Ok ladies and gents! You can finally stop messaging Tower of Rome for merch! In celebration of the 5-year anniversary of the first ever WV merch drop (that was TOR) we’re back with another limited run! No excuses this time!
We’ve got plenty of stuff that’s pretty openly available, as well as a limited dad hat and flag.
Preorders will be up for a week! Whatever gets sold is what’s printed. Who knows what the next 5 years will hold - do you really want to risk it??
I expect these to be done and ship in like, 8 weeks from the end of preorder. Maybe longer! Who knows! It’s been 6 years and hundreds or garments at this point, I promise you’ll get it. If you feel the need to message the band about merch shipping updates I will just cancel your order please be cool!
It you haven’t been paying attention, we are now past the halfway mark for the year! Six months of 2x a month - exhausting! Expensive! But I have some reprieve!
There will be no new band announcement this week. No drop until August 15th. That should give me plenty of time to make sure I am fully caught up on all outstanding stuff. I want to make sure Trichomoniasis and Lifeforms have shipped out before I drop this next insta!
Greatest Hits in finally en route. It literally took three separate complete reprint of the jackets. Since they are so few, Nick is just going to ship those out over this coming week.
I’ve been told that trichomoniasis finished up over the weekend and should be in assembly Monday or Tuesday. My goal would be to have them shipped out this upcoming weekend, but who is to say. In any case, I should have everything shipped out before this next in hand goes up. Thank you for the patience on these, it’s such a hard moving target to hit - I placed all these orders like last year off of a schedule that I made two specific Fridays to fit in 2x drops a month, and sometimes it gets a bit squirrelly!
I think my goal is to get all of that plus the next in hand plus weeping out in August. Maybe Casket Dealer too. We shall see!
Merch is going at the pace that it always does. Anniversary is wrapping up. KSD to follow after.
And speaking of merch, in lieu of a drop this coming week stay tuned for the triumphant return of an OG10 and some sick merch! Long overdue!
26/07/2025
Just wanted to pop in after Abrupt Decay yesterday. Wow! Once again, WV community shows up when it counts. We were able to sell out all of the sigs, and the overwhelming majority of the PVC. Whatever is left of the PVC come Monday I’ll just send to the band along with their variant. Certainly doesn’t hurt to have another few PVC kicking around!
It really is just a testament to the little community over here. We’re almost at a 1:2 ratio of monthly listeners to album sales - like, WV fans show up. This really makes me so happy that I can continue to put out these more niche and thoughtful releases and still haven’t make financial sense for the band. Not everything has to be some giant deathcore banger. Will be pleased to know that the remaining new releases for this year are very eclectic!
Speaking of eclectic releases , I FINALLY (after 3 jacket reprints) have Greatest Hits en route. Since they were only 100, once they arrive on Tuesday Nick will just start shipping them. That’ll free up the weekend for Trichomoniasis. Lifeforms finishes this week, and should go out the following weekend with Weeping. Just trucking along!
Keep your ears open for when the full album drops on August 1 ! And we have even more great stuff in August! Is Hunter having his KSD moment and dropping an album too? Who’s to say!
25/07/2025
Yeow! Happy Friday! Today is the day! After so long in the making, ABRUPT DECAY is here with their brand new full length. Preorders happen this afternoon at 1:00pm CST. They are also so limited and when you hear how great this album is, you’re gonna be happy that you grabbed a copy. Don’t forget that they have a new single up on streaming now!
Eternally grateful for everyone who buys a copy today. Nothing makes me happier than being able to use this platform to exalt smaller bands that I love. I know it’s fun to Big deathcore albums, but please tell me you saved some of that KSD energy for the mathy version, haha.
Really so excited to add another fantastic band and generational album to the Wax Vessel new release roster! Tell a friend! Grab a record! Tune back in a few days for the full album!
22/07/2025
The debut Psycho-Frame LP is out this Friday via SharpTone Records. While I don't have a WV stake in this one, I do think its amazing to see the growth and progression of this band. I think in the decades to follow, PF will be the band that makes people look up WV on discogs and check out the rest of the discpgraphy. NO better band to hang my hat on than PF, and to this day still so honored to have gotten to be the place to do their first EPs.
My review of Salvation Laughs in the Face of a Grieving Mother:
PF just made deathcore obsolete *again*. An impossible task to deliver an LP that lives up to the hype, but they did so many times over. All expectations were met and surpassed. Every sons works in the context of the greater album. The pacing is phenomenal, and every performance is going to go down in history. It all sounds like hyperbole, but no one will be able to make a heavy album again without it being compared to this (and then losing).
