REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Day: August 17, 2022

KINGS X – Gretchen Goes To Nebraska

There was a time when I thought Kings X were going to be the biggest band in the world. Their blend of heavy grooves, amazing vocals, and incredible harmonies should have led them to world domination, but the music fans as a whole just didn’t get their brand of rock and major success eluded them.

This record is in my top five of all time, it’s just an incredible album from start to finish. It contains heavy balls out groovers like Over My Head (which got heavy MTV airplay), and songs with all the feels like Summerland and The Burning Down. Then you get tracks with really heavy, funky time signatures like Everybody Knows A Little Bit Of Something which is an incredible piece of music, and has an awesome groove and vibe. I love everything about this album and to pick a favourite track is really hard ,but today’s choice is Fall On Me. This is an OG pressing and sounds great, I also have a Metal Blade reissue that is a very noisy pressing. My advice is track down an original.

10/10 from the Grooveman.

EUROPE – Wings Of Tomorrow

This is Europe’s second album, released in ’84, and it was the album before The Final Countdown and mega stardom. Europe became popular in their native Sweden thanks to them winning a televised rock talent contest. Melody has always been the main focus for the band, but the first couple of albums were actually quite heavy with a very Deep Purple/Rainbow vibe in places.

Scream Of Anger is one of the heaviest tracks the band have done as it grooves along at a fair pace, with double kicks a plenty. You even get a Maiden-style gallop in Wasted Time. Of course there are ballads with Open Your Heart and Dreamer, showing where their future will lead. It’s the rockier numbers that do it for me and album close out track, Dance The Night Away is my favourite with its very NWOBHM vibe and great guitar from John Norum. It’s interesting to hear Joey Tempest sing with a much rawer tone to his voice on these earlier albums than the polished sound of The Final Countdown, and beyond. I really like Europe and Last Look At Eden is a killer album. A really solid album.

8/10 from the Grooveman.