House of Pain - Same as It Ever Was (30th Anniversary) [Yellow + Green Bonus 7-inch]

House of Pain's Same as It Ever Was returns for its 30th anniversary on yellow 140-gram vinyl in a gatefold jacket, joined by a bonus green 7-inch.

After Jump Around turned Everlast, Danny Boy and DJ Lethal into household names almost overnight, the pressure was on to prove they were more than one shout-along hit. Their second album, released in 1994 on Tommy Boy, answered with a harder, grittier record that leaned into boom-bap rather than chasing another party anthem.

The production is dusty and muscular, built on thick drums, smoky samples and Lethal's sharp cuts. On Point is the standout, a head-nodding single with a hook that refuses to leave, while Back from the Dead kicks the album off with swagger and Runnin' Up on Ya keeps the knuckles bared. Word Is Bond and the title track show off Everlast's gruff, rapid-fire flow, all Irish-American bravado and Los Angeles grit.

Three decades later, it stands as the sound of a group refusing to be a novelty act, and fans of mid-90s East and West Coast rap will hear plenty to love. The colourful anniversary package, with its extra disc tucked inside the gatefold, makes this the most collectable way to own it on vinyl.