Month 7 of the HMO Challenge! With no obviously exciting new releases out in July I had an opportunity to catch up, buying some of the titles I’d resisted in previous months. So there’s a mix of new-ish and old titles this month.
I do like the cover
Black Sabbath – 13 (2CD Ltd. Edition) (£13 – HMV in Glasgow)
I’ve mentioned before that I just couldn’t get excited about this Sabbath comeback. Feeling like I was maybe just being curmudgeonly I decided to act like a fan and just buy the thing! Turns out my instincts were fairly accurate. There are some good songs and moments here but, for the most part, this is all pretty average and not doing much for me. It’s not terrible by any means… just not particularly thrilling either. And I don’t see what the problem is with being a robot ghost so there’s a fundamental difference in viewpoint right there.
Return to form
Queensrÿche – S/T (2CD Ltd. Edition) (£13 – HMV in Glasgow)
Pretty much exactly the same situation as with the Sabbath album except this one was surprisingly good. This has been on steady rotation since I bought it. It’s not perfect by any means but it definitely bodes well for the band’s future.
Review your choices… and buy then these!
Pentagram – Relentless (£8 Amazon)
Pentagram – Day of Reckoning (£8 Amazon)
I’ve been meaning to buy more ‘Ram since getting the First Daze albums last year. These are their first two studio albums and are hitting my Doom spots in all the ways 13 isn’t.
Cönanhead?
High on Fire – De Vermis Mysteriis (£10 Amazon)
Here’s another album that’s been on my wish-list for waaayyy too long. I’ve not had many listens yet but this is a relentless blast of Motörhead meets Conan the Barbarian. Nice selection of live bonus tracks on this edition too.
Vocoder Metal
Cynic – Focus (£4 Amazon Marketplace)
This Progressive Death Metal classic is a genuine summer treat. I’ve had this on mp3 for years but I finally have a physical copy. I went with this US import remastered edition as it was a great price and has plenty of liner notes and bonus demos. Otherwordly.
Release of 3rd album strongly dependent on the band’s ability to come up with another C.W.O.T.D. acronym title
Charred Walls of the Damned – Cold Winds on Timeless Days (£7 Amazon)
Another belated purchase. Ex- Death sticksman Richard Christy’s supergroup featuring the excellent Tim Ripper Owens on vocals. Their self-titled debut took a long time to stick but has been a constant fixture in my listening since its release. I’m finding this sophomore album just as dense but I’m hoping it will turn out to have the same longevity as the debut.
******
And that’s another month. A pretty long one at that! I don’t feel too bad at having shot my budget, it was a decent haul for the money and I’d been pretty well behaved for the last couple of months. To only be £39 over at this stage feels like good going.
JUNE 2013 TOTALS
Amount spent on purchases: £63
Amount budgeted: £50
Amount over/under budget: £13 Over
HMO CHALLENGE 2013 TOTALS
Amount spent on purchases: £449
Amount budgeted: £410
Amount over/under budget: £39 Over
