Broken Cross - Anti Human Life 7"

This record has skipped ahead of the list a bit, but I'm a big fan of Broken Cross and couldn't really wait to share their latest creation. Since their (or should I say his?) self-released tape last year I have been keen to get my hands on some more of Broken Cross' take on musical mayhem. The impressive compilation from Classified Resistance had one new track, as did the Oede Cvlt Nation compilation, which were able to satisfy my cravings for a while but it wasn't really enough. Luckily, Broken Cross are the latest child of the HT label and this record sees two brand new songs, as well as some now classic ones.

Not including the test-press version, there are currently three variants of this record. There is a clear, red and green version, with mine obviously being the green. Although I'd say this is more of a teal than green, but it is still a pretty cool looking colour. Each of the versions are limited to 100 copies, with only 66 being available. I'm not entirely sure what that means, and where the other 33 have gone, but it is what it is. Quite a few are still available at the HT store if you want to check it out. I must admit I'm not a fan of the new store layout, but somehow they manage to get the records to you ridiculously fast which is fantastic.

Inside the cover there is a lyrics sheet which is definitely pretty useful for this release. Although utterly perfect for the songs, the vocals are heavily distorted and difficult to decipher. I did already have the lyrics to the first three songs thanks to the previous tape, but with the addition of the two new songs an update was definitely needed. The new songs follow the same dark lyrical theme summed up by the record's title.

If you haven't checked out Broken Cross yet, I'd highly recommend it. They are really something different, which is always good to come across in the world of hardcore/metal.

Organized Crime Records - Halloween MMXII Surprise

Around the end of October has become an exciting for me in terms of records. It has become somewhat tradition for Organized Crime Records to put out a surprise Halloween package. I talked about last year's one here, but for those who don't know this is a complete surprise package. All you know is it's Integrity or HT related and comes with a T-shirt, but the rest is completely unknown at the time of purchasing. It's quite a thrill not knowing what you get, but at least you know if it's from OCR it's gonna be worth it.

It took a while for it all to come together, but it has seriously been worth the wait. A few rumours had spread around the darker corners on the internet about what this might be, so when it arrived I was not completely surprised with what was inside. But I was surprised at just how excellent the whole thing was! It's definitely their best Hallovveen package to date.

Now those in the know will know that OCR has recently re-released Systems Overload as part of their Integrity re-release series. What makes this record so special then you might ask? Well that is a rather interesting story. Back in '95 it seems the mixing of this iconic hardcore record hit some snags and was somewhat rushed when it was put out. This is what sets this record apart from the classic version. This is a remix cut mixed by A2 and +Orr! They've managed to get a hold of the original masters and have discovered new intros, solos etc that had been cut from the original version. They've also tweaked the sound  to make it sound extra explosive and brutal. From the very first note of Incarnate 365 the speakers shake with the shear intensity of this new mixed version.

The packaging is really top notch as well. Everything comes housed in a screen printed sleeve which you can see above. The vinyl is straight red, although I think some black version might see the light of day before too long....

Along side the record is the included poster, which is seriously huge. One side has some gas masked individuals. The other has a large picture of a face that I was only able to make out by looking at the photo, up close it is hard to tell what it is as the poster is so big.

AAAND there is more. This is a short booklet with comments from +Orr and A2. They talk about the idea behind the record and what sort of changes they've made to the classic album. Although it's only about two pages, it's an interesting read.

On the back of this is the track listings. The last track on here is Search For Divinity but it does also include Unveiled Tomorrows. Although this is something completely different to the Unveiled Tomorrows that I've come to know. 

The back of the book is numbered, with mine being number 140/165.

If that wasn't enough there is also a limited T-shirt that goes along with the record. This has the the Systems Overload logo on the front and the Gas-Mask artwork on the front. The words "Halloween MMXII" are also written on the left sleeve. It's probably one of my favourite Integrity shirts I've seen.

It may taken about five months from purchase to sitting on my doorstep, but it's definitely worth the wait. It's a great package and I can't wait to see what OCR has planned for the next Halloween surprise. No doubt it'll come around ridiculously fast once again.