- "The Holy Bull Rides Fast" 7", Clear Vinyl with Black Smudge /200 (Resist)
- "Into Infinity" 7", Clear Vinyl with Red Smudge /200 (Resist)
- "Unholy Rush" LP, Swamp Green Vinyl /100 (Resist)
First Pressings, 2017
In the grand context of Australian Hardcore, the following post matter would probably have had to come about under the most extraordinary of circumstances. Mindsnare would easily be this country's most respected Hardcore band, with a strong legacy that extends across more than twenty years at this point. It's been ten years though since their most recent LP proper (with only a split with Ringworm surfacing nearly seven years ago), and since that split at least, they have been very, very quiet, only opting for limited live appearances every twelve months or so. I was always confident that a new album would surface at some point though, I suppose it was just a matter of time...
A little more than a month ago, Resist Records announced the immediate release of a set of twin 7"s from the band. No pre orders or anything, just ready to order right away. One could see that the Daniel Shaw artwork for each EP was part of a larger piece, which was probably a clue to something bigger for most people. Each EP contained two original tracks and a cover song on each. One by Motorhead and one by Destruction. These EP's went out to their respective orderers within the next week or so and then gradually I started seeing these Mindsnare photo hashtags coming up everywhere, some of which containing photos of some fucking 'bonus' new LP along with these two new 7"s. I missed out on this and at first I thought it was some sort of gag as there was no information anywhere about it. The band was silent. The record label was silent. You could see the complete artwork on this LP, along with what looked like a bonus slip containing some alternate artwork. Over the course of the next three weeks or so there just seemed to be a lot of talk amongst people and I think the general consensus was that the wider release of the LP would be announced at some point before an upcoming tour they had planned in support of the two EP's. I personally thought that they would announce it on the eve of the first show of the tour and then just have them for sale at these shows.
And then around a week ago, in unison, the band and the label announced the wider release of their new album with a big 'surprise' (cheesy?) on their respective online portals, available for order immediately, again, no pre orders. They also announced that various bricks & mortar stores around the country had copies available for immediate sale. Colour ways and pressing details were released also- 50 went out with that alternate cover with the EP's, 200 on 'beer and bone' and 150 on black for record stores, and 100 on 'swamp green' for online ordering direct from Resist. The four original tracks that were on the EP's would also see release on this new album along with an additional eight originals and a cover of The Accused. My roommate whom was out at the time went straight to our local record store and secured himself a copy of the b&b. I opted to order the more limited variant on the labels site. But then the fucking website crashed for unknown reasons, nobody could order anything, and nobody knew when the site would be back up. Good thing it was on a Friday night, as I was up past midnight when the site went back up and I secured my copy of the pressing of 100 copies...
You couldn't write this shit.
The music? Absoloutely Exceptional. The last LP, "Disturb The Hive" wasn't received well for various reasons. The production was unfitting (very Thrash Metal) and Matt's vocals were totally lost in the mix. The band have stated that they're aware of how unpopular that album is, but it certainly has it's high points, and had it been released by any other band, I think it would have likely been huge. It just didn't meet the very high expectations set by the album before it, "The Death". It seems though that's it's safe to say that the band have made a conscious effort to nail down the recording qualities with this new one. Recorded by Jason Fuller (Bloodduster among many other greats) at Goatsound in Melbourne, mixed by Kurt Ballou at his studio and mastered by Brad Boatright at Audioseige. It's loud and heavy, Matt's vocals are a feature, Gordy further solidifies that he is just about Australia's best drummer, and Beltsy and Nigel come together to produce some of their most crushing riffs in years. Like all of their best material, with "Unholy Rush" the band manage to masterfully combine a solid Metallic Hardcore base with a varied mix of Thrash, Grindcore and Mosh without making it sound directionless or tacky. There really is no other band in the world that creates a sound like these guys and like I have said quite a few times before, it has always confused me as to why they haven't picked up a wider international following. Maybe they will now.
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