In between sending back and forth messages with the seller, I asked two good friends of mine if they knew the guy because they lived roughly in the same area. You know, just to make sure the seller was legit. Not only did they know him, they were really good friends with him and had bought a whole bunch of records from him from the same collection. By coincidence my wife and I had made plans to visit our friends later that month, so they suggested we visit their friend and pick up the records I wanted in person. Perfect. No shipping = more money for records. 

When we went to the seller’s house he couldn’t have been nicer. I got to dig through the remains of a collection he’d bought from some other collector and got to hold some incredible records. Really a collector’s dream come true. I picked up the records I wanted, plus some more stuff he hadn’t ’t shown in the videos. Meanwhile, our kids played together and my son even got a ride along on the riding mower. So pretty much a perfect day.

I’d picked up a copy of this Driftnet 7” some time prior, but since this one came with a different cover and I didn’t know the song titles by heart, I picked up a second copy just because the cover screamed 90s hardcore. I don’t actually need two copies of this record, so one copy has been earmarked as a present for a friend of mine in the nearby future. 

2nd Press w/ Limited Cover on Keep It Alive Records

Inside of the cover with the address of the label and the numbering. I don’t know how many copies this is out of. 

#37/???

Collecting Have Heart records is a daunting and expensive enterprise, especially the Demo 7”, which came out on a myriad of pressings. I came up with my own parameters as to which variants I want to collect and which not, and for the Demo and What Counts 7” it’s mostly different covers. I hadn’t added anything to the 7” collection in a long time, so crossing off this one felt really good. 

Sink With Cali III Cover /100

Finding rare Go It Alone records is Really hard. The really rare stuff pops up very seldom on Discogs, and if something pops up, the prices are usually rather high, so finding one in the wild was pretty cool. Go It Alone kept it simple with this release. No special covers, just a few select different colours (black, red and white; the latter was used for a bunch of different versions). The main difference between all the different white variants are the labels. As you can see, this is the variant made for the record release show. Question: is this a thing in other genres as well? Are there record release variants for rock’n’roll, soul or hip hop records? I’m genuinely interested. 

Record Release Edition #66/70

What’s better than finding one rare record by a band you collect? Right, two! This record I hadn’t noticed in the videos. I don’t know why, but I was all the more excited when I found it while browsing through the 7”s. I just love Vancouver Gold. I still need a record release cover. I doubt that I will ever find a test press of this and I’ve never seen one of those red transition copies Kyle Whitlow talks about on his blog, so maybe one more copy for me and I think I’m good. 

1st Press w/ Train Tracks Cover #33/70

To stick with the theme of the last post: here’s one more variant of a Youth of Today record on We Bite Records. 

German/European Press on We Bite /???

I know that I dedicated this blog to posting about my record collection, as in vinyl records. BUT this was to cool a pick up not to write about it. I’ve been collecting Count Me Out for a bunch of years now and I’m quite happy with the collection I have. But I’ve never had a demo of theirs, so when I saw this sitting in a box with a bunch of other demos, I had to get it. 

This demo tape is very confusing to be honest. It’s not listed on Discogs. Well, there is a demo tape which was released in 1997 listed on Discogs, but it’s not this one. This comes with a Milo rip-off cover and is labelled “What The Fuck! 97”. 

The label says that the same songs are on both sides. Cool, no rewinding! The cassette itself is numbered #62/75. 

This is the inside of the cover and as you can see Jason Mazola is not the original singer. I’d heard this before but never knew for sure, but this confirms it. I hope the RIP after Jimmy‘s name only refers to him being in the band and not that he actually passed away. You can also see this is apparently a limited edition out of 15. I have #2.  

To make things completely confused, the spine reads Count Me Out Demo #2/75. 

Overall, me looking for records on local listenings couldn‘t have turned out better. Well, maybe if I‘d pulled the trigger on some of the heavy hitters that were available, but I‘m really happy with my record haul. 

Here We Go Again

Continuing with my non-existent Youth Of Today collection, here's a copy of Can't Close My Eyes on We Bite Records from Germany. Apparently I'm working on both, a YOT and a We Bite collection. Cool. 

If anyone has a spare copy of the 7" on Positive Force (whatever pressing goes for the lowest rate currently), hit me up!

Reissue on We Bite Records /unknown number

Holidays II

The second record store I hit up didn't really have a used records section, but I still manage to pick up two records. When I'm on holiday, I love to read. I mean I love reading no matter when and where, but I often don't have the time, so holidays are always a great time to catch up on reading some of the books that have been sitting on a pile for a few months. 

One of those books in one of my piles was the Bad Religion biography Do What You Want, which I really enjoyed and can only recommend. I have the majority of Bad Religion LPs, but there are still some gaps. Which I'm not too bothered about because I don't like their later material all that much to be honest. But if get the chance to pick up one of their records in an actual record store, I'm not saying no. Plus, I was hyped on them because of the book that I'd just finished. The Process of Belief is a good record, but it's nowhere near their late 80s / early 90s records. 

