I've never been known for my fondness of "pop punk", but I had to step up and pick up this Tenement LP when Grave Mistake announced it. I had a 7" they did with Culo that had 2 really catchy songs on it. This is more of the same... Infectious, snotty, catchy pop punk that brings me back to sitting in my room as a kid playing Tony Hawk videogames on my PS2 and listening to the same songs on the games soundtrack over and over. This is one of my current guilty pleasures that I only listen to on my commutes alone...... Hey, everyone can have a soft side every once in a while right?
This is the green version out of /220 which is now sold out.
One of the most brutal releases of recent years is this Hard Stripes demo. This thing absolutely rules. This is such an amazing period in hardcore right now, with all this excellent knuckle dragging Neanderthal hardcore/Oi! going on, I'm in heaven. Amazingly, the limited color of this is still available at the Grave Mistake webstore. I think it's either out of /100 or /200, either way I can not believe it's available and if you don't have a copy of this then you are a damned fool. This was put out by Richmond VA's Vinyl Conflict, and they have been on fire with some of their recent releases. At this point, I will basically purchase anything and everything that Vinyl Conflict releases.
Vinyl Conflict (which is apparently an off shoot of Grave Mistake Records - don't know the whole story on that though), has been on fire with some great releases. This 7" by Richmond, Virginia's Devil's Hand is so freaking good. This has got to be one of the best and most under rated releases of the year. This shit sounds reminds me of a mix of Motorhead and Judge. No wimpy bullshit allowed on this record, strictly the hardest. The vocals are excellent on this and the music is unique and refreshing... I dig the little guitar solos. Does anyone know more about this band? Sadly, only three tracks but all of them are instant classics! Give them a listen here and then go buy it!
This is the limited green vinyl version which I think was out of /200.
For those of you that know Coke Bust, you know what to expect with this release. They have stayed true to form with their usual style of only the most brutal of fast straight edge hardcore. The big difference with this release is the recordings sound more refined than their last releases. This doesn't take away any of the rawness for me, and I think this may be my favorite Coke Bust release yet. Usually I don't get too far into this ultra fast stuff, but these guys are damn good.
This copy is the red vinyl from Grave Mistake out of /200. After viewing Utopia Banished I saw that they also pressed a record release out of /200. That seems an awfully big number for a record release copy. Grave Mistake also has copies on red still available so if you're thinking about it, don't sleep! Grave Mistake has quietly had one of the most solid years of any label, and with vinyl treatments from 86 Mentality and Striking Distance coming in 2014, it looks like there's no stopping them anytime soon.
The release comes with a huge poster (record placed for reference). Home run on the packaging and design.
Toronto hardcore and Grave Mistake Records. That is a hell of a mix, and that is exactly what you get with this Kremlin - Will You Feed Me? EP. There is a ton of great hardcore coming out of Toronto lately, and it seems that everything Grave Mistake touches turns to punk rock gold. This is an absolute ripper of a release and I am totally hooked on Kremlin now. Really raw grungy punk rock that kind of sounds like it was recorded on a walk man or something. I don't know why it's so brilliant... It just is. This is the only limited version on white vinyl out of /200.
Recently my buddy Jake over at Screaming for Records hooked me up with a SWEET care package all the way from England (Leeds United Rules, OK). More of the goodies will be posted in time. In it was the most limited press of one of the dark horses in the running for Album of the Year. This is the European press by Carry the Weight Records on white out of /100. Back in may I posted my blue copy on Grave Mistake, and as you can see there are some slight differences from pressing to pressing.
Amazingly, both this copy on /100 and even the limited blue vinyl on Grave Mistake are both still available. Why are people still so deep asleep on this record???
Here is a rager of a 7" from Richmond, VA's BARGE. I don't know if you would classify this as power violence or just hardcore, but all the songs are about a minute long with a pretty similar formula. Fast blast beat parts and then sludgy, hard as fuck break down parts. At first listen, I hated this record. But now that I have given it a few more listens, I could listen to this thing all day just for the slow heavy parts, which sound brilliant. This is the limited version out of /100 which was released on Vinyl Conflict Records, which I think has some sort of affiliation to Grave Mistake Records. The limited copies are still available and they look great on red vinyl. This is a record that you'd more likely see on Utopia Banished or Skull Fucked (which have both reviewed this record) than here. I may not know jack shit about this kind of style, but Barge plays just enough slow parts to keep me interested. These guys have drawn comparisons to Coke Bust, Infest and Mind Eraser. I can dig it.
For those of you that were lucky enough to go to the Damaged City fest, I am extremely jealous. It was probably the best festival this year, maybe even better than Black n Blue in New York. I have been anxiously waiting for Grave Mistake to release 86 Mentality's collection "Nowhere Fast" on vinyl for well over a year now. I feel extremely lucky that someone was looking out for me with some of these Damaged City pressings, and this is the crown jewel of them all. 86 Mentality is one of my favorite bands ever, yes ever, and in my opinion the best band to come out in the 2000's. Their signature style of Oi/Hardcore is becoming super popular now with the rise of bands like Boston Strangler, Violent Reaction, Vacant State, Violent Future, and the list goes on... I know that kind of style has been around for years with bands like Life's Blood and Slapshot, but to me 86 Mentality took it to a whole new level.
