bolt thrower - ...for victory

earache re-issued a shit load of titles of their back catalogue all on white vinyl lately. so i finally picked up a copy of this bolt thrower classic, which was missing in my collection for far too long. earache records. 1994/2025.

nocturnus - thresholds

not as highly regared as 'the key' among fans but to me equally as good. 'thresholds' is an early tech death pearl and sounds great on this blue vinyl copy out of 300 copies. earache records. 1992/2023.

decapitated - winds of creation

essential re-issue on nice yellow vinyl out of 300 copies. awesome debut by this polish powerhouse. earache records. 2000/2023.

decapitated - the negation

what a scorcher of an tech death album. really happy about those new earache pressings. 300 copies pressed. earache records. 2004/2023.

morbid angel - gateways to annihilation

heavy and crushing - the way i like my morbid angel. originally released in 2000, this is a(nother) white vinyl reissue. earache records. 2023.

decapitated - nihility

2023 seems to be the year of crucial re-issues so far. earache digging out some serious scorchers from their back catalogue. this is decapitated's 2nd full length 'nihility' from 2002 finally back in press. 300 copies on this splatter variant made. earache records. 2023.

morbid angel - formulas fatal to the flesh

not the best match if you look at cover art and vinyl colour but it was another distro score, which spares me the agony of import fees from the united kingdom. earache records. 1998/2023.

morbid angel - covenant

finally a colour vinyl re-press that was available through german distros. kick-ass album on a kick-ass vinyl pressing. earache records. 1993/2023.

entombed - clandestine

to get a copy of this classic swedish death metal release from 1991 was long overdue. this is the latest pressing on purple vinyl. not exactly the best match for the stunning cover art by dan seagrave but nice in its own right. couldn't resist buying a longsleeve with the artwork in a bundle. 300 copies made and released through earache records.

carcass - symphonies of sickness

i believe this is the last heavy-hitter on my way to a full grindcrushing splatter series. i learned relatively late that this one even existed. carcass' "symphonies of sickness" is their sophomore release on earache and i stumbled upon an ebay auction a few months ago.

that specific copy went for eighty+ bucks and i knew i was into some serious game. time went by and another one popped up. i won that auction for less than the last but it still was painful. anyway, here we are. lovely copy of this classic. 2.000 copies made. earache records. 1989/1991.

nocturnus - the key

after i bought the comeback album of nocturnus, or better of nocturnus a.d., last year, the fire for a grindcrushing splatter edition of the classic debut burned again. i searched thoroughly through the depths of the world wide web and came across a second hand shop from berlin going by the name recordsale.de.

they had an ok-priced copy to offer, which was in a splendid shape and also had the hype sticker on the cover - so i really couldn't pass that one up. very happy to cross "the key" off the list. earache records. 1990/1991.

bolt thrower - realm of chaos (grindcrushing splatter series)

next step towards a full earache grindcrushing splatter vinyl collection. it feels like i am really getting there. this time it is a heavy hitter from the list, my favourite bolt thrower album "realm of chaos" from 1989. i already have a first press copy on black vinyl in collection because of the booklet and all (read about it here) but always fancied this colour version because i am like that. i saw copies go on ebay for over seventy euros and when i saw this buy-it-now auction starting at eighty quid or so, i thought it was no different.

stumbling upon the auction regularly, i recognised the gradually drop in price and that made me curious. i took a closer look and could tell from the sloppy presentation that the seller whether didn't really have a clue what he was selling or simply didn't care enough. for example there was just one picture of the cover of the record. one could not see if it was a gatefold or if it had an insert or booklet or nothing. not even the actual vinyl was to be seen, only the hype sticker indicated the coloured vinyl.

when the price dropped to fourty bucks i really began to consider buying the record. i e-mailed the seller asking for more photos. the he turned out to be a she and she told me that she was no expert (really?!) but could not see anything wrong with the vinyl. i pulled the trigger and am really happy i did. the record is in great condition and sounds awesome. it doesn't come with the booklet but i doubt the pressing had booklets anyway. never saw one included. just three more to go, i believe (carcass, nocturnus and another napalm death). earache records. 1989/1991.

napalm death - harmony corruption

at some point in 2017 i bought my first copy of the earache grindcrushing splatter series (morbid angel's "altars of madness"). after i snagged up the second piece (napalm death's "from enslavement to obliteration"), i began to consider starting a little collection. after i managed to grab entombed's "left hand path" for serious money, i was all in for the challenge. again ebay was the source for this find right here.

