Parasite - Proof Of The Existence 7"

This release seems to have gone by relatively unannounced. It was only through a chance look on Facebook that I saw this announced, but other than that I have heard very little. It's a shame, it is Parasite which means it is bloody awesome.

This EP is released by the almighty Holy Terror records, and contains two new Japanese metal punk tracks. Both are perfect examples of just how great this under appreciated band is, with the whole EP totalling just over 9 minutes. The first 10 seconds were enough to make me jump straight over to the HT store and pick up my copy.

Several copies exist, but although I only purchased a very short time ago I cannot remember exactly what they are. I know there is a green version with a red cover that is limited to 100 copies, and a few other colours in the same boat. What I also know if that mine is featuring a white cover, that I think was limited to just 100 copies on both red and yellow. It doesn't make much of a difference, but it is nice to have something just that little bit more limited.

To be entirely honest, the packaging isn't all that spectacular, although the caliber of the tracks does more than make up for it. The cover artwork is most similar to the hand-drawn artwork from their earlier Sin 7". One thing about Parasite is that they currently don't seem to have any kind of consistent artwork, but perhaps that will change from now.

The cover folds out to show the band logo printed thrice, as well as a band photo and some info/thanks you notes.

The entire EP isn't available to stream online, but the first track is online with the "name your price" deal. Listen and spread the news of Parasite.

Parasite/ Doraid/ Birth Ritual - The Savage Beast of Three Head 3 way split 12"

Here is another record I was really excited about as soon as I heard about it. Since the awesome split with Vermapyre, I have been a big fan of all things Parasite and have always been keen to get my hands on more of their releases. Not all that long ago they announced they would be releasing a 3 -way split album with Birth Ritual and Doraid. As it was a Japanese release it was a little hard to get my hands on, but I got there in the end.

The artwork features, you guessed it, The Savage Beast of Three Head. It is quite a cool looking front cover, but I'm a bit confused why the additional cover piece was included. As you can see in the first photo the only real difference is a change to the font of the album title.

The back cover features photos of each of the three bands and the track listings. Each band plays four songs, which are all new for Parasite at least. I'm not too familiar with the other bands, and while they are in a similar style to Parasite, they just don't quite match up. They sound considerably more polished which seems to take something away from the energy in the music. That gritty sound is one of the things that I love about Parasite. At least their four songs are bloody awesome.

To the best of my knowledge this came only on black vinyl. Perhaps there are some other versions out there somewhere, who knows...

Aside from the great tracks, this record is stellar in terms of extras. First of all is the insert pictured above. I suppose it quite standard, with band artwork and track information etc. It is still always appreciated to receive though. Next is the large fold out poster of the album/tour artwork. If the tracks on here are anything to go by that would have been a great tour.
Lastly is a large selection of various flyers. I'm not really sure what most of them are for, but again it is always appreciated to get something extra.

Parasite - Sin 7"

At the time of getting this record, I had a copy of all the other Parasite records, and getting this would serve to complete the set (I know I don't have all versions and all that, but that just a bit too much for me to get). This EP brings forth two tracks from Parasite. I think these were re-recorded from a demo CD-R that the band released themselves, but I don't really have much hope of tracking one of those down. Both songs set up the G.I.S.M worship style that is obvious on the later releases.

The artwork is pretty good with this EP. It's a real hand-made looking drawing of the Grim Reaper being transported through a graveyard but a pack of vicious wolves.

The vinyl is on plain black. I've no idea if other versions of this were pressed, this one matches the release perfectly anyway.

The reverse centre label features a five-pointer star with some Japanese characters at each point. Again I don't know what these are saying, I wish I did.

As seems usual with Tadpole records releases, they have included some advertising with this record. I'm not really into this, but I guess they gotta get that paper somehow.

Parasite / Vermapyre split 7"

When I got this record I had heard very little from Vermapyre and even less from Parasite. All I was basing my purchase on was the track playing on the Vermapyre website. That track just sounded so awesome, and I needed to hear more from this mysterious band. When I received this record I was not disappointed, both sides are fantastic. 

Parasite brings "Warning 1:警鐘" and "Warning 2: Death Or Die" to the table. Seeing as this was the first material I had heard from this band, I didn't really know what to expect. It certainly left an impression on me, I've since been tracking down other releases by this band.

As for Vermapyre, the reason I got the record, I was blown away. This side contains three tracks of black metal, noise and hardcore and includes the track playing on their website. 

The parasite cover art features a cool photo of Masaki during a live performance, with the word "Warning" written across the front.

The Vermapyre side is a bit more mysterious. It appears to be some kind of demon carrying a dead woman. On the cape of the demon is a small logo from the process. On the left hand side there are also some bats without proper heads.

This was released by Holy Terror records, and the version I picked up was the yellow vinyl. This was the band version, and is out of 250.

 

 

 Along with the record came two patches, one for both bands. Of the two, I think the Vermapyre one looks the best.  

With the advent of Holy Terror joining bandcamp, the Vermapyre side has been uploaded online for all to enjoy.

Parasite / Bludwulf split 7"

I'll be honest, I had never heard of Bludwulf before. They were OK on this record, but in my opinion were nothing special. I really only got this because of Parasite. My first proper introduction to Parasite was on their split with Vermapyre. I thought they were fantastic, and couldn't wait to hear more from them. As per usual, I wanted to acquire their earlier releases, but was too late to buy from any store. So I had to resort to Ebay, ugh. 

This artwork has so much going on that I can't really be bothered describing what its really meant to be. 

Thankfully the reverse side is a bit calmer.

The auction said that this version of the record was a test press out of a ridiculously low number, like 15 or something. I was a wee bit suspicious of this because it was going for pretty cheap, but decided to buy it anyway. Once it had arrived I decided to see if I could find any info about this pressing on the internet. I couldn't seem to find any information about a pink test press anywhere, so I thought it must have been a bootleg. It didn't matter that much, but it didn't feel quite as special anymore. I'm glad to say that I have since found that 15 pink test presses were produced so this must be the real deal.

Here is the actual record, in all its mighty pinkness. I do wonder why they bothered to put a test press on such coloured vinyl. Usually they just chuck it on the cheapest vinyl they can get right?

 

  

Parasite - Metal Punk Massacre 10"

Hailing from Japan, Parasite are a 4 piece metallic punk group. This album is pure G.I.S.M worship from start to finish, which is of course fantastic. I can only find one fault with the entire release, I want more! Every song is great, but being a 10", it is just too short. Perhaps I'm just greedy...
MPM was released on Tadpole records, but I acquired this from Cyclone records, a distro in Japan. Man are these guys good. I received this in the mail so fast it made my head spin. Seriously, it was a matter of days after I ordered it. They also give the option of using recycled packaging, which I'm all for. Order something from them, you won't be disappointed.


Anyway, back to the record. The sleeve is a standard 10" gatefold (very punk), with some very menacing artwork done by the great artist, Brian VDP. 

Inside the cover we have a picture of the band playing. Even here you can see these guys are the real deal. On vocals, we have Masaki who is fitted in a studded vest which looks awesome.

Tying in nicely with the black on the rest of release, the record came in a black dust jacket, a nice touch. 

An insert was also included, well kind of an insert. It is more of an advertisement really, see for yourself.