Madball: The Real American Hardcore 7" Single on Black and Blue Swirl

 Madball is one of those bands that have stuck with their style over the course of 20 years or so.  I am always hesitant when I hear they are working on new material because I am afraid they are going to dilute their reputation.

I feel that bands like this his a crossroads and too many of them choose to try and emulate a situation that they were in.  This music was formed as an outlet to a specific set of circumstances and when those circumstances do not exist any longer, how do you keep moving forward? 

Some bands just replicate what they did in the past and try to speak to the same struggles as they had and others mature musically and others yet, mature conceptually. I think the latter is what I respect the most and what contributes the most to the unity and progress of the scene.  Madball may not be struggling on the streets of NY any longer, but they bring a mature perspective to what it was like and what it is like now and are looking out, in a sense and remaining positive.  I am proud to add this to my Madball collection and am happy to see the direction they are going in.  Gives me faith in the future of the NYHC scene!

Madball: All or Nothing

Anyway, this the last of the records I picked up from Reaper and the pressing is awesome! Both sides have very different splatter patterns.  Stripped down and simple, all around. 

Trapped Under Ice: Stay Cold 7" On Blue and White Vinyl

This is the old school single from TUI that has been repressed from Reaper Records on "ice cold" blue and white vinyl.  

Wisdom in Chains: Pocono Ghosts 7" on Red Vinyl

Wisdom in Chains strikes again!   In the last couple of years, these guys have really grown on me.  This is the newest single from these PAHC forerunners.

Wisdom in Chains: In Case You Forgot

Converge/Dropdead:Split 7" 20th Anniversary on Green Marble

20 years of Converge?!  Amazing, if you ask me.  It really is crazy to think that Jane Doe was released in over 10 years ago.  It still seems as fresh and relevant today.

So, this here is a self released 7" that had 2 separate distros, each with a different color.  Also, there was a tour version which was another color still and that color had many, many variations.  This is the type of pressing where you can buy 15 or 20 copies and they will still be varied.  

My copy is on marbled green vinyl and suits me just fine!

The track from Converge is Runaway and is exactly what you would expect from these guys.. straight forward, semi-melodic and completely saturated.

Trapped Under Ice: Big Kiss Goodnight Preorder Package with Shirt, Poster and Limited Vinyl!

I have been excited for the new Trapped Under Ice record for a while and Reaper Records offered a limited pre-order package that had a color vinyl option that was only available in that package, that was limited to 300 copies.  The record comes packaged with a big poster and the bundle came with a TUI shirt and as Reaper always does, they threw in some stickers and a TUI 8x10. Great presentation for a great sophomore record from these guys!

Cold World/War Hungry Split 7" Repress with New Layout

I kept meaning to pick this up and there have been so many presses of it that it's not really hard to find. However, since Cold World is such a sought after band for people in that scene, they get bid up beyond my interest. So, I thought that a new pressing would be a great way to get it.

The cover art and inner label are different and they printed it on some color vinyl and then on black. I ordered 2 color copies and received black ones and when I went back to the site, they were totally sold out... already. I think it was in press for a short time. So, here is the new printing of Cold World/War Hungry: Split

Between the Buried and Me: Colors repress on Double Purple Vinyl

Between the Buried and Me: Colors was recently repressed and I was able to find some copies from a distro that were really cheap. They printed a total of 1000 copies, 700 purple and 300 orange. I picked up a purple copy and I think it looks awesome.



BTBAM was one of the first really nerdy tech metal bands that I got really interested in. To this day, I still think that this is one of the more seminal releases in this genre. It is such a quirky record that ranges from guttural metal with blast beats to soft, acoustic parts with 3 part harmonies.. I love it!