REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Day: July 28, 2021

PAT TRAVERS BAND – Crash And Burn

This is the album where the blues took a backseat, and slick production gloss took over. It was also the last album to feature drummer Tommy Aldridge, who would later join Ozzy’s circus, and guitarist Pat Thrall. Pat would later join Glenn Hughes in their short lived partnership, and he left Pat with just Mars Cowling as his ever present bass player.

Travers is known for his guitar playing skills, so it was a bit of a surprise when the lead off track, Crash N Burn, was keyboard driven. Now it’s a great track with a killer groove, but if you have heard this done as a three piece with the keyboard parts now being played by a guitar, it sounds awesome. Snorting Whiskey has become a PT classic, with some killer guitar playing – it’s such a good tune. There is a sleazy groovy version of Booker T’s Born Under A Bad Sign, which I really love. My favourite track on the album is the final track, Material Eyes, with its multiple layered guitars and effects that lead into a very big fade out. I don’t think PT ever made a bad album and this is no exception. It’s good to see him still up and playing.

8.5/10 from The Grooveman.

OPETH – Blackwater Park

How very clever of the randomizer to pick this today – it’s the 21st anniversary of its release. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the album that brought death metal to the masses. Now, I know a lot of people don’t like death metal because of the deep screams, but when they are done to emphasize the light and dark within songs, then it makes perfect sense. Opeth have always been more than an ordinary death metal band. The musicality has always been above any other band, and in this album, everything came together perfectly.

The Steven Wilson production and mix lifts the music and puts the spotlight on the melody and intricacies of the band (that were somewhat lost before). Make no mistake, this is the finest album of the genre and tracks like The Leper Affinity, The Drapery Falls and Blackwater Park are genre defining tracks. Take away Mikael’s growls, and you have an amazing progressive metal band – in fact – now the screams have gone completely and the band are just a great progressive band. The twelve minutes plus of the title track is as good as it gets. The twists and turns within the music, and the groove and rhythmic changes – you will not hear better.

There is no other band like Opeth. They are unique and instantly recognizable, which is a very hard thing to be in today’s music flooded world. I heartily approve this addition to everyone’s collection, and you should acquire it immediately.

10/10 from The Grooveman.