Well that's another year in the books. As you may or may not have noticed, this was a disgraceful year for posts. I do have to apologize to those kind individuals who emailed or messaged me encouraging me to write more. It is appreciated. However, a few things happened this year that derailed any plans for increased output.
1. I lost my home office. My 8 year old daughter outgrew her bedroom and I was forced to move out. This was the only room in the house that got afternoon sun to take pictures. That was one fight I was not going to win.
2. My SLR camera broke. I might sound like a old man, but I only know one way to take pictures and upload them to blogger.
3. Hardcore hasn't exactly set my world on fire for a few years now. I know I have been asked to post more metal, but I really wanted to keep this blog hardcore related as much as possible.
4. I have nothing left to say. I always prided myself on including some personal stories or anecdotes on how a record made me feel when I first heard it or how hard it was to acquire it. At this point, record collecting for me is about commercialism and commerce. What can I tell you about the new Sweet Jesus 7" other than I added it to my online shopping cart and paid for it through paypal? It's good? Fuck - you can figure that out for yourself. No one wants a review. Amateur reviews come off as elitist or kiss ass. Fuck that.
So with that said, I will be pulling a Lebron James and "take my talents" to Instagram.
Instagram allows me to post pictures of everything and anything punk/hardcore/metal related through my ipod touch down in my basement. I can also post stuff on a whim without having to write War and Peace. Plus, if I am honest with myself, Google Analytics has shown me that 90% of the traffic to this site are people stealing my pictures or looking for downloads. So if it is pictures people want, pictures is what I will give them.
You can find me on Instagram under the name wewillburyyou88.
I have to say, since posting there over the last month or two, I seem to attract a lot of really cute girls from South America who fashion themselves as witches. The power of metal.
Alright, 2014. I would do a top 10 list for both metal and hardcore, but that would require buying and liking 10 hardcore records this year. So I am doing a top 7 for hardcore.
Top 7 Hardcore records of 2014
1. Sweet Jesus - Box 7"
2. Battle Ruins - Battle Ruins lp
3. Step Forward - s/t 7"
4. Give - Electric Flower Circus lp (still waiting for the pink vinyl)
5. Praise - Lights Went Out lp
6. Boston Strangler - Fire lp
7. Bane - Don't Wait Up lp
So, one look at the list and it seems 2014 was the year a lot of bands still want to sound like Swiz.
Top 10 Metal records of 2014
1. Stone Dagger - s/t 7"
2. Eternal Champion - The Last King of Pictdom 7"
3. Sumerlands - Guardian demo
4. Behemoth - The Satanist lp
5. Ancient VVisdom - Sacrificial lp
6. Goatwhore - Constricting Rage of the Merciless lp
7. At The Gates - War With Reality lp
8. Midnight - No Mercy For Mayhem lp
9. Mastodon - Once More 'Round the Sun lp
10. High Spirits - You Are Here lp
How cool is it that the most vibrant and exciting music of 2014 was 80's style US power metal played by hardcore "kids" from Boston, Philadelphia and Austin? Oh, and yes I know the EC was released on tape in 2013, but the vinyl came out this year on Hell Massacre. Another thing, I just couldn't leave Sumerlands off the list because of the digital download only. Nothing this good should be excluded by a technicality. Cyclopean will be releasing it as a 7" some time soon I hope.
Well that's that. I will keep the blog open so people can download pictures or read old shit, but I will be over on Instagram if you want to check my stuff out. Thanks. It's been fun.
Nice list. As a general rule, I try not to include two song 7 inches, and digital only releases on my Top 10. There is too much good shit out there. Is the Stone Dagger record better than the Cannibal Corpse LP? Of course it is, but in my big picture, an LP trumps a two song 7 inch most days.
ReplyDeleteCool to see a post on here. Sad that you're packing in permanently though. This blog was always a good read, even when you had very little to say.
ReplyDeleteYou've probably bought as many new releases as me this year. I mainly seem to spend money on extra variants of stuff I already have, as you may have noticed.
Marcus, Never say never! I will be back here if I ever score a GB on green, Warzone on green or clear, or an Urban Waste 7". Plus I love the year end round up.
ReplyDeleteI spent an ungodly amount this year on early 80's metal, mainly NWOBHM albums I had never heard before. It was like new music, but old.
Your never ending compulsion to buy the same record over and over is awe inspiring! I just couldn't do it anymore.
Mike, you are just dead wrong about 7"s vs lps!!!! Stone Dagger IS better than Cannibal Corpse. Stop. End sentence. Therefore it should be on the list.
Finally, you both need to get into Behemoth.
Thankss for posting this
ReplyDelete