Posts Tagged ‘ re-issues ’

One of the downsides to doing a magazine every three months is that reviews sometimes get published months after the release, depending on how the dates fall.  Intense Millennium recently released five excellent re-issues of classic metal albums.  Expect full reviews in the next issue – but I can tell you from the ones I am reviewing that these are killer re-issues.  The sound improvement over the originals is almost shocking – I felt like I was listening to new versions of these songs.  They all have bonus tracks and updated artwork.  I’ll save the details for the reviews – but in the mean time I highly recommend getting these releases, even if you have the originals.  Out now on Intense Millennium:

• Vengeance – Human Sacrifice
• Vengeance Rising – Once Dead
• Sacred Warrior – Rebellion
• Bloodgood – Bloodgood
• Bloodgood – Detonation

Releasing January 2011:

• Sacred Warrior – Master’s Command
• Bloodgood – Rock in a Hard Place

Releasing February 2011:

• Vengeance Rising – Destruction Comes
• Deliverance – What a Joke

Seems like there is always an attempt afoot to rescue the back catalog of the Frontline/Intense/Alarma media empire. I remember way back in the day when an add in HM magazine announced they were just straight-out re-pressing some of the classics: “don’t miss them this time around!” it said. Then KMG came along and… well… gave a new meaning to the word cheap.

Now we have a new label called Intense Millennium Records.  Their goal is to form a group that is “dedicated to releasing fully licensed material from one of the most prolific group of record labels to exist in the Christian Metal scene, the Intense/Frontline/Alarma Records group.” First up are a pair each from Vengeance Rising and Bloodgood, as well as Sacred Warrior’ first album.

A little focused on only the metal side for now, but I did notice they said Alarma. I also see that you can vote for a few punk-ish albums by Altar Boys and Scaterd Few.  Starting in 2011 they will re-issue two CDs a month.  They plan to re-master each album and release them with new artwork and booklets.

Sounds like a good idea. Not sure about the new artwork idea. I know retroactive does that occasionally – but it seems to be only in some cases (such as Deliverance). The new artwork for Human Sacrifice looks good, but there was nothing wrong with the original.  Not sure I like the new artwork for Once Dead.  But we’ll see – could work out just fine. Wonder how long it will be before they get to classics by L.S.U., Daniel Amos, Swirling Eddies, etc… or even the more obscure titles?  Hope they do. Now if we could get some people to also take on other labels like R.E.X. and Broken.