upon a burning body - the world is ours

a release i bought solely out of nostalgia reasons. uabb probably wouldn't appeal to me nowadays but back in 2010 i got the cd because sumerian couldn't do no wrong at the time and i loved the al pacino theme to the lyrics. a fun deathcore album and great for what it is. 350 copies made of this crazy colour-way. sumerian records. 2010/2023.

darkest hour - s/t

around since the mid nineties and still here. there are not many bands as consistent as darkest hour. this is the latest re-issue of their 2014 self-titled release. fantastic metalcore with that special swedish melo-death touch. sumerian records. 2014/2023.

darkest hour - the mark of the judas

one of the best metalcore bands to ever play the game. still missing one or two albums of theirs on vinyl. 'the mark of the judas' crossed off this list now eventually. originally released in 2000. re-issued by sumerian records in 2015.

after the burial - wolves within

another sumerian re-press i awaited eagerly. had the chance to get a white first press copy when it was released years ago, but passed up like an idiot. mistake corrected. cloudy blue vinyl out of 500 copies. sumerian records. 2012/2022.

the faceless - autotheism

a looooong awaited re-issue. i will always be a bigger fan of their simpler days but dang, this is a great album. 500 copies on oxblood/gold cornetto vinyl. sumerian records. 2012/2022.

animals as leaders - parrhesia

the new animals as leaders is as fantastic as i hoped it to be. with this they lean more towards my favourite aal record "weightless" and concentrate more on catchy song writing than on technical wizardry. but don't worry, it's a good mixture. all the great trademarks of the band have their place on "parrhesia". couldn't resist the pink vinyl edition. sumerian records. 2022.

between the buried and me - colors II

you know what to expect from btbam - a massive load of prog metal greatness. "colors II" is no exception, maybe a bit more of the same but so deliciously executed that i don't give a damn. cool to see that sumerian went all out on even this retail variant. 2021.

after the burial - in dreams

the album was released in 2010 and to its ten year anniversary, sumerian records came up with its first ever vinyl release for their x-mas calendar. i waited like an idiot for the record to sell out in the u.s. store. when i pre.ordered the latest born of osiris record from the u.k. store, i was more than happy to find the record being still available there. didn't hesitate and scooped one of 250 copies.

born of osiris - angel or alien

the band's last two records "tomorrow we die alive" and "soul sphere" were pretty good but to me, they couldn't reach the bar that "the discovery" set in 2011. now ten years later and after the very promising e.p. "the simulation", boo released this banger of an album."angel or alien" is proggy djent metal in perfection. this colour-way is limited to 300 copies and released through sumerian records.

veil of maya - eclipse

another veil of maya re-issue that was long overdue. released in 2012, the band's fourth full length marks the last recording with original vocalist brandon butler and also the last album of the band that i care for. this first vinyl pressing looks and sounds fantastic. the vinyl colour is a prefect match for the cover aesthetics. sumerian records. 2020.

veil of maya - the comon man's collapse

one of my favourite djent records out there. veil of maya and born of osiris in particular formed my love for this great era sumerian records had in the mid to late 00's. so i was all over this first vinyl pressing when it was up for pre-order in late 2019, i believe. after a long pre-order and shipping process, i recieved it summer of 2020.

unfortunately the guys at sumerian u.s. merch don't know that decent vinyl merchants sent their records in mailers with corner protection. so my copy has bummed corners which is a pain! anyway, love the look of the vinyl and the sound is brilliant. 400 copies pressed.

born of osiris - the simulation

just like the new fallujah album this was another record high on my wantlist for new releases this year and was equally hard to get. i actually pre-ordered via jpc in last year's december with a release date in mid january 2019. i was surprised because even the u.s. version had an in-store date for march. as expected the release date got postponed to early april. in april jpc delayed the date another time - may the e-mail said.

in may they finally cancelled my order saying that the record couldn't be delivered anymore. ok, i searched for an other option. emp mailorder offered the record with one week of delivery time. nothing after one week and still nothing after two weeks. this time i was the one to cancel the order. again mecodu, a commercial seller on amazon, came to my rescue. one week after i placed the order the actual vinyl arrived at my house eventually.

