November Coming Fire - Dungeness [Thirty Days Of Night / Anchors Aweigh]

Picked this up at the NCF reunion show at TDON 6 yesterday, it's a split release from TDON and Anchors Aweigh from Italy.   It never got a vinyl release when it was released through Reflections in 2006 and it's a real shame that it didn't get a vinyl release right away so it's good to see these labels stepping up and finally getting this gem cut on record four years later.

Artwork is slightly altered, taking the basic feel of the original CD release and expanding it to fit the gatefold LP format nicely.  The first few copies sold at the show came with a nice little bonus for old times sake in the form of the original 2002 demo which showcases a band in a more visceral and metallic vein of bands like The Haunted or even Arkangel.  Some good gang vocals on this baby.  They only made 138 copies of it originally, although it did take a while for them to make the covers up and sell them at a show, so long in fact that the first Break In show I played in 2003 where we debuted our demo, they finally had the NCF one available.  They quickly outgrew the sound of the demo, it's good to see them still embracing it by adding this little extra in to the LP.

There were 250 records of each colour pressed, each colour exclusive to each label, I saved a bit of cash having an LP shipped from Italy by picking both up from the band, thrifty.  Good choice of colour combinations. 

The dust sleeve is signed by the band, I didn't go all fanboy and get them to do it, the first few came like it.  Kind of cool if you like that sort of thing.

It's good to see these guys getting their shit out on vinyl so long after they first called it quits, if ever there was a record from a UK band that warrants the vinyl treatment it's NCF.  Here's hoping for Canaan next.

Man Hands / Toecutter - Split

Bit of a reunion this one, I'd not really paid much attention to any of the bands the other guys in Winter In June or Urotsukidoji did after they both split up, yeah they went on to be in bands like Gallows, The Beak In and November Coming fire but that was as far as my curiosity took me.  Man hands is Ross, James, Scott and Gareth, other than Gareth's antics in the mighty NCF the other lads haven't made big waves within the hardcore community.  So when I hear they'd got together and were practicing some new jams with plans to record a demo that was fast and pissed off I was interested.  I saw them play in Canterbury a few weeks ago not knowing they'd pulled together a split with a band called Toecutter, even better was that they had it available there and then.  Cheers then.  I suck at comparisons but it sounds to me like the Some Girls school of rock with the odd post hardcore nod mixed in there, I'll be picking up the next record for sure.

Didn't listen to the Toecutter side, I will do, but I have a bunch of new Integrity records to keep spinning before I stray out to new territory, I can't give another band my full attention until the holy terror is out of my system.

I think they did 300 copies of this record, black and white artwork, bit of a nerdy cover that is pure DIY, come on, they had Man Hands shirts that were spray stencilled on Primark shirts, you know the deal.

Go see this band, buy a record.  Always good to see a dude I was in a band with years ago still writing decent riffs, hopefully I can get a show or two with them in the future.