THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

LETCHEN GREY – Party Politics

November 3, 2024 / / 0 Comments

On the face of it Letchen Grey are another one and they’re done band. This was the only EP that they managed to put out back in ’86. They were the darlings of the Sunset Strip and were down to be the next big thing, but life got in the way. Guitarist Frank Suber developed an aggressive cancer which sadly ravaged his body. 

They have recently reformed and recorded a brand new album. As for this EP, you can see why it never sold that well because the songs are okay but it’s missing that killer punch to make them stand out. Plus the vocals of Robert Sykes just aren’t strong enough to carry the songs. Out of the five tracks here only two shake my tree. Sexy Sadie with its cool acoustic main riff, and the close out track No Way Out which is my favourite of the two. This song should have been the template for them to follow. A kick ass up tempo glam rocker that is very Sunset Strip.

This one is for collectors and other than the last track, you won’t play this too often.

6/10 from The Grooveman.

AGENT STEEL – No Other Godz Before Me

November 3, 2024 / / 0 Comments

Agent Steel are another band that were around for a couple of albums then disappeared for years only to creep out of the woodwork and do the whole cycle again. This is their latest comeback album from 2021, and to be fair it’s not too bad. If speed metal with seriously over the top high wailing vocals is your thing, then you may have found your nirvana.

It’s Judas Priest on copious amounts of speed while travelling on a rocket ship to mars. There is no way on this or any other planet that vocalist Johnny Cyriis could do this live. There are way too many vocal parts crammed into the album to allow the guy to breath let alone grab another shot of helium. The Devils Greatest Trick is just insane vocally. There are many many takes done to achieve this but kudos to the guy as it’s mightily impressive. The speed never lets up, it’s relentless from beginning to end and the band must be total athletes.

I may pull this out to play once a year just to put a smile on my face.

7/10 from The Grooveman.

SAM MILLAR – Virtual Summer

November 3, 2024 / / 0 Comments

It still blows my mind that Earache Records have started signing acts as commercial as Sam Millar. I mean, back in the day they were the go to for extreme metal music and nothing else. This album is about as far removed from extreme metal as it gets. Feel good pop rock is the order of the day with Sam Millar. He’s an uber talented guy, he wrote and played all instruments on the album.

The overall vibe that comes to mind when listening to the album is 80’s American radio bands like Toto, Journey, and a million others but there is something else that latches itself on to the grooves and sounds of that period. Sam has the knack of writing pure pop hooks and melodies wrapped in that AOR rock feel. When Summer Ends is the most perfect AOR song I have heard in eons. The chorus and hook are perfect with that feel good pop melody that just drives itself into your brain.

The track that got me hooked was The Killing Floor. It’s quite a dark themed title but the music is totally the opposite; a superb example of how to write an eighties FM radio smash. Chardonnay takes me back to the late eighties it’s just pure pop rock perfection.

This is one hell of a fun record and I’m amazed that Escape or Frontiers never snapped him up. Great record! Well done Sam Millar.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

OVERKILL – I Hear Black

November 3, 2024 / / 0 Comments

I have to say I’m loving these half speed masters reissues from Overkill. For all the audiophile snobs who say it’s pointless to give metal music the audiophile treatment can do one.

I Hear Black was the Overkill’s sixth release and it came out in ’93 right in headlights of prime time grunge and yet it was one of the band’s best sellers. I’m sure I read somewhere that the title was a nod to Black Sabbath, hence the songs were also inspired by the band.

This album is definitely more groovier than thrash but that was the climate back in the early nineties for metal bands, and I love this album. The title track is worth the price alone. A killer heavy groove with matching riffing that just turns the groove muscle to 10.

The whole album is a killer heavy groovy beat down and I can’t recommend it enough.

9.5/10 from The Grooveman.

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