Rude Awakening

Here is the 2nd press of Rude Awakening's "The Awakening" on Triple B Records. This is the rarest color on clear green out of /100. I have never been really crazy about Rude Awakening's recordings, but I saw them live a while back and I was really impressed. I've been trying to listen to them more but it's taking a while to grow on me I suppose. If you like Rude Awakening I would go pre order their new split with Death Threat that went up for pre order yesterday.

So ten days into the month and I am still at only 2 posts so far. The past month or so has been crazy, but I really need to step my game up. I've been waiting patiently for a bunch of pre orders to show up so hopefully once those roll through I will be rejuvenated and feel like taking more pictures and doing more posts. Record blogging is a cold game, yo.

Heavy Metal Kings

Ok, so follow me here. "Heavy Metal Kings" is a group consisting of Ill Bill and Vinnie Paz from Jedi Mind Tricks. Before they were an official group, this was a single put out in 2006 for Jedi Mind Tricks LP "Servants in Heaven, Kings in Hell" which featured Ill Bill. At the time the single was pressed on plain blue vinyl and has been extinct forever. I never even remember hearing about it and they are pretty impossible to find. Turns out, that 100 copies turned out on a turquoise vinyl as a pressing plant mistake and were held back by Babygrande. They just reissued these this year and they sold out right away, but luckily I was able to snag one before they were gone. This is a true piece of rap history and I'm glad I scored a copy!

Looking AMAZING on turquoise marble out of /100. This is a classic track to a classic album. Vinnie Paz and Ill Bill, does it get any better than that? For you hardcore kids out there, both of these rappers have been down with the hardcore scene for years and give shout outs in a bunch of their lyrics. If you don't know Jedi Mind Tricks, Vinnie Paz, or Ill Bill then I suggest you go check that shit out ASAP. Below is the original music video for when this came out.

CROSSCHECK

I'm going to let all of you in on a little secret. Philly's Crosscheck fucking rules. There it is. A little while back Dog Years posted that they were selling some test presses for one of their new releases, so I headed over to investigated. I found a combo deal of two records and a test press for $20, and then I gave the band a listen and was impressed enough 30 seconds in to pull the trigger. Luckily, because I got the last one! How sick is the cover of this release? They actually had to go out and spray paint some shit up and it looks sick. This is the only color press on blue out of /100, and still available. 

The black copy is out of /200. These guys really remind me of Backtrack, except a little heavier. You can download this record for free so there is no reason not to check it out.

The test press was only out of /15 and I think they only put up 5 of the package deals if I remember correctly. They sold pretty fast. 

"Suck Off!"

It's the Lion's Law

When Sydney Town Records puts out a new Oi! record, I have learned my lesson that it's time to sit up and pay attention. Although a small label, they are not to be trifled with. They only put their stamp on top tier Oi! and nothing less. Lion's Law is a French Oi! band but they sing in English, and it sounds more like traditional American brickwall Oi! to me. Unfortunately not many American bands can pull off that sound anymore, so it seems you have to look across the pond from time to time to get the job done.

I was lucky enough to score one of the color copies of this, only /50 pressed on gold vinyl. I'm real excited about this band and they are definitely on my radar. Some limited research has shown that they are one of the bigger Oi! bands in Europe right now, but they haven't really caught on in the states yet.  All in all, this is a fantastic release and has really been in some heavy rotation for me.

Came with a nice poster. Listen to "Watch Em Die" below:

Colder Than Ever

Here is a purple pressing of Warhound's debut 7" on Dog Years Records - "Colder Than Ever Demonstrations". This pressing was surprisingly only out of /60, and I remember buying it along time after this was out. This is a nice little seven inch, surely alot of the "urban" style hardcore influence a la Madball and Trapped Under Ice. The song "Demons" is ridiculously hard and really pumps me the fuck up. I'll be on the lookout for more Warhound releases.

CREEM - Curator

New York's CREEM is certainly one of those "it" bands right now. They got the whole package going on. I loved their 12" LP and this is just as awesome. The cover of this is really incredible, and goes along with the song "Rat Race". This is probably going to be the best cover of the year. For those of you that may not know, there is a note to "Sammy the Bull" who was a John Gotti associate and underboss in the Gambino crime family. He ended up turning into a snitch (or a "rat") and testifying on the Gambino's, therefore it appears someone hung up a dead rat as a warning to him. What really makes the picture though is the "Pet Sitting" sign right next to the dead rat. I don't know where the band found this picture, but it's incredible for a hardcore 7" cover!

The back is equally awesome with some old school police kicking it under a tree, one grabbing his nuts and the other flipping off the camera. For those of you that aren't familiar with Creem, you should check this release out if you get a chance. Fast and ugly USHC, some real take no prisoners type stuff.

As far as I know all the first /620 copies pressed are on black vinyl. Check them out live below incase if you had any doubts about how much they rule.

Running Riot in '84

Here is a Pirates Press repress of Cock Sparrer's "Runnin Riot" LP. Looking REAL sharp on White/Black/Gray Tri color vinyl out of /500. Pirates Press is doing it Revelation style as of late, repressing another classic LP every week on different colors of vinyl. I'm not complaining (I guess). This probably isn't Sparrer's best work, but it's far from their worst. There are alot of good songs on this LP. I'm just glad to have this on vinyl, since the original pressings on Syndicate or even later repress on Link Records are nearly impossible to find.

Upper Hand - Chains of Shame

Recently Mind Rot put out Richmond VA's very own Upper Hand's new EP, "Chains of Shame".  Featuring members of Break Away and Friend or Foe, two other really sold bands, I pretty much knew what to expect. This is super solid NYHC style in a similar vein of Cro Mags and Madball. I love the cover art on this too, it appears whoever did the Losin' It LP cover art also did this. This probably won't be in heavy rotation for me, but it is still a very good release and solid as hell. I feel like maybe seeing this band live could change my opinion on that last statement. For a debut EP this band shows a ton of promise, so I will be all over their next release. 

Even though I had never heard this band, I figured with that kind of description there was very little chance of me not liking it. I went ahead and ordered the 4 pack which is still available. Red out of /100,  White out of /102, Blue out of /90 and Black out of /200. The blue copy definitely goes best with the cover art and is the most limited copy, so I would scoop that shit up first!