Massive - proper rolling hitter which still hits all the marks....

Proper classic - end of! Production is absolutely killer - this still stands strong and contemporary...

Menace takes a LARGE chunk from Roland Clark/Urban Souls "Alright"

And makes excellent use of it ..what a great tune.

What can be said of this EP? There had been exploratory efforts into dark hardcore previous, but many were not ready for this! The thing about it is that it's not all dark, Darkrider was the obvious cut and (deservedly) got played immensely, but every other track was quality material, no duds present on this 12". But the one that seemed to have the longest legs was Menace, a Randall/AWOL favourite that had so much juice it rained from the speakers all through the rest of '92 and well into '93.. A rare distinction held by very few records.

Does anyone know a good tune to mix with Menace (without spoiling the intro)? :)

In my belief, this Ep has a melancholic tone all over the tunes. If we exclude "Darkrider" as being more dark, the other 3 tunes, especially both tunes on b side have almost depressive pads and downside synth vocals and stabs. I personaly dont like this EP so much as it cant be compared with their earlier awesome "Killer Muffin/Crisp buiscuit" or the absolute "Terminator EP" released later in that year. But each on their own taste.

Probably my favourite Goldie release

So good to see such an important and rare artifact of hardcore/d'n'b history here in the original proto of Darkrider. The early 'Headz' plates put together by Goldie for Reinforced are a thing of handcrafted beauty, not overlooking that first and foremost cut onto them are what became some of the scene's all-time legendary tracks. Tunes which back then made the hairs stand on end as the likes of Rider and Randall dropped them for the very first time in sets, and which still have the power even now to excite.

Darkrider is an amazing track! Darkside hardcore full of style and Guts ...as is the whole 12 to be fair Darkrider and Menace specially, Jim Skreech for me is the weaker of the four tunes. I love the effortless way the tunes on this 12 switch up constantly, crazy composing skills! Musically 92-93 was an amazing period of time on Reinforced records, so much quality!

Probably the best piece of hardcore darkness ever. I go back to the paradise club in my mind every time I hear it and thems damn good memories!

Pretty sure it was influenced by the original Dark Side tune http://www.discogs.com/Supermatic-Open-Your-Mind-Othon/master/20678 ;-)

darkrider = pure darkness. winner :)

"Darkrider" makes the hairs on the back of my neck jump to attention EVERY time. An absolute must-have for any fans of the darker side of oldskool.

Absolute VOMIT ON VINYL!!! Dark As Fuck Tune!! Id strongly advise anyone to buy this on sight as this is a quality piece of Darkside History !!!

Probably my favourite Goldie release, its doesnt age, it almost sounds better now... way ahead of its time. Ridiculously funky beats and dark synths combined with melodic and soulful elements / drops = pure class

I think Darkrider is phenomenal, it's just everything a hardcore record should sound like. Unlike those uplifting, happy cheesy riffs which were being churned out at the time. This consists of doom laden keyboards, horrific screams, scary string/mentasm sounds, trademark dark bass & beats, squelches & screeches. With sampled, spoken words "The Darkside" taken from Darth Vader's speech in Star Wars (previously sampled on Black Dog's all-time classic 'Virtual'). The other tracks are more chopped up/jungle sounding with the odd speeded up vocal sample. Darkrider being more analogue & electronic sounding. Although Jim Skreech should not be overlooked whatsoever and is also quite dark & funky, with some clever beat & bass programming. Layered with some nasty stabs and hooks powered by its rawness. Is still a feeble contender compared to Darkrider. Only because of main title's sheer greatness. Darkrider has a story to tell and it's not a happy one - powerful stuff!I have to add that 'Menace' still contains a dated charm all of its own, conjures every emotion possible. Switching from the deep, mellow, bittersweet, soulful even. To the psychotically twisted, maniac rush. Defintely has grown on me even more over the years. I really do not like "Believe" though. Too happy hardcore sounding for my liking, from the late 1992/1993 era. Too vocal, too chipmunk, too much piano. Weakest track of the lot.