THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Month: April 2021 (Page 7 of 11)

NINE INCH NAILS – Pretty Hate Machine

April 18, 2021 /

Whips would have thought a band as annoying as Depeche Mode would influence a band as awesome as this. Now, I was living England in the eighties and The Mode were regarded as somewhat of a joke and fashion wannabes. So, when I moved over the other side of the pond, it came as a shock to find out that they were such an influence on so many people. NIN are not a lot like Depeche Mode – thank god -as they are a totally different subversive beast. Equal parts electro pop, dance and industrial metal, they were a jolt to the arm of the music scene at the time.

Things start off with the awesome Head Like A Hole, a killer track of epic proportions and encapsulates everything about the band at the time. Terrible Lie is a quirky track full of electronic weirdness and a simple groove. Down In It is a full on electro pop experience. Drum machines have developed so much since this album, well, it was released in ’89. Sanctified is the last track on this Side, and is another killer track with an epic bass line.

Something I Can Never Have starts like a soundtrack and is just a piano, a synth, and a vocal until an industrial backdrop looms in the background. The one track that does remind of Depeche Mode is Kinda I Want To. The choppy synth groove is very catchy. The track that everyone should know is Sin and that is up next. This is the song that I heard first and it’s a monster tune. A full on electronic metal masterpiece. This should get the most die hard rock fan up and grooving. That’s What I Got is more sleazy electro pop with a simple synth groove. The Only Time is another song about sexual endeavors and is my least favourite on the record. The very apt Ringfinger follows, and is a full on electro dance pop experience and is one of the three great songs on the record. It starts off quite simple and just builds. A very strange cover of Queen’s Get Down And Make Love is the last track on the album and bears no resemblance to the original. The only way you would know is the vocal line.

A groundbreaking album for sure as a whole genre would grow out of this record and The Downward Spiral.

8.5/10 from The Grooveman.

ROBIN TROWER – Victims Of The Fury

April 18, 2021 /

Robin’s first album of a new decade, and probably the last, before his popularity began to wane. It’s also nice to see the true three piece back as James Dewar is back playing bass as well as supplying his amazing vocal talents. Equal parts rock, soul, and funk, Robin carved a niche all of his own and ignoring all of the stupid comparisons to Hendrix that clueless journalists pedaled around.

Opening track, Jack And Jill, opens with that trademark Trower tone we all love, with a soulful lyric laid over the top. Slowing the pace down for the soulful Roads To Freedom that follows, and a great vocal and some tasteful playing from Robin. The awesome title track is up next and what a great track it is. Again, we start with a slow soul/R&B intro before it builds into the killer chorus and middle eight. The Ring follows and is my favourite on the album. An exercise in tone and control – a masterclass from Trower. I love a guitarist who tries something a little different to keep you hooked. This track has a serious groove and a great melody, but it’s the guitar that draws you in. Side 1 close out track is another chill out soulful tune with a great vocal.

Side 2 kicks off with Into The Flame, and an old school slow blues riff – it’s the Trower and Dewar show. The Shout follows and is an old school R&B style tune given the Trower treatment. The very groovy Mad House is next, and is a great tune with a very funky riff and killer solo. Ready For The Taking has a slower pace with a cleaner tone from Trower for the main riff. Final track, Fly Low, is a beautiful song to end with and has a really laid back groove.

A great production from Geoff Emerick, he let’s the music breath and it’s crystal clear. Robin didn’t make a bad album until after this one. That’s quite a run of 7 straight great records.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

HAKEN – Vector

April 16, 2021 /

They have been somewhat unfairly tagged as the Welsh Dream Theater, but they are definitely more than that. Formed back in 2007, this is their 5th full length album and an absolute monster it is too. Loosely linked to previous album Virus, this is a concept album about a doctor who has an evil interest in a patient of his.

After the twisted keyboard intro of Clear, we go straight into the Prog metal goodness that is The Good Doctor. The verse and musical interplay is fantastic. The slap bass groove is killer, and even though occupying the same musical landscape as Dream Theater, there is a lot more to Haken. In fact, they have more in common with Periphery than DT – even the Riph’s bass player, Nolly Getgood, is the producer here. The amazing Puzzle Box is next, and it’s one of the best tunes that Haken have done. There is so much going on to keep the listener engaged for an eternity. Everything sounds huge, but it doesn’t drown out anything, and has a crystal clear production. Veil starts with a beautiful piano intro before a soft vocal harmony fits over the top, and then BOOM we are into extreme Prog metal grooviness. Another outstanding track. Nil By Mouth follows with extreme heaviness to start things off, then we get a ripping riff and groove and stop start djentyness. All this and not even a sniff of a vocal. Host is the penultimate track and is a very laid back atmospheric piece. A really great tune to separate the grooves. The last track, A Cell Divides, arrives all too quickly, and man, what an opening – before we settle into some off time grooves.

A great album by a great young band. I have noticed people who follow me on Instagram, and who I have followed back, seem to like what I call “metal and rock by numbers”. It’s seems to be more about the likes than the music. May I suggest that you step out of your little eighties time capsule and try something new and expand your horizons?! Give this a try! If all your brain is used to is 4/4 then your groove muscle will thank you for this.

9.5/10 from The Grooveman.

ANNIHILATOR – Alice In Hell

April 16, 2021 /

The first time I heard of the band was either in an edition of Kerrrap magazine, or on an episode of Headbangers Ball – or both – who knows? They were formed in my adopted home city of Ottawa in ’84, and it wasn’t until the recording of this album that the line up had stabilized somewhat. Fun fact – they are the most successful thrash group in Canadian history, having sold over three million albums! Although this sounds like a band, it’s just a vehicle for guitarist extraordinaire Jeff Waters to show his talents. Not only a great guitar player, but he writes a mean tune as well.

After the nice acoustic intro of Crystal Ann, we are introduced to the title track and what a blistering track it is. A great riff, thundering beat, and a cool chorus. This should keep you bouncing rounded the house until you play the next track, W.T.Y.D., which funnily enough, keeps the double kick seriously moving. It’s marked down as thrash, but it’s definitely speed metal in my book. The pace and riffs carry on into the awesome next track, Wicked Mystic. This track has a killer middle section. By now the dandruff should be loose and a neck brace required. Burns Like A Buzzsaw Blade is the last track on Side 1, and again, the pace does not drop and could be the most aggressive track yet.

Over to Side 2 we go with Word Salad, a more traditional paced metal song with a killer riff – until the pedals go to the metal and away we go again. The pace goes even faster on Schizo’s – it’s as though they have had the handbrake on until now. A very Metallica sounding Ligea is next, and is candidate for best track on the album. It goes from standard chuggas to super speed in a flick of a drumstick. So we get to the final track, Human Insecticide, and it’s as though we have to be home by ten, the pace is relentless.

I will change my mind about saying this was a speed metal album, this is most definitely a THRASH album and a bloody good one at that.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

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