i don't know if i can call this baby a white whale pick-up. considering what others call their white whale record and how long they have waited for a chance to get them, i think the wait for this one was quite acceptable. anyway, bolt thrower's second full length "realm of chaos" was an elusive bastard and i am more than happy to have a copy of the pressing and in the condition i craved for. it all started with an ebay auction at some point in autumn last year.
a seller from germany offered his first press copy. those came in a gatefold sleeve and a booklet with official warhammer 40k artwork liscenced by games workshop. for those not in the know, warhammer 40k is a tabletop game set in an apocalyptic future dystopia and games workshop the company which produces all related merchandise. "realm of chaos" was released in join venture of label and game company because members of the band loved the game and lyrics were already warhammer related.
the said ebay auction had a fifty five euro starting bid and i thought this to be too much. so i did not bid. fool! the seller re-activated the auction with a lower starting bid. in the end the record went for round about sixty bucks and i was outbid. then started a time of privation where i missed a few opportunities on discogs, came only across versions with a lost booklet or saw editions in a slip sleeve with insert, which seem also be part of the first press.
then at the beginning of april discogs had a copy from france to offer with an ok price tag and i had some birthday money to burn. finally the timing was right. the seller packed the record superbly and now i have bagged this sucker eventually. musically the songs lack a bit of that depth and groove which surfaced on "warmaster" but i love the album from first to last tune. the imperfection has its own charm. the booklet is in beautiful condition, the vinyl is slick and the gatefold even has the hype sticker attached to it. score! earache records. 1989.