It's killed the genre. Its so good this is what everyone will want to make, which will in turn flood the scene with even MORE PF copy-cats. You can't make a better deathcore album. You can;t make a heavier deathcore album. We are at the zenith of deathcore revival, and PF brought it there. YOu can call me a meatrider (i am) but it's hard to find something to criticize here. Flawless ex*****on. Insane debut. Great stuff - no notes. 10/10
21/07/2025
It’s Monday! Hooray!
Hope everyone was able to listen to the new ABRUPT DECAY song last week. When I say that it’s not even close to the best song on the album - believe it! Truly in the running for my personal AOTY, and I can’t wait for you to hear this whole thing in full. It really is an “album” album.
Preorder launch this Friday, and we chose to make it very limited. 250 sigs, and a few PVC. Ban will take the rest for Canada and shows. No future distro stuff. Just something cool to have an album THIS cool be so exclusive haha. It’s going to drop and you’ll see what I mean. Seminal stuff! Thanks as always for showing up for WV new releases - makes me happy every time I get to do something like this! If it keeps working, we’ll keep doing it!
In terms of other preorders, we finished up the shirts and everything for the Greatest Hits, so we can get EVERYTHING out all at once. Expect those momentarily. We’re taking pics for Trichomoniasis and shipping those momentarily as well! Those two plus weeping and lifeforms will all be dispatched in the next two weeks here! Ah!
Also, now is the time to start planning. I’ve just recently had to move a TON of stuff around to accommodate the largest WV drop ever. Keep your September open and make sure you have some cash set aside, haha. It’s going to be EYE WATERING.
19/07/2025
One of my favorite things to do is show the behind-the-scenes on the art and layout, and BOY did this one take SO many more revisions than normal, haha. Whenever I have a fresh canvas, I really like to start with the art and then design a logo that fits. We had almost as many logo revisions as we did layouts, haha. But I think in the end it landed in a spot I'm so so happy with. Maybe we'll see some of these logo alts in the future!
It was a hard balancing act to not make it too bleak, and not make it too sassy. Liek as serious as an album as it is, it it still a little playful. As always, huge thanks to Lab 13 for all the work! Can;t wait for you to see it all!
18/07/2025
I’ve been looking forward to this day for a lONG time. Abrupt Decay is quickly becoming one of my favorite bands, and while AICFMSSICFY is an amazing EP, it just wast enough! Right after I pitched releasing this, we immediately got to talking about what could come next - and I’m happy to say what comes next is a HUGE LP! Abrupt Decay’s magnum opus! Almost 45 minutes of the continuation of the EP’s sound. I know we do a lot of debut EPs and LPs around here, but in this instance it’s incredible to see the fruits of a bands whole career coalesce in to one insane album. It’s everythign you want and more. I’m so proud to present “There Illusion of Our Choices in a World of No Options.”
I think there is so few interesting mathcore bands and mathcore/sass revival happening in current year. We’ve kind of reach a saturation point where you’re just a Mathcoreindexcore band or you go super deep in to mallcore/DDG territory. Who is out there just making core music where the slow parts are metal core beaters and the fast parts as noodle grind? None to few! Thats why I was so enthralled when I came across Abrupt Decay. I know that they had some smarts over there - they’re makign truly no-compromise music with real sensibilities. No gimmicks (well, ok, maybe a few gimmicks) but just actual earnest stuff. No tongue-in-cheek jokey nonsense. I think the fact that they take themselves very seriously lends to their incredible body of work 0 and I hope this album is the one that pushes them in to the spotlight a bit! Bar none, one of the best album I’ve heard in the past 5 years.
If you’ve listened to their previous body of work, this release will come as no surprise. Except that it will. IT’s insane how the texture and motifs from their earlier works become so fully realized. The production (done at Oodelally, same who did KSD etc) bring this rigth in to the current year (hello snare tone) and the songwriting is the logical extension 0of their sound but just WAY more deliberate and mature. This beast is SO long and we have some 6 minute bangers on here. It just seems unreal for a band of this size to have an album this polished and good. Really feels liek their “debut” full length, and I think you should view it in that kind of context. Its such a departure from their earlier non-AICFMSSICFY material.
All that context aside, the thing that really makes this album is the vocal performance, Its just SO squawky and over the top. NO one sounds like AD on this album. It’s definitely got that Kaonashi type of squeal quality, but in a context that is ONLY heavy. Grant truly has an insane understanding of pacing and dynamics - its exactly what you need vocally where it needs to be done. The errant inhale and guttural flesh it out. Its incredible to hear a matchore release where the main parts are just metal core and not like, just “rock”. This is so much heavier than you’d expect.
