THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Month: January 2022 (Page 6 of 12)

TYGERS OF PAN TANG – Wildcat

January 19, 2022 /

Tygers are definitely one of the more influential bands from the NWOBHM. A lot of metal bands that came after, especially in America and Germany, call the Tygers a major influence. Metallica’s Lars and James especially love early Tygers and this album in particular. This is the only album to feature Jess Cox on vocals, as after this album he was replaced by John Devarall, and a second guitar player was added with John Sykes being brought in. The band’s label, MCA, heavily interfered after this release and it slowly went downhill after. Spellbound was the highlight after this album, and there is not one bad track on this record. From the opening riff of Euthanasia, to the close out of Insanity, this album encapsulates everything that was great about NWOBHM.

I remember buying the Don’t Touch Me There single and just loving the power and the riffs. My two favourite Tyger’s tracks are on this album: Slave To Freedom and Susie Smiled, which are both killer tunes with big riffs and a great groove. Tygers are still out there and still rockin’.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

VAIN – No Respect

January 19, 2022 /

Vain were one of the most hyped bands of the late eighties glam/sleaze scene, at least they were in the pages of Kerrang and Sounds magazines. Every week one of their hacks was waxing lyrical about the band, and I was very interested to see if the tunes lived up to all the hype. Ultimately you can wear all the fancy clothes and have the biggest hair on the block, but if you ain’t got the tunes, all the hype in the world won’t save you.

It’s a good album, but was it worth all the hype? I would say not. Don’t get me wrong, it’s an enjoyable listen, but is it the first Van Halen album? Davy has a decent voice and the band can really play. On tracks like 1000 Degrees it all comes together really well, and when the they play it really sleazy on tunes like Aces, this seems to be when they are most comfortable. The emphasis is all on Davy’s vocals, well it is his band after all, and on the slower tunes like Without You, it works.

My favourite track is the last track, Ready, as the pace picks up several notches and the album ends on a high. Special mention to guitarist Danny West as he adds some great licks to all the songs. The band are still going after fading in and out a few times, and that sort of sums this album up really.

7.5/10 from The Grooveman.

TESTAMENT – The Legacy

January 18, 2022 /

What we have here ladies and hemorrhoids, is a wonderful reissue of Testament’s first album which was originally released in ’87. Metallica had released 3 albums and were huge by the time Testament had recorded this, and they both came out of that same Bay Area scene. Chuck Billy had replaced Steve Zetro Souza in ’86 on vocals, who went on to replace Paul Ballof in Exodus, making him, along with Eric Peterson, the only two members to appear on all albums.

In my opinion, Testament had the best twin guitars of any of the early thrash bands, as both Skolnick and Peterson can really shred. The band always write killer tacks that you can groove to that’s what makes the band great. Highlights for me are Burnt Offerings, which does borrow heavily from the Metallica school of riffing but is a killer track, just for the sheer insanity of the how fast can we actually play a riff is C.O.T.L.O.D, which puts a big smile on my face, and the final track, Apocalyptic City, which along with the insane thrash riffage has some killer guitar.

They slow down somewhat for their next album, The New Order, which for me is their best album.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

SAIGON KICK – The Lizard

January 18, 2022 /

This album is the 2nd release by Saigon Kick and came out in ’92. For a lot of the bands that operated within this hard rock sphere that would have spelled disaster, but this record was the band’s biggest selling. It’s as though they were part of the gang, but they were always that little bit different. The sound is very heavy in places, but they have an amazing sense of melody, and the vocals and harmonies are incredible.

They are mostly known for the single, Love Is On The Way, which is a great tune, but there are better tracks on offer. Feel The Same Way has a great hook and melody, and a great groove. Freedom has a great heavy riff, and I love the harmonies and the killer middle section. If I was at the record company, I would have released God Of 42nd Street as a follow up single as the vibes are very similar to what was around back then.

If any of you follow Joan Bieler on social media, you will know that he has released a variety of musical projects, and some of these are quite quirky. If you listen to Peppermint Tribe it has an element of the quirky about it, and to me this is what made the band so awesome – that little burst of the unexpected, and the riff is monster by the way.

Jason Bieler is a definite riff master, and the riff to the title track is huge and fat, and the solo is killer. All I Want was the other single release and it’s very similar to Love Is On The Way. Miss Jones has a killer opening with a huge sounding guitar with a slight funky groove, along with a great melody and harmony. This album is very familiar and yet totally different – it’s such a great record.

10/10 from The Grooveman.

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