Children of God - The Sun Gives Way to False Truths - 10"

Not far off two years ago, I was approached by a member of Children of God about reviewing a new song they had recently released. At the time, it was taking quite a different direction to the rest of the tracks the band had out and it really grabbed my attention. I think the plan was always to release this physically eventually, and it has finally surfaced on a pretty great 10" record.

Vendetta records handled the release, and actually "borrowed" the original review that I wrote. From what I could find, the only way to order through them directly was via the bisaufsmesser webstore, which wasn't able to ship to me. Not long after, the band had it's own copies for sale  which I nabbed very quickly. Two copies are in existence, a black and a white. According to discogs, the white was pressed in 100 copies, and the black in 400. In this case, I went with my gut and picked which of the two I thought more impressive.

The packaging is quite minimal, yet very effective. The record in housed inside a grey cardboard sleeve that opens outwards from the middle. On the back are the track lyrics, and behind where the record sits is a quote from Freidrich Nietzsche. What really amps it up though it the screenprint on the back of the record. The winged picture released as the artwork with the digital single is printed in gold, which looks fantastic against the black vinyl.

If you still haven't gotten around to listening to this, here is the track streaming for free.

Integrity - Burning Flesh Children To Mist Tape

Originally a track on the Seasons in the Size of Days CD, this rather bizarre Integrity track has recently been released on cassette, thanks to Bezerker records. Only a couple of Integrity recordings have made their way onto this format, so I was keen to pick it up when I heard about it's release. 

This definitely hits the more experimental end of the Integrity spectrum, featuring a recording of Jim Jones on the day of their mass suicide accompanied by a range of small sound effects. It's really quite creepy to listen to, but then again that is probably half the point. 

The tape packaging is quite standard, but being from such a small label it is almost unfair to expect any more. The artwork folds out to include a picture of Jim Jones and a rather cartoony skeleton image.The actual tape is a standard black cassette with the classic early Integirty logo pasted on the top. Mine also came with a Bezerker records button which was a nice touch.
Overall only 100 copies were produced, which is quite limited compared to some of the band's other releases.

The tape did take a little while to arrive, so the guy form the label also included a separate tape from a band called Ripsnorter to make up for it. I've never heard of them before, but here they pose as "The Ripfits", playing 13 classic Misfits covers. They aren't all that bad either.

Limb - ST 12"

When I first heard Limb, they had a short 3-track demo CD with UK's Witch Hunter records. The deep, heavy tracks had an almost blues tinge to them that just sounded great. Only two years later and they have put out their very own LP, thanks to New Heavy Sounds. In the middle of these two they had released another 7", also on NHS. This was also good, so didn't really hesitate to pick this up. It's not a bad album by any means, but something has been lost that they had in the original demo. The production is a lot more crisp this time around, which has actually taken away some of the appeal of the record. One of things I loved about the original demo was the thick sound the band was able to produce, and sadly this has been almost completely removed with the recording. 

The LP comes in a nice gatefold cover with some incredibly detailed artwork on the front that certainly does look impressive. I am a fan of the gatefold jackets, but in this case I'm not exactly sure why it was necessary. Inside is a pretty standard photo of the band, not really too exciting.

The LP itself really stands out though. It is a cool electric green/black swirl. Overall 300 copies of this were produced, and from memory this was the only colour variation at the time. Inside the jacket is an insert with the cover artwork.

Overall, not bad but not my favourite release from the band. Listen to the below tracks, first is from the demo and the second from the new LP, let me know which you prefer.

Dead Kennedys - 7" Box Set

My 4th and final part of my RSD releases was this fabulous box set by Dead Kennedys. Yes it's a little different from the other releases I picked up, but these guys are such classic hardcore punk that I couldn't miss the opportunity. 

This box set contains remastered versions of all their original 7"s, all the way from the original "California Uber Alles", through to "Halloween". A lot of their classic tracks are here, with many still be incredibly relevant today, about 30 years later than when they were originally released. Each also has a B-side, many of which I have not heard before. The B-side tracks aren't exactly their best work, but it is still cool to add a couple more DK tracks to the library.
A couple of the 7"s also had earlier recordings than what I had heard on their various LPs. Most noticeable were two of their classics: California Uber Alles and Holiday in Cambodia.

Each record comes in a regular cardboard sleeve with the original artwork, which shows they never seemed to keep to a particular style of artwork. They all look pretty cool, but my definite favourite is the cover for Halloween.
The box also comes along with a book of notes and interviews with the band.