Its the perfect blend of actual aggression and emotion. It’s heavy without being a pastiche. It’s scary without being “spooky”. They’re trying so hard, but its not “try hard”. It’s SO vein adjacent in a lot of spots, but then you’re hit with a wacky off-kilter arrangement and you’re listening to a Kaonashi song. Grant just squealing over top. Then its 350 bpm of pure grind. Then back to a meandering bass-heavy groove. Its expansive and every part has so much room to breathe - but then a switch flips and its a blast out of nowhere. This pacing is so mature and refined and you forget that not every matchore band in the world is just Daoboys, haha.
It think the reason I love this album so much is because its so rare in its assembly - so deliberate. It listens as an album, with global pacing and structure considered across the full runtime. There are 0 singles on this album - its a complete work. A true “album” album. So thoughtfully considered and arranged with such restraint and conviction. Its just track after track of “moments” that are strung together so well. Every time you listen you’ll come away with a new favorite part. An infinite amount of little flourishes and vocal patterns that really. Take multiple spins to appreciate.
Just insane to me that an album of this caliber isn’t some crazy bedroom demo. It really straddles the line between underground sensibilities and modern production. An album like this shouldn’t;t sound as good as this. Thats what makes it so special. I think you’re gogin to love this so much when you hear it!
Lastly, for me, the most important part of this release was to finally give Abrupt Decay a bit of identity they can grab on to with their art and packaging. How about a logo? Some album art? They let me do my thing on this and I am SO floored by how terrific it turned out. I’ve been trying to find a good fit to work with Jerome Oudot for years and he just absolutely demolished it on this art. Four big panels, a gatefold insert (which is my new norm, if you’ve been paying attention) and all new assets and layout by Lab.13.
I wanted to take this somber and serious art and really kind of give it a “zine” personality. Some TGRH flourishes/screamo DIY overtones. I think the blue is sick, and I’m in love with the new logo that Kai did as well. This whole presentation is a lot of fun and I think you’ll see how well it matches the tone of this record!
This one time pressing is presented across 400 copies:
All of this housed in:
1.5x thickness Matte Jackets
Double sided matte full color insert
Black polylined innersleeves
Gold foil numbering
Stuffed into polybags
Hype Sticker’d
Custom WV Mailers
Matching WV Album art sticker
I think this release sums up exactly what I want to be doing with the WV platform where it comes to new albums, and really kicks off the rest of the “new release” block for the year. Take some time to listen to the news single thats up everywhere today, and I’ll see ya back on Friday at 1:00pm for the preorders on this as well as the next single! Full album releases on August 1st!
16/07/2025
I have some very exciting news on Friday.
Abrupt Decay returns with a brand new album.
New single and full announcement 7/18
14/07/2025
Hello everyone! Happy Monday! Just a little bit of update as we roll in to this week here! Both KILLING OF A SACRED DEER and SABELLA are fully dispatched. Meteor Gem has sold and shipped their KSD copies. I'm not sure when, but Silverback Gorilla Records has copies of both as well - I'd expect those to go up this week? Who knows! Bust pack weekend!
Up next is "Greatest Hits" and Trichomoniasis. I will not be posting photos of Greatest Hits, so you'll just have to wait and see! All the merch is done as well, so we'll be hitting everything in one fell swoop here. I'll try to have some Trich photos up this week, but it might just be a double blind ship weekend here. I'm not sure if anniversary merch will go out this week as well, but it's also "done" and will be going out in July. I think we're about caught up on merch sans KSD which will be on the normal shipping timeline.
Lifeforms should be finishing up press this week, and will go out the following weekend. As much as I hate doign in-hand drops that don't ship right away, we just have so many preorders and things breaking loose that it's just hard to ship in that way. Packing and shipping every weekend for the forceable future here, haha.
This kind of brings us to the rest of July! Unfortunately (or, fortunately if you hate money) there is a TON of stuff about to pop off. This Friday we have the announcement and new single for a BRAND NEW ALBUM! Thats right! We've got a returning WV band who has crafted a new full length. You can expect this for the rest of the year! LILA was a great way to kick off the year with a new release, and there's no slowing down! I've got 3 BRAND NEW supergroup new bands with new debut albums, and two more returning bands with new albums. This year is about to be insane. It all kicks off Friday!
Lastly, you'll be given no warning, but at *some point* in July, an OG10 band is dropping a big ol merch drop. Haven't had one of these in a minute, so please enjoy and prepare for a standalone merch drop! Hooray!
11/07/2025
TGI Friday! Don’t forget! Lifeforms goes up today at 1:00pm CST! A beautiful 2xLP release that covers the EP and the full length. It’s all here ladies and gents!
This is limited to 250 copies, and once it’s gone it’s gone. These are in production as we speak, and will be shipping out later in the month. I hope you enjoy!
