Organized Crime Records Halloween 2011 Surprise *SPOILERS!*

If you are waiting on this surprise package yourself and would like it to actually be a surprise when you open it up, I suggest you look away right now. Well, don't look away, as you'll just be sitting at your computer or with your phone in your hand looking in the opposite direction. That's just silly. But certainly get the heck off this page if you want the contents of this to remain a mystery, cause I'm about to open it up and expose its innards.

Still with me? Good. Let's go.

Last Halloween, like the year before, Organized Crime Records put a mystery package up for pre-order. All that was revealed was that it would include a shirt of some kind, as they took your size. The rest? Who knows. Based on the fact that last years contained one-off glow in the dark Integrity records and that this years was described as a 'must for fans of Holy Terror', I didn't think twice.

Opening up the parcel, I'm greeted with a t-shirt. A really cool t-shirt actually, with a bit of a teaser of whats to come judging from the logo's on the sleeves. More on the shirt later, we knew that was a dead cert. On to the secret business. Wrapped up in the t-shirt is a black envelope, with a black inked Holy Terror logo.

Flip that over to reveal the entrance, sealed with a wax Holy Terror stamp

Carefully easing that free, inside is a 6" record. The first side showing a logo that you might recognize

Vegas! Their Never To Wake LP was a favorite of mine from last year, so I was pretty happy that some new music from them was suddenly in my grasp. Their track on this split is wonderful. Vegas demonstrate two styles usually - balls out ferocity or haunting, ethereal folk. This track here is of the latter, and is incredible. Their side of the split is accompanied by a sheet giving a bit of background and explanation to the track

So, side 1 covered. Flip the sleeve over to reveal the logo of the 2nd mystery band

Yup. None other than Rot In Hell. It would be fair to say, and no surprise to anyone who has read previous posts or knows me in real life (hey, it could happen) that these are pretty much a favorite band of mine. So the only way this package could have been better is if they'd have fell out of the sleeve, blasted through Iron Halo in my living room and then fucked off back up the M6. Their side has the lyrics to their track 'Armoured Gideon' on the flip side to the sheet.

With a nod to di6 on the label

Unsurprisingly, I lost my shit to this track. I'm sure I've heard this track somewhere, or at least recognize the title. But I definitely hadn't heard it in all its studio recorded glory. Sounds real good. Their new vocalist is still safely under wraps though. This is Bean-era RIH.

The main inner sleeve is on a black card insert, silver inked with the logo's and a curious wolf/flower thing.

Hand numbered too. I think I remember the announcement saying these were out of 150, but some more must have got through as this says 165. I got number 91.

All in all, pretty amazing. Oh, and an ultra shiny RIH/VEGAS hybrid sticker

The t-shirt that came with it is great, with the wolf/flower thing on the front, the bands logo's on the sleeves and a reminder on the back of when I bought it, just in case I ever get confused.