I was lucky enough to see 86 Mentality in the Bay Area when they came out here in 2007. They played two shows, one at the Burnt Ramen in Richmond and one at the Gilman in Berkeley. The Burnt Ramen show (as usual) was off the fucking hook. For those of you straight edgers, you would probably hate the Burnt Ramen. It is almost like something out of a movie, a little shitty warehouse in the middle of the ghetto. Sometimes local crackheads will sneak in to smoke some crack and check out a few bands. Every where you look there are beers flying around and cigarette smoke filling the air. Hearing gun shots pop off in the surrounding neighborhood or seeing fights during most the shows there is nothing out of the usual. Needless to say, it makes for quite a punk show atmosphere, and has made the Burnt Ramen one of the most legendary and wild venues on the West Coast.
Anyways, seeing 86 Mentality at the Burnt Ramen is still one of the most memorable shows I have been to in my entire life. I wish I could have video footage of it. 86 Mentality played and alot of the Bay Area kids had no idea who they were, but after their intro and "Life Trap", the entire place erupted and was going insane. The next day they played at the Gilman and I was all hungover, and the show just kind of sucked compared to the Ramen show. The Gilman has a shit load of rules and security, and that show just couldn't get close to the energy and excitement of that classic Burnt Ramen show. I'm sure if you asked one of the members of this band about playing at the Burnt Ramen, they would tell you the same thing.
I cannot wait for the regular pressing of this to come out, and I'll make sure to buy it quick because I'm sure whatever color it is pressed on will sell out fast. This version was made strictly for the festival and is on screen pressed card stock, hand numbered #45/175.
A cool little insert that came with the release, that kind of tells their story a little bit. Check out the footage from Damaged City fest below where they played a surprise reunion set:
Recently Grave Mistake and Sorry State did a split release for the Sickoids "No Home" EP. Essentially a big ass 7", 6 raging songs of USHC. I can't really put my finger on the Sickoids for a comparison, but I will tell you this... right here you have yourself an incredible release! Sickoids are really doing it big and have a refreshing, unique sound. The vocals are great on this, and the music is fast and raw while sounding crisp and tight at the same time.
This release looks great on clear and comes with a hand numbered obi strip out of /338. Some copies are apparently still available at Sorry State, so if you end up picking up their other excellent Manipulation release then pick this up as well (and the Rough Kids release is excellent too, which I'll do a review for soon). With those two recent release, Sorry State really has it going on right now.
Without a doubt the story of the year will be the Black n Blue Bowl fest tonight with the reunion of the almighty Judge. However, a month ago in Washington DC had (in my opinion) one of the most amazing line ups I've ever seen for a festival at Damaged City Festival. Without a doubt, it seems the East Coast festivals are far more superior than the West Coast ones. Striking Distance repressed their classic "March to Your Grave" LP for the festival.
So here's the amazing part... Can someone explain to me how my retarded ass has never heard Striking Distance before I received a copy of this limited press? Holy shit, this is fucking amazing. After doing some research on it, I am not the only one that immediately thought this blows away 99% of all the shit that has come out over the past 10-15 years. Now I listen to this group almost non stop to make up for all the time lost. I can't believe I slept on this for 10 plus years. What a dummy.
Released on Youngblood and Grave Mistake records, #173/200. This was pressed on all black vinyl with hand numbered screen pressed cardboard covers.
A nice little poster with the lyrics. What an album. I am so glad I got to discover this in the form of a limited edition press, I'm just pissed that it took me so long. Check out Striking Distance at Damaged City Fest below:
Back when I first started this blog, one of my first posts had Sectarian Violence's 7" from Grave Mistake. I can only laugh when I look back at the old pictures I took that look like shit. I liked that release at the time, but I pretty much listened to it once or twice and forgot about it. Nothing on that release really stuck with me enough to make me want to listen to it again. I wasn't really expecting a whole lot from this release, but being limited Grave Mistake vinyl I knew I would have to have it anyways. All that being said, Sectarian Violence knocked this one out of the park. This is a fantastic release, and no doubt will be in many Top 10 lists for 2013.
I feel like international straight edge hardcore powerhouse Sectarian Violence really found their niche on this release. What's funny is now that I go back and listen to their old 7", I love that shit now too. I don't know why I never gave it more of a chance. Right now, I am on a total S.V. kick. As of right now, this limited blue vinyl is still available and I believe it is out of /200. And you european fuckers can find this shit on even more limited vinyl at Carry the Weight Records! Don't sleep on this and end up regretting it. I may end up ordering this from Europe as well.
I love the simple design of this record and the poster. Since it has a chick with an AK-47, I just so happened to have some AK rounds lying around so I figured I would throw them in the pic to give all you non gun nerds an idea what an AK round (7.62 x 39mm) looks like. Actually, judging from the indentations on the wood grips in the picture that rifle very well may be an AK-74 which chambers a smaller round, but let's not get all technical. This record rules, OK.