at the very end of 2018 finally the next piece of the puzzle fell into place. obviously all of the missing records (bolt thrower's "realm of chaos" and nocturnus' "the key" for example) are not for the faint of heart. therefore i was surprised to get "harmony corruption" from napalm death for a price which was ten bucks lower than the usual discogs going rate at the moment. i mean, it is one of the rather cheap records of the series but a good deal is a good deal.

the pre-owner took good care of his record really. the sleeve is almost in mint condition and the vinyl looks super clean as well. musically i like this album way better than "from enslavement to obliteration". probably because of the longer duration of the songs and the increased death metal portion in the overall sound. "harmony corruption" was the first album with barney greenway on vocals who left death metal act benediction for napalm. 2.000 copies made. earache records. 1990/1991.

at the gates - slaughter of the soul

earache records from the u.k. released some real classic metal albums in the late eighties and early nineties. therefore original copies always go for quite a penny. i am after some of those splatter re-issue series from 1992 and made the step already for some gems like a bolt thrower "realm of chaos" first press or an entombed splatter "left hand path" copy. at the moment i am too busy buying recent re-issues and new releases, there is just no money left in the budget for such heavy hitters.

at the gates "slaughter of the soul" is such a metal classic released by earache. first press copies changed owners for over one hundred bucks over at discogs. i definitely did not want to go into these financial spheres with that record. fortunately earache shapes an aggressive re-issue policy and also fortunately i had a good amount of bonus points at my nuclear blast member account waiting to be burned. when i bought the new unearth and deathrite records, i joyfully added this new pressing to my cart for free.

musically there is nothing to say which hadn't been said before. "slaughter of the soul" is a flawless milestone in the melodic death metal genre of the swedish school. check it out for yourself if you shamefully missed out on it until now. seventh press coming on clear red vinyl and is out of 1.500 copies. the overall presentation is basic but looking sharp. slip cover sleeve, printed dust sleeve and a promotional flyer which will be cool to look at in twenty years. earache records. 1995/2018.

bolt thrower - realm of chaos (first press)

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.

nocturnus - the key

one of that death metal pearls of the early nineties released from the rich back catalogue of earache records. when i browsed the earache store after i purchased the bolt thrower re-press for "the IVth crusade", i came across a pre-order for "the key" re-issue on white vinyl. the label started a pretty cool re-issue campaign. they start out with a pre-pre-order and when a certain target is reached (200 sold copies), the label would start the manufacturing process.

the first 200 copies will come on clear vinyl and are the limited colour-way of the pressing. when they are sold, earache acknowledges the demand and presses another 800 copies for retail (300 white and 500 black vinyl copies). when i saw the white vinyl still in stock at the earache webshop, it was an offer too tempting to pass on it. the availability and the great album concept of "the key" were convincing enough. the lyrical concept is about a cyborg that travels back in time to destroy christianity and build a modern surveillance state.

musically nocturnus' debut was an outstanding piece of death metal at the time of release in 1990. the death metal genre was going strong but the level of progressivity and especially the use of keyboards were unusual for its time. this re-press stays pretty true to the original release. the only difference is the change from double sided insert to printed dust sleeve with the same layout. 300 copies pressed on this nice white vinyl. only the cover colours came out a bit too dark in my opinion. earache records. 1990/2018.

entombed - left hand path

another classic death metal release. since i bought the first morbid angel release on special grindcrushing splatter coloured vinyl, i entertained the idea of getting all titles of this early nineties re-press series from earache records. i won a copy of napalm death's "from enslavement to obliteration" a few weeks later and am now the very proud owner of the first entombed full length, entitled "left hand path".

entombed was pretty new to me. i never heard any stuff of the guys before just knew that other bands i listen to were often likened to them. now that i know the original i am surprised at how much bands like entrails or deathrite sound like entombed. that speaks for the originators of the death 'n' roll sound. they have this specific guitar tone that the aforementioned bands also used for their sound. "left hand path" is an excellent record all the way through.

i love especially the mood the band creates. the album is heavy and snotty and has the right dosage of doomy melodies. love the opening track in particular with parts included of the soundtrack to the horror movie "phantasm". as i am not the only one who thinks this record rules, original copies are pricey and hard to come by. so does this early re-press from 1991. when i saw a copy popping up on ebay with a reasonable but high starting bid, i set out to get this one.

in the end i had to pay a little more than starting bid but all in all i was satisfied with this purchase. i love the cover art of dan seagrave a lot on this one. the few faces in the woodwork remind me of the morbid angel cover of "altars of madness" also drawn by seagrave. the splatter a.k.a. marble vinyl looks awesome. hope i can get my hands on the remaining titles of this series in the future. earache records. originally released in 1990. re-press from 1991.

