caliban - a small boy and a grey heaven

had to think about the old glory of german metalcore band caliban lately. three perfect records before they went shite. of these three i only have the last called "shadow hearts", well, until now.

no colour vinyl in existence for this cracker and so i set out to get the black first press. i found and won this copy on ebay. the auction was from japan and i got it for two bucks something. with shipping it still was a steal and the copy is in pristine condition. lifeforce records. 1999.

psycroptic - ob(servant)

australia's psycroptic flew under my radar for the longest time. their latest album "as the kingdom drowns" was my first encounter with them. since then i am always out for more psycroptic vinyl which proved to be a difficult task.

in the case of "ob(servant)" the band itself decided it was time for a vinyl treatment and took the job upon themselves. impericon had copies of this "galaxy" merge variant available and i didn't hesitate to order one. it looks nothing like the mock-up but is sweet anyway. just like its content. 100 copies made. released in 2008. re-issue from 2019.

billybio - feed the fire

it's no secret, i am a biohazard fan. "urban discipline" was one of my first loves in music and that's why there is a soft spot for these brooklyn boys in my heart. of course, i needed to check out what biohazard guitarist/vocalist was up to with his solo record.

i really liked what i heard. it's undeniably a biohazard vibe to be felt which simply shows how much billy graziadei shaped the sound of his main band. fantastic nyhc crossover sound pressed on clear orange vinyl out of 400 copies. afm records. 2018.

downpresser - the long goodbye

after years of silence (at least that was what it seemed to me) downpresser are back with a full length. i didn't listen to any song before and just ordered right away. what i got is a crisp piece of metallic hardcore that doesn't break any new ground but is great for what it is.

they released "the long goodbye" via closed casket activities and they really know how to press some tasty vinyl as of late. beautiful red/silver merge vinyl housed in an embossed gatefold sleeve out of 400 copies. closed casket activities. 2019.

type o negative - cover versions

the 14th april marked the tenth anniversary of peter steele's untimely death. time to mourn this notoriously depressed, creative mastermind and honour him by listening to a part of his works. i stumbled upon this bootleg via instagram and had to have it.

as the title indicates this is a compilation of cover songs the band recorded/played live throughout its existence. as i didn't know the majority of the songs, this is a real good listen. sound and vinyl quality is pretty good in my opinion. 300 copies made. 2020.

red sparowes - the fear is excruciating but therein lies the answer

i had the first two albums of red sparowes for years now and simply gave up on porpusely searching for a reasonable priced second-hand copy of "the fear is excruciating...". thanks to sargent house records the wait for a re-press is over.

the record is a mellow mind trip that gives the right punch at the right time. i am usually not that post-metal/shoegaze type but red sparowes push all the right buttons. beautiful re-press on this unique yellow/green splatter configuration. sargent house records. 2010/2020.

knocked loose - laugh tracks

after "a different shade of blue" left its mark in my auditory canals, i was bound to get a copy of the debut "laugh tracks". jpc.de got me covered here. and boy this thing rips. maybe i enjoy it even a bit more than the follow up.

knocked loose plays a type of beatdown hardcore that really resonates with me although i am actually not too much a fan of this type of hc. when i ordered i hoped for a recent repress on striped vinyl. it turned out to be a copy of the third(?) pressing on clear purple. i like it more and more though. 1.000 copies made. pure noise records. 2018. 

job for a cowboy - genesis (beige/orange marble)

i really love that first job for a cowboy full length. it's crisp, it's fast, it's melodic, it's crushing, it's ominous... i could go on. it's basically everything that makes music a great experience.

that was why i couldn't resist buying this lovely variant sold by kingsroad merch eu. they are now the official vinyl distro of metal blade eu and so they sell an exclusive edition usually limited to 100 copies. well, that's the one. #74/100. metal blade. 2019.

intronaut - fluid existential inversions

to my shame i am not too familiar with the intronaut discography. the only other record i own of them is "valley of smoke". although I think that said album is outstandingly good and so it was a no-brainer to pre-order their new effort " fluid existential inversions". i went for this nice mint green marble double lp edition.

i think this colour-way looks way better than the most limited (out of 100 copies) - a  transparent red/blue marble - so no regrets that i bought this one. musically the album needed a few spins with me but now i'm hooked. crazy metal/jazz/whatever weirdness. love it! cut at 45rpm. metal blade. 2020.

chamber - ripping/pulling/tearing

boy, what a scorcher this is. i stumbled upon the cover art when checking the pure noise roster. in a way i felt reminded of the caliban cover for "shadow hearts" (which is a banger as well). i checked them out and knew i had to get this.

this is a perfect mix of early 00's chaotic hardcore and mainly metalcore. a time the word "metalcore" didn't leave a bad taste in mouth like in the mid and late 00's. perfect e.p., give me more of that, chamber! pure noise records. 2019.