Billich0986

Pre-orders for the new Ulcerate are up now at Debemur Morti. Options appear to be a standard 2xLP in red/black galaxy for $29.99, or the DMP exclusive 2xLP, red w. black splatter and a silkscreen slipcase, for $20 more. 
US preorders here:
https://debemurmorti.aisamerch.com/pre-orders
EU pre-orders here:
https://www.debemur-morti.com/en/400-ulcerate-shop
Also, first track from this went live as well, for those of you who like to listen ahead of time:
 
https://youtu.be/l31Xj44vJEA
 

New Alcest, Hippotraktor, and now Ulcerate. 2024 is shaping up to be a great year. 

New Alcest, Hippotraktor, and now Ulcerate. 2024 is shaping up to be a great year. 

Dude literally explained himself twice are you retarded?

this reads like a Panic! At the Disco verse

I'll chime in if not just to mix things up a little bit.  I've been chipping away at this reply on and off in a separate tab for like a week now.  Forgive any redundancy or incoherentness, I feel like it's probably all over the place.  But the thread is starting to sputter out so... why not?
2023 felt no different than any other year of the hobby™, barring a few exceptions.  In terms of how much did you end up buying?, the answer for me is – a lot.  I'm either doing something very right or very wrong.
But the biggest differentiator to years prior, I think, boils down to 1 concept: patience.  Sometimes it took months for pre-orders to go live.  Other times a release was riddled with delays for weeks or months on end.  I've come to accept [some years back] that we no longer get the luxury of spinning a record the same day an album is released digitally.  If a record shows up on release day – or early! – it's a rarity, and one I appreciate.  But it's absolutely not the norm among the artists and labels I frequent, and that just is what it is.  The silver lining there is that we sometimes get months to allow the dust to settle and decide if that new album is truly worth picking up.  With that in mind, sites like Zia, Bull Moose, and Rough Trade were all key-players in my 2023 preorders.  Any site that doesn't charge until shipment, with easy 1-click cancellations – those were my bread & butter.  Can't tell you how many cancellations and re-orders I'd place with Bull Moose to maintain free shipping.  Sometimes that meant that I'd receive a record 1-2+ months after everyone else, but it felt worth it.  Again; patience.
Record MSRP has been ass, I have nothing to really contribute to that discussion.  I think Covid was just the perfect maelstrom of opportunity to up the price of records; a nice trajectory of record sales, crippled supply chains / materials, and newjack collectors thinking $50+ is acceptable to drop on a double LP because they've never known better.  The wrong people took note of how willing collectors are to wait extended periods of time to receive a lackluster product of something they overpaid for... and here we are.  Imagine spending $39 PPD for a bare-bone, no-frill, flimsy ass colored 12" that you had to wait 6 months to receive.  You probably don't have to use too much of your imagination, because I bet that's happened to every single one of us in the last year or two, and I just see it more and more.  Shit sucks.  On the subject of MSRP, I will say I try my best to vote with my dollar.  Labels trying to produce the bare minimum for $40 will probably still sell out of a limited release, but at least I won't be contributing to those sales. 🤷‍♂️ There were some pretty rare exceptions here and there since those are tough guns to stick to.  Those Hum reissues were one of my favorite releases of 2024, and they were $40 a pop I think.  (But also double LPs with nice jackets, and lots of love into the mastering and pressings.)  Or Nouns' Still Bummed, which has been desperately overdo for a vinyl press.  Also $40+ spent mumbling under my breath, but having the opportunity to own a cleaned-up mix on something that's not a lathe?  Had to be done.  (It was also released on the band's own label which they just opened.  Overpaying for stuff sucks a little less when it's going to DIY roots.)
Trying to think of what else felt different in 2023.  I think I definitely coordinated a few more imports with friends, on stuff that was only available from abroad.  Gotta' soften that blow as much as possible, when possible.  Also being real with myself when cheaper options were offered.  Do I need the extra 12" of remixes I'll never listen to, housed in the exclusive boxset casing, for an extra $25 imported?  Or could I probably settle for an equally boring variant in a normal gatefold from Bull Moose and get free shipping?  This was something I'd always ask myself, but I guess in the last year or two, I've become much more comfortable not going nuts to butts on every single pre-order I was excited about.
It's cool to see more people become disenchanted with the idea that owning all releases for an artist is mandatory if you want to call yourself a true fan of said artist.  There are some artists I thoroughly enjoy with an album or two that just suck.  And no amount of bells and whistles on a fancy reissue are going to change that for me, so I'm not taking that bait.  (Especially when said reissue is probably $30+.)  On that note, I think in 2023 I've just placed more priority than ever on respecting the bang:buck ratio.  People dropping $37 PPD on a 15 minute EP is cool, I guess, but it ain't for me – even if the EP is enjoyable.  At the end of the day, I've found that no one gives a shit if you own every obscure split, 7", 10", comp, and cassette tape for an artist that you're into.  Chase all that stuff if you genuinely love the hunt and it scratches some kinda' itch for you, but it's nonsense to feel like you need that stuff on your shelf to prove that you can hang with the "real fans".  I see that mentality constantly on Reddit, it's wild.
The last thing I'll touch on is that the people who are really assessing their shelf estate and wondering "am I really going to spend time listening to this more than once?" – 100%, that's the ticket right there.  I've gotten pretty good at being honest with myself over that question, as years have gone on.  I can shrug off quite a few "impulse buys" I know I'd never listen to.  And I think I have a pretty good track-record on preordering stuff with confidence and not getting stung by it.  (The new album from Grails was my 1 dud purchase of last year.)  But with everything costing as much as it does anymore, absolutely ask yourself if it's worth actually owning, yeah.
At the end of last year, I actually added a new feature to my collection's spreadsheet – an Attachment column.  It's just a 1-5 rating on how attached I am to a given record in my collection, considering a few key factors (the music, the exclusivity, variant / packaging / press quality, the current value, sentimentality, etc.)

