REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Day: October 25, 2022

LILLIAN AXE – s/t

This is the band’s first album released back in ’88, and was produced by Robbin Crosby from Ratt. Nope, they sound nothing like Ratt, but they are a heavy melodic rock band with the emphasis on the melody. The band revolve around vocalist and lead guitarist, Steve Blaze – a killer player with a decent enough voice.

Opener, Dream Of A Lifetime, is a killer tune with a big hook and riff, and heavy on the melody. Inside Out has a hint of sleaze and blame, but it’s the solo that stands out on this tune. Vision In The Night has a generic riff and groove that could be any melodic rock band of the time. Picture Perfect is a fun track with a simple riff and a hands in the air groove. The More That You Get is more of the same, and Mr. Crosby seems to be having a say in proceedings as this sounds very Ratt.

Over to Side 2 with Misery Loves Company, and the riff is a lift from a Ratt song, but slightly inverted – great tune though! Ballad time with Nobody Knows. Big keys in the intro to Hard Luck, and the guitars sound huge. Waiting In The Dark follows and the hook and chorus are huge – definitely the big production number. The album closes out with Laughing In Your Face and this my favourite – a great fun track with a really cool riff and the customary big sing-a-long chorus.

After their initial burst they sort of disappeared, only to sporadically reappear to release albums every now and then. There is a new album just out so the comeback is on…again!

8.5/10 from The Grooveman.

SUNBOMB – Evil And Devine

Another Frontiers created band that don’t really exist other than a studio project. This time they have brought together Michael Sweet from Stryper, and Tracii Guns from LA Guns. This is quite a heavy album and Tracii has written some killer riffs that range from speed metal, to very heavy old school Sabbath style tracks – like Take Me Away, which you’d swear was recorded in their Sabbaths prime years. Sweet’s vocals are awesome – he is really belting it out here.

This a very heavy album that neither of these two have done before. Tracii’s guitar work is a revelation throughout the album with epic riffage and ripping solos. My favourite track would be the title track, Evil And Devine. It has a killer riff and groove, and Sweet is really going for it. The production is awesome and Tracii gets bonus points for that. It would be cool if they would play this Live, but I can’t see that happening.

8.5/10 from The Grooveman.