Praise - 2 Songs EP

I don't even remember how long ago I ordered these records from REACT! Long enough for me to almost forget that I even ordered them.  I'm not sure what caused the delays on this record.  I've come to expect waiting awhile when ordering from REACT!, but I don't sweat it because I know it will be worth the wait.  They put a lot of time and effort into doing that label on top of having a "normal life", plus it's only a few dudes doing the label on their own dime.  The label only makes enough to keep putting out records, not to make a profit. 

I've only had the chance to listen to this record once so far, and while I did like it, I got the impression that it's going to be one of those records that will take a few more spins before I really get into it.  However one noted improvement from the first record is the art work (I hate Dream Catchers).   

400 on Black

300 on Grey

200 on White

REACT! normally presses 4 different colors and uses they most limited (out of 100 most of the time) for the band to sell.  I'm not sure what the 4th color is, or if there even was a 4th color pressed.  I'm guessing it might be available at the REACT! Showcase. 

Iron Boots - Demo 7"

This is going to be the last of the favorites from 2002-2005 time period.  From now on I'm going to try to get back to posting newer records or records that I've recently picked up.  So for the last of my favorites posts, I'm going with what I think is an underrated band from mid 2000's.  Yeah Iron Boots pretty much ripped off Warzone from the DFTSDFTS RayBeeze era, but so what.  I love Warzone, and I love Iron Boots. 

I don't remember where I got this record from.  Probably at Posi Numbers or from RevHQ.  This demo saw 3 different pressings.  The first was a tape release by the band (proper demo treatment), the second was on Brain Grenade Records, and the third was released by Grave Mistake.  All of these records are now out of print. 



Black Vinyl out of ???  (If you know, let me know)

Drug Test - Needle In Your Neck

As I'm sitting down to write this blog entry, I'm wracking my brain trying to remember if I ever actually saw Drug Test play.  I mean, I did buy this 7" at a show that Drug Test played.. But I have no recollection of seeing them.  It's sad really, because I'm a fan of this record.  It's also sad that this was the only record that Drug Test released. 

It's funny.  Drug Test released one record, but I've heard and read a lot of crazy stories about this band.  Stories ranging from jail time, felony charges, 16x16's at In n' Out, and well... throwing people "down the stairs".  To me that is part of the allure of Drug Test, not knowing whether the stories you heard about them were completely true, or only partly true.  Either way none of that really matters, because what matters is the music.  And this record rules. 

400 on Black. 

Go It Alone - Vancouver Gold

I picked this record up on Go It Alone's first US tour (I think) when they played a basement show in the suburbs of Chicago with Def Choice.  The show was awesome, every Go It Alone show was awesome for that matter.  If I remember correctly, they got the name "Vancouver Gold" from a type of pot grown in the Pacific North-West (ironic huh?). 

To me Go It Alone were a band that's sound was always captured better live.  Their records were always good, but took me awhile to warm up to.  Except "The Only Blood Between Us", that one I loved from the start. 

Not sure the pressing info on this record, Straight On Records is no longer.

If anyone knows the pressing info on this record let me know. 

Mental - Get An Oxygen Tank

Get An Oxygen Tank was the first Mental record that I listened to.  I remember the first time that I heard this record I thought I was playing it at the wrong speed when the vocals kicked in.  It took me a second to realize that I was in fact playing it on the correct speed, that's just what dudes vocals sounded like.  It grew on me very quick however, and I ended up listening to this record all the time.

I picked this record up at a show in Chicago from Joe Lifeline's record distro soon after the record was released.  Mental went on to play a handful of great shows in Chicago, until the bands demise.  Well, all of their shows were great except the last show they played in Chicago.  This was just after the edge breaks, and people were already bagging on them for their change in sound.  Anyway, the show was super awkward.  Most of the kids bailed before they played (alot of kids who LOVED them the year before) and there were defiantly some home made shirts that read "Mental Boston Straight Edge....SIKE".  Granted that's funny...but yeah, really awkward vibe at the show.  

700 pressed on Yellow 

Mental will always be a favorite hardcore band of mine.  I don't care what happened towards the end, or all the hype surrounding the band, I just love their music. 

No Justice - Still Fighting 7"

I didn't get into record collecting until quite a few years after getting into punk and hardcore, and honestly I don't know why.  I've always been some what of a collector, so you think I would have been collecting ever since I started going to shows.  Who knows.  I've only been collecting records for about 10 years, and this record was one of the first, if not THE first hardcore/punk vinyl record I owned. 

Truth be told, I didn't even buy this record.  It was given to me by a friend because he said it was to good for me not to have (how nice is that?).  He had a small distro and had quite a few extra copy's of this if I remember correctly.  It's hard to believe that this record is over 10 years old.  Members from No Justice went on to be in 86 Mentality, Desperate Measures, Lion of Judah, and Set To Explode.  Never got a chance to see No Justice play (bummer) but from what I've seen on YouTube, read, and been told, their shows were insane. 

No clue on the pressing info for this record

I think there was a repress of this record done by another record label a few years ago, but I'm not sure if it is still in print or not. 

Justice - Look Alive E.P.

This is yet another record that I picked up at Posi Numbers in '04.  Justice or Mental, I don't remember which, were selling these out of the back of their van the day before Justice played.  I believe these were left over from a show they played in Montreal (record release show perhaps) before playing Posi Numbers.

Justice absolutely killed it at Posi Numbers that year, and in my opinion, really helped to gain the popularity of European bands here in the U.S.  I don't think European bands were taken that seriously until Justice came along.  Don't get me wrong, there were alot of good Euro bands before Justice, just none as widely popular as Justice became.  And it's because of Justice that I went back and checked out alot of the older bands that were on Crucial Response Records. 

#44/100

Normal cover.  Art done by the bands bass player, Spoiler. 

To me, this E.P. and the demo were by far their best releases.  I liked their first full length, but honestly that was the last Justice album I even listened to.  I've never even heard their last two records they did before breaking up.  Maybe some day I'll give them a listen to.