At its essence, it's like asking "if I lost this record in a fire, how bummed would I be about having to replace it?"  (A 5 would be crushed; very expensive or time-consuming to find a replacement in the condition my copy is in.  And a 2 or lower would be indifferent or carefree.)  I'm now in the process of revisiting everything I own and assigning it a rank, and the idea is to identify anything that's a 2 or lower to weed them out.  It's not a perfect system, especially since it leans so hard into my own personal value which is purely subjective.  But it's already helped me spot a few things here and there that I could live without, and with the size of my collection and amount spent in 2023, that's a healthy thing.  I know I'll have a problem if I start accumulating anything from 2023 / 2024 that becomes ranked a 2 or lower, because it means by ability to sniff out staying power or replay value is dwindling and that's bad news.
TL;DR – still bought a ton in 2023, but relied more on bundling for free shipping... even at the cost of waiting an extra month or two to receive my order.  Coordinated with friends for imports.  Avoided gimmick releases like usual and tried my best to "vote with my wallet" to dodge stuff excessively priced.  Still plenty of good stuff to be had for fair prices and reputable labels, especially if you're fatigued on splatter variants and have no interest in paying extra for them.  Still gunning for preferred variants, but also realistic with myself in not needing the best-of-the-best mega-deluxe-slipmat-boxset-signed-insert-bullshit version of everything, all time.  That's about it.

2023 was the year I realized I was buying records just for the sake of buying records. Blind purchases of new albums from bands that released one great album in their career. Band released a new album I really like? Go buy their entire back catalog. Just really dumb purchases overall of albums I may listen to once and never touch again.
I looked at my collection and thought to myself, "There's probably only a couple hundred records here that I would realistically ever sit down with and critically listen to." So unless I am able to listen to the full album first, and can envision myself ever taking the time to sit down and put the record on and critically listen to it, I don't purchase anymore.
Additionally, I realized my music tastes have vastly changed. I've been going through my collection and re-listening to everything to determine what is really worth keeping. So I've also begun selling records as well.
Pretty much just echoing the sentiments of many others that posted in this thread already.

2023 was the year I realized I was buying records just for the sake of buying records. Blind purchases of new albums from bands that released one great album in their career. Band released a new album I really like? Go buy their entire back catalog. Just really dumb purchases overall of albums I may listen to once and never touch again.
I looked at my collection and thought to myself, "There's probably only a couple hundred records here that I would realistically ever sit down with and critically listen to." So unless I am able to listen to the full album first, and can envision myself ever taking the time to sit down and put the record on and critically listen to it, I don't purchase anymore.
Additionally, I realized my music tastes have vastly changed. I've been going through my collection and re-listening to everything to determine what is really worth keeping. So I've also begun selling records as well.
Pretty much just echoing the sentiments of many others that posted in this thread already.

2023 was the year I realized I was buying records just for the sake of buying records. Blind purchases of new albums from bands that released one great album in their career. Band released a new album I really like? Go buy their entire back catalog. Just really dumb purchases overall of albums I may listen to once and never touch again.
I looked at my collection and thought to myself, "There's probably only a couple hundred records here that I would realistically ever sit down with and critically listen to." So unless I am able to listen to the full album first, and can envision myself ever taking the time to sit down and put the record on and critically listen to it, I don't purchase anymore.
Additionally, I realized my music tastes have vastly changed. I've been going through my collection and re-listening to everything to determine what is really worth keeping. So I've also begun selling records as well.
Pretty much just echoing the sentiments of many others that posted in this thread already.