musically i am blown away by this new record. after "the discovery" there was no born of osiris record which i didn't like but there was also no record that came close to the aforementioned masterpiece. well, "the simulation" does come close. the right mixture of heaviness, virtuosity, melody and electronical atmosphere. sensational! the euro edition comes on white vinyl and is housed in a single pocket sleeve with printed dust sleeve. sumerian records. 2019.

after the burial - evergreen

as far as i am concerned new sumerian records releases have always a special attraction to them. their roster of modern and technical metal bands is impressive and saw some of my favourite releases, especially born of osiris was striking in the past. so when there is some new vinyl i don't try to fuck around and buy as soon as possible.

so as soon as pre-orders were up at emp mailorder, i didn't hesitate to throw my money at them. their last album "dig deep" did not get much play time, although when i did spin it i really liked it. therefore i was curious if "evergreen" was to become a more frequent guest on my turntable or not. when the record arrived, the first thing that caught my attention was the beautiful artwork throughout the gatefold sleeve and printed dust sleeve. clean and minimalistic with fantastic cover pictures.

musically the band mixes complex time signatures, grooving breakdowns and big melodies into an undeniable modern metal mishmash. "evergreen" is not perfect but songs like "exit, exist" or "quicksand" are very close to it. it surprised me that the vinyl colour wasn't a mono colour pattern, which the european variants usually are. you don't hear me complain about this clear green and black split vinyl. don't know how many have been pressed. sumerian records. 2019.

after the burial - rareform

i am always in sheer excitement when a record that was never available on vinyl before, gets finally pressed to everybodies favourite format.in this case we are talking about after the burial's breakthrough and second album "rareform". everytime i am confronted with after the burial and the topic "vinyl", i bury my face in my hands. i once had the chance to easily buy a white vinyl copy of their "wolves within" album from a german distro.

i passed on it for whatever reasons and now copies of this fucker sell for triple digit amounts. oh, what a thorn in my flesh. well, i am sure this will be re-pressed at some point as well but for now, i will not make the same mistakes again. so when the tenth anniversary version of "rareform" was available for pre-order at jpc.de, i didn't think twice. i already saw copies at the sumerian u.s. store and there was a clear with gold splatter and an orange with white splatter version. as jpc wasn't giving any info on the vinyl colour, i was curious about what i was to recieve.

when i got my parcel at some point before christmas of 2018, i was surprised to open something very different. none of the aforementioned colour-ways but a super bright shade of semi-translucent orange vinyl. must have been some special european colour or some such. beside these hard facts, the record is fantastic. an early djent album that delivers one great song after the other. especially "cursing akhenaten" has such a lovely hook, a shame the band didn't take their rareform tour over to europe. sumerian records. 2008/2018.

between the buried and me - automata II

here we are with part two of between the buried and me's new behemoth called "automata". the first part was and still is pure joy to me and so i was pretty excited for the release of the second affair. pre-orders went up and i was there to ensure that i was recieving a splatter vinyl copy to match my version of "automata I". again i ordered from the sumerian europe store and usually i get a shipment notification upon release date. not so this time.

i waited a few days and fired off an e-mail. it took them another few days to tell me that the euro store was facing some delivery problems and that i was supposed to get a notification by the end of the week. it took another few days more to get the shipping notifiction and after another week of waiting i finally got the actual record. so after a month post release date i listen to this sucker eventually. musically this is pretty close to the style they established with "coma ecliptic". fewer songs, some interludes and a real cinematic soundtrack feel to the overall structure of the album.

maybe the stuff is a bit heavier, vocalist tommy rogers brought back more growls on "automata". the lyrical concept is based on the assumption that some people's dreams can be broadcast into the world for entertainment of others. that is pretty proggy if you ask me. automata II is prog metal only btbam can play it and i simply love their unmistakeable unique sound. the art for part II is a bit cooler than for part I but it won't become my favourite btbam artwork. the clear with magenta and green splatter vinyl looks lovely, though. 1.000 copies made. sumerian records. 2018.

