THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Month: June 2021 (Page 6 of 9)

VINNIE VINCENT INVASION – All Systems Go

June 8, 2021 /

This is the second Invasion album, and would also be the last. After Vinnie was removed from Kiss after basically revitalizing their career with two great records in Creatures Of The Night and Lick It Up, he wasted no time in putting together this killer band. After this band folded, vocalist Mark Slaughter, and bassist Dana Strum, would go on to form Slaughter. There’s no denying it, Vinnie is a killer guitar player. Unfortunately, he is also a bit of a weird guy who disappeared off the face of the earth after this band folded.

Anyway, onto the tunes. The album starts with Ashes To Ashes, a great tune and was way better than anything his previous employers were doing – it was a big F-U to Gene and Paul. Next up is Dirty Rhythm, a pretty straightforward rocker with slaughter doing his best Robert Plant impression, and some great playing from Vinnie. Love Kills follows and was a hit single in the US, it’s a semi ballad and not a bad tune with great harmonies. Naughty Naughty is next, putting the dodgy suspect lyrics to one side, it’s a glam rock anthem complete with big sing-a-long chorus and over the top Vinnie solo. Burn is next up and starts with Vinnie doing his best race car impression on the guitar, and a serious big scream from Slaughter – probably the best song so far.

Apart from a weird backwards message on the run out, it’s over to Side 2 we go with Let Freedom Rock – it’s glam rock at its finest. Big chorus, big vocal, and big everything basically – with extra helpings of Vinnie where he shreds his ass off. That Time Of Year and it’s the dreaded power ballad you’ve all been waiting for. Well, at least it has a bit of balls and some cool chord changes. Heavy Pettin’ is next up and has a very Kiss type riff. It’s a pretty straight up stomp rocker and Vinnie again rips a killer solo. It’s back to ballad-o-rama with Ecstasy, and it’s my least favourite track on the record. At least it’s a return to hair metal heaven with Deeper And Deeper, some nice key changes and some cool melodies drive this song along. Final track of the album is Breakout. I’m a firm believer in going out with a bang on albums, and this track does exactly that. It’s the heaviest track on the album and a great ending.

I really like this album and its got a great production to boot.

8.5/10 from The Grooveman.

WET – Retransmission

June 8, 2021 /

I usually don’t like these made up bands that Frontiers keep putting together, with the brief to write the ultimate melodic rock record. I will make an exception for this project, as it has the amazing talents of Jeff Scott Soto on vocals, and Eclipse main man Eric Martensson. I’m not sure if you are all aware , but Sweden is the melodic rock capital of the universe. When the rest of the world gave up on it for grunge and post grunge (and whatever other nonsense came after that), Sweden still believed in writing and putting out great rock records. Soto has sang with Yngwie and the amazing Talisman (who are dearly missed), as well as fronting Journey for a brief moment. So Jeff’s vocal credentials are top drawer and it’s just the same here. He has a great power, range, and tone that I really love. Think power/melodic/rock and you you will be on the money.

Every song is fantastic, and superbly played and written. If any of you have heard Eclipse, then you know what a great songwriter Martensson is, and if anything, the songs have more melody on this album. My favourite tracks are: Boys Don’t Cry – an epic way to open an album, The Call Of The Wild – in a similar vein and really drives along, How Far To Babylon – an absolute belter of a track, from the native drumming, to the killer riff and vocals – I would buy it just for this tune alone, How Do I Know has a killer riff and brilliant vocal from Jeff singing at the higher end of his register. I would have loved to have heard a Journey album with Jeff singing.

It’s amazing to think that this is just a project and not their day job. If you don’t believe how good this album is, just nip over to poo tunes or spoti-scrote and give it a quick listen – then go and buy a physical copy so the artist actually gets some money.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

ORK – Ramagehead

June 7, 2021 /

For those of you who do not know who ORK are (I’m assuming it’s quite a lot), they are a project that features ex-Porcupine Tree bassist Colin Edwin, King Crimson drummer Pat Mastelotto, and two musicians who I am unaware of, Lorenzo Fornasari (Lef for short) on vocals and keys, plus Carmelo Pipitone on guitars. The vibe and grooves are influenced by Tool, and I do know of Colin’s love for the band.

Opening track, Kneel To Nothing, is a killer tune and Lorenzo’s vocals are amazing. What a range and power he has! Signals Erased is another fantastic tune and sits firmly in Prog territory, with more than a nod to King Crimson. Beyond Sight has a chill acoustic beginning and has a unique feel to the track, but again, Lef’s vocals are outstanding. Black Blooms has a very dark melancholic tone to proceedings and is a highlight for me. The build up is fantastic and the voice is huge. Side 1 closes out with Some Other Rainbow, a very short dark stripped down tune.

Side 2 starts with Time Corroded and Down The Road, both are stunning tracks and have an almost medieval tinge to them. Lef’s vocals are almost angelic at times or maybe even other worldly. Down The Road even reminds me of Muse on occasion. Strangled Words is the penultimate track, and carries on with this side’s musical theme of being acoustic guitar driven. When the guitar does finally become energized, the chord pattern is very interesting. Last track is Some Other Rainbow Part 2, and the dark melancholy vibe continues.

This was the first Ork album I heard and I was blown away by the vocals and the instrumentation. I do like things that go down a different path and challenge the listener, and I would recommend this album for those of you who like the same.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

KYUSS – Welcome To Sky Valley

June 7, 2021 /

This is the third (and best) album by California desert rock combo, Kyuss. If anyone is interested, the name comes from Dungeons and Dragons. The band are best known as being Josh Homme’s home before Queens Of The Stone Age took flight. Kyuss were the purveyors of the finest stoner rock, with their roots firmly in the early seventies – naming Sabbath as a big influence. Produced by Masters of Reality main man ,Chris Goss, this album was the band’s high point creatively.

Gardenia starts things off with the fuzzed out distorted tones of Josh Homme’s guitar. This is the recipe for the whole album. The riffs continue in a repetitive and hypnotic groove that you can chill to, hence the stoner rock term. A lot of the tracks have a grooved out middle section where you can lose yourself. Me personally, I find this album great to relax too. I know that sounds weird when the vibe is so heavy, it just has that effect on me. After the aforementioned Gardenia, the other monster track that I really like is Demon Cleaner, which starts with a great heavy tom tom beat and a wicked riff. This track probably sums up the band more than any other. I find it odd that Josh Homme has said he had never heard of Sabbath when the band started – Sabbath’s influences are all over this record. The band were only around as Kyuss for 4 years, and yet their impact was huge.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

« Older posts Newer posts »

Archives

© 2025 THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