2023 was the year I realized I was buying records just for the sake of buying records. Blind purchases of new albums from bands that released one great album in their career. Band released a new album I really like? Go buy their entire back catalog. Just really dumb purchases overall of albums I may listen to once and never touch again.
I looked at my collection and thought to myself, "There's probably only a couple hundred records here that I would realistically ever sit down with and critically listen to." So unless I am able to listen to the full album first, and can envision myself ever taking the time to sit down and put the record on and critically listen to it, I don't purchase anymore.
Additionally, I realized my music tastes have vastly changed. I've been going through my collection and re-listening to everything to determine what is really worth keeping. So I've also begun selling records as well.
Pretty much just echoing the sentiments of many others that posted in this thread already.

The band did put a single from the new version yesterday. I actually enjoyed it better than the original, so I have no regrets at this time about buying a second, different version. If you want to check it out: https://nightmarer.bandcamp.com/album/deformity-adrift-reformed
 
Wax Vessel said that the high cost on the signature variants was to help subsidize the cost on the natural PVC variant. I'm not sure the logic on that, unless they don't think many people are going to buy the PVC variant (or to help encourage more sales of the PVC variant with a lower price?). They also said it was to help get cash in the hands of Nightmarer to help support their Euro tour. Based on the state of the industry and how little these bands make in the genres we listen to, I'm fine with the price as long as the majority of the money is going to the band.
 
100%, which is why I'm glad 99% of their releases are bands that I have zero interest in.

The two listings that went up today have already been pulled down. Creating this as a place holder as I assume more variants and locations will pop up. Links below for where they were... 
 
https://shop.udiscovermusic.com/collections/2000s/products/something-corporate-leaving-through-the-window-limited-edition-2lp
 
https://thesoundofvinyl.us/products/something-corporate-leaving-through-the-window-splatter-limited-edition

Just resend the picture and tell them its already destroyed 🤣

https://20buckspin.bandcamp.com/album/shambhallic-vibrations
 
This just blew my mind

My guy. I've been holding my tongue, practicing the whole, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all," thing.
 
BUT.
 
You need to stop spamming the board with every thought you have. Read the rules/guidelines, read the FAQ, lurk the site to get a general vibe for a little while and then eventually try again. Use the search feature a little bit to see if you get any answers to your questions that way.
 
Nobody here really gives a shit about reading your blog or looking at your social media unless you're in a very specific niche, or very good at what you do.
 
Have you recognized any of the bands/albums that you see posted about on here? You seem mostly interested in classic rock and pop, which makes up a very, VERY miniscule percentage of the posts here. I know I'm not here wanting to mentor someone who is just getting into the hobby who also shares very little of the same musical taste, and I imagine most people here share that same sentiment.
 
I wish you luck on your record journey, but this isn't really a "starting point" type forum. The most active users here have mostly been involved with this forum for well over a decade at this point and have been collecting for much longer than that. We're a little jaded, and a lot sarcastic, and you came in here with a lot of questions as though you've done zero research or work to figure anything out on your own. Take a break from posting, read some threads, come back later, and don't take it too personally.

I dunno. They haven't once mentioned The Used. I don't think Tug could go a single post without mentioning The Used. Maybe two posts... 

hello,
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Thanks,
rooks

Listen?  Never.
Eat out of?  Daily.

Everytime your mom comes over.

Sorry, you just met a chav on the internet. Not all Brits are like that, it's just when you've had a potent kebab after a night out on the cheapest 'spoons lagers, you get a rage the next day that doesn't end when you've done a big poo. You usually see these guys walking around town centres with their shirt off, stained joggers, market quality Nikes sneakers (swoosh peeling off), arms hovering to the sides from invisible lats syndrome, the cheapest deodorant whole can sprayed all over which you can smell down wind a mile away, cheapest silver chains clanging about like loose change. And that 1000 yard stare; You must not give them eye contact until they've made it to Greg's for a steak bake or McDonalds, otherwise you have to endure about 5 minutes of them yelling "what u looking at mate? You gay or something? COME ON THEN U WANT SOME". Masking their sexuality with a bit of fighting talk, but they'd probably fit in nicely at a sportswear fetish night in Vauxhall arches.
Anyway, hope you enjoyed it, good fun that!

Boo this man! 

Relax, I just want to play a test press...

Oof, tough crowd *nervously adjusts tie*.  So did you hear the one about the record collector and the termite???