THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Month: June 2022 (Page 9 of 14)

VANDEN PLAS – Far Off Grace

June 13, 2022 /

This the band’s follow up to one of my favourite albums ever, The God Thing. It must be daunting for a band to have so much praise heaped on your art, and knowing that you have to follow it at some point. Well, it obviously didn’t bother them that much – this album is another monster record. Another huge killer production that is so clear and separated that you feel as though they are playing in your room. The Dream Theater references are easy to spot, but they add a whole lot more – especially with melody and crunch.

The opening riff to I Can See just rattles teeth. It’s a beast of a riff, and is such a dramatic piece (as indeed are most of their songs). The title track follows and it’s just sublime. The vocals and harmonies are just superb, and the guitar tone and riff is just evil. The intro and riff to Into The Sun is just epic, and their sense of melody is just fantastic.

You get the picture. This is another awesome record by such a great band that you’ve probably never heard of. You even get the added bonus (on this vinyl version) of a cover of Kiss Of Death by Dokken.

10/10 from The Grooveman.

FASTWAY – All Fired Up

June 13, 2022 /

This is the band’s second album released in ’84. Although it didn’t sell that well, I really liked it and still do. This band comes up quite a lot when talking about eighties bands, and the thing that always gets mentioned is how can Eddie go from Motorhead to this straight up rock. Well, if you listen to both bands closely, you will hear that there is not a whole lot of the difference in the riffs that Eddie plays in both bands – it’s just tones and volumes that are different – plus Dave King’s voice of course. I bet Eddie thought it was his birthday when he first heard Dave King.

It’s a very seventies sounding album in its approach, and Eddie Kramers production adds to that. The opening and title track is a great opener with a nice riff, and a simple groove with a great hook. Misunderstood is more of the same with a bit of a UFO vibe, then Steal The Show is a simple rocker. Station has a huge Zeppelin vibe. Non Stop Love has a great grooved up simple boogie ,and I love the time change at the middle eight. Side 1 closes out with Hurtin’ Me, and is Dave King’s big showcase number.

Side 2 opens up with Tell Me, and it is a nice boogie shuffle. Hung Up On Love is another Zeppelin sounding piece, and I wonder if that’s what Eddie Kramer was going for here? The Stranger is the power ballad of the album. Telephone is a slowed down Status Quo style boogie. The album closes out with power ballad number 2, If You Could See Me. Side 1 is the better of the two sides, as Side 2 seems to fade away somewhat. I’ve always had a soft spot for Eddie, and it’s sad that he is no longer with us.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

TESTAMENT – Titans Of Creation

June 11, 2022 /

I have mentioned before that Testament should have been in the big four – at the expense of Slayer. They had the tunes and Slayer just had the image. This is the band’s 13th album released in 2020, and it has a very old sounding vibe to it. It’s not trying to be all modern metal, just good old thrash with plenty of groove and killer solos. They have one of the genre’s best guitar players in Alex Skolnick, and he rips it up all over the record. Gene Hoglan is the drummer on this album, and he has to be a machine with some of the beats he lays down here.

There is not a breath to be had with first three tracks that take up Side 1, Children Of The Next Level, WWIII, and Dream Deceiver – all are killer tunes with epic riffs and grooves. Night Of The Witch has such a wicked beat that I’m sure Hoglen is about to explode. The intro to City Of Angels is very dramatic, before we settle down to old school thrash groove-age. Killer guitar intro to Ishtar’s Gate, which is one of my favourites on the album. Big hats off to Chuck Billy whose vocals are on point throughout and sounds as good as ever. I’m a big sucker for chugga riffs, and The Healers hits the spot perfectly. Curse Of Osiris is fast – even by Testament’s standards. Woah boy! Code Of Hammurabi gets my vote for best track as it has a killer speed metal riff and groove that Megadeth could only dream of.

9.5/10 from The Grooveman.

CIRCUS OF POWER – s/t

June 11, 2022 /

This is the band’s first album released in ’88, and I guess you can file these guys under biker rock – well, that’s the image they give out in the album photos, and sonically it is very stripped down straight up barroom rock n roll.

The first track, Motor, gives you another clue or is it about a lady friend? It’s a great little tune with a nice sleazy groove. White Trash Queen is more of the same with a slight funky groove. Vocalist, Alex Mitchell, has that Jim Morrison thing down pretty good, and Call Of The Wild has that Doors thing going on – albeit with a heavier groove. Quite dark subject matter for next track, Needles, which starts off real slow before normal sleaze fest returns. Side 1 closes out with In The Wind, and it’s a sleaze anthem with not a bad hook.

Side 2 kicks off with Heart Attack with a stock AC/DC riff and uptempo beat, and it’s another ode to his err…lady. Crazy is up next with a very simple riff and slow groove. It’s my least favourite on the album as it doesn’t do a whole lot. Letters Home has a great uptempo groove with a hint of country thrown into the sleaze mix. Backseat Mama is the best track on the album. It rocks along at a decent pace and the riff is really cool. The album closes out with Machine, where Alex Mitchell proclaims he is our war machine. I’m sure Gene Simmons will sue him over that. Definitely not gonna change the world, but if you like the sleazier side of town, then this could be for you.

7.5/10 from The Grooveman.

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