Revelation US Vinyl & CDs

Review: Formed in 1989 in Orange County, California, the melodic punk band Farside enjoyed an influential eleven-year run before disbanding in 2000. Over their career, they released three albums, two EPs, and a split with Sense Field. Their 1994 sophomore album Rigged was released through Revelation Records and became a fan favourite across punk, hardcore, emo, and alternative rock genres. back then the band was made up of vocalist and guitarist Michael "Popeye" Vogelsang, bassist Bryan Chu and drummer Bob Beshear and this all was their first with Kevin Murphy who shared guitar, vocal and songwriting duties with Vogelsang. To celebrate its 30th anniversary, Farside and the original label are issuing this special mint green eco-vinyl pressing of Rigged complete with a 16-page booklet.

Review: A lot has been said about The Monroe Doctrine over the years. What's remarkable is how little of that people seem to remember, or recall in conversations. In a 2006 issue of iconic culture bible Alternative Press, the head of Revelation Records said this was in the top five albums the label had ever released. And several critics have listed it among the greatest and most under-appreciated records of the 1990s. Taking its name from a 1823 message delivered to Congress by US President James Monroe, which would evolve into an understanding that any act of meddling in American affairs by a foreign country was a potential hostile act, the record takes a similar stance. Calling on melodic punk, hardcore, indie rock, post punk and more, it's a statement of intent - don't get in the way of us doing our things, we're too powerful.

Review: Originally released in 1992, Rochambeau was the debut full-length from Orange County, California hardcore punk outfit Farside, following on from their Keep My Soul Awake EP. Signed to the iconic Revelation Records throughout their tenure (who have opted to reissue all three of the band's LPs), they never seemed to find their place as their sonic makeup pulled from numerous subsets of punk, from the blatant 80's melodious post-hardcore of Descendents and Dag Nasty to the 90's alternative metal wave spearheaded by the likes of Quicksand and Helmet, yet all syncopated with a power pop ear for melody evoking Elvis Costello and The Beatles (no, seriously). With the band exclusively working with producer Jim Monroe to help thicken and intensify their sound from second LP Rigged onwards, Rochambeau is often relegated to being their most accessible and pop-punk-centric work, which is quite the backwards tradition compared to the path taken by the majority of hardcore acts.

Review: Legendary California punk label Revelation Records recently celebrated their 200th release with this remastered repress of the forever elusive proto-debut album from New York City based hardcore legends Judge, formed by Youth Of Today guitarist John "Porcell" Porcelly and former drummer Mike "Judge" Ferraro. Aptly titled Chung King Can Suck It in staunch rebuke to the recording studio where the band would track the initial sessions for their 1989 LP, only to be provided with the lowest quality tech room within the facility and left at the whims of a mostly absentee cokehead for engineer (a point made all the more ludicrous when considering the member's near-militant straight edge ethos), upon hearing the final mixdowns, a unanimous agreement was reached to begin all over again at a more suitable location. As the original masters had already been sent to the pressing plant before cancellation, 110 copies were produced before they could "stop the presses", with the band eventually re-recording and releasing what is now the highly revered classic Bringin' It Down, while the Chung King recordings would become a much sought-after fan collectible, so much so that a copy sold on Discogs in 2015 for an absurd $6,048, ranking as the most expensive item sold on the site up to that point. Previously only widely available as part of the What It Meant CD-only compilation, this surprise reissue marks the first time these OG recordings have ever been made affordable on wax, while the newly written/recorded Bringin' It Down closer 'Where It Went' has been omitted with the recordings of the original final two cuts 'Holding On' and 'No Apologies' lovingly restored.

Review: It has been 26 years since people had their first taste of New Found Glory. Emerging from Coral Springs, Florida, in the height of the pop punk second wave (Stateside at least), back then they were hailed by many as pioneers of a re-energised sound, offering rowdy, speedy, unrelenting and immediately sing-along-worthy anthems by the bucketload, referencing alternative rock and hardcore without putting off anyone eyeing them up for chart targeting marketing campaigns.

Make the Most of It certainly clarifies that praise was not simply the dew-eyed ramblings of people caught in a moment. Having created the blueprint for their sub-genre, here they strip all that away without damaging the emotional quality, offering a rousing and - it has to be said - evocative acoustic record that lays bare their lyrical and instrumental talent.

Review: Side By Side could definitely have made a bigger impact. Spawned from the already well-established and frighteningly fertile New York hardcore punk scene of the late-1980s, they would only offer up a couple of releases, both of entitled 'You're Only Young Once', coming in the form of an original EP, and subsequent expanded edition taking the number of tracks up to 22, landing almost a decade later.

Both arrived on Revelation Records, an imprint that was particularly revered at the time and credited with creating, or at least providing a platform for, the 'youth crew' hardcore movement. Which is exactly where you'd place Side By Side. Right place at the right moment, then, running through the songs here there's no denying the talent at play, either, from the raw, gnarling rhythm of 'The Time Is Now' to sublime guitar chaos on 'You're Only Young Once'.