bjorn

This new record is really strong... I'm getting tons of Silver and Gold era SF59 vibes, but they throw enough left turns throughout the album to keep it very engaging.

29 copies left on black.

Two Hands is brilliant., I’ll have to dig into UFOF some more. I’ve liked their last few albums a lot but this one finally nudged be over the edge to pick up a record. Unfortunately my copy of the colored pressing is plagued by excessive noise on the first half of both sides, once the noise subsides the sound is excellent.

That's a great set list. Not sure how they could omit Ghost Trail though. That would be ultimate encore material.

I think this is closer to reality. I wish more artists who release their music on vinyl would actually write albums with the limitations of the format in mind, but that still seems to be an afterthought 95% of the time. Look no further than all the needless 2xLP releases out there that would have been much better trimmed down to fit a single LP. What's even more fun is when the artwork is pixelated simply because whoever did the layout didn't size the files correctly, which is totally inexcusable, yet I have a nice stack of records where this obviously happened. But I do agree though that it's much more common now to see CD packaging that mimics record sleeves, which is nice since I think we can all agree that jewel cases suck.

Very exciting. It's looking as if Gold will be a 45rpm 2x12", 500 on black, 500 on gold vinyl according to a poster on the SF59 FB group. That seems like an awfully low number so I hope I'm not traveling while it drops. I'm also curious to hear how the remaster will sound. The original pressing isn't great and the album has a pretty unusual sound to begin with, with it's buried drums and sections of blown-out distortion. More than anything I hope interest in this band's catalog keeps growing. I think they were ahead of their time and should have been much bigger than they were.

Interesting, glad I pulled the trigger at Norman last night, though I'm sure more will pop up eventually.

I get it. I love and appreciate all of these bands. Rosetta and Mouth of the Architect are among my favorites as well. But what Cult of Luna has done impresses me the most on a gut impact level, and I also think that in comparison to the reverence many people have for Isis and Neurosis in particular, CoL is a bit underrated.

I'm very happy with this record. In my opinion CoL made the two best post-metal albums with SATH and Eternal Kingdom, in my mind these albums beat anything by Neurosis, Isis, or anyone else within this sphere of heavy music, and this new one may be on the same level. When they are at their best they push their music to an uncanny level of intensity, and they do it with their particular blend of percussion, synth, guitar counter-melodies, etc. It's a really special sound that I can't describe adequately, but I know it when I hear it, and this record is full of these incredible moments that no other band could have produced. Also, kudos to Metal Blade for a fantastic pressing, it sounds amazing.

I recently bought a Dual 1237 for $45, but none of the auto functions worked. It turns out all I needed was to replace the "steuerpimpel" (which is literally just a tiny soft plastic cap). That part was available for $5 and took a couple minutes to install. I added a $15 replacement stylus and now everything works perfectly. So, I realize I got a bit lucky in my case, and getting the damping lever to work might be a little tougher, but it might be worth doing some research to see if you can fix it yourself. There are plenty of threads floating around that detail different things people have done to keep their Duals working.

I assume this set will sound a bit better than the standard variants, which sounds pretty good already, but can anyone comment on the pressing quality?

While I've always liked Tool, they've never been a favorite. When I first heard them as a kid I was mostly into much heavier stuff, and Tool's edgy image didn't seem to match their more melodic sound. My friends were obsessed with them though so I became pretty familiar with the first couple records. The first album that I actually got into was Lateralus, which would probably still be my pick as their best work. I went back and picked up my own copies of Undertow and Aenima a few years later. Those are both really good, but to my ears Undertow sounds a bit dated at this point, while Aenima comes off as front-loaded, I find the second half of that record irritating and not all that interesting. 10,000 Days has songs I enjoy but as a whole I never loved it. Fear Inoculum zeroes in on my favorite aspects of the band, which is the interplay between the four members and the unique sound they produce. I love the drawn out, chugging pace, which was a very pleasant surprise and mentally I was able to lock into the flow of the record immediately. What many people find long-winded or boring for some reason made this album more accessible to me. I'm not someone who usually gives lyrics much thought, but I think Pneuma in particular is poignant. Of course there's nothing mind-blowing about the whole "we are one" cliche, but I like the nuanced way the song points to something inherently good in the fiber of humanity which is too often crushed or neglected. I've listened through the album about ten times or so, and I do think it's missing something. Most of the songs just feel like there's another gear the band could have found to really hit them out of the park compositionally. There's a sense of calculated restraint that defines the whole record, and it's amazing in its own way, but it could have been great to have a few moments where that becomes totally unhinged. Some kind of unexpected element integrated in some clever way would have made this stronger as a whole... in that regard the interludes are a bit of a missed opportunity, though I don't dislike them. All in all I'm still enjoying this album immensely.

Excited for this, though the 12 euro shipping to Germany for the clear version is a bummer. Amazon UK ended up being the best option for me.

Spinning my copy now, I was really happy to see this was cut at 45. I'm hearing random bits of crackling distortion throughout the A side in the left channel... cleaning did no good and it's pretty disruptive. I'm hoping it's just my copy but I have a feeling this might be a widespread defect. If anyone can comment on their copy I'd be curious to see if it might be worth trying to exchange it. Either way, I'm not going let that spoil the album because it's awesome. The other sides sound pretty good, just the usual minor surface noise... the recording has a natural sense of space and warmth, but plenty of punch on the loud parts. Other than that, I'm a fan of the layout and the giant folded insert. I do think a green/gray vinyl combo could have been fun, but clear is probably a bit more tasteful since it looks nice without distracting from the cover.

Wow, that sucks! I'd be extremely upset. I was tempted to grab a few extra copies but decided not to. It's a very good album. Hopefully it's not the last, but if it is, it's not a bad way to go out.

The album is out now. Instant AOTY contender for me, anyone else digging it?

I've never heard of that cartridge, but if you can find an inexpensive replacement stylus it's probably an easier way to dip your toe in, rather than swapping in a new cart. Also, since you need a p-mount cart for the Technics you probably wouldn't be able to swap it to a better turntable down the road. Most nicer turntables don't use p-mount.

I've really been digging this band lately, and I'm stoked for this new one: http://www.explodinginsoundrecords.com/products/637179-pile-green-and-gray For those who are behind on buying their records (like me), they are offering a Green and Gray + Odds and Ends + A Hairshirt of Purpose LP bundle for $43. How's that for a no-brainer?

Goodness, this new Gomorrah record is crazy. The guitar work on the first track alone is some of the best I've heard in years. https://gomorrahofficial.bandcamp.com/

I've moved a bunch of things but there are around 80 left... let me know if anything interests you. I'm moving to Europe so I need to lighten the load.

Gave that a listen today. Musically I enjoyed it a lot, kind of scratches that Agalloch itch for me. I find the vocals to be tolerable at best, but I feel that way about 90% of metal bands.

This is great, thanks for sharing!

Still working my way through the album but it's definitely winning me over. Against my better judgement I went with the splatter version and there is a bunch of distortion and noise toward the end of the B side and a bit to start the C side. I'm wondering if I should try exchanging it for a black copy. Anyone else experiencing sound issues?

Death Metal Dads is lots of fun, though mostly goofy and not a lot of actual music. Radical Research is very good and a lot more in-depth with music clips. I'm sure IG88's is great too, need to check that out.

Lots sold... lots added.