Searching for the best: Limited Edition [5th April 2024]

Vinyl records? They're experiencing quite the resurgence, aren't they? There's something undeniably nostalgic and charming about them. The tactile experience of holding an album, the crackle as the needle finds its groove, and the warmth of analog sound—there's a unique appeal that digital formats can't quite replicate. Plus, the artwork on those oversized sleeves is a treat in itself.

ARTIST:

1. Rising by Thor: Features Thor's classic '80s metal sound combined with modern influences to create a potent blend of old and new that has kept this metal viking thriving for over 4 decades! Available on both CD and on limited edition GOLD vinyl! Watch for a national US tour starting on February 28 and continuing through March! Publicity support provided by Billy James of Glass Onyon PR!
2. Evil Becomes Rule by Christian Death: With the release of their seventeenth studio album, Christian Death shows no signs of faltering or slowing down. The godfathers of death rock have simultaneously perfected and redefined their signature sound, which has served as a core inspiration for many bands of both the past and present, such as Danzig, Celtic Frost, and Type O Negative, to name just a few. Evil Becomes Rule isn't merely a musical endeavor, but an artistic expression that blends elements of gothic rock, post-punk, and dark pop, cultivating a poetic aesthetic that is certain to continue to influence the next wave of gothic rock.
3. Ferelith by David Tibet: David Tibet of Current 93's first-ever solo album, FERELITH, was originally released on a tiny art-edition lathe pressing via the Cashen's Gap label in 2020. Now, FERELITH is available once again; this limited high-quality edition reissue by HOMALEPH, David's sub-label on the ever-reliable and increasingly collectable House of Mythology label. This LP comes in a single pressing black and clear ghostly marble effect, with a Japanese washi-style paper insert and card print hand signed by David Tibet. Strictly limited to 500 copies. Musically speaking, this album is haunting, evocative and powerful, far removed from anything David Tibet has released in his ever-evolving body of work, perhaps since the early 1980s.
4. Der Alte by Valborg: Valborg have always been willing to experiment, shift boundaries, and while always remaining true to their harsh and sinister musical core, the Germans have never stuck to one particular musical box while consciously avoiding to become trapped in a stylistic pigeon hole. As a result many stickers have been applied to their sound: doom, blackened death metal, industrial among others. On their new album entitled "Der Alte" ("The Old One"), Valborg take a rather reductionist approach. Their new tracks are deliberately kept short, making use of simple structures, brutal, while making use of extreme vocals and their trademark lambasting and relentless drum beat.
5. Freedom by Refused: INDIE ONLY! Limited vinyl LP pressing including digital download. 2015 release from the punk band, their first studio album in almost 20 years. Refused came to an end in front of 50 kids at a basement show in a Virginia college town in 1998, just as their release of the same year, The Shape of Punk to Come, was taking its first steps toward becoming an acknowledged classic and a massive influence on a generation of bands. Refused Are F*cking Dead! became the slogan, as kids discovered Shape and its breakout track ''New Noise'' only to find their new heroes disbanded. Refused Are F*king Alive! After a 2012 invitation to reform for the Coachella festival, Refused followed its first shows in 15 years with a triumphant tour, as every kid who had discovered them after death came out to see them reborn.