Mid-to-late 90s hardcore maintains HARVEST have apparently reformed after many, many years in the dark. Here’s the word from a Minnesota hardcore message board: “In July, HARVEST will be playing their first show since 1999. But this is not a reunion show. The band has reformed and is writing new material due to be released at the July show in Minneapolis, MN. Vocalist Dave Walker, guitarist Dan Zimmerman and drummer Adam Patterson have been joined by guitarist Mike Duffy (ENDEAVOR) and bassist Jon Mcaab (THE GOOD FIGHT). As a group, Harvest was constantly evolving. The next phase has just begun.” (H/T to Stuck In The Past Blog). You can keep track of the show on this Facebook page.

- (1) The band’s full-length “Living With A God Complex” is a must own; (2) Would love to have a total discography release with remastered material… anyone? Anyone?

From the inbox:

Creator-Destructor Records is extremely excited to welcome ENABLER to their family! Hailing from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, ENABLER combines the force of former drum mercenary Jeff Lohrber (Harlots, Today is the Day, Trap Them) on guitar and vocals, former ABADDON rhythm section Brian Serzynski (drums) and Bubba Nitz (bass), and lead guitarist Logan Kelly (Dead to Fall).

Priding themselves on an unrelenting work ethic and DIY touring regimen, ENABLER combines the fury and speed of From Ashes Rise and His Hero is Gone with the unrelenting intensity of Nasum and Integrity to create a lethal concoction of punk, grind, and hardcore.

To celebrate the addition of ENABLER to the label’s roster, Creator-Destructor Records will be re-releasing the band’s entire discography thus far, via digipak CD on May 22nd! Appropriately titled Year One, this culmination of the band’s previous releases (Eden Sank to Grief and War Begins With You) will feature brand new artwork courtesy of Jimpaler, who also handled the layout for War Begins With You.

ENABLER’s previous releases were recorded and mixed at Howl Street Recordings in Milwaukee by engineer Shane Hotchstetler (Northless, Get Rad, Protestant, Call Me Lightning) in March and June of 2010, and then remixed in January of 2011. Both records will be remastered by Zack Ohren (Heartsounds, Animosity, etc.) for the release of Year One.

Ray Harkins (TAKEN, MIKOTO, First World Problems podcast, general all around solid dude) has put up over 100 band shirts for sale on eBay from his collection, all from the late 90s to early/mid 2000s, many of which are rare and/or currently hard to find. The shirts all appear to be in very good condition (hardly worn), and there are descriptions about the history of each shirt that I found to be strangely compelling. Check out the whole listing here.

AFTER THE FALL – Eradication (Mightier Than Sword): I never gave this full-length a proper review in 2010, but late is better than never has it has proved to have remarkable staying power at Pastepunk HQ. Not-so-quietly, this upstate NY trio has upped the anger element in its brand of melodic hardcore, and Eradication is a 25 minute festival of rippin’ music. Directly or not, AFTER THE FALL have summoned up the mental and aural fortitude of bands like GOOD RIDDANCE and BIG WIG (the latter years), but have compressed the music into a tighter, less forgiving style. An I-SPY cover of “You Don’t Talk No Shit” caught me by surprise, but it makes plenty of sense that I-SPY in an influence here. Eradication is a dependable kick in the ass.

MOCK ORANGE – Disguised As Ghosts (Wednesday Records): MOCK ORANGE pretty much lost me on their last couple of releases – I just didn’t have the patience to work through their FLAMING LIPS’ style meanderings and softness. It was such a stretch from their aggressive post-hardcore/emo Lobster Records beginnings that I didn’t even connect the two bands anymore. Disguised As Ghosts doesn’t exactly reverse course but in a case of addition by subtraction, the group has dramatically cut down the song length, and suddenly MOCK ORANGE seems all focused and kind of mathy again. Tempos uptick, natural guitar and banjo sounds buzz with energy and the vocals linger a tad longer. I’d still refer to this off-hand as “indie-hippie-dippie” stuff, but a new sense of urgency keeps the band from wandering too astray.

