THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Month: June 2021 (Page 8 of 9)

SIGNAL RED – Under The Radar

June 3, 2021 /

Another band I was unaware of until I checked out Escape Music’s website looking for new things to listen to. Before we start, I have to give a big thumbs up to Escape Music as the vinyl I have of theirs is fantastic. Superb pressings and quality covers. There are other European labels that could take note of this. Frontiers are pretty bad when it comes to quality control. The last three albums I have bought from them have been terrible – very noisy records that should never have gone out. Anyway enough of that! So what do we know of these guys? Well, they are a relatively new band from the UK comprising of Lee Small ex Shy on vocals, Steve Grocott ex Ten on guitars, keys and a rhythm section of Brian Anthony on bass, and David Anthony on drums. What we have here is very well played and written melodic/power metal.

Opening track, Defiant, is a freaking awesome opening track with a fast driving groove with a killer riff. Add to that a great vocal with a massive hook and harmonies, with the cherry-on-the-top of a monster solo, and we have a winner! Houdini is next up and the pedal is still to the metal – the quality continues. These guys are GOOD! The production is top notch, it’s very clear and the separation is perfect. The bass and drums sound huge – I don’t remember Lee Small being this amazing, but I guess I wasn’t paying attention before. Stronger is next up and it’s fat huge riff time, and the most commercial sounding track so far. It has huge vocal with a big chorus and harmonies, and another killer solo from Steve Grocott – who gets to cut loose here more here than in Ten. Great song! The last track on Side 1 is Tell It To The Bees, and think late eighties American radio rock and you are somewhere close.

Over to Side 2 with Monster Truck – another killer tune. Huge chorus and harmonies, big keyboard, and guitar joint riff – kind of reminds me of Night Ranger in their rockier moments. Pyramids Of Mars follows and what a killer intro, it really sets the mood for the song. This is a very melodic Euro metal track with lots of guitar and epic vocals. Emotions In Motion is next up, and I guess it had to happen…we are now entering ballad central. As far as ballads go, it’s very well done and carried well by Lee’s vocal. Last track on Side 2 is Highwire and we are back to big riff city with a huge driving rhythm. These guys must have hooks and melodies oozing from their pores. Another great tune.

Over to Side 3 we go with Contact. We are carrying on where we left off, a chop chugga riff, big keyboards, huge vocals and melodies – it’s like déjà vu. Goth The Girl is next up and I think it’s about Mina from Dracula. It’s a good song, but it doesn’t register with me as much as the others. Final track, The Time Machine, is the longest track on the album at 1 second shy of 8 minutes and is the centre piece of the record. A huge epic piece and is worth the entrance fee alone. More of everything that we’ve already had but 10 times more.

There is a Side 4 but it has the dreaded etched side, and we all know how I love them! Well recommended for lovers of this type of music, and if you’re not, then why not give a go? It’s a great record.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

BLACK SABBATH – Born Again

June 3, 2021 /

After being as low as a band could go, after the sacking of Ozzie, and being in the grip of chemical abuse, the band managed to resurrect their careers thanks to Ronnie James Dio. Now, when Dio left to pursue his solo career, everyone was wondering where the band would go from here. Well to some, the appointment of Ian Gillan was a bit of an odd choice as the style and vibe did not match. I thought it was a great choice and was eager to see how it would work.

Opening track, Trashed, was what I thought it would be, a cross between Deep Purple and Sabbath and a nod to the direction they were going in with Dio. After the weird instrumental piece, Stonehenge, Disturbing The Priest sounds dark and very Sabbath of old musically, but the vocals with all of Gillan’s trademark screams sounds anything but Sabbath. I think this is where Sabbath fans of old felt Gillan was not right for the band. After another weird bass instrumental piece, we have this line up’s finest moment in Zero The Hero. A very dark doomy intro, and that beast of a riff, make this one of Sabbath’s finest tracks.

Side 2 kicks off with Digital Bitch with a very NWOBHM style riff – it reminds me of a Gillan solo track complete with suspect lyrics. The title track, Born Again, is next and most bands would call this a power ballad, and that’s just what it is – even if the lyrics are dark and weird. What the hell does “the grey and plastic retards all floating in circles” mean? Never been a fan of Iommi’s solo style, but the solo at the end of this track is nice. Hot Line is next up and a very Blackmore style riff – basically a straight up rock song and it’s quite a commercial tune. Final track, Keep It Warm, has a slow plod riff and groove, and not the finest lyrics ever written, but it’s and ok tune.

