I've done posts before on releases on Pin Drop Records like the
Crosscurrent 7" and the
Fall From Grace/Polyglot split 7", so today I decided to post the first Pin Drop Records release, Holdstrong's 'Gaining Ground' 7", released in 1994. Holdstrong was a hardcore band from Massachusetts which started out in 1993 and lasted till the late '90s, and unfortunately they never got the recognition they deserved in my opinion. Like I used to do (and still do), I picked up this 7" at a distro at a
show based on its looks and the amount of my money still left in my
wallet, heh. Must've been some time around 1995/1996 and it was also my first encounter with Pin Drop Records, which was run by one of the Holdstrong members (I think their guitarist, Bill Cole?). Fairly straight-forward mid-tempo crunchy hardcore,
just the way I like it, and Holdstrong did this style really well. This was their first proper record, and I loved this 7" from the first time I gave it a spin. They improved their sound with every subsequent record, all of which would also be released on Pin Drop Records. But as with so many bands/records, the first record you hear is often the one that you go back to the most. But even so, every record they did was awesome, so don't hesitate to check out this band/their other records.
Holdstrong - Gaining Ground 7"
