I love vinyl. In addition to having possession of the music I love, seeing the large artwork and the seemingly limitless colour effects that artists can use to extend the album's universe are things that I find supremely satisfying about the enduring format. Crafting every aspect of a fine LP takes many skilled hands, and thus, you get the sense that what you are holding is a true 'labour of love.' Having collected for nearly twenty years now, I take great pride in my collection, and few things bring me more joy than adding new items. To share my joy, I present to you the inaugural, quarterly vinyl update; where I go over my recent additions to the collection. Every LP has a story, so feel free to learn about each one as you browse some gallery images.

Kicking things off is the new album from Fire-Toolz, Lavender Networks. I thought it was another strong release from Angel Marcloid who continues to weave together all these seemingly incongruous genres into something miraculously entertaining. I also really wanted to show my support for the Warp Records debut. Marcloid is a one-of-a-kind, trailblazing artist that has been grinding for so long, and seeing her work being recognized by such a prestigious label makes me very happy. This record is pressed on a lovely lavender marble vinyl.

Full of Hell has been on a serious hot streak as of late, and many of their recent records have found their way into my collection. As awesome as those records are, I still had a soft spot for their collaboration with Merzbow, my first introduction to the Maryland extreme metal outfit. So when I stumbled upon a used copy, I had to pick it up. Compared to their stylistically diverse material they're putting out now, Full of Hell & Merzbow is primarily a ferocious grindcore and powerviolence record that showcases my two favourite aspects of the band; David Bland's endurance testing blasts on the drums and Dylan Walker's terrifying, feral screams. This particular version appears to be a second pressing that was on standard black vinyl.

I also found an original 2007 Eyeball pressing of this crazy mathcore record. I love the virtuosic metal fusion guitars on this record from Alexis Pareja, and Mongrel is also the first record to feature the incredible Jon Karel on drums. He has a very unique style that I don't think anyone can emulate. We also have a dual vocal assault from Jesse Korman and Justin Pedrick. This record is organized chaos and I love it; really happy to have this in my collection. This first pressing is on a translucent red vinyl.

I scored not one, not two, but three Torche records upon a recent trip to the record store. I found a copy of their debut which features some of their sludgier and doomier material. Songs For Singles collects some of the band's shortest and catchiest material. And I also found one of their later records, Restarter, which returns to fairly heavy doom territory, while maintaining a lot of the pop sensibilities the band refined over the course of their discography. I wound up finding the second pressing of the band's 2007 reissue which is pressed on a milky clear, opaque white swirl; an effect they are calling "Sake." Meanwhile, Songs For Singles and Restarter are both pressed on standard black vinyl.

This one is going to be controversial. Addressing the elephant in the room first; yes, the singer of this band has done truly heinous and irredeemable things. However, given just how mind blowing the instrumentation is, written and performed by people who by all accounts aren't horrible human beings, I really struggle to take this out of my musical diet. With his guitars, Nick Sadler managed to do the impossible; make horrifyingly grotesque and objectively unlikeable melodies (if you want to call it that) supremely catchy and memorable. Then you have Jon Syverson's drumming which surprisingly does a similar job; not only keeping up with the chaotic whirlwind that Sadler is kicking up, but applying his boundless creativity to play the most unusual of patterns. I have invested so much into this record, endlessly studying to understand why it works, that I've unfortunately developed an unbreakable bond to it. If it provides any solace, I bought this record used, supporting an independent record shop I might add, and now I don't have to feel guilty that I'm giving a certain someone my streaming dollars. I believe this is the first pressing of the record and it's on neon green vinyl.

I got a taste of this record around the time it came out and I did not think it was for me. Although, after giving it an honest effort, my perspective did a complete 180. In addition to having all the transcendental black metal tendencies I enjoy, this record also boasts some of the flashiest guitar heroics I've heard in a record of this nature. Richard Chowenhill is a beast with the guitar solos and has an inhumanly precise tremolo picking technique. I also warmed up to the band's daring, frankly jarring, musical detours. After spinning it a couple times in full, I finally understood what made them stand out from the pack, and therefore decided I wanted to have it in my collection. This edition is pressed on standard black vinyl.

I haven't had a chance to review this one yet, but spoilers, this is the frontrunner for album of the year right now. Norway continues to export amazing, noisy post-hardcore. The production is littered with lots of nasty sounds that sound meticulously designed. It is incredibly dynamic as well with the record unexpectedly transitioning between these very dry, direct passages, and these blown-out, expansive sections. The laboured production by no means is a crutch though as the performances are really impressive on their own. Ferdinand Aasheim displays a surprising amount of drum chops for a noisy punk record, the guitar and bass riffs are killer, and Tobias Osland's screams are powerfully commanding. As far as the vinyl goes, I really wanted the red and black smush vinyl. Although I'm not angry about this solid red edition; it actually has a uniquely pastel purple hue that I don't think I have in my collection yet.

The Angine De Poitrine success story is truly amazing. Music like this, microtonal math rock, is not supposed to blow up like this. Some may feel a certain type of way about it, not understanding why this duo from Québec is getting their moment. Some will rationalize that it is because of the outlandish costumes, some will say it's because of the unusual gear, or some will say it's because of the duo's mysterious anonymity. There may be a hint of truth to that, but let's not kid ourselves, the music rips. Regardless of whether I think the music is truly novel, I'm proud that a band of this nature is taking the world by storm, and I'm even more proud they are Canadian. That's why I celebrate their success and choose to support the band by picking up a copy of Vol. 2. I have yet to listen to Vol. 1, but if it is as good, I will likely be getting that one too.

I've been toying with the idea of adding Placebo to my vinyl collection for a while now. They've been so instrumental in helping me down the path towards self-acceptance that simply owning their CDs didn't feel acceptable. I'm glad I held off though because their debut record just turned 30 years old, and to celebrate, the band did something very special. RE:CREATED isn't just your typical remix/remaster, nor is it a completely new studio production; it's a hybrid of both. Building off the original master tapes, Brian Molko and Stefan Olsdal thoughtfully added more instrumentation to reflect the years of studio experience and live evolution. The result is a reissue that sounds excitingly new, cinematically wide, but also comfortingly familiar. Placebo have unintentionally set a new standard for any band wanting to update their formative works. I picked up the standard edition which comes with the album pressed on standard black vinyl, but it also comes with a bonus white 7".

This piece of Canadian punk history turned 45 years old last year, but I just now got my hands on this reissue. I was introduced to the Teen City EP from Vancouver-based Modernettes while in high school via a very tapped in bandmate. Over the years, I would be reminded of their existence on a euphoric day on the slopes, a long, late night drive back from band practice, or on a summery walk to my university campus. They've played a quiet, yet integral part in my life, managing to imprint their sound onto many core memories. A cool fun fact about this EP is that it is one of the earliest productions from Bob Rock, who would go on to become a rock super producer of sorts; working with Metallica in the 90s, Motley Crüe, Bon Jovi, The Cult, and so many more. This 45th anniversary edition is pressed on clear vinyl with faint blue and pink streaks.

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