between the buried and me - automata I

the friggin' new between the buried and me is upon us. luckily i get the sumerian records newsletter so i recieved news about the upcoming album just on schedule. even more luckily sumerian runs an european store by now. that store operates from the u.k. which means that shipping is cheaper than from the states. i ordered my copy promptly despite the fact that the single vinyl had a pretty hefty price to it which added to an amount of over thirty bucks. well, admittedly i couldn't live with the fear to miss out on btbam/sumerian limited colour vinyl.

the record arrived here in prime condition. well packed by the european sumerian staff. the first thing that came to my mind after i unwrapped my copy was that the cover art looked a bit dull. the machine theme works with the album title but it doesn't appeal to me. anyway, that first impression was washed away when i dropped the needle on the vinyl. "condemned to the gallows" is a brilliant opener. what a wonderful melody hook line it has to offer. the other five songs are just as great. no doubt, the first part of the band's eighth full length is a prog metal pearl, a slap of ingenuity.

when i put my pre-order in there was only the clear yellow with black and white splatter variant available from the sumerian eu store. fine with me because that colour-way was my favourite anyway (a clear with black and red splatter variant was available from the u.s. store). by now a few more colours have surfaced. discogs knows the score. the record comes in a gatefold sleeve with minimalistic artwork on the outside and lovely art on the inside, a printed dust sleeve and the said yellow splatter vinyl. can't wait for part II. already pre-ordered. 750 copies made. sumerian records. 2018.

the faceless - in becoming a ghost

finally the new the faceless has surfaced after five years of waiting. well, ok, to me it wasn't like i waited five years because i bought my first the faceless record around christmas 2016 - but - it felt like an age of waiting for new tunes of these prog death masters. so when pre-orders went up at the end of last year, i didn't hesitate to order from the states. high shipping rates be damned but i didn't want to miss out.

i asked the guys at killer merch, where sumerian has a platform for their merchandise, to separate the vinyl from the cover sleeve which was never a problem with past orders. they agreed, cool. when they shiped the record i got a tracking number. after a few weeks their was still no progress with my parcel. asking back it was declared lost and the mailorder sent a new one and i think this was where my request got lost. the record arrived with an ugly seam-split at the spine. fuck that! thankfully the text was unconcerned.

i tried my best with the limited handicraft abilities within my grasp and i think it went out quite ok. still i spare you guys the view. no professional work here. instead i tell you that "in becoming a ghost" is a behemoth of a prog death record. the band included some black metal elements to their sound and it works perfectly. check out "black star", what a fantastic song. i love the bass play. 500 copies on this nice opaque pink with black splatter vinyl. sumerian records. 2017.

the dillinger escape plan - one of us is the killer

since i got into this musical entity of complexity and since i snagged two full length releases of them so far, i am always on the look-out for the rest of dillinger's output. these days i do not try to chase down a band's back catalogue as fast as possible, i won't rush things. there is simply too much stuff to buy and good things come to those who wait. in this case i was caught by surprise more than anything else. one day i got a message from a good friend with a picture of his copy of "one of us is the killer".

he said he just bought it in a record store with a voucher plus the store had a discount on all its items. these factors made for a pretty good deal on the record. the version he got sells for an average amount of round about thirty bucks on discogs and he snagged it for under the half of it. we got to talk a bit about the band and their unique sound and how we admire their innovativeness. but why am i telling you this? because the same good friend sent me another message a few hours later.

it contained a link to the german impericon shop and there it was: "one of us is the killer" brand new and on fancy white splatter vinyl for 9,99€. how could this be? a record that usually sells for at least the triple, still available after four years of its initial release and for a friggin' tenner. i don't know what's wrong with people but i threw this sucker in my cart as quick as i could and thanks to a friend i am now the proud owner of a shining copy of the dillinger escape plan's fifth album release. and what a strong record it is.