20th Anniversary Pressing on Orange/Black Galaxy Vinyl /5180

A couple of years ago I sold a lot of doubles I had of Refused records. With more and more represses it felt harder and harder trying to get a complete collection or just keep up with the represses. But it also made the decision easier to just let go of some records. I LOVE everything Refused released pre breakup , but Songs to Fan The Flames of Discontent is probably my favorite material of theirs. It's really hard to pick, but this might be it. I also love the original blue pressing of this album from the 90s. 

What intrigued me about this anniversary press was the fact that you get outtakes and demos of some of the songs on a bonus LP, which also includes a previously unreleased song. That's how you get me. 

25th Anniversary Pressing on Startracks Records /1000

This is the inside of the gatefold cover. I love stuff like this. 

Holidays

Last summer we spent our family holiday in Sweden, which was a wise decision because Sweden is just outright gorgeous. We spent some time in the country but also spent time in Gothenburg and Malmö. Of the two, Malmö definitely wins by a mile and not only because I got to hit up cool record stores and scored some records. This haul is all from one record store, but unfortunately I don’t remember the name.

First up is a split between Seein‘ Red and Stack. Good European hardcore from the 90s. Not in great shape, but it was cheap and it’s perfectly playable.

Next up is a 7“ by I Hate You. I was familiar with the name and based off it I expected something different musically, but I like the record regardless.

I also picked up this Charles Bronson 10“. I’ve always been a big fan of the band and getting any original records by them thrills me. Unfortunately, there is no lyric sheet/insert, but it was way cheaper than the going rate on Discogs, so I couldn’t just let it sit there.

The next record is a four-way slit between Zann, Perth Express, Trainwreck and Ghostlimb. This was actually a record I’d had on my imaginary want list forever. Finding it for 8€ in the wild was pretty cool.

I also managed to fill a hole on my React! Records collection by picking up the Get The Most records. One of those bands I don’t listen to enough.

Last but not least I picked up this compilation from the 90s with a bunch of great bands.

Out Of Step

I have come to the realization, that I will never own all of the original pressings of Minor Threat records. Even owning most of them is kind of like a pipe dream because prices have skyrocketed these last few years. Especially the 7" prices are crazy. But every once in a while I manage to pick up an OG copy for a good price and that always make me happy. I was always more of a Minor Threat 7" guy, but as I grow older, I got to like Out Of Step much more. Not that I ever thought this was a bad record by any means or that I didn't like it, but the 7"s were so intense and ferocious. Nowadays I can enjoy the journey a band takes much more and Out of Step is on the same level as the first two 7"s. Well, maybe a tad below. Anyway, I was really happy to cross this variant off my want list and add it to the collection.

Minor Threat - Out Of Step UK Press

Split Interests

Two bands I like decide to team up and release a split 7“. Great concept, but the execution leaves a little to be desired. I‘m not talking about the quality of the music or lyrics, both bands deliver on that level, but one original song per band plus a cover for 13 bucks is a little steep to be honest. 

Blue translucent /150

The Bend In The Collection

The main reason why I hit up Marcus in the first place was that I‘d found a copy of a Dangers LP I didn‘t have yet. There was a seller in the UK that sold the clear/purple version of Danger‘s The Bend In The Break for a reasonable price. What‘s more important, there was a copy for sale to begin with because for some reason that particular variant doesn‘t pop up very often. I bought the black and green copies when the record was released back in 2016 and a couple of years ago I also managed to acquire a test press, but for some reason that clear-purple split eluded me for the longest time. Anyway, I finally got one and for a brief moment I thought that this collection was complete, but then I learned that there is a record release variant out of 30. It never ends. 

Family picture time. 

Test Press #6/20
Clear/Purple Halves /101
Green /415
Black /1518

No Sense No Feeling

As I wrote recently, I got pretty hooked on High Vis about a year or so ago. It took me a while to find their first record because it was sold out at most of my go to mailorders. I was really happy to finally find one, the only kink was that the mailorder was located in the UK. Luckily, us record collectors like to help each other out in times of need. Marcus from Endless Quest was kind enough to help me out with this one and a some other stuff. I‘m very grateful to know so many genuinely great and helpful people. This might be my favourite part about being involved in music and record collecting. Thanks again. 

I listened to Blending first and I have a tendency to like the record I listened to first by a band the best, but this record is just as good. 

3rd press on Venn Records /1000

New Year's Resolution Revisited

Last year my family and I got to ring in the new year with some very good friends of ours. People very close to our hearts, whom we sadly don't see enough because we don't live in the same country, or in some cases not even on the same continent. It was a great time with tons of food, watching sports, hanging out and nerding out about records and music in general. 

