THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Month: October 2022 (Page 2 of 4)

HERICANE ALICE – Tear The House Down

October 28, 2022 /

It’s 1990, and the great grunge unpleasantness was starting to take hold, and yet major labels were still signing quality hair bands hoping they would break through – and Hericane Alice fit perfectly into this little box. They actually have been a thing since ’84 when they formed in Minnesota. Coincidentally, they have just released a brand new album for streaming only at this point.

It’s basically standard melodic hair metal fare, but done very well indeed. Opener, Wild Young And Crazy, is a great uptempo groover with a great hook and chorus. Bad To Love has single written all over it, and again has a great hook and chorus – plus additional killer solo. Dream Girl starts in true power ballad style, but the emphasis on this track is the power with another killer solo thrown in. The title track is up next and it’s my favourite track with its up-tempo fun groove – it’s definitely a rock night special. Side 1 closes out with Badboy Breakout, and it’s another hands in the air anthem.

Need A Lover opens up Side 2 with a big fat riff and groove, and party time continues. Too Late is power ballad number two and it’s lifted by a killer solo. Shake Shake Shout is a mother-give-them-what-they-want crowd pleaser. The anthems keep on coming with Crank The Heat Up, and album closer I Walk Alone. A fun album to listen to, and still stands up well today.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

WATCHTOWER – Control And Resistance

October 28, 2022 /

Watchtower are probably one of the most influential metal bands you have never heard of. They have influenced many Prog metal bands and modern djent/math metal outfits, with the use of odd time signatures, many tempo changes, and unreal sweep solos. The band were initially formed in ’82, but it wasn’t until ’85 that they released their first album, Energetic Dissasmbly. This their second album and has a couple of line up changes with the introduction of Ron Jarzombeck on guitar, and the departure of Jason McMaster to Dangerous Toys.

The playing for the mid-eighties is insane, and I guess metal fans weren’t ready at this point. There are so many highlights for me on this album, Mayday In Kiev is like listening to four songs at once – every few bars it’s a different song. Jarzombeck’s playing is incredible. The one thing that I do find annoying at times is the vocals of Alan Tecchio as they just don’t fit. Putting that to one side, my favourite track is Hidden Instincts.

I get this isn’t for everyone, but the playing and time and groove changes are just nuts – it’s as if anything goes. Jarzombeck has gone on to form Spastic Inc and Blotted Science – both tech metal masterpieces and I urge anyone who likes instrumental tech metal/fusion to check them out.

8.5/10 from The Grooveman.

STEVE STEVENS – Memory Crash

October 27, 2022 /

I’m a big fan of Steve who I first came into contact with due to Billy Idol. The Atomic Playboys was great, and I really liked Flamenco A Go Go which was a sideways step for him. Other than the Bozzio Levin and Stevens project, this is the only solo album where Steve rocks out.

The album opens up with a very scene setting into piece, before Hellcats Take The Highway bursts in and grooves at a great pace. It has some very cool guitar and an old school style rock n roll riff. The title track is up next which has a very cool riff, and in Satriani style, the guitar plays what would be the vocal harmony. Water On Ares is a really cool acoustic piece with just a hint of latin. The phased solo is killer! A cover of Day of The Eagle follows with Doug Pinnick on vocals. It’s quite hard to cover a masterpiece and improve on it. Whereas Steve does a good job on the guitar, Pinnick’s vocals fall short. Small Arms Fire has all Steve’s weapons on display. The amazing acoustic intro, incredible riffing, and epic soloing.

My favourite track is up next with, Cherry Vanilla. I love the Hendrix vibe and the tone and sound of the guitar is awesome. A short effects piece is next with Joshua Light Show. Then we have a very Jeff Beck inspired piece with Prime Mover, and I’m really loving that bass line and Steve’s slide playing. The album closes out with a very cool acoustic piece, Josephine. I think this is his best solo piece yet, and I hope there is another one to follow.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

LOVE/HATE – Wasted In America

October 27, 2022 /

Riding on a high from the first album (mainly due to the success of the single, Why Do You Think They Call It Dope), they were asked to do a follow up, so Wasted In America was released in ’92. As we all know, that was prime grunge unpleasantness, and for band’s of this ilk that usually meant certain death. For some reason, the record company rejected all the initial songs that the band presented for this record, and after this record they were dropped.

It’s not that bad, and lead off track, Wasted In America, is a great tune that could have been on their first album. Spit – on the other hand – has a killer funky rock vibe mixed some Beatles style psychedelic harmonies. Miss America has a very rootsy deep rock groove, reminiscent of Zeppelin at times. Cream does have a slight Seattle vibe, which is understandable. Yucca Man has more of a sleazy LA groove with a monster riff. I really love this track and it’s definitely my favourite. Don’t Fuck With Me I think is aimed at the label and their obviously different ideas. Overall this album lacks a big tune like Dope. It does have its moments that I do really like.

8.5/10 from The Grooveman.

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