People often ask me which one I suggest more, the AK-47 or the AR-15... My answer is BOTH! =)
For those of you lucky enough to make it to United Blood, you'll get the catch the Iron Boots reuinion. I've been pumping this alot lately, and it bums me out I won't be able to go. For those of you who are not familar with Iron Boots, they are very good Warzone worship style with members from Fire & Ice. Actually, Grave Mistake posted a great article telling the whole story of this release on their blog a few months ago, so I suggest you go check that out. I absolutely love this cover and the green vinyl on this with the green sleeve. Classic design, classic record.
Recently Grave Mistake put up orders for the Shirks new 12" on limited red vinyl. I had never heard the Shirks, but being a collector of GM color vinyl I had to jump in and get it. This thing is limited to /100 copies and is still available. The Shirks are really over the top distorted garage punk rock. They sound dirty and raw, but catchy as hell at the same time. With song titles like "Sex Gear", and "Dirty Teen Wolf" these Washington D.C. fuckers sound like a ton of fun to watch and party with. Another fantastic GM release! This may be a sleeper top album for 2013.....
I love that Grave Mistake doesn't do obscene amounts of color vinyl, or my biggest pet peeve ever make black vinyl limited (Reaper, I'm looking at you!). When I hold a piece of color vinyl in my hands, I like to think that it's special and that there are a million copies on black, but I have one of the rare few color copies. Thanks GM for keeping it gangsta like that.
Here's a track from their old 7" since I couldn't find anything from the new LP on youtube.
Last summer I ordered this 7" from Grave Mistake not really knowing anything about the band. I pretty much will always support Grave Mistake, especially when they are putting out some limited color vinyl. I pulled the trigger on the order when it came out, and sadly this is one of the few Grave Mistake releases I can't stand. It's not like every label is going to make stuff that you can dig. The music on this is okay but the singer's vocals are just annoy me and it sounds way too poppy. It almost reminds me of some 90's pop punk that you would see in one of those teen movies or something. Ugh. That's okay, I forgive Grave Mistake for one bad release out of hundreds.
If you clicked on my link thinking you would find something having to do with Power Trip merch then I apologize. That "We Trippy Mane" shirt just reminds me of this band, because they are very trippy, mane. Bloody Gears "Landscapes of Disease" has been getting a ton of plays from me lately. This album is so weird and out there, I can't really even compare it to anything. I've heard comparisons to Husker Du, Articles of Faith and Leatherface before which sounds closer than anything else I can think of. It's not really punk or hardcore, it's just weird and awesome. It's really dark and depressing, which is right up my alley. Life isn't all peaches and cream, you know what I'm saying? This Deranged Records release is on black vinyl, and I'm not really sure if they pressed any on color. Very good album though and it's worth checking out.
Here is the "Frozen Rain" 7" on Grave Mistake. This is the limited version on gray vinyl out of /200. These are probably 3 of my favorite songs by the band on this 7", my favorite being "Tragic Mistake". I ordered this months ago when it came out, and surprisingly this is still available on colored vinyl in the GM store. I would suggest picking one up before it's gone. Two solid releases by a great band, I am going to get their self titled 7" next and I can't wait to hear more stuff from them.
At this stage in the blogging game, it gets hard to keep up with what I have and haven't already posted. For example on my last Night Birds post, as I was writing it I searched for my post that I thought I did on "Other Side of Darkness" so I could put a link to it, and to my surprise it was all a dream. I had taken the pictures, and it was backlogged with hundreds of other records.
As I was getting ready to post the other new Grave Mistake release by School Jerks, again I went to post a link to some previous School Jerks records that I thought I had posted that were all imaginary. Ok, well I'll get to Other Side of Darkness some other time, but for now all also include the other School Jerks 7"s!
Here is Toronto's School Jerks' latest release on a gorgeous sea green marble vinyl, or as GM coined it "Green Slime". Great release of raw, fast, snotty old school punk rock. I feel like I'm drinking a 40 and hanging out a Shady Acres when I put this one on (my SJ folks know what I mean). Fantastic artwork on this, in a way it almost reminds me of the old Age of Quarrel demo cover with all the twisted shit going on. I love how the vinyl perfectly matches the ink color on the poster. The green vinyl is out of /200 and still available from Grave Mistake, so don't get caught slipping.
Here is the School Jerks' "PPDSCEMFOBBT" 7 inch on Cowabunga. What the hell that title means? Good question. More interesting art work. This is a 3rd press on gold vinyl. Cowabunga's "Discography" page states this is out of /107, yet the Cowabunga store states its out of /100.
And their "Control" 7" on black vinyl out of /900, also on Cowabunga. This release had /100 on clear, which would be nice to eventually track down. I am really digging all this School Jerks art work. What makes this release interesting is apparently the red "School Jerks" logo is hand stamped on all 1000 sleeves, so basically every sleeve looks different. Man, that must have taken forever.
What really irks me about this post is the fact that I have their "Nothing Else" EP and I never took pictures of it, but I am far too lazy to go dig it up and take pictures of it so you'll just have to take my word for it.