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Our Purpose/Official Pressing Info
Wax Vessel was founded with the express purpose of creating collectors items. We strive to provide limited run vinyl pressings with no compromise. We will always have the most insane variants, on the highest quality materials. Wax Vessel is built on a few key pillars:
No represses. These are collectors items.
No plain black records.
No unit counts above 300 (and even that’s a stretch for a non-joint release).
No unauthorized presses. We don’t believe in boots, artists should be paid.
No CDs or cassettes.
No profit sharing. I do this because I love the format. Any profit is up to the band. They can donate or pocket it.
All releases are individually foil numbered in gold. Official pressing numbering will be out of 205 units - the base pressing plus the Wax Mage copies. Every order comes with extras in case of mistakes or items lost in shipping, but ‘overrun’ copies will be unnumbered, and not count towards official press numbers. We will track overruns in case anyone wants the “true” press count. All unnumbered copies are above the 205 count, so total pressing runs are 205 + overrun. To keep track:
WV001 - Destroyer Destroyer/The Dead Sleep Like Us For A Reason
200 on ultraclear with green and brown “Dead in the Dirt” splatter.
5 test presses on black.
5 wax mage copies.
OVERRUN: 1 unnumbered wax mage, 14 unnumbered “Dead in the Dirt” splatter.
WV002 - The Heartland/The Stars Outnumber The Dead
100 on red centerburst in natural PVC, with black “Dead Planet” splatter
100 on red with black “Blood Nebula” swirl
15 test presses on black
4 wax mage copies
OVERRUN: 2 unnumbered wax mage, 3 unnumbered “Dead Planet” splatter, 3 unnumbered “Blood Nebula” swirl.
WV003 - Destroyer Destroyer/Littered With Arrows
30 on “Horse-Drawn” green half n’ half split with ultraclear, with natural PVC “Roadkill” splatter
70 on transparent neon green with black “Beaten Path” splatter
100 on “Presidential” natural PVC
5 test presses on black
5 wax mage copies
OVERRUN: 3 unnumbered wax mage, 8 unnumbered split, 9 unnumbered splatter, 13 unnumbered natural PVC.
WV004 - Robinson/The Great City
100 on opaque yellow centerburst swirl, in natural PVC, with red “Rise and Grind” splatter
100 on opaque brown “Great City” swirl
5 test presses on red
3 wax mage copies
OVERRUN: 1 unnumbered wax mage, 7 unnumbered splatter, 12 unnumbered swirl.
WV005 - The Sawtooth Grin/Cuddlemonster
48 on opaque orange centerburst “Cuddlemonster Carnage” swirl, in clearwater blue, with black splatter
50 on clearwater “Shattered Amulet” blue and orange extreme splatter
100 on transparent “Burnt Plastic” mandarin orange with black swirl
5 test presses on black
5 wax mage copies
OVERRUN: 1 unnumbered wax mage, 4 unnumbered mandarin orange swirl, 4 unnumbered splatter.
WV006 - Tower of Rome/Discography
30 on “Vulgar Display of Pinwheel” natural PVC with black center-spike.
70 on “Variants That Aren’t Splatter Gross Me Out To The Max” ulraclear with black and white random shards, with splatter.
100 on “This is a Variant That Looks Like a Ghost” natural PVC
5 test presses on black
5 wax mage copies
OVERRUN: 6 unnumbered wax mage, 4 unnumbered pinwheel, 1 unnumbered splatter, 16 unnumbered natural.
WV007 - Dr. Acula/S.L.O.B.
50 on “How I Got My Splatter Variant” gapless rainbow infinity splatter (comeback show special edition)
170 on light purple “Monster Blood” opaque blue and opaque red swirl (they were having a promotion for extra copies that got automatically added)
5 test presses on black
5 wax mage copies
OVERRUN: 1 unnumbered wax mage, 18 numbered swirl.
WV008 - Dance Club Massacre/Feast of the Blood Monsters
50 on “Murders Come on Wax Mage” blood cobweb
50 on transparent tan with extreme red and black “Dynamite” splatter
100 on “San Antonio” tan, red and black swirl
5 test presses on black
5 wax mage copies
OVERRUN:
WV009 - A Black Rose Burial/An Awakening of Revenants
50 on “Baleful Bouquet” ### mega-merge (this is a public wax mage variant).
50 on “Epidemic” coke-bottle clear with HEAVY red blood-splatter and black inclusions.
100 on “Metallic Awakening” crushed metal flake, metallic (true silver) nebula.
5 test presses on black
5 wax mage copies
OVERRUN:
WV010 - ???/???
30 on something Wax Mage
70 on some ridiculous splatter
100 on something swirled
100 on natural PVC
5 test presses on black
5 wax mage copies
OVERRUN:
