You might remember that I wrote a recent Ebay Madness column on Militia – THE SYBLING E.P. (1985) back in October. A couple of months ago this auction blew the roof off and ended at an insane $2550. So other copies were bound to show up…..

Militia – The Sybling E.P. (1985) sells for $1685

Seller: sambb2000
Country: Austin, Texas (USA)
Starting Price: 99 cents
Bids: 17

Like most copies of THE SYBLING E.P., this auction is from Texas. Militia was part of the underground Metal scene in Texas so it only makes sense for a few copies to be hanging around down there. This copy of THE SYBLING is unique in that it has one flaw…..water damage (see next picture) on the right side from the upper corner down.

I have to give the seller credit for being so detailed and reporting the water damage because some people might not considering the big bucks this goes for. As an added bonus, the seller will include a picture of Militia singer Mike Soliz holding this actual copy…..how’s that for authenticity! It’s still a lot of money and a crazy price…..I still wouldn’t mind finding one, I would keep it for my collection!

Check out the other Ebay Madness column for links where you can get more information, buy a compilation with THE SYBLING on it or just listen to the record.

Militia is a Thrash/Speed Metal band from Austin, Texas and is one of the more famous independent U.S. Metal bands from back in the mid-80s. The legend of Militia grows everytime a copy of this majorly sought after 3 song, 15+ minute e.P. shows up on Ebay and sells for thousands. Yes, I said THOUSANDS! Militia came on my radar when I discovered their profile on the Texas Metal Underground website. From there I listened to the E.P. at Vibrations Of Doom. This is a record I could only dream of finding in a vinyl bin at some hole-in-the-wall record store! The Militia page at Encyclopedia Metallum has a little more info on the release:

Recorded in September 1985. The EP was officially released as a 12″ limited to 100 copies. Bootlegged on 7″ sometime in the early ’90s. One of the most sought after metal collector items, the original has sold for $3000 and even the bootleg goes for over $50. Also bootlegged on a split CD by Revenge of True Metal Records.

Militia – The Sybling E.P. (1985) sells for $2550

Seller: satxz
Country: USA
Starting Price: 99 cents
Bids: 34

Like most copies of THE SYBLING, this one is from San Antonio, Texas so it’s from the area that the band started in. The two pictures above are from the seller and the album looks like a legit copy. The seller also listed four other pictures: the lyric sheet insert, the vinyl, and two pictures of the himself with the record with the band from 2008. My only problem with the auction is that the seller has a zero feedback rating and is generally new to Ebay. A zero feedback rating always puts up a red flag to me but, as everything on Ebay, it’s “buyer beware” so hopefully the transaction goes smoothly. The album started at 99 cents and went up over $2200 within 24 hours! I don’t know who the winner is but I’d love to know how someone spends $2550 on a 3 song/15 minute E.P.!

As a side note, Rockadrome Records has released a compilation CD from Militia titled RELEASED (2008) that includes 2 early demos, THE SYBLING, and a couple of outtakes and live tracks. If you want to own all that Militia has recorded, including this E.P., then save yourself $2537 and spend the $13 on the new CD.