YDI: A Place in the Sun / Black Dust 2x12"

Double LP collecting every known recording from Philly hardcore obscurities YDI, including a rare demo, their legendary A Place in the Sun EP, their tracks from the Get Off My Back compilation LP, and their divisive Black Dust LP. Their demo is basically a rawer, nastier version of the band they were on A Place in the Sun, sounding a lot more like the wilder and nastier DC bands like Void, Youth Brigade, or maybe even United Mutation in their more straightforward moments. The demo contains 15 tracks, only a handful of which were re-recorded for A Place in the Sun, so it's well worth hearing. As for A Place in the Sun, if you don't know and/or have that record already, get on it! It's also available as a stand-alone reissue and is a pretty essential purchase. And then there's Black Dust... man, I'm really not sure what to make of this record. As you can see in the photos that accompany this release, by this point the band were clad in Venom t-shirts, leather, and spikes, but really there isn't any kind of thrash or proto black metal element to their sound. Instead, it's more like mid-paced, kind of dirge-y hardcore with some really wonky guitar solos and kind of spastic vocals. It's really hard to figure out what the band were going for, and the lack of any kind of clear framework makes it a really difficult one to evaluate. It's the kind of record that some people probably think is genius because it's so out of the box, but it's also kind of objectively crappy so it's easy to pick on. I can't really say it's my cup of tea, but maybe it's for you? Anyway, there's still a whole 12" of ripping hardcore here and, as with all of the other Southern Lord reissues, the packaging is next level, including an obi strip, a full-color booklet and color vinyl.