Anthony Biello lives in Cleveland, OH, where he plays drums in the death metal band, Grave Plague (listen below). Previously, the 32-year-old handled drum duties in Severed Remains. In addition to his musical work, Anthony runs and owns his own IT company, APB Solutions, LLC.
Now, Anthony can also tell people in he's part of the Record Collector club.
How long have you been collecting records?
I grew up collecting CDs and acquired over 3,000 through out my life. I was never the type to trade in/sell anything so from an early age I managed to hoard tons of music. From about the age of 21-28, I battled a horrible heroin/opiate addiction, and towards the end of it, I reluctantly decided to sell off my entire collection for pennies on the dollar. To this day, it is one of my biggest regrets, but once I got sober back in 2013, I decided to slowly build my empire back up. This time around I chose the vinyl format and it has proven to be an even more rewarding hobby than CD collecting. I’ve been at it now for about four years.
Where/how do you usually find your records these days?
Mostly online these days. I order a lot from record labels/distros and I hit up the virtual second hand market like Discogs and eBay quite a bit. I try to stop at a few local shops frequently, but it’s rare that I find anything that I’m truly after.
What is the most you paid for a single record, where/how did you obtain it, and what was it?
That would be Thrice's The Alchemy Index. I paid about $500 for it and I believe I got it from an eBay seller. It was a Holy Grail record that I had been after for a long time but had been skeptical about spending that kind of dough on a piece of music. Eventually my lust for that particular album got the best of me and I pulled the trigger. I’ve also been known to spend too much money on other rare records but that’s another story for another time!
If you had to pick one record label you feel had/has the best track record of quality releases, who would that be and what are some key titles you love?
Tough question! I would have to say Dark Descent right now. They have a great distro and continue to pump out quality music. I’m really into a number of bands that they release but mainly it’s been Horrendous, Blood Incantation, Spectral Voice, Krypts, and Ripper. As for a label that used to have an outstanding track record but doesn’t anymore, I’d have to say either Roadrunner, Earache, or Nuclear Blast. I really miss those early '90s lineups and I still spin a ton of stuff from that era
Of everything in your current collection, what is your most prized record and why?
My original pressing of Sepultura’s Arise. It’s not the most valuable or rare record that I own but it probably means the most to me. That album in general started my whole obsession with metal and music when I was about 11-years-old. I think it’s a perfect 10/10 and I still listen to it regularly. The copy I have is in fantastic shape visually and sonically. Without that album a large part of who I am would be missing.
Is there anything that frustrates you about the current record collecting scene?
Yeah, a lot! The price of vinyl is outrageous and these sellers are asking for prices that basically make me sick. The saddest part is that a lot of people will pay the price because they want something bad enough. I’m guilty of this just like the next guy. It’s simple supply and demand I suppose but it still pisses me off. I also can’t stand a person that flips record. You know who I’m talking about. The guy that buys multiple copies of something because they know the value of the record will sky rocket. A lot of times these people will have the item up for sale before the record has even been released! They are flipping a preorder! Nothing is worse than flipper scum.
Which records are still on your want list that you've had a tough time tracking down through the years?
I have a ton of items on my want list and more often than not I am able to track them down, the problem is the price. It becomes a question of what do I want bad enough and what am I willing to spend on a particular item. I can tell you that right now I’ve got my eyes on an original pressing of Death’s Symbolic. It’s extremely expensive but it’s the only original pressing from the Death catalog that I need to complete the entire discography.
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Follow Anthony on Instagram and Facebook, and you can also find Grave Plague on Facebook.
Tagged: record collector
