Cancelations And Expectations

I kind of knew the volcano ash from Iceland would stop Sunny and Saves The Day from coming over and this morning I woke up to confirmation of the fact. It's been rescheduled for May 31st but who knows if STD will be on the bill. Gives me time to save up for the double LP represses of Diary and LP2 then eh.

Live music wise the shows that I'm looking forward to over the next couple of months are pretty much limited to both May bank holidays. May 1st Santa Karla are playing Brussels with Oathbreaker, Daggers and Narrows. I'm beyond excited about this, three bands I'm digging more and more every day and it'll be the 4th time we've played with Oathbreaker, that band destroy it live.

The other show is technically two but they're on the same day, it's Dirty Money's final show at the Underworld in London with plenty of cool bands including Cold Snap and The Down & Outs, it's been way too long since I caught The Outs live. Add to that the fact that Rot In Hell and *&*^%!$£ are playing the Old Blue Last in Shoreditch at midnight and you've got one hell of a day. The Rot In Hell show is rumoured (and I mean rumoured) to be a release show, fingers crossed the RIH split 7" is available then, I've got the pre-order on lock down but a release show version would be a nice touch. One day of awesome hangouts with a whole bunch of people I haven't seen for bloody ages.

My band is in the process of sorting out a very nice little record too, people don; dig on us in a buzz kind of way but we do alright for a bunch of dudes careering into their 30's playing metal in a hardcore band. All I'll say is the word vinyl and split.

Tonight I will redefine everything and tomorrow I will start in on my better days

Saves The Day - Can't Slow Down [Equal Vision]

I could write out this albums lyrics from beginning to end without listening along to the songs, I know them that well. It's their best album by far, yeah it rips Lifetime off but if you're going to rip one band off in a melodic hardcore (yeah I didn't say pop punk) band then they're the band to steal from. I listened to this record way too much in the early 00's along with the second record and acoustic EP. I'm posting about this because this week I'm seeing them play with Sunny Day Real Estate in London, it'll be the fourth time I've seen them play (first for SDRE obviously) and the first time since 2003, shit has it been that long? Well, it might not even happen seeing as the ash from the shitty volcano in Iceland might stop both bands from getting to the UK on the plane so fingers crossed eh.

The record I've got is the press Equal Vision did when Vagrant snapped the band up in 2000, they repressed Through Being Cool and all the Converge records too as they'd just signed with Epitaph. The red LP is limited to 300 from what I can see, it's not an oiginal press but it's a pride and joy to listen to nonetheless.

The Promise

RINGWORM - The Promise [A389]

Deathwish reissued this 1993 classic on it's 10th anniversary with a whole bunch of demo ad live tracks, new artwork and a nice package it was too. No vinyl though. Step in A389 then, gatefold, original artwork and if you pre-ordered this beast you got the demo on 7" too. I didn't, but shipping from the states is always a stinger so I couldn't commit at the time. Wish I did though. There was also a limited edition that came with a zine, again I didn't spring for that sadly.

You can't deny the impact this album had on the whole hardcore scene, coupled with Earth Crisis and Integrity these guys helped to fashion the heavier side of hardcore in the 90's, also The Promise took their name from this record, obviously.

Just go order it from A389, or from a distro/record store, it is insanely good.

Against The Current

EARTH CRISIS - To The Death (Century Media)

Earth Crisis. Now there's a band. Like Integrity they have a solid back catalogue bar one or two records. They reformed a little while back now and this new record "To The Death" has been out for a while too. I did a cheeky download of it when it was released and never really gave it any attention. I blasted it in the van with the lads recently and it is a corker. Production wise (courtesy of Tue Madsen) it's very thick and overproduced, but this plays well to ExC's sound perfectly. You've got songs about the amount of casualties the drug dealers cause through gang shootings and the drugs they actually deal, songs about drunk drivers and vegan til death. Classic Crisis. Karl's vocals sound even better on this record, when I first heard them I thought he sounded like a barking dog, certainly one of the most recognisable voices in hardcore.

In related news, I hear the drummer from Fallout Boy is filling in on their current tour, fair play for still being vegain sXe mate.

Six Million Ways To Die But You Can't Choose One It Chooses You

COLD WORLD - Dedicated To Babies Who Came Feet First (Deathwish)

Last time I went to Belgium with the band we played Antwerp, yeah it was with xArmed For Battlex but that is inconsequential, because there was a sweet distro there where I spent over 60 euros on vinyl. I'll be putting those up if I ever catch up with the new shit I've been purchasing.

Anyway, we went to Belgium again this weekend and the second show was in Roselare (sp?) in the H8000 area. I walked into the venue, it was a matinee show with Worms Feed and Sundowning, and beside the stage was the ame distro from Antwerp. I instantly got both excited and scared, this is because I really wanted to pick up some new records, but I only have 50 euros that I swore was for emergencies like food etc as I've got enough records to listen to at home. Well as everyone knows, you can never have enough records and this is what I picked up.

