New Stuff. Lots and lots of totally awesome new stuff. Clouds, Discordance Axis, Neurosis, Oxbow, Prurient

Saturday, April 16th, is Record Store Day. Its like a great big present for anyone involved with creating, making, selling or buying records.  Stores get to sell a lot of albums, fans go bananas and labels, well obviously we're totally loving it all right about now! When else could we release five titles on the same day and not have a mild panic attack?  Last year we put our toe in slightly (Melvins orange box set on black vinyl), for November's Black Friday we got in right up to our knees (Daughters 's/t' LP, Harvey Milk 's/t' 2xLP, Cave In 'Anomalies' LP), and this year we we're pinching our nose and going full on submerged.  We've got 5 titles scheduled, all of which we have received an overwhelming response to.  In fact, they are each oversold via our distributers to a degree where we're still having a hard time believing.  So, for you diehards out there, here's the full rundown.  Today at noon west coast time we'll be putting up pre-orders for the 5 titles via our online shop.  Since RSD is about physical retail stores, we have limited quantities available of these titles through our online store.  Over the coming two weeks, in advance of RSD, we'll put together a full list of US stores that have ordered, and will be receiving, our titles for April 16th.  If you don't get in on today's pre-order for something you'd like, then go old school and get in touch with your local record store.  You know, tell 'em how much you love Hydra Head Records, and how they really need to be carrying our records;)  And, without further ado, here's the jams: 

Clouds 'B Chuggas May Be Logging' 12" 

Waaaaay back in '08, after a year supporting the likes of Torche and Boris across the US, Clouds dropped these four jams to tape like it wasn't no thing.  These perennial staff favorites hit us right where it hurts when they called it quits just after this session…but with sadness comes recovery…and so, thankfully, we've got these final four for all enternity.  Still present here are the rumbling low-strung guitars, up-tempo drum blasts, and raw throated harmonies as showcased in the bands earlier recordings, but also apparent is a more complex layering of melody and focused composition.  Includes free mp3 download.  Limited one time vinyl pressing.

Discordance Axis 'The Inalienable Dreamless' LP

There are certain records that pass almost immediately into legend from the moment they are created. Discordance Axis' third full length album "The Inalienable dreamless" is one such record. Though previously heralded as one of grindcore's leading lights, this album sent the band sailing far beyond that horizon into the stratosphere of deities, to dole out punishment from on high to the puny mortals who groveled below. It was voted Decibel Magazine's #12 'Greatest Metal Albums of the Decade'.  First time on vinyl since 2000!  Members went on to Gridlink, Hayaino Daisuki and Municipal Waste.

Neurosis 'Sovereign' LP

Having built their legacy on a series of formidable full lengths that have garnered both critical praise and a level of success massive in relation to the world from whence they came, Neurosis' "Sovereign" EP has become something of a lost classic. Recorded by Steve Albini in the same sessions as the now classic "Times of Grace"  album, this collection of songs could hardly be considered a set of cast offs from the album proper, but rather a succinct and powerful statement on par with, and perhaps even exceeding its counterpart. While the band had never shied away from experimentation and purposeful steps on a path of progression, "Sovereign" contains some of their darkest and strangest material, as well as their most melodic and spacious. First time on vinyl since 2001! Album artwork by our mainman, Aaron Turner!

Oxbow 'King Of The Jews' LP

Their long out of print sophomore release, available now in all its remastered and repackaged glory…and arguable even truer to the beast Oxbow had in mind when they recorded it two decades ago.  'King of the Jews' marks the second in Hydra Head's lovingly currated Oxbow catalog reissue campaign.  This LP comes correct with a free mp3 download for the album as well as several recently uncovered (and lovingly mastered!) bonus tracks from the album's original source tapes.  Limited one time vinyl pressing. This one may ship a bit late, just fyi.

Prurient 'Many Jewels Surround The Crown' 7"

Lead off anti-single from Hydra Head's favorite new obsession. Non-album version of first track from Prurient's Hydra Head debut, 'Bermuda Drain', backed with it's raw raw raw demo counterpart (recorded as a collaborative work with Cold Cave's Wes Eisold).  We can clearly hear the echoes of Prurient's howling past, but are also faced with something perhaps even more unsettling - that being the territory of the unknown present and its indication of possible futures. Combining harsh strands of electronic noise and distorted vocals with more overtly melodic lines and forms, Fernow has not only grown beyond his initial set of ideas, but also beyond the confines of genre norms. Full length out July 2010. Limited one time vinyl pressing.