As we carry on to the second section of covering Up Hold's discography, I should mention that in none of that time did I grab the missing pieces of their collection (those being the snap-pack single/VHS combo pack of their single for Sight, the single/EP to Intersect Of Light & Dark, or their final album Deepness Of Disorder)...yet, but in that time, I did get another CD copy of The Unbleached that actually comes with the obi. As a result, it'll be a while after tomorrow's coverage of Engine that I'll be able to finish covering Up Hold, but I guarantee that it will be done eventually.
Anyway, onto this release... this is Up Hold's first release under Hell Hornet Records, a sublabel of now-defunct Japanese label Limited Records. It was issued on June 3rd, 1999, a good eleven months before the release of their sophomore album Engine, although the titular track would become the only one to actually make the final cut of that album. The 12" release of this features an alternate version of the cover that is similar in intent, but far, far different in execution.
As such, the material here is the first indication that Up Hold's sound had spectacularly changed after changing record labels. They were adopting a more nu-metal sound than they had when they were still on Slam Records, the new inclusion of clean vocals being one major indicator. To their credit, they still had enough hardcore punk essence and melodic integrity to make their brand of nu metal stand far above a lot of the newer blood the nu metal scene was taking in at the time. The second track on this EP, Out Of The Way, features guest vocals from Cocobat vocalist Hideki, and I can't help but wonder why this song didn't make the final cut of Engine.
I can see how older fans of them would be apprehensive about the different direction the band was taking, but on its own terms, it's a nice little collection of hardcore punk-infused nu metal, and in the grand scheme of the band's sound, it's a great harbinger of what is to come with Engine.
The tracklisting is as follows:
1. Fork
3. Recollect
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