THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Month: April 2022 (Page 2 of 8)

CRAZY LIXX – Ruff Justice

April 28, 2022 /

Whereas most new rock bands coming out of North America are seeming to be very retro in their approach (like paying homage to Led Zeppelin amongst others), rock bands coming out of Scandinavia have the 80’s as their main focus, where big hair, riffs, and hooks are king.

This is actually the fifth album released by the band back in 2017. This album is a lot more polished and AOR sounding than their usual efforts. It still rocks on tracks like Hunter Of The Heart with its killer funky riff and vibe, and my favourite Kiss Of Judas, but the overall emphasis seems to be more Journey in style. This is a good album with an emphasis on the melodies, but if you want a more hard rockin’ Crazy Lixx, then I suggest their self titled first album or their new one, Street Lethal.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

VINTAGE TROUBLE – 1 Hopeful Rd.

April 28, 2022 /

This is not something I would usually dip my fingers into my wallet to part with the green and crinkly, but having witnessed them Live, I was totally blown away with their high energy blues/soul hybrid. You may think upon listening that they are from the Deep South, but nope, LA is their home.

The album opens with Run Like A River, and it’s a gospel blues tour de force with some killer slide playing. From My Arms is pure soul with just that hint of blues. Doin’ What You We’re Doin’ is more of the same with a slight funky groove and a really nice short tasty solo. Angel City California is pure old school guitar driven RnB. Shows What You Know is all about vocalist Ty Taylor with his smooth tones reminding me of Otis Redding.

I have a couple of favourites, the first being the slow blues of Before The Tear Drops, and the seriously up tempo groovy vibes of Another Baby. Make no mistake here, the band are all about the Live environment, and it’s near enough impossible to capture the live power of this band, by comparison, this is a very smooth sounding record.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

MANOWAR – Kings Of Metal

April 27, 2022 /

Early on in their career, I could never quite decide whether they were real or just one big gimmick. Other than the demo album (that was not widely available), this is Manowar’s sixth studio album. Proudly displaying “Full Digital Recording” on the cover, it sounds pretty good on this original analog record. By this time, it was becoming more like a Joey DeMaio solo album, as all but two of the tracks were written by him alone – the others were joint efforts with Ross The Boss (who would leave the band after this album).

The album has a mix of grandiose over the top statements like Hearts Of Steel, The Crown And The King, and The Warriors Prayer, and straight melodic rockers like Kings Of Metal, and Hail And Kill. The band are telling us they are going to kick our asses, as Manowar kills and other bands just play. Of course this is all rabble rousing stuff and it’s what made them fun. I loved all the imagery as they looked like they sounded – pure warriors of metal. It’s still fun to listen to this some 34 years later, and I am transported back to a night in a phone box. Happy days!

9/10 from The Grooveman.

FRANK MARINO – Juggernaut

April 27, 2022 /

I have been a fan of Frank Marino since I heard a track on the radio in the UK, from his Live album released in ’78. My jaw instantly hit the floor and I went out and bought a copy ASAP. He is an amazing guitar player of (what I would say) the old school.

The album before this, The Power Of Rock n Roll, is one of my favourites, but I could never understand how all the critics never raved about – he was amazing. It’s a bit like saying today that on their records, Vai and Satriani play too much guitar. HELLO…he’s a guitar player! So, imagine my surprise when reading the early reviews of this album that the critics loved it. What could be so different I thought? They were raving about two tracks in particular, namely Strange Dreams and Story Of A Hero. Both tracks are a lot more commercial sounding and would appeal to a wider audience they said. Well, Frank has always written tracks like this, it’s just now they seemed to be paying attention.

You would be forgiven for thinking that the guitar would not be featuring as much maybe…nope! This is still a killer guitar record. It’s slightly more restrained in places like on Story Of A Hero, but it packs one hell of a punch. Maybe It’s Time, Ditch Queen, and Juggernaut are all seriously impressive as Frank rips the fretboard within an inch if it’s life. Definitely one of rocks most underrated players, and it’s a big shame that due to his health he can no longer play.

10/10 from The Grooveman.

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