Heavy Metal Huntingrounds?

Heavy Metal Hunting, record Q's & trivia, collector stuff. Rare or not, it all goes here.
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DaN
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Heavy Metal Huntingrounds?

Post by DaN »

EzyMeat wrote:Haven't been shopping since record stores don't get any metal vinyl these days.
Now there's an issue that deserves its own thread.

What's the Heavy Metal Hunting situation like in your town/country? Can you still score good vinyl for decent prices or are you lucky if you find the new PRIEST CD at the mall? What about record fairs? Fleamarkets??

While things have surely been on the decline these last 5 years, Stockholm is still a relatively good place for record hunting. Most regular band's LPs + the more common Roadrunner/MFN/Mausoleum/Ebony/Noise bands can be found for about €10, sometimes less. A few times a year some rare/private release may turn up. The sad thing is a lot of vinyl stores have have closed and the dealers only turn up at fairs, leaving plenty of good stuff in the garage. I guess there's about 4-5 good stores left.

There's at least 6 record fairs per year here, but only 2 of them are really worth visiting and even those can be a disappointment. The number of visitors have decreased noticably in the last few years, which in turn scare away many of the foreign dealers. When I rent a table I'm lucky if I sell for €300 (and that's a good day). When it comes to spending I haven't thrown out more than €100/fair for ages. In ancient days the bill never ended below 200.
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ION BRITTON
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Post by ION BRITTON »

The metal market situation has become at least discouraging here in Greece. I remember 7-8 years ago, i could/used to buy 6-7 KILLER M-E-T-A-L records for 30 Euros. Now, i need 6-7 Euros for the wimpiest and shitiest hard rock LP of a "rare" band such as Scorpions or MSG or Malmsteen.
In the good old days i could buy for example a SWORD and a HITTMAN LP, both for 8 Euros.Now, i need 25 Euros for the same records.

The truth is that i don't buy very often nowadays. I'll probably use e-bay to buy something- If and when this happens. Fleamarkets are the same shit, no big difference.

Most of the record dealers have awaken up if you know what i mean. For example: DARK KNIGHT- 150 Euros, not a Euro less, more maybe.
SA SLAYER EP - 60-70 Euros, same thing
AGENTZ - 100 Euros, etc
Back then, you could score some of them at a price of a regular Lp if you were lucky. Now, everybody knows about "the rare records"...so, all your hopes are vaporized.

And you know why this has happened? Because of the "estimated" prices of some "experienced" record dealers, who have 50-100 copies of each record and for each copy they put on sale they say "it's the last one". I think that either they believe that we are fools or THEY play the fool.

My forecast is that in several years from today you'll need 50 Euros to buy Steel and Starlight and 500 Euros to grab a copy of TRAITORS GATE.

Disappointing isn't it? It's a pity for the newcomers in obscure metal circles. For the younger and also the poorer(regardless of age) metal hunters CDRs/MP3s will be a one-way street.
NWN PROD
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Post by NWN PROD »

It's not very good here in the bay area unfortunately. We have Jan Svanhill down the street from me and Amoeba Music. I find some decent stuff at Amoeba from time to time, but nothing crazy like in the past. Some past scores have inluded...

Beherit/Death Yell ep for $6 (this was post 2000 mind you)

Brocas Helm "black death" LP with all inserts for $6 (I actually found this at Rasputins in Berkeley)

Nihilist "drowned" bootleg 7" for $2

Razor "armed and dangerous" LP for $100 (good deal considering its price now)

I mostly get my stuff through trades these days. Record fairs suck here.
NUCLEAR WAR NOW! PROD.
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metalmaster
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Post by metalmaster »

In Mexico city we have a street market (Yosuke knows it) every saturday since about 26 years. It used to be the paradide for those looking for any kind os styff, ragging from Metal to rock to progressive to punk, etc. 70% of my collection comes from that market.

Now is very hard to get even the most usual stuff like those of RR, Noise or Megaforce. But I still manage to find rare gems from tiem to time. And as I'm one of the latest vinyl collectors here, I have no much competition finding and getting rare stuff, but now are hard times for metal and vinil.

Last time I found a Tudor 7ep original copy for 7 bucks and Legion double lp for 10... sometimes I'm lucky...
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anthares
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Post by anthares »

Here in Helsinki its not that good selections of Record shops. In a good day you might find something from Music Hunter or some second hand stores. And as Ion Britton said above, the prices are ridicilous nowadays. The prices climbed to skies after Finland joined to damned European Union and get the evil Euro currency! You swedes, be happy now and pray that you wont get that shit there!
Everytime I get to Stockholm its pretty much vinyl hunting, next time you can help me there DaN?
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EzyMeat
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Post by EzyMeat »

Went to the local record store today, found 3 good finds amidst a ton of hair metal.

Holy Terror - Mind Wars
Cities - Annihilation Absolute
Trytan - Celestial Messener

The Holy Terror is now in my trade list, which I'll have to post some time.
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The Sentinel
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Post by The Sentinel »

There is an incredible big collector market 2 times a year in the Netherlands in the city called "Utrecht". It's a market for people who collect stamps, dolls, papersheets, books etc; but there's also a huge cd/vinyl-market with a relatively big HR/Metal-department (let's say two times the size of a big festival metal-market). Last time I found some nice stuff over there for a reasonable price like High Power (second one), Defender (Holland), Tarot, Matakopas and several others...
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humus
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Post by humus »

Mostly trips to second hand shops are rather disappointing adventures. I'm already happy when I find some 80's vinyl for a lower price than on ebay; sometimes I go back home with nothing at all. But I guess it all depends on your luck, last year I went to Antwerp for the first time and bought MF - Die schwarze maske mit gefolge LP for €20 (didn't even know it was a rare record...bought it because of the great sound quality). I have a friend who goes there every week and he never had such a good purchase there.
Every year there is a metalmarket in my town where I spend a lot of money. No great deals because record dealers know ebay too.
Azaras
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Post by Azaras »

There is no metal market here in my city. Most of the rare '70s heavy metal records I've found are offered by ex-hippies at their store "Into The Music", and to top it off they smirk when you buy the stuff too.