napalm death - from enslavement to obliteration

a few weeks ago i bid on a morbid angel lp version of their debut "altars of madness". it was a re-press from 1991 and came on a very nice white marble colour edition. it was called grindcrushing splatter vinyl by the label earache records. with a little research i found out that earache did a re-press series of a few successful titles of their back catalogue on this specific colour-way. in the back of my mind i thought it might be cool to chase them all down and start a little collection.

when i saw the second napalm death full length "from enslavement to obliteration" for a reasonable starting bid on ebay, i began to really consider this idea. i saw napalm death play live a couple of times and was never really into their music. songs under one minute just don't do it for me. so was this a good idea at all? buying a record just because of a colour vinyl series? i listened to the album on the tube and decided that i would like the music good enough to justify the purchase.

in the end i won the record for the starting bid. it wasn't a steal but not overpriced as well. the ususal going rate, so a good deal. the condition of this specific copy is flawless. the cover is in great shape and the vinyl looks barely played. the album was actually released in 1988 and i was surprised at how good the sound of the recording is. it definitely can hold up to contemporary productions. despite the twenty two songs and the short duration of each, i really can enjoy the stuff. great grindcore with a hefty hardcore/punk vibe going on.

earache issued this re-press in a single cover sleeve with a lyric insert. the original pressing from 1988 comes in different variations. a few come with a gatefold sleeve, others with a single cover sleeve and a printed dust sleeve and yet others in the same fashion as my grindcrushing splatter edition. i like this way best. there are two more napalm death records issued within this series, so my napalm collection is bound to grow in the future. we'll see how fast. 2000 copies made. earache records. 1988/1991.

morbid angel - blessed are the sick

after i luckily won an ebay auction for an early pressing of the first morbid angel full length "altars of madness", a hunting fever within me broke loose. i fully immersed myself in early nineties death metal. especially in earache records and roadrunner records stuff. the problem is that those first pressings tend to be on the expensive side. so i searched obsessively several sources for metal vinyl on the internet. one option was ebay kleinanzeigen. it is a subsidiary of ebay and is actually for local advertisements but some of the sellers do ship their offerings as well.

so i found this seller from berlin who had a few interestings bits and among them there was "blessed are the sick" from morbid angel. it is the band's second full length and was released in 1991 on earache. after the seller confirmed that he had a first press to offer, we wrapped up a deal and a few days later my copy arrived at my doorstep. musically this album got slower and chunkier in riffs. i really like that. especially the opener "fall from grace" and the title track "blessed are the sick" are unbelievably strong.

the b-side unfortunately can't really hold up to the a-side but three out of six songs are re-recorded material from their 1986 demo "abominations of desolation". the original pressing comes in a slip sleeve instead of the gatefold of the re-issue. i prefer this version because the gatefold shows a picture of the band. mehh, give me some new artwork or something but i don't need a picture of the dudes all over the gatefold inner. the cover artwork looks really sinister and is a painting crafted by painter and occultist jean delville entitled "le trésors de satan" (the treasures of satan). earache records. 1991.

bolt thrower - the IVth crusade

i am on a bolt thrower kick as of late. after i got the band's third full length on ebay and the re-press of their second album "realm of chaos" via some bonus points from nuclear blast, i was searching their discography for more stuff i might be interested in. as i cannot relate to bolt thrower's obvious war affinity, "war master" and especially "realm of chaos" appealed to me because of their lyrical and graphical connection to the warhammer tabletop game. very nerdy but i love nerd stuff. "the IVth crusade" had something different to offer.

as the album title clearly indicates the lyrical theme is loosely based on the fourth crusade from 1202 until 1204. a very interesting historic topic. this made me want the record. luckily earache just put up pre-orders for a new re-press on silver vinyl. the price and shipping from the u.k. were very moderate and so i didn't ask twice and ordered a copy. musically this is absolutely bulldozing mid-tempo death metal. the band incorporated an even doomier sound which i like very much.

now it is obvious to me from where a lot of european metalcore bands from the early 00's took their influences. bands like heaven shall burn, born from pain or cataract have some strong bolt thrower references in their sound. the presentation by earache is very nice. not because of innovative or high quality packaging but because of doing the re-press in the same fashion as the first press from 1992. the great cover shows "the entry of the crusaders in constantinople" by eugène delacroix. silver vinyl for the 25th anniversary and out of 500 copies. earache records. 1992/2017.