Lead Spirit

A couple of weeks ago a very good friend sent me a link to a Bandcamp page. I had actually seen the cover of the 7" he sent me the link to before on the website of a bistro I frequently buy from. Live picture plus band name always trigger my interest. It's not groundbreaking artwork, but 9/10 you know what to expect. I also really liked the purple lettering. I decided to listen to the 7" on Bandcamp, which is something I didn't use to do but with prices skyrocketing I have grown to be more cautious with what I buy.  I was hooked right away. Yeah, it is the umpteenth version of Youth Crew with a modern twist, but as long as it's done well - which it absolutely is here - I am onboard. Like I said, I dig the cover and I really like the insert as well. The only point of criticism is the color scheme of the labels. The maroon doesn't really work with the cover in my opinion. But hey, that's just me knit-picking. 

Of course I would have loved to get my hands on a colored copy, but with prices for a 7" already being in the double digits, I have to compromise and make do with whatever version I can get my hands on. 

 

1st Press on Black on From Within /200

Here Until The End

Recently, I was lucky enough to hang out with two good friends, both of whom live far away from me. As the evening grew older, of course we got to talk about the best releases in 2023 so far. One of my friends brought up Here Until The End by Burning Strong. I was kind of dismissive at this suggestion, but decided to listen to it once I got home. I knew I had the record at home, but hadn’t spun it that often for some reason. So when I was back home, I put the LP on and listened to it. And then again. And then again. And again. It‘s pretty much everything I want from a hardcore record, so why I was dismissive of the record initially I can‘t fathom. The only thing I can still criticise is the vinyl colour. Army green is probably my least favorite color, even behind orange. There are 300 copies on this colorway. I‘d rather have one of the other versions, but with shipping costs out of control, I have to take what I can get these days.