A Venn diagram of our musical taste would show a lot of overlap and one of the bands we can all agree on are The Beatles. Me personally, I've loved that band since I was a teenager. My parents had some best of CDs of The Beatles and I listened to those countless times. No matter which different phases I went through as a teenager, musically speaking, I always listened to The Beatles. But for some reason I never bothered to pick up any records by them. 

When my friends and I got to talking about music and The Beatles in particular last year, I made the resolution to change that as soon as I was home. I'm not a big fan of New Year's resolutions because if you want to do something, why pin it to a specific date instead of just do it right away? You know, start today... 

I don't remember exactly, but I might have searched for a Beatles collection or this box set specifically on eBay local listings (best source for things like that) that very night or maybe the next day. When I found one for a fair price, I didn't hesitate and pulled the trigger. I might have been at home again already, but I remember having the records when there was still Christmas break. Good way to start the new year. Maybe I should make this a tradition. 

Trapped Under Money

I‘m usually not the guy who watches a ton of live concerts on YouTube or on Hate5Six, but the High Vis set from Outbreak Fest 2022 got me hooked. I watched a bunch of sets, at least partly, because some friends of mine were there and raved on and on about how great it was. I didn‘t finish most of the sets I started watching, but High Vis stood out from the rest. After that I went down a rabbit hole because they had opened with a Dirty Money cover, the singer‘s previous band. I do remember the band, but only by name, because I didn‘t really listen to them back when they were around. 

Well, I kind of fucked up because I never listened to them since they play very good hardcore. But hindsight is always 20/20 I guess. I even like the Dirty Money side better than the Trapped Under Ice side, which some people find sacrilegious. 

1st press on Dead&Gone Records /665

Modern Life Is More

How many versions of a record of which you already have a lot of copies and which is about to get repressed do you actually need? The answer is: yes. Modern Life Is War released their s.t. 7“ back in 2002, which seems incredible to me. To commemorate the anniversary, Lifeline Records and the band decided to repress the record. Of course that meant there‘d be a lot of different versions, because that‘s part of the game these days. 

Since Modern Life Is War is one of my favourite bands of all-time, I knew I‘d get sucked into it. Here are the five different versions that were released last year. The copies on the left and on the right are the same colour, but they‘re still different (see picture below). The 7“ still rules. The repress is done really, really well. The booklet alone makes the repress worth getting. There‘s a ton of pictures, background information on the band, and for the nerds, there’s even a comprehensive pressing info is provided for this record. 

Gold (Wax Xtatic exclusive) /150
Clear /150
White/Yellow Swirl (Indie Record Store exclusive) /230
Blue /333
Gold /Coretex Exclusive) /100

Believe it or not, THIS is the really nerdy part of this already nerdy post. To make the different versions a little more special or at least distinguishable, there are stickers on some of the different versions. I ordered some of the records directly through Lifeline Records and Joe was kind enough to throw in some extra goodies, which I really appreciate. 

Stuck in the 90s

The great thing about many records from the 90s is that you can pick them up for rather cheap. Of course, there are many records that are more expensive, but once you dig a little deeper you can get a lot of good or even great music for little money. 

I wasn't too familiar with Drift, but a good friend of mine kept telling me how good they were, so when I had the chance to pick up their only 7" for a good price, I didn't hesitate. My friend was right. I didn't expect the vocals to sound somewhat screamo, but it works for me. 

Spawn and Feeding The Fire both play more of what you'd expect from hardcore bands from the 90s. Mid-tempo, very moshy hardcore. I've been flipping this split over and over for the past hour or so and couldn't tell you which side I like better. But maybe that's also a good sign. 

Breaks Down The Walls (Again)

Another Youth Of Today record. I don't have much to say about the music because everyone knows it's a classic and how influential this record was and still is. I really like the color scheme and you can't do much better than having matching labels, cover art and lyric sheet, apart from colored vinyl obviously. But I think the black works pretty well too. 

1st pressing on Revelation Records

Earth Crisis

Earth Crisis is a very controversial band. They were one of the true game changers in hardcore, no matter if you like their music or lyrical content, but they had an impact on hardcore few other bands had. If you are a vegan straight edge kid or just vegan, this can be probably traced back to Earth Crisis. Yes, there were bands that promoted veganism before, but Earth Crisis took it to a new level. I always liked Firestorm as a song, because it is a hit. So simple, but so effective. Again, the lyrical message is very polarising, but not everything said in a two or three minute song should be taken at face value all the time. I mean, it is to be expected that you will receive pushback if you put out extreme lyrical content. This is something I do love about hardcore, because people actually read lyrics and debate them strongly if necessary. The same can be said about some of the content on All Out War, what with the whole pro life debate. Which, much to Earth Crisis' credit, they addressed in a leaflet that comes with the later presses. Musically, I dig the first two 7”s, but after that they lose me because they started leaning way too much into metal for me. But this is still good hardcore.