THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Month: October 2021 (Page 9 of 13)

SKID ROW – s/t

October 12, 2021 /

It seems oh so long ago after hearing this for the first time back in ’89. They were touted as the next big thing and they actually were a big deal – until a mix of grunge and a third album which moved away from the sound that made them successful. I really like Subhuman Race, but it didn’t sell a whole bunch. Dave Sabo was friends with Jon Bon Jovi since school, in fact, he was in Bon Jovi for a while. They had an agreement that whoever made it first would get the other a record deal. It got a bit more complicated that than and would eventually be taken care of by lawyers.

There is no doubt that the first two Skid Row albums hit the spot, and they helped revive a flagging rock scene, where bands like Poison were not seen as cool. The impact of Youth Gone Wild and 18 And Life cannot be underestimated. The band went from nothing to household names in a blink of an eye due to heavy rotation on MTV. Who can believe it?! MTV actually playing music videos! As well as those songs, tracks like Rattlesnake Shake and Midnight Tornado are awesome tunes that make this album a hard rock classic that any rock fan probably owns.

9.5/10 from The Grooveman.

HELLOWEEN – s/t

October 11, 2021 /

I’ll admit to writing Helloween off as a bit of a third rate Iron Maiden clone band back in the day, and I just let them pass me by. Now having heard a couple of these tracks before release, I was quite blown away at how good they were. I decided to take the plunge and invest my coinage in a copy of this, their latest album. This is their 16th studio outing and I have ignored most of them. Mustaine takes the credit for inventing this style of speed metal, but these guys have carried the torch for the Euro version and inventing Euro Metal, which is very big in Germany. This is somewhat of a celebration album for the band, as original guitarist Kai Hansen and vocalist Michael Kiske both returned on vocals – it was billed as Pumpkins reunited. Along with current vocalist, Andy Deris (ex Pink Cream 69), they had three vocalists sharing the limelight. That will be fun keeping all those egos in check if they ever tour this line up!

Onto the songs! This is a really strong album, and as well as being musically very strong, the melodies are top drawer. For those of you who are getting sick of growly bloke metal and who yearn for the days of metal having hooks and choruses with some great playing, then this is what you have been looking for. Best Time is a freakin’ awesome tune and has a killer chorus and hook. Sky Fall is a monster of a tune, weighing in at a whopping 12.11 minutes and is my favourite track on the album. An honourable mention goes to Down In The Dumps, which is just as awesome.

I hope they keep this line up together as this is a killer album. I would love to hear more from them. I think it’s time to check some of their back catalogue.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

WHITE SISTER – s/t

October 11, 2021 /

If you name yourself after a Toto song, you only have one way to go musically. Other than having a few songs in movie soundtracks, and releasing a couple of good albums, their shot in the limelight was short lived – the band broke up and part of which went on to form Tattoo Rodeo.

The band were put together by vocalist/bassist Dennis Churchill, and guitarist Rick Chaddock – everything revolved around these two. As you would expect, big melodies and hooks are the main focus of the tunes, but they do have a gift for adding some great instrumental sections and Rick Chaddock is not a half bad guitarist. The strongest songs ironically are when keyboardist Garri Brandon sings – his voice suits the material better. My favourite tracks are when they rock it up, a bit like Breakin’ All The Rules, and One More Night when they seem to have their own identity. Still an enjoyable record.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

THE END MACHINE – Phase 2

October 9, 2021 /

According to George Lynch, this is an intentional return to the original Dokken sound – just without Don Dokken on vocals. The vocals are handled by Robert Mason who (just to confuse you) was the vocalist in Lynch Mob. So why not call it Lynch Mob I hear you ask? Well, with the BLM movement so very prominent around the world, George thought it would be disrespectful to use that has a band name again.

I’m not sure what Don made of this album and the one before, but the music on offer here is way better than anything Dokken have put out since Under Lock And Key. There is not a bad song on this album, and Robert Mason is a great vocalist – plus with Jeff Pilson doing harmonies, it’s a sure fire winner. I’m a big fan of George Lynch and he does not disappoint on this album, his playing and tone just hits the spot for me. There are so many great tracks on this album, We Walk Alone, Dark Divide, Shine Your Light, and the totally awesome Devil’s Playground.

If you were a Dokken fan, or just love great melodic rock, you should really own this record.

10/10 from The Grooveman.

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