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To all those who celebrate, Happy Record Store Day [Black Friday]. I took my daughter to @soundrevolutionhtx and found lots of treasures in the used bins. Including an original Cheech & Chong - Big Bambu WITH THE ORIGINAL ROLLING PAPER!!! I’d only heard second hand tale of its existence, but it is real! Haha! Other stuff:

- Wolves in the Throne Room - Black Cascade (15 Year Anniversary Edition) [RSD 2024]

- Jerry Cantrell - Brighten

- Brain Eaters - s/t

- Ozzy Osbourne - Prince of Darkness (CD box set)

- Black Sabbath - Symptom of the Universe (2xCD)

- The Beatles - Live at the Hollywood Bowl

- The Beatles - Yesterday and Today (a/k/a Butcher Cover)

Did you pick up anything new today?

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Bewitcher - Spell Shock (2024). I’m embarrassed to admit that I accidentally forgot to preorder this album, and finally had to pick it up at a local record store today. I’ve listened to it repeatedly and I am loving this! The perfect blend of speed and black; it’s delicious!

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Here are 25 new release albums in 2024 that are worth giving an honest listen (in random order):

🔥🤘🔥

Blood Incantation - Absolute Elsewhere

Judas Priest - Invincible Shield

Necrowretch - Swords of Dajjal

Kvaen - The Ancient Gods

Stygian Crown - Funeral For A King

Seth - La France des Maudits

Darkthrone - It Beckons Us All

Vale Of Pnath - Soul Offering

Spectral Wound - Songs Of Blood And Mire

Dödsrit - Nocturnal Will

Gatecreeper - Dark Superstition

Wormwitch - Wormwitch

Necrophobic - In the Twilight Grey

Vredeharmer - God Slayer

Bat - Under The Crooked Claw

Undeath - More Insane

The Absence - The Absence

Akhlys - House of the Black Geminus

Demiser - Slave to the Scythe

Necrot - Lifeless Birth

Witch Vomit - Funeral Sanctum

Wraith - Fueled by Fear

Haunt - Dreamers

Whoredom Rife - Den Vrede Makt

Aethyrick - Death is Absent

🔥🤘🔥

What are you top picks for 2024 so far?

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Gatecreeper tee from the Houston show.

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Gatecreeper, Frozen Soul, and Worm in one lineup in Houston! I had to invest heavily at the merch booths.

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Undeath - More Insane (2024). I love Undeath, and their new record hits all the sweet spots. Well done! This year’s crop of metal releases has been excellent, and More Insane is one reason why.

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AFI - Sing The Sorrow.

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Blood Incantation - Absolute Elsewhere (2024).

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Peter Steele (Type O Negative) Reaction Figure.

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SLAAAAAAAAAYER!!! I never, ever thought I would get to own this box set. “Soundtrack to the Apocalypse” came out in 2003 - the year I sold all of my worldly possessions and sank all of my savings into moving to Texas for law school. I literally had no spare change, much less the funds to lay out for this bad boy. I read articles about it, lusted after it, but never even saw one in real life. Until one day…

I was in Colorado Springs to visit my sister and took the time to go to one of the best record stores in the country: Entertainmart. I know this is a chain, but the CO Springs location is so enormous you can spend all day there. It was while I was there that I saw this box set sitting behind the register. My brain took a second to process what I was looking at. I dared to ask the question that so often frustrates the fun: “how much is that?” Answer: $60. Boom! I couldn’t pay fast enough.

Slayer has a special place in my life. That band was a major part of the soundtrack to my high school years. Seeing Angel of Death live and living to tell the tale is an unforgettable experience. Life is so topsy turvy right now, but this pile of blasphemous goodies is sure bringing me joy today.

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The layout for the next battlejacket is nearly complete.

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The Haunt Fan Club has patches now! This is so rad!

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Let’s have some fun and rank Black Sabbath’s studio album discography. The new remix of Forbidden gives that album a big boost from the bottom of the list. Here is how I rank them in 2024:

1. Paranoid

2. Sabotage

3. Vol. 4

4. Master of Reality

5. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath

6. Technical Ecstasy

7. Black Sabbath

8. Heaven and Hell

9. Headless Cross

10. Cross Purposes

11. Mob Rules

12. Tyr

13. Forbidden

14. 13

15. The Eternal Idol

16. Heaven & Hell - The Devil You Know

17. Never Say Die!

18. Dehumanizer

19. Born Again

20. Seventh Star

What did I get wrong? How do you rank them?

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New patch day: Cruciamentum and Gatecreeper.

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Black Sabbath is my favorite band of all time. I like all the eras. Yes, even the Tony Martin era, which is often derided as “not real Sabbath.” If you’ve never given those albums an honest listen, and especially if you like the Dio era, you really need to play them. And now, with the release of the new box set (“Anno Domini: 1989-1995”) you can finally own some records that have been out of print for decades.

I never thought I would actually be able to own vinyl versions of these albums in my lifetime. I am astonished at how good these records sound - especially Forbidden, which was remixed by Tony Iommi himself. One listen and you will hear the difference screaming at you. Iommi’s guitar tone is so delicious and tasty now. I listened to Forbidden twice in a row this weekend and I enjoyed every minute of that. This was unthinkable to me before. The other albums have been remastered (not remixed) and make me really happy. This box set is 100% worth the price. Get one while you can!

#JusticeForTonyMartin

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Some great new releases showed up here this week:

Vale of Pnath - Between The Worlds Of Life And Death

BAT - Under The Crooked Claw

Tzompantli - Beating the Drums of Ancestral Force