Howling, For The Nightmare Shall Consume

Back in July this year a new Integrity album dropped. A few weeks earlier the pre-orders went live and, as was to be expected, there were several versions available. I had a couple of people message me and tell me that their thoughts were with me. I mean, it's pretty well documented that I have a few Integrity records, and I think people almost felt sorry for me knowing that I was immediately put in this position whereby keeping up was going to be a difficult and expensive game.

Well, truth be told, I felt a weird mix of excitement and apprehension. On the one hand, a new Integrity record was bound to be something that I was into, but having to shell out for several copies wasn't something that I was overly excited about. So when the pre-orders went live I hesitated, and then before I knew it the most limited version was already sold out. Fuck my life. Then I just felt confused and didn't know what to do. So I did nothing.

A few weeks later and I still hadn't ordered anything, but then I stumbled on an opportunity to pick up several copies in one go and from one source, which actually made it relatively cheap and easy. And once I was off the mark, I just went for it. In a relatively short space of time, I had the full set accounted for. So here goes...

First up, the test press. This is a 3 x 12" in a cover handmade by Dwid.

Next up is the most limited 'regular' version. As you may know, Relapse Records always make a limited edition of 100 copies of every release on clear vinyl. These are not sold to the public, but given to friends of the label and band. Given that it's not possible to buy this version, I'm pretty stoked to have been given a chance to buy one.

You're probably not surprised that a triple LP is gonna come in a gatefold sleeve, the inside of which contains a live photo of the band.

The back carries on the same artwork as the front. It's pretty dark shit.

There are also two inserts - a lyric sheet, and a booklet of art.

So that's pretty much the package. As you can see, there's a lot going on, and a lot of time and effort clearly went into it. It looks awesome. So all that remains is to quickly run down the other versions...

The most limited 3xLP version is this Blue / Grey / Clear Tri-color version, limited to 100 copies. This was the one that sold out super fast at pre-order stage.

Interestingly, this isn't actually a 3 x LP at all. It's a 2 x LP with a bonus 12". That's an important detail, as the bonus 12" was only given away with the first press copies direct from the label. But aside from the clear vinyl version, the bonus 12" is only on black vinyl.

Next is the other pre-order version that was initially available, being the 'blue and grey half and half with splatter', limited to 400 copies.

Next, the first press 2xLP versions. The first is this 'milky clear with splatter', limited to 100 copies:

Another first press 2xLP version is the 'clear with blue smoke', limited to 100 copies. To me, this one looks like one glow in the dark record and one pale blue record. But what the hell do I know?

And finally, the first press was rounded out with this standard black vinyl version, limited to 1,200 copies:

Then, after those versions, two second press colors were released. The first is this 'silver & baby blue merge w/ splatter' version, limited to 200 copies:

The second version of the second press is the one that I'm still waiting on. So that will have to follow in a separate post at some later date.

Anyway, as usual I put this post off for far too long. I received a couple of copies, and then a couple more a couple of months later, and then a couple more a couple of months after that. At some point I decided that I would wait until I had them all before I put them up on the blog. But before I knew it, the year had pretty much ended and I was still waiting for one copy, so I decided to just put this post up anyway. Somehow it seems more appropriate to have this post up in 2017 rather than wait until that final copy comes in.

More Pornography

One of the more interesting releases of the year was Damnation A.D.'s cover of The Cure's 'Pornography' LP. It was released as a Record Store Day release and, despite there being 800 blue vinyl copies, it seemed quite difficult to get. I didn't think that there would be too much interest in it, given that it had been a long time since the band had been active, and their sound was probably not what the modern hardcore kid would be interested in. And I didn't think that there would be many older kids still around and interested in buying records. Well, somehow I got it wrong and it seemed like everyone was into it.

So when Organized Crime Records then announced that there was a much more limited version available, I figured it would sell out quicksmart, so I grabbed one right away. There were only 213 copies on 'clear with white smoke' vinyl, which also came in an additional screen printed cover:

The screen printed cover is, like so many, an additional cover that sits on top of the regular sleeve:

Also, I have to say, I'm not sure which side of the screen printed cover is supposed to be the front. The way it opens (right to left) suggests the text and numbered side is the front, but in my mind this makes the other side seem almost pointless.

Weirdly, it's taken me about three months to get around to posting this, and it was probably for sale for a good couple of months before I even received it. Yet despite having been released probably 6 months ago now, I was surprised to see that somehow there are still copies available in the Organized Crime Records store. Maybe the kinds of people who went crazy for this on Record Store Day aren't as interested in buying direct from labels online? Or maybe not many people are bothered about owning a second copy? Whatever the reason, there's something odd when a version out of 213 copies is easier to obtain than the common version out of 800.

How Much Is Enough?

I've had three weeks ago due to health issues, which I don't really want to go into here, but slowly life is getting easier & I'm starting to return to doing 'normal' things... like this blog. With only a few days of the year left, there are some records that I really wanted to feature before the clock ticks over to 2018. Call it a last minute rush if you will, but I feel that if I don't put some effort in over the next few days then the backlog will feel too large and I'll probably give up on this blog completely... and I'm not sure I'm quite ready to do that yet. So here we go...

I really enjoyed The Miracle Drug demo earlier this year (yeah, I was late to the party, as ever). A band from Louisville, KY, comprising members of other bands you've probably heard and enjoyed over the years, there was something different enough about the 7" to make it interesting. So when a 12" was announced, I knew I'd pick one up. And if it hadn't have been the way that the most limited version was sold as part of a bundle with other stuff I didn't want as a way of charging $50, then I'd have probably picked up two. Ah well.

So this version is the blue vinyl with screen printed b-side, limited to 100 copies. Somehow it seems that there are still some copies left.

As Mike pointed out, the screen print looks a bit shit at first, as it's printed in reverse. But with this being a single sided 12", you're probably not supposed to even flip the thing over, and should therefore only play or look at it from the a-side. It makes more sense that way:

I've really enjoyed The Miracle Drug this year. As I said, there's something different and interesting about this band, although I can't quite put my finger on what it is. The only criticism I can make is that I was slightly disappointed that this 12" only contains six songs, as I initially thought it was a full length. But hopefully more will follow in the not too distant future...