wow the F.Y.E. in Phoenix!!

OMG, I went to FYE tonight in the Phoenix area for the first time. I can't believe how much better it is than the one in Albuquerque!!! They have a HUGE metal section with EVERYTHING! I've never seen a store this cool since I lived in Minnesota! Man, I left out there with a huge haul of 13 new cds!!!

Nice!! Too bad I live all the way over in Illinois If I'm ever around Phoenix, I'll check it out.

There literally wasnt anything I couldn't find! They even had rare imported stuff!

And people are saying that CD stores are going away. There will always be a demand for physical product. Digital music is not owning music. Plain and simple.

The metal section alone was almost as big as the whole "Rock" section was at Hastings in Rio Rancho where I used to live. I just wasn't expecting this treat tonight!

The prices were also very good.

Glad to hear that. My parents live in Chandler, so I might have to remember that the next time we visit.

When I was in Phoenix last year I stopped at a Zia Records on Thunderbird Rd and picked up a nice haul there. It was awesome ! Not one store in my area (Pittsburgh) comes even close) although I will say that my 2 closest FYEs are the best. Maybe Phoenix just has a cool and better all around metal community. I know next time I'm out that way I'll be shopping there again.

Enjoy it while you can. That whole chain is bound to go belly up sooner or later. They closed a bunch of stores @ the end of last year (including the one closest to me...SIGH) so they're probably circling the drain.

Mine are still both open (just bought Destruction and Death Angel's newest releases there for $9.99 a piece). I saw no signs of them closing (at least not yet)

I got 3 open here that I know of...all have decent Metal sections...

There are better stores in Phoenix for metal bro. Wait till you check out one of the many ZIA RECORDS. Also, REVOLVER RECORDS in Phoenix is great for both vinyl and CDs.

Go to Metal Devastation out in Phoenix. Its ALL METAL!

The "metal" sections in the 3 local FYE's I venture to are for sh*t. Lousy selection and terrible prices.

The only record store I know of in town is a local operation; he has a large amount of albums, and quite a few artists, but the selection is never very good. Like, he has around 10 copies of Metallica's black album, but only compilations of Dio and very rarely any power metal whatsoever (aside from Helloween, Gamma Ray, and Stratovarius, which are fairly standard, as you all know).
I should really venture to Chicago... it's only an hour away by train. I don't know of any good record stores there, though; anyone know a few?

The two that were here locally have been closed, but their selection and prices for the most part sucked balls

The manager at my local FYE claimed that the ones that stayed open had re-negotiated their leases. The malls that wouldn't do so they simply closed those locations. For my local one it basically gave them another year.... but after that?

One thing I've noticed (and it's no surprise) is the drastic cut in inventory. The music racks used to be so packed you couldn't flip through them. Today I'd say the stock barely took up half the shelving.

They are currently having a buy one get the second for 50% off sale on used. If you can find anything it's not a bad deal. They also had a bunch of new releases for 9.99. Was tempted on the new Morbid Angel.

Lurideath wrote:

Go to Metal Devastation out in Phoenix. Its ALL METAL!

I tried to go out to this place when we were out there but the place was closed when I went to it.

Im not sure if Oregon is hip to F.Y.E or not, ive never seen one anywhere here.

ultmetal wrote:

There are better stores in Phoenix for metal bro. Wait till you check out one of the many ZIA RECORDS. Also, REVOLVER RECORDS in Phoenix is great for both vinyl and CDs.

Lurideath wrote:

Go to Metal Devastation out in Phoenix. Its ALL METAL!

I'll keep all 3 of those places in mind next time I go shopping! Thanks guys! Ult, have you been to the Zia Records in Tempe and Chandler - or just Pheonix. Those two are closer to where I live.

LONG LIVE ACTUAL CDS!!!

The F.Y.E's metal section in here in Huntsville, AL is full of terrible nu-metal, metalcore, death metal, and grindcore bands. It's not hard to pick the good stuff out of the pile, but it usually is priced at $15+. I'll stick with eBay.

The_Jayroh wrote:

The F.Y.E's metal section in here in Huntsville, AL is full of terrible nu-metal, metalcore, death metal, and grindcore bands. It's not hard to pick the good stuff out of the pile, but it usually is priced at $15+. I'll stick with eBay.

wow that sounds horrible!

It's amazing how the same chain can be so different in different areas.

I think what it is - is that each area store is a reflection of the community at large and the demand any particular community places on the store. I mean, Phoenix is a pretty 'metal' city I think. You have Rob Halford and Alice Cooper living here. Not to mention the countless other metal bands that call Phoenix home (Flotsam and Jetsam, Sacred Reich, etc etc). So there is a major demand for metal here, and the local stores reflect that demand.

Metallic Blaze wrote:

The_Jayroh wrote:

The F.Y.E's metal section in here in Huntsville, AL is full of terrible nu-metal, metalcore, death metal, and grindcore bands. It's not hard to pick the good stuff out of the pile, but it usually is priced at $15+. I'll stick with eBay.

wow that sounds horrible!

It's amazing how the same chain can be so different in different areas.

I think what it is - is that each area store is a reflection of the community at large and the demand any particular community places on the store. I mean, Phoenix is a pretty 'metal' city I think. You have Rob Halford and Alice Cooper living here. Not to mention the countless other metal bands that call Phoenix home (Flotsam and Jetsam, Sacred Reich, etc etc). So there is a major demand for metal here, and the local stores reflect that demand.

That actually did make me realize that 3/4 of the people around here who actually listen to metal are:

1. Scene kids (The majority of which live in the neighboring city of Madison. There's lots of families with money there, which seem to spawn lots of scene kids for whatever reason.)

2. Metallica fanatics (they are always anti-Megadeth)

I fall into a third category of people who just like something good to listen to. I don't care about image. I just care about the quality of music. F. Y. E. is just like any other retail store. They can't put something on the racks they can't sell. That's probably why there is a continuous sale on all of the metal albums they do have. I over exaggerated how bad it truthfully is, because I made it sound a lot like Hot Topic. The prices I did not however.

RIght now the top music store in my area of CT is FYE

I saw a bunch of stuff I wanted course no money to spend to get it all

Addy wrote:

RIght now the top music store in my area of CT is FYE

I saw a bunch of stuff I wanted course no money to spend to get it all

Hey Addy, you never know. At my FYE there were TONS of CDs for just $1 a piece! I picked up all kinds of goodies! Give em a try and you might be surprised at the deals you find.

I've found some gems in FYE as well. I've seen Metal Church, Nuclear Assault, and some other cool less-well-known stuff. But their prices are insane. 20 dollars for a copy of Ride the Lightning? Pass...

Wow the prices here seem totally fair. It's not in the mall though, which might be why.

Those malls charge an arm and a leg for being located in them. So the retailers have to jack the price to make ends meet.

The FYE by me is a stand alone. It's HUGE. About three times bigger than their mall stores ... maybe 4 or 5 actually.

Yeah there are two in Huntsville, which are both in malls.