Buying Metal Music in New England

Bands usually get the most out of your purchase money when you buy merchandise directly from the band. Given that everyone is so poor these days, a lot of people will only buy stuff they really like. This means making strategic choices, like buying directly from the band, can better help out your local scene or the band of your choice by maximizing how much they get when you buy their stuff. For people that go to live shows, this is usually a good opportunity. Another way you can do this with bands that have no real distribution is trying to email the band members directly. I wonder how many people download everything and simply do not buy music anymore.

I know I am a hypocrite for not buying stuff during the show in my last post, but I am saving for black metal releases and new shirts so I can better serve in my capacity as Chief of the Fashion Police for the New England Metal Scene, a position to which I was apparently recently promoted. Most of the shirts I wear these days are actually made out of vinyl and are original pressings. My officers and I will be evaluating how everyone dresses at several upcoming local shows. Anyone found wearing a local band shirt will be rewarded with a $20 discount toward forgiving their next fashion infraction ticket. We are only doing this because after a recent raid in Allston and Cambridge Massachusetts, we are almost out of tickets.

For New Englanders:
We are lucky. For most people, their only option is ordering stuff online, but in New England we have retail options. First, there is a small retail chain that actually carries a fair amount of metal releases: Newbury Comics. See their locations here. With 29 different locations, many New England metalheads have a place they can actually walk into and look around for metal releases. Unfortunately, there is no Vermont store.

(This is how many Oxen are required to transport metal)

I know what you are thinking and no, Newbury Comics does not in any way sponsor this blog. It is really just the primary place I personally know of for getting metal stuff in person. Here is the second option I am aware of for getting metal releases:

Armageddon Record Shop: In Boston, MA; and Providence RI.


*If anyone has a store that sells metal in New England they would like to add to this list please leave a comment or send me an email at theoakconclave@gmail.com