Millenial Reign - 7"

As part III of my RSD haul, I thought I'd write about this awesome little record, Bones, Dust, Nothing. Originally released a good few years back, this record contains the only tracks from short-lived band, Millenial Reign. It's a shame this band didn't stick around for longer, the four tracks they released on this EP were very promising and I've definitely gone back to listen to them time and time again.

This was originally released by A389 as a pretty standard record. This year however it has received a revamp in the form of a leather cover, well faux-leather cover. I'd never bought a record in a leather sleeve before, and given the awesomeness of the record I decided I must have it. Like their other RSD releases this year, they were available online for a short while for us folk without the ability to buy them the traditional way.

The leather sleeve looks just awesome, and inside is packed with the original packaging. The inside of the sleeve has the typical-of-A389-at-the-time vertical lyric sheet and the vinyl has the standard older centre label. This version is on purple vinyl, which has some definite other colours mixed in there. From what I can tell this was the common colour variant, but only 65 were produced with the special leather sleeve, mine being number 6.

It has been out for years, so you really should have heard it already, but for those slack few here is the entire EP streaming for free.

Psywarfare / Full of Hell Split 7"

Many great records were released as part of record store day this year. Of course there is the split I mentioned above, but that wasn't the only thing worth getting my hands on this year. Second in my RSD haul is this split 12" from the ever mysterious Psywarfare and Full of Hell. 

Upon hearing about the release of this split I was certainly intrigued as to how the two bands would work together. On the one hand we have the eclectic electronic noise of Psywarfare, and on the other we have trashing power of Full of Hell. If there is one thing to go by with this record, it is to not try and guess the record before you hear it.
Gone are Psywarfare's harsh electronic noises and samples and instead we have a slow, repetitive track that was inspired by Hawaiian music. This inspiration does come through, even if in an immensely twisted way. Full of Hell have also taken a step away from their norm, and produced an experimental track much more like other Psywarfare recordings, full of noise, drones and samples terrorizing your ears.

Once again, A389 were responsible for this split release, which comes in three varieties. The first was a green and white mix, which was only available at participating RSD stores. My local wasn't selling anything like this, so I was lucky when A389 announced the online sale of a clear with camo splatter variant. This version looks brilliant, but there was another that looks equally impressive. For sale on the Holy Terror website was a blue/pink splatter version that just looks insane.
A neat feature about these records are the tiny centre labels. They are about a third the size of the regular labels, and open up a lot of that clear and camo wax.

The Hawaiian theme has also seeped out of the wax to influence the packaging of the record, well the Psywarfare side at least. The artwork is very coloured and looks like it has come right of a dark forest from a Pacific Island.
The Full of Hell side is incredibly bleak in comparison, consisting of a single blade on a white background. It does perfectly suit the mood of the track though.

For the first time in a while, the tracks aren't available on the label's bandcamp. The Psywarfare side is streaming via Holy Terror, so if you missed out on another great record you can at least experience some of what it has to offer.

Integrity / VVegas split 7"

There are several bands that I personally think are big names in metallic hardcore of today. Of course that includes Integrity, but also bands like Gehenna, Rot in Hell etc. Over the last few years, several of these have been pairing up to release amazing split records. One record I have felt should exist but didn't was an Integrity / VVegas split, but this year they have finally teamed up. 

 This 7" features two tracks covering the music of Dudley Moore and Peter Cook. At first I thought this was rather peculiar, and was unsure how the Integ/VVegas spin on these tracks would work. It really does though, they sound just amazing. The inside of the cover mentions the tracks were actually recorded a few years ago now and it shows, at least for Integrity, it is definitely not the same Integrity that recorded Suicide Black Snake. It's quite amazing how much a band can progress in only a few short years.

 A389 handled the release of this record, and was part of their limited record store day releases. Nowhere close to me was actually selling this on the day, and finding an online merchant actually selling copies was rather tough. I did eventually find Interpunk selling copies, a store I have not bought from before, but one which I was pleasantly surprised with.

The record comes in a fold-out 7" jacket with some written words by VVegas' lead man, T. The artwork on this release is once again handled by Szymon Siech, and once again is amazing. This particular version of the release also ties in the best with the red and black colour scheme in the artwork, being pure red vinyl. I have also seen a bright green splatter version that are being sold by the bands, but I think this one looks that slightly bit better. The great artwork even continues onto the centre labels.

 While the rest of the packaging is great, by far the best part is the enormous poster included with it (apologies for the poor photo). At 24"x36" it is a real beast, and quite frankly looks terrifying. Of course mine will never see a wall, but it is still an awesome addition to have.

If downloads are more your thing, A389 are currently selling the entire split for a price that you decide. I'm not sure how long this will last, so get in quick while you can.