Dienstag, 20. August 2013

strikedown rec pt 4/4: curse this ocean 12"+7"

curse this ocean – lightbringer
this is the second 12” of this lot i ordered at strikedown. it leaped to my eyes because of its mysterious cover art. the upside down building always makes me think i hold the cover the wrong way. everytime i pull it out i want to turn it before i realise that it’s supposed to be upside down. boy, too confusing for my simple mind :-) the bands origin is notable too. it’s a italo-german band with members from cagliari, italy (seems to be a strong scene there – rise after defeat and anchors aweigh records from the same town) and frankfurt, germany. not that close geographically but however they make it work the outcome is well done.
when i first dropped the needle on ‘lightbringer’ another band came to my mind immediately. if the band members put down a list of their favourite musicians, converge would definitely be among them. with that comparison made it’s actually a compliment. of course you hear the influences but they sound independent enough to not get labeled as a copycat. at least that’s my opinion. forge your own at their bandcamp.
i was lucky enough to enter the game just in time to snag a black w/ golden haze copy. they are limited to 100 copies and still some available i believe. this colour pattern looks really nice if you ask me. as usual with this colour scheme the different sides of the record vary in look. the golden haze is more subtle on the b-side. another 400 copies are pressed on white vinyl. strikedown records. 2013. 


curse this ocean – cursed 7”
i include this 7” into this post because i actually didn’t order it. strikedown records or the guys behind this label seem to be an awesome bunch of dudes. along with free compact discs of my own prison, hardway, blame it on the ocean, embracedestruction and rise after defeat they threw in this debut 7” of curse this ocean as well!
here you can witness the beginnings of cto. they started out as a more melodic hardcore orientated band. less complex but still good. knowing ‘lightbringer’ this release makes perfectly sense as their full length is just the next logical step. 500 made. all on black vinyl. strikedown records. 2010.