I didn't get Cold World at first, back in 2003 I think it was, Sandwiches played the EP to me and I shrugged it off as rubbish. It didn't take long for me to realise I was totally wrong, they mis ?Hip Hop with Hardcore and are just spot on with their samples. Ice Grillz was a banger, it took a while for the follow up to come out on Deathwish and when it did I snapped the CD up in HMV, always meant to pick up the LP and sell on the CD version but never saw it on a distro and ordering direct from DW or even Reflections (works out dearer from the Netherlands, go figure) was expensive.

The artwork doesn't have all of the band on it like the CD, the pictures of them looking like a Gap ad, but I like the style of the art, just photos of random weird looking old men and kids, brilliant. Vinyl is solid white, always a good thing. Listened to this yesterday, forgot just how much I love it. Recommended.

Running out of space...

Yeah so I've actually run out of space in my two 7" boxes (shoe boxes)and i need to get either a third box or something entirely different to store them in. I'm going to start looking around but I also need something for my LP's, I'd rather have a cool box to flip through them rather than have them side on.

Hmm.

She's Got To Go

Lifetime, I bought their "Hello Bastards" CD at the first hardcore show I went to back in 2000. I'd heard they were the band that influenced Saves The Day and I'd heard a bunch of songs from that band from people playing their records at parties and shit, so I couldn't pass up the band that gave them their sound could I? Suffice to say it was a classic record and my love affair with Lifetime had been started.

Fast forward to 2006 and Lifetime had reformed, recorded a new full length and were coming over to the UK in October for 3 shows (2 of which I attended and sang my bloody heart out at). Decaydance were tasked with releasing this new Lifetime record, simply self titled, but I didn't buy it on CD, just a cheeky download with the knowledge my LP order weas in the post so I'd have the lyrics etc when it turns up. It comes through my door and guess what? No lyrics sheet, cheers Pete Wentz. So since then I've been reduced to lyrics websites to decipher Ari Katz' distorted ramblings.

A few weeks back I found out that No Idea Records were repressing their last 3 full lengths on colour vinyl. This excited me, more for the lyrcs insert than anything. So I snapped up the s/t LP with plans to order "Jersey's Best Dancers" and "Hello Bastards" at another time. Really I should have ordered all 3 at the same time as they're only $8 each and shipping would work out cheaper in bulk, oh well, nice colour vinyl though.

If a band reforms they usually just do it for a farewell tour and in the case olf old sxe bands they sound deflated and old, but Lifetime felt like they never split, everything about them live and on the new record is pure late 90's emotional hardcore. I now own two copies on two different labels, the colour hue of the cover art is slightly different on each version, I think I prefer the original ink but it's nothing drastic between the two. People should get hold of this record, according to my last.fm it's my most listened record of all time!

My Walls Surround Me Now

Integrity. I love this band, but it has to be said I don't own much of their shit on vinyl. Save for the odd compilation or split record the main albums/EP's are either long out of print or hard to get hold of and go for a shit tonne on ebay.

Crime Scene records are starting off re-releasing all their out of print records starting with 1990's In Contrast Of Sin. Over the course of the year they will be releasing "Those Who Fear Tomorrow", "Systems Overload", "Humanity is the Devil", and "Seasons in the Size of Days." Cannot wait, if they all get the same attention as this it'll be a nice little collection.

This record is less brooding and evil than their later 90's efforts but the seed is securely planted making this an excellent bridge record between the '88 old school sound and the 90's metalcore that Earth Crisis and Integ would carve for themselves.

The package here is phenomenal. Stephen Kasner silver on black screenprinted pre-order cover reinterpreting the original art, hand stamped record bag, fold out insert and the non-preorder colour has an Integ sticker on the plastic bag. Oh and the limited cover was 208/320. Tight.

"Live In Sin, Fight To Win"

The riffs. My god this record brings the riffs. I loved Hellmouth when that dropped, listened to it constantly, while it's a solid release, I couldn't help thinking it was a little under-developed. It's no way a bad thing, I mean this is hardcore and nothing is new under the sun but when a song is literally note for note a rip off of Integrity's 'Vocal Test' it's noticeable.

Into Oblivion is a band in their prime, both writing/recording wise and live. R&F around this period smashed it so hard. Now I get to finally own the record on vinyl. I'm pleased Deathwish pressed this as my CD has been sitting in a cupboard since I ripped it for my ipod just after getting it so now I'll get a chance to give the artwork my full attention.

I'm not a big fan of Bannon's aartwork, he seems to just churns out the same covers with different main images. But Into Oblivion is just so striking, definitely a favourite of his, there are the trademark splatters but the idea of Jesus' skull with the crown of thorns is a good one, the insert on this record is literally a copy of the CD version but 12" size, opening out to be three wide, to be honest I'd like to frame this, there's only text on the bottom third of the last square, I'd get away with that.

"We're All Guilty Fucking Pigs"

As far as I'm aware, this record didn't get pressed on vinyl when it first came out. I didn't pick the CD up but did a cheeky rip from a mate, seriously for the last 4 years I've not bothered with CD's, mp3's and vinyl are my shit.

Anyway, it's the best Hope Con record so far in my opinion, some people say 'Endnote' is better, but this is more experimental and gets my vote. Deathwish always do a nice job with their colourways on the wax, the quality of the card for the actual cover is real high too, none of that flimsy recycled card here. Artwork kills it, actually it's probably up their in my top ten all time favourite record covers.