Ultimately, we all know this did not work out, and quite a few years in the wilderness were to come before the inevitable reunion with Ozbert Of Oz. It’s an ok album that was lifted by Zero The Hero.

7.5/10 from The Grooveman.

SKYHARBOR – Blinding White Noise

June 2, 2021 /

Hard to believe that this masterpiece will be 10 years old next year. Hailing from India, they are one of the high points of the djent bands that came out over 10 years ago. A very ambitious project for their first album as its huge conceptual piece of fours sides split into two parts: Illusion and Chaos. Illusion has Daniel Tompkins from Tesserract who had left the band at this point. Marty Friedman also makes a guest appearance on Catharsis.

Dots kicks things off in epic style and Tompkins voice fits the music perfectly. Order 66 is pure djent heaven as the tune flips from supreme heaviness to beauty in the flick of a guitar pick. Catharsis is next and starts with an epic drum pattern from Anup Sastry, who now bashes the skins for Monuments. Tompkins also shows the harder edge to his vocals as the song weaves its way through numerous phases. It drifts into the following piece, Night, with the beautiful refrain “When Will I Be Home Again”. Aurora is such a great piece of music, killer vocals and harmonies from Dan, and some really heavy chunk from Keshav Dhar on guitar. It flows into a very jazzy middle eight and the end screams of Everybody Dies. My favourite piece from Illusion is the next track, Celestial. I’m not sure I have the vocabulary to gush over this, it’s just an amazing piece that has everything. Absolute crushing guitar riffs and grooves, mixed with the beauty of Dan’s voice. Monster stuff. The first piece concludes with Maeva, a wonderful exercise in how to write a modern Prog/Marla epic. No Cookie Monster vocals in sight, just superb playing from all and the guitar solo here is other worldly.

Side 4 is given over to the second piece, Chaos, and Part 1 Trayus announces its arrival with crushingly heavy guitar and the return of the Cookie Monster with a change of vocalist in Sunneith Revankar. Aphasia starts with a very complex fast odd time groove, which carries the piece all the way through. Insurrection closes out the album and is as extreme as the title suggests. I’m at a loss to see how the drummer would still be alive after performing this live. Incredible drumming!

I do like the way they have split this up with different vocal styles that show a light and dark vibe. The other album I reviewed today was Manowar, and forty years apart there is no comparison. Metal has changed so much in that time it’s unrecognizable. I love this album heaps and it gets 10/10 from The Grooveman.

MANOWAR – Battle Hymns

June 2, 2021 /

“Death to false metal!” Anyone remember that mantra that the band used to peddle around at the time? They sure lived and breathed what they said, even though the music in the beginning was not that heavy and that metal if I’m honest…They hold the record for the world’s loudest band, which they have deemed “The Black Wind”. It’s really hard not to laugh out loud while I’m writing this, but the band were deadly serious about this way of life that they lived honouring the metal. When they toured Europe, they even openly encouraged women to be in their “harem” of sex slaves to tour with them. Ridiculous! Was it a PR stunt, or was it real?

Anyway, it’s the music what we are here for and opening track, Death Tone, is what the band were all about – both musically and lyrically. Pretty straightforward hard rock with a very metal singer. Metal Daze is next and it’s more of the same really. It’s worth pointing out that guitarist Ross The Boss came from the Dictators when they were a noise/punk hybrid band – they weren’t that metal at all. Fast Taker is quite an average tune. Last track on this Side, Shell Shock, is about war and the riff reminds me of one of Ross’s side project’s, the French band, Shaking Street – its an ok tune.

Side 2 starts off with the band’s theme song, Manowar, and it feels a bit Twisted Sister, which is quite ironic as they hated each other. Who remembers Dee Snider calling out Manowar for a fight outside Shades record store in London? It’s just a good hard rock song. The metal would be more evident later, especially with albums like Hail To England. Dark Avenger has the rather dulcet tones of Orson Welles as narrator, and is probably the most metal song here, both in sound and execution. Williams Tale is just a show off piece for bass player and band leader, Joey DeMaio. Final track is the title track, Battle Hymns, and we have waited for the best track on the album. Very medieval sounding, full of swords and sorcery – this is how the band garnered their reputation and image. The production is not that great as the band did it themselves, arrogantly thinking they knew best when a known producer would have given it the treatment it so needed. Not bad, but a fun listen anyway.

7/10 from The Grooveman.

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