ELYSIUM – Inspired Hatred (Divebomb): As I’ve written before, metal-reissues label Divebomb Records almost never disappoints. Coming in blind to just about everything the label has touched, I can rest assured that if Divebomb is reissuing it, it’s worthy of some renewed attention. ELYSIUM was a Florida death metal band in the mid-to-late 80s. Inspired Hatred was their only notable release, and at that, it was only a demo, but one of very high studio quality. Twenty-two years  later it has been rescued out of relative obscurity, and it’s a wild ride – part thrash, part tech-metal, and one very, very exuberant vocalist. Perhaps it’s an ill-fitted comparison because ELYSIUM is nothing but metal, but the band shares a lot of similarities with today’s acrobatic emo/screamo ADHD-addled musicians, where tempo changes are a bloodsport, layered, schizo guitar riffs are common, and vocal theatrics are a given. Like chugging down a machine cog for breakfast…

From Title Fight HQ:

We are very excited to announce our debut LP Shed, is up for pre-order now at the SideOneDummy store.  We have spent most of the past year preparing this release, making sure everything we did was right for it and it is finally ready. Check out the descriptions below for some exclusive and very limited items only available in the pre-orders.

Shed was recorded in Studio 4 in Conshohocken, PA. Produced by Walter Schreifels and engineered by Will Yip, the album features 12 brand new songs that have been in the works for over a year. The LP’s initial pressing is 2,000 pieces. There are 300 clear blue which is only available through the SideOneDummy Records pre-order. There are 300 clear red which will be available at the Title Fight merch table on our headlining tour. The other 1,400 are pressed on black vinyl. After the 300 clear blue are sold out all the other pre-orders will be filled with black vinyl. The LP comes with a digital download card of the entire album, and everyone who pre-orders it will receive their digital download on April 19th. The LP was pressed at Rainbo Records in Canoga Park, CA.

A limited VHS tape documents our time spent in the studio while we were recording. Featuring 63 minutes of songs, interviews, Walter, and us making fun of each other. Go to the thrift store or your attic and bust out the VHS player for this.

We are proud to present to you our Title Fight Shed zine featuring an interview with Walter Schreifels, exclusive pictures, editorials, and other amazing features that you have come to know and love from the hardworking staff at TFQ HQ. For this special edition, we bring you a 7″x7″ zine. Included in it comes a tear away, floppy 7″ limited to the zine which contains the title track to the record , “Shed”, and a special acoustic version of the song recorded by Greg Gover in his humble abode in Kingston, PA. The acoustic version is limited to and only available on this vinyl. This is our most high-tech issue to date and will not disappoint any loyal reader.

Pricing:

• CD=$8
• LP=$12
• CD+Tee=$18
• LP+Tee=$22
• CD+Tee+Zine w/Flexi Vinyl=$27
• LP+Tee+ Zine w/Flexi Vinyl=$31
• I WANT IT ALL (CD+LP+Tee+Zine w/Flexi Vinyl+VHS) =$38 (this bundle saves you $11)

You can also add the VHS to any order for $10!

- Being a zinehead myself (back in the day), I gotta say that this is very cool idea, like a mega-extended insert booklet. The VHS tape? Not so much…  at least there’s no cassette version.

From the inbox:

Strike First Records welcomes LA’s DYNASTY to the family. You can get a sneak peek of their debut album here.

Playing music together for the past 6 years in Los Angeles has prepared Dynasty to bring a fresh dose of west coast hardcore to the Strike First roster. Dynasty has reached back into the hard music archives and honed a revival of classic, driving hardcore in the vein of Terror and Madball.

The band will be releasing their Strike First debut Truer Living With a Youthful Vengeance, mixed and mastered by Paul Miner (H2O, Terror, Ignite), on May 24. Dynasty will be out promoting the new album with Call To Preserve on CTP’s farewell tour this summer, dates TBA. Until then, you can see them opening night two of Facedown Fest, April 9th.

- Reminds me of early material from THE WARRIORS. Not bad.

From the inbox:

GHOST THROWER, featuring Travis Alexander (formerly of Therefore I Am) has signed to Equal Vision records. The Boston-based punk band is comprised of Alexander on vocals and guitar, Nick Webster (ex-Shipwreck A.D.) on bass, Robbie Rose (ex-Bravo Fucking Bravo, Lunglust) on drums, and Ben Anderson on guitar.

Get Miserable, the first EP by Ghost Thrower, will officially be released on Equal Vision Records on April 19th. Featuring two new songs and remixed/remasted versions of three previously released songs, the album will be available through digital retailers, such as iTunes and Amazon, and on 7″ vinyl at shows and on MerchNow.com.

Growing organically from the ashes of Therefore I Am’s disbanding in 2010, Ghost Thrower served as an escape from the troubles surrounding Alexander at the time. He discloses, “A dear relationship ended, my band (the only thing I’ve known for five years) was breaking up and a close family member passed away. On a more superficial level, I was completely poor, jobless and homeless. I had a bad brain. Nothing was normal, nothing was cool and most of all, nothing felt good.”

More after the jump… (and read it dangit, a pretty interesting press release we got here)