THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Month: April 2022 (Page 8 of 8)

PRIMAL FEAR – Unbreakable

April 2, 2022 /

Do Primal Fear make bad albums? The easy answer is NO! You get exactly what you think is coming: a full on power metal experience with huge fat riffs and searing vocals.

This is a rare commodity in modern metal. Every metal band wants a logo that you can’t even read (never mind pronounce), with tunes that are just a wall of noise with no dynamics.

This is the ninth studio album by the band, and the first with guitar whizz Alex Beyrodt. It sounds huge, with an epic production by the band’s own Matt Sinner. After the classical opening intro, Strike kicks in with a fat monster riff and double kicks a pounding. Give Em Hell has a killer chorus – boy, do these guys know how to write a metal tune. Bad Guys Wear Black is an anthem for all metal heads everywhere – Judas Priest have forgotten how to write tracks like this and Beyrodt’s solo is really nice. And There Was Silence really rips along at a killer pace, and even when the song is this fast, the hook and the melody are front and centre. Metal Nation is a hands in the air anthem that you just know will be killer live. Where Angels Die is a big production number with acoustic into and a huge epic classical vibe.

You get the picture right? This is a great album, and if you are lover of anthemic power metal then you may already own this – if not, then what are you waiting for?

10/10 from The Grooveman.

TEN YEARS AFTER – Watt

April 2, 2022 /

It’s hard to describe how big Ten Years After were. They had six big albums between ’67 and ’74, of which this and Cricklewood Green (both released in ’70) were top ten albums all over the world.

Alvin Lee’s performance at Woodstock made him a household name – he was just as good as Hendrix at that show. Whereas Jimi was a whole new approach to blues and rock, Alvin and Ten Years After trod a much more familiar path with their take on a more standard heavy blues sound. Although I’m sure Zeppelin were having a big influence on the band at this point.

It’s cool to hear Alvin play jazz on the track Gonna Run, and also the band’s take on Ennio Morricone’s western soundtracks with the instrumental The Band With No Name. However, it’s the heavier tracks that I like best, namely I’m Coming On and Think About The Times which reminds me of Procol Harem.

7.5/10 from The Grooveman.

LOVE/HATE – Blackout In The Red Room

April 1, 2022 /

A band slightly different in their approach, as the image was anything but LA glam and sleaze, but the music was the same. When you have a song as huge as Why Do You Think They Call It Dope, it sort of defines who you are. Even though the band recorded 7 albums between ’90 and ’99, it’s this one that gets all the attention. Other than Dope, this album has some great tracks making it a killer debut album.

The title track and opener is a great chunk of LA sleaze with a killer groove. Tumbleweed is a favourite of mine as I love the riff and the key changes. She’s An Angel was a follow up single and a poor choice in my opinion. It’s not a bad song, but something like Tumbleweed or the superb Mary Jane would have had more of an impact. Slave Girl is another killer track with an old school picked blues riff and superb melodies.

A really good album and it’s their best, and a great production by Tom Werman.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

GENESIS – And Then There Were Three

April 1, 2022 /

The randomizer is spot on with the this choice today, as Genesis have just played their last concert ever having being together for over 50 years. This was also the first album to have the band reduced to a three piece, as Steve Hackett had left the band in ’77. Of course this was impossible to do live, so they had a couple of session guys help them out; Daryl Stuermer and Chester Thompson were the two that were with the band the longest.

I guess you can say this was the last full on Prog album by the band as after the chart success of Follow You Follow Me, the band would follow a more commercial path. That was not the only commercial track on the album, as the ballad Undertow was also going in that direction. For me though, the more old school sounding tracks like Down And Out, Ballad Of Big, Deep In The Motherlode, and Say It’s Alright Joe are more of what I like about Genesis – I was not a fan of what came after.

This is a very well produced album and this version is a remaster from 2012 – it sounds fantastic. Another band from my youth bows out, and I have to say it’s sad to see Phil in his current condition, but the band have left a great legacy of music to listen to.

8.5/10 from The Grooveman.

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