THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Month: March 2022 (Page 4 of 14)

EXODUS – Persona Non Grata

March 24, 2022 /

I have been a huge fan of Exodus right from the off, from the amazing Bonded By Blood with Paul Baloff on vocals (which is one of the best original thrash albums), through to the four albums after that with Zetro on vocals. After that, they seemed to lose their way with lots of internal conflicts, member changes, and record company issues. The band had the knack of writing killer riffs but playing them with a groove that just made you want to move.

This is the second album in succession to have Zetro back on vocals, and it’s one hell of a heavy record. Lee Altus (ex of Heathen and Die Krups) is on guitar alongside Gary Holt. The tracks that do it for me on this release are the ones with the riffs and the groove, and the best example of that is The Beatings Will Continue Until Moral Improves, which is a delightful journey back to old school thrash romp. The guitar playing of both Holt and Altus is top drawer. Clickbait is insane and the speed is off the charts. My favourite on the album is Lunatic Liar Lord, which starts with an acoustic intro before the main riff and groove kick in – I love how the tempo slows and the breakdown is really cool.

It’s nice to know that Exodus are still up and grooving and they hopefully have found a bit of stability.

8.5/10 from The Grooveman.

BLACK N BLUE – In Heat

March 24, 2022 /

It easy to see how Tommy Thayer ended up in Kiss. Mr. Simmons had his finger in the Black N Blue pie producing this and Nasty Nasty.

This was the last of the eighties releases as the band broke up in ’89, which is really astounding as this album is a really good rockin’ record – I guess the record label just gave up on them. No groundbreaking left turn experimental tracks here, it’s all by the book simple melodic rockers that do what they are supposed to. This is what I call a Friday night record that gets you in the mood before heading out.

Heat It Up Burn It Out is a killer tune with a great hook and chorus. The Snake (which closes out Side 1) has that big stomp beat with a great riff and sing-a-long chorus. Give Rise To The Rise and Great Guns Of Fire are both also great tunes. This album has Simmons written all over it though, and nearly all of these songs could have been on any Kiss album after Lick It Up. It’s a fun album with a great huge production.

8.5/10 from The Grooveman.

ASTRONOID – Air

March 23, 2022 /

You have got to agree – this is a great name for a band. This is their first album released in 2016. It’s quite hard to describe the band’s sound but think of something like a mix of metal, thrash, Prog and shoegaze and you may start to get an image of their sound. They remind me of a bit of Devin Townsend in places though.

It’s an album you have to listen to deeply – you can’t just dive in and play a track and move on – it demands your attention as there is a lot going on to digest. Tracks like Up And Atom really go for the throat – it’s a full on tech metal guitar fest. Drummer, Matt St Jean, must be on some sort of extra curricular substance as his energy and drumming is full on – he can’t be human as the track Resin is nuts. Ironically, the track Violence (with that title you would expect a full on assault) is an ambient zone out piece. Air is my favourite as the technicality and guitars are incredible.

I’m quite happy to have this as my lone excursion into their world as I’m not sure my brain could cope with something this intense constantly.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

THE POLICE – Regatta De Blanc

March 23, 2022 /

After the success of their first album (especially the single, Roxanne), the band had found their sound and took it and ran with it on this album. Other than It’s Alright For You (which still has that punk pop flavour), all of the tracks are reggae influenced. They literally struck gold with this record as the sound was somewhat fresh and new. Stewart Copeland is the star of this album as his beats and grooves really define the band’s sound, and Sting had found his niche – his voice was made for this sound.

This is my favourite Police album by a mile – every song is fantastic and the production is stellar. Message In A Bottle, Walking On The Moon, Bring On The Night, and The Beds Too Big Without You are all killer tracks and any band would give up a body part for any one of those tracks. Even the non-single tracks like the instrumental and title track (other than the De Yeh Yo’s), No More This Time, and Does Everyone Stare are all incredible.

It’s a bit of a no brainer giving this the max as (…you guessed it) every home should have one.

10/10 from The Grooveman.

« Older posts Newer posts »

Archives

© 2025 THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