If it is pieces of bloody steel thou seeketh, come not to western Canada.
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peterott
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Post by peterott »

same in Germany. You see always the same persons selling their rarities for the same prices (German vinyl mafia, hehehe...).

Around 10 years ago these record fairs were a revelation.

In case someone quits the metal scene, he isn't selling his stuff during fairs anymore, but on ebay. Selling his stuff on fairs was 10 years ago, where I could find some of the rare stuff for even student-friendly prices.
Fucking Åmål
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Post by Fucking Åmål »

Well I am from a small city and i can't say we have here so much metal for sale.As for vinyls and semi rare items absolutely nothing.I use to buy my records(mostly CD's and vinyls)
in Athens in stores when i have the chance and go down there and also when i go to Germany.I don't buy more than 15 Euros CDs.As for varity i can say that there are plenty 80's reissues in stores that i just need a GOLDMINE to buy all of them !!!As for vinyls i usually buy vinyls at very good prices such as 2,3,5 Euros!.All that is needed is knowledge when you see a vinyl and its price.As for released i don't mind if it is poser,glam,heavy,thrash as long as it is 80's release.

Some Cheap Vinyls:
WARRIORS-Warriors 4,5euro
SWEET CHEATER-Immortal Instant 4,5euro
VETO-Veto-1euro!!!!!
LANADRID-Sister Alley 3
BALLANTINEZ-Charged 3
DARK HEART-Shadows Of The Night 4
TRANCE-Power Infusion 5
SINFUL-Gonna Raise Hell 5
HELTER SKELTER-Welcome To The World Of Helter Skelter 5
STEELOVER-Glove Me 3
and so on...(these are actual prices)
Junkyard Barbarian
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Post by Junkyard Barbarian »

There is this good used record shop in my town I usually go down hunting. It's not a metal record shop in any way, but the guy does have a good range of prog rock / classy heavy metal in there. He has fairly good prices (most vinyls are 6$ - 7$) and pretty good stuff, nothing really rare but always something cool for a 17 year old metalhead like me. I found shit like "Keeper Of The Flame", "Night Of The Demon" and "Final Genocide" for 5$ each, all of them in excellent condition.
When I want to hunt down some cds I go to HMV or Archambault, they always have some cool shit there. The prices are :shock: of course though.
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convent guilt
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Post by convent guilt »

A couple of you blokes touched on it already, but since the internet and in particular ebay started up there has been a severe decline in the amount of collectable vinyl to be found at your local record store/fair. Not only that, but shop owners/dealers can now find out at the press of a button how much their booty is really worth. Gone are the days of finding obscure gems for the same price as a Bon Jovi record, unless you're extremely lucky.

There's a fair in Sydney every few months that occassionally delivers the goods, but it's pretty hit and miss. And the quality of record stores has gone steeply downhill, whilst the prices have gone steeply uphill. Same for most of Australia really. Melbourne's probably the best of a bad bunch.

I guess the one saving grace is that Aussie LPs which go for a sultan's ransom overseas, can still be found for 5 or 10 bucks around here.
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sovdat
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Post by sovdat »

Vinyls: No way. Few second hand shops with ridiculous prices - for normal albums, nothing extra rare can be found here!!! (For example, one Pomaranca (Orange) album for atomic 70 EUR!!!). There is one record fair a year, but I never went there, so I couldn't tell.

CDs: Even worse. Normal prices for normal, new CDs are 16-18 or even more EUR!! Needless to say that I haven't bought a new CD for years, if ever (for that much money). The second hand shops are better, with prices 6-8 EUR, but normally they sell only the regular stuff. My best find was Sacred Reich - The American Way (Roadracer) for 8 EUR.

Another option is Bolha, slovenian version of ebay (mostly with "buy it now" prices) - got stuff like Think This (Roadracer) for 7 EUR or Impact is Imminent for 8 EUR there.

So I get most of my stuff from few dealers, who are getting stuff from Germany, or through good old trading and metal markets in Germany.
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tomas
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Post by tomas »

i have to agree with what has been said above.
even people who don't know shit about LPs can use the internet to find out how much a record is really worth, before putting it in the 'cheap LPs' section, making it almost impossible to find obscure or rare records at a low or reasonable price.
i'm fairly new to searching for old and rare metal records and i have to say that it is indeed disappointing. gone are the days some of my older friends talk about. buying poison 'into the abyss' MLP for 5euros, buying brocas helm LPs for almost nothing, ... and all this because of the internet.

i have to add that the internet argument is double-sided. on the one hand, shop keepers use it to know how much a record is worth, but on the other hand, the internet makes it easier for metal fans to share their knowledge about rare and obscure LPs, ... without the internet, some of those obscure cult classics would still be locked up somewhere in obscurity and oblivion, instead of being worshipped as 150-dollar metal gems ...
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