THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Month: August 2022 (Page 2 of 10)

INFECTIOUS GROOVES – The Plague That Makes Your Booty Move

August 29, 2022 /

Funk Metal and Funk Rock were fun and relevant for all of five minutes it seems. There were some great bands in the Rock genre that were great at the Funk, Dan Reed, Stevie Salas and the Electric Boys (just to name a few), but in Metal there were not that many, but the Suicidal Tendencies offshoot, Infectious Grooves, were a whole lot of fun and they were really good. Mike Muir and Robert Trujillo thought it would be fun to play a few shows, and they ended up doing a few records as well.

I will stick to the killer tracks here as there is a bit of filler (mainly added for comedic effect). Punk It Up is just a killer Metal/Hardcore crossover with not much Funk at all. Therapy, on the other hand, is a ripping Funk/Metal hybrid, which even has Ozzy on the chorus. Stop Funk’n With My Head would not have been out of place on a Funkedelic record . The title track is another perfect crossover with killer grooves and a monster riff. You Lie And Yo Breath Stank is just freakin’ awesome. It’s my favourite track on the album due to the killer vibe and groove with a wicked sense of humour.

This is better than anything Suicidal did in their day job. A little word of warning – this is the third record I have. I returned it a couple of times as it is a very noisy pressing. I really like this record as it’s just a whole bunch of fun.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

QUEENSRYCHE – The Warning

August 29, 2022 /

The UK rock music press are an odd bunch – they are quick to criticize bands for non-original ideas and seemingly being copycats of other bands. They forget every band is inspired by what came before. Queensryche were often written off as Iron Maiden clones – as were Dream Theater and Fates Warning – due to their first EP. I prefer to look at it as Maiden inspired them to find their sound. I mean, nobody could have predicted them serving up Operation Mindcrime, and that’s what they came up with just a couple of albums later. They took what Maiden were doing and added that progressive edge. Yes, Geoff Tates vocals are very close to what Bruce was doing in Maiden, but musically I think they were a bit more adventurous – after all, this was their debut full length record.

Warning is a great opening tune and it lets you know what the band are all about – and Tates vocal range is very impressive. En Force reminds me a lot of Judas Priest, with the riffing and the lower tone in Geoff’s voice. Deliverance’s layered harmony vocals are very impressive with a very basic riff. No Sanctuary could be the first prog metal tune, as the arrangement is pretty epic with amazing vocals – although slow in pace – it’s going places others weren’t. Remember it’s ’84 and Dream Theater were just a twinkle in Mike Portnoy‘s eye. Side 1 closes out with NM156, and this is my least favourite track on the album – it’s a tad disjointed.

Side 2 kicks off with Take Hold Of The Flame and it’s my favourite on the album. It’s a totally different vibe to anything else and has a great riff and groove, but what a monster vocal. The pedal goes straight to the metal with Before The Storm, it has a great odd beat and groove. There is a version of this on a Greatest Hits somewhere and it’s straight pedal to the metal – totally different! Tribal drums announce the arrival of Child Of Fire, and the riff is straight out of the Judas Priest songbook. Roads To Madness starts with a very evil doomy main riff – this song is full of light and shade and is the big epic of the album. This was about as metal as they got as they started to change and find their own voice after this.

8.5/10 from The Grooveman.

VON HERTZEN BROTHERS – Red Alert In The Blue Forest

August 27, 2022 /

This is the VHB’s 8th release that they have beautifully created and let loose upon the world. It’s very hard to put the band in a nice little box saying this is what they are, but they cover so many vibes and styles that make it so hard to pigeonhole. I think for the sake of this little review of their awesome musical child, I will put them in the box of Prog. They create so much emotion and positive energy in everything that they do, that I find them my go-to band for musical therapy.

Day Of Reckoning is a wonderful opening track full of proggy goodness. The vocal harmonies are just delightful and I love the uptempo groove. Blue Forest clocks in at over 9 minutes, and starts with an isolated delicate vocal with soundscape keys and builds with epic harmonies, until we reach a crescendo with the band firing on all cylinders. The Promise has a very eerie intro with a very evil sounding acoustic guitar. The vocal melody is just sublime, and this is a goosebump moment for me. The vocal line and melody of All Of A Sudden You’re Gone is just beautiful and conjures up many emotions. This song almost feels like a folk tune from days past. Peace Patrol has a very nineties indie vibe to the intro and a hint of middle eastern vibes – I love the sax solo in the middle section.

They always manage to throw up something strange and endearing, and Pirates Of Raseborgian is this album’s offering. This track has a very Viking feel to the melody and hook. Anvil has a basic acoustic under groove, but the vocal and harmonies are just incredible – CSNY springs to mind. Elbowed starts almost like a show tune, and the vocal feels almost religious. Northern Lights starts off the final side, and the ambient keys and sounds actually feel as though you are standing watching the lights themselves, then a pulse bass line kicks – and jeez – what a great tune. Soderskar is a beautiful acoustic piece with great harmonies. The album closes out with Disappear Here, and the opening squeeze box sounds like a sea shanty lullaby.

My favourite track is All Of A Sudden You’re Gone as the vocals and harmonies are so moving. A truly great and original band – you definitely need this album in your life.

10/10 from The Grooveman.

QUIET RIOT – II

August 27, 2022 /

Thanks to the lovely people at No Remorse Records in Greece, not only do we get the first QR album, but they have reissued the second as well. This is streets ahead of its predecessor, not only in the song writing department, but also Randy’s chops have improved a squillion %. This is more like the Randy that would appear on Ozzy’s first solo album – although it’s still a big leap – the vibe is more party and fun than the Oz’s full doom fest.

The album opens with Slick Black Cadillac, which I’m sure most of you will have heard of – it points to the future of the band. You Drive Me Crazy is a little cheesy and is more of a nod to the first album. Afterglow is a good song, it’s just the arrangement that lets it down. Eye For An Eye is the same – it needs a good producer to flush out the good song hidden within. Trouble closes out Side 1 and it reminds me of a certain Cars song.

Killer Girls opens up Side 2 and it sounds like a Kiss outtake, but I do like the change in groove around the chorus, and Randy’s solo shows all his tricks he had at the time. Face To Face starts and feels like a Sweet tune, and Randy’s solo is really over the top. Inside Out returns to the mid-seventies in vibe and feel. Album closer, We’ve Got The Magic, is the only sole Randy penned tune on the album, and if you’re expecting something guitar-esque then (other than the solo) you will be disappointed – it’s just more of the same.

One year later, Blizzard Of Oz would appear and Randy’s entry into the guitar god hall of fame would be secured, but that’s one hell of a leap from this.

7/10 from The Grooveman.

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