THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Month: January 2022 (Page 10 of 12)

KINGS OF THE SUN – s/t

January 10, 2022 /

Australia seems to have the rights to all barroom rock n roll bands. I mean, just look at some of them: The Angels, Rose Tattoo, and the kings of them all, AC/DC- only to name a few. It must be something in the air…or the beer.

Theses guys are slightly different, as they seem to have a really good sense of melody coupled with a very Mid-West vibe. Formed in ’86, they originally made 3 albums, this of which is the first. Two singles were released from the album: opening track, Serpentine, and the best track on the album, Black Leather, which has a great swing to the groove and riff. Superb song! This is pretty basic stuff, stripped down rock n roll with no hairs and graces. Hot To Trot is another song I really like as it has a certain swing to the groove, and the AC/DC groove of Wildcat is another good song.

If you like that basic stripped back sound, then give this a try.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

VICTORY – Don’t Get Mad Get Even

January 10, 2022 /

This is the band’s second album released back in ’87 consisting of ex Accept members. This album had Charlie Huhn (ex-Ted Nugent) who now sings with boogie merchants, Foghat. Surprisingly, the band are still going today, albeit with a different line up and released an album (Gods Of Tomorrow) last year.

The original mix of the opening track was considered not good enough and was remixed by Michael Wagener – his trademark elements are all there with the big fat guitars and pounding drums. A typical mid-eighties heavy rock sound coupled with some decent songs make this album a winner in my book.

Killer opening with The Checks’ In The Mail – a great driving riff and groove get things off to a flying start. Following track is Are You Ready, making it a great 1,2 opening. Arsonist Of The Heart slows things down in a very Scorpions style with a very heavy sounding guitar and a slow clockwork beat. Double kicks are pounding for the last track on Side 1, Hit and Run, plus there is a great sing-a-long chorus.

She’s Back starts off Side 2 and has more of an American feel to it than the very Euro sounding Side 1. Turn It Up starts with THAT riff you have heard a million times before and then leads into a stock stomp rocker. Seven Days Without You has a slight funky groove to change the pace a little. Sneaking Out has a very slow stomp beat that takes us into the final track, Running Wild, which, along with the opener, are my favourite tracks. A pretty solid hard rock album.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

GREEN LUNG – Black Harvest

January 8, 2022 /

One of the surprises of last year for me was the release of this monster record. As you do when surfing the net, you come across all sorts of wonderful things, and I was blown away when I heard this. This is actually their second album and it takes you back to the early seventies vibe, of which my formative musical years were. So it has a a big nostalgia vibe for me, but at the same time it sounds very now. There is a big Deep Purple/Sabbath feel to proceedings, which is great to hear a young band taking this sound and running with it. Most new bands that you hear, who are into the whole retro thing, use Zeppelin as reference point. I’ll admit to not being the biggest Zeppelin fan, but Purple and Sabbath I’m in all the way.

There is a very medieval/occult vibe to this record and it also feels like an original soundtrack, as though they envisaged a cinematic world to their creation. The opening intro to Old Gods even reminds me of Boston with it’s instrumental beginning. Leaders Of The Blind is just a superb song, epic in its delivery and creation, and it’s really hard to believe this is from the present and not the 70’s. The instrumental title track, Black Harvest, is just fantastic and is so majestic sounding as it builds and builds. The big monster track for me is the close out track, Born To A Dying World, which is very different to rest of the album as it has a slow blues/psych beginning that shows the talents of vocalist Tom Templar.

This is a killer record and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

10/10 from The Grooveman.

RAMMSTEIN – Mutter

January 8, 2022 /

This the band’s third release that came out in 2001, which sent them into a whole different league. There was a German industrial band called Die Krupps around in the eighties that must have been a huge influence on Rammstein, especially with the heavy guitars over the industrial elements. This is my favourite Rammstein album – the riffs are so huge and the beats are pounding that you just have to bang that head. The production is huge and sounds incredible, and this pressing from 2015 is highly recommended.

Links 2 3 4 has a groove to die for and those guitars are huge. It’s quickly followed by Sonne with an electronic pulse that leads into that crushing guitar riff. Ich Will is next, and I don’t care who you are, this track has to make you move . Whether it’s the hypnotic keys, the driving groove, or the incredibly simple monster riff – this is up there with the best metal tracks ever. The pure metal of Fever Frei follows and this is Rammstein at their heaviest. Again, the simplest of riffs drives this song along. The tracks that have been mentioned are what the band still play live, but even the less familiar tracks like Spieluhr, Rein Rays, and Zwiiter have huge riffs and massive grooves that you can’t ignore.

I know it’s not for everyone, but it’s such a good record.

10/10 from The Grooveman.

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