despite all complexity, all chaotic rhythms the band managed to even sound catchy in those moments. the actually real catchy and pop melodies among the chaos bring the second core element into their unique sound. check it out here. you won't be disappointed. the presentation is very elaborate. everything follows a black and white colour scheme. it all makes perfectly sense and feels valuable. sturdy sleeve and dust sleeve, insert in poster size, cd in slip sleeve and 180g white with black splatter vinyl. i have an euro pressing on heartwork music which is or was an imprint of bmg music. it was actually released on sumerian records and the band's own label party smasher inc. 2013.

born of osiris - the eternal reign

the new release of born of osiris is not a new one at all but rather a re-recording of the band's debut full length "the new reign" from 2007. if count count taught you well, you might have recognised that 2017 marks the ten years anniversary of born of osiris' first album. for all their releases they stayed with the label sumerian records, so 2017 was not only the anniversary of the debut but the cooperation with sumerian as well. to celebrate this fruitful relationship for both sides born of osiris hit the studio again to grace the music with a new production.

i have a pretty lively memory of 2007 when i sat in front of my computer, in the room of my first shared flat in leipzig checking bands on myspace. i came across "the new reign" and fell in love with this progressive and modern way of metal. seven years later i was equally excited to add the vinyl version to my collection. right after their milestone "the discovery", this first record is my favourite of them. therefore i was a little torn if there was really the need for me to get this re-recorded version.

at first i flirted with the u.s. pre-order over at sumerian but my doubts hindered me in putting the idea to action. after a while i saw an european version floating around. when i saw the price dropping drastically in the absence of oversea shipping rates i couldn't say no anymore. the final outcome is pretty much what you would expect of a re-recorded version. it's basically the same stuff with a better sound. little changes here and there and a new song as a bonus. so really more of a fanboy package but that's just what i am. i think i prefer the original version but this new edition will not just collect dust on my shelf. good work born of osiris! opaque orange vinyl. sumerian records. 2017.

animals as leaders - the madness of many

the animals are let loose with their fourth full length called "the madness of many". the album was actually  released in november of the bygone year 2016 on cd. the demand for vinyl exploded in the last two years and so the few pressing plants all over the world with machines build in the seventies or earlier can't keep up with usual release deadlines anymore. pre-order processes for vinyl records get more and more lengthy which does not really pose a problem to me, though. in this case it took three more months for the vinyl to be finally shipped.

after two more weeks of waiting for it to arrive i now hold the final product in hands. i listened to the album a few times by now and am still divided, yes even torn as to what to think about "the madness of many". let's make a little pro and con discussion here. a contra and probably the biggest one of them all to me is the lack of heaviness. it's not like i need beefy riffs all the time but a good dosage of them here and there deliver just the right punch to the face to keep the mix crisp. the second con is the choice in tracklist. three calm songs in a row at the end makes me lose interest and gives them the charm of lift background music.

the pro side shines with an increase in rhythm. as i don't know "the joy of motion" from 2014 i can only draw comparisons to the first two albums and the three-piece around tosin abasi lowered the melodic part in favour of more rhythm based arrangements. i think this is pretty cool because the guys can really emphasize their technical skills without getting lost in sheer finger exercises. another pro is the diversity. the band isn't considered a litte prog/tech legend for nothing. "the madness of many" is a big firework of ideas and love for details. all in all the pro side outweighs the con side and i think the album will grow on me in time.

the price for the coolest song title definitely goes to "backpfeifengesicht". it's a german compound noun which means roughly translated knuckle sandwich face. it is more of an mild insult which can be used for friends to tease. funny to see such a strange song title chosen by an american band. the artwork is quite cool too. reminds me a bit of jim carrey leaving his artificial world in the movie "the truman show". the splatter pattern differs a bit from record to record. although i like the heavy splattered record better, i think it is a nice idea to make them look different. whereas i doubt this was actually intended. u.s. pressing ordered from the label out of 480 copies. sumerian records. 2017.