THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Month: January 2023 (Page 7 of 11)

DREAM THEATER – Systematic Chaos

January 17, 2023 /

This was Dream Theater’s ninth album, and the first for Roadrunner after their split from East West. They went out with a bang after the release of Octavrium, which is one of their best albums. This album doesn’t get mentioned a lot as peoples’ favourite and often gets overlooked, but the quality of the tunes is very high indeed.

In The Presence Of Enemies Part 1 is a monster tune, and one of their best. The intro is superb, and it goes on for like three minutes before the vocals kick in. There is all the usual DT widdleisms and Metallica-esque riffage. On Constant Motion, you get both in the same track. The Dark Eternal Night however, is my personal favourite track. Right from the low end riffage at the intro, to the killer instrumental section, this track just melts your face and has the jaw dropping in awe. When they are on boy they are ON!

The band have lost that spark somewhat, and they need a reinvigoration. But, this gets…

9/10 from The Grooveman.

TOTO – IV

January 17, 2023 /

It’s hard to believe, but Toto were under a lot of pressure before the release of this album. With the success of their first album and the huge single Hold The Line that came from it, the two albums that followed were commercially not very successful. Even though I love Hydra, but it’s almost a Prog album. I think everyone around the band breathed a huge sigh of relief when Rosanna, the lead single reached number two on the charts. Not only is that song superbly written, but it sounds incredible with a grade A top notch production. The band also don’t give up on their muso credentials in the song either, as the long fade out instrumental is killer.

The whole album screams class and is a lesson on how to do everything right. You’d think one mega selling single off an album would be enough, but no, with Africa they topped it and reached number one. Other than Rosanna, which is the best track the album, I’m picking Lovers In The Night as my favourite tune as the instrumentation is great and Luke’s solo sounds just so off the cuff.

Great record and everyone should have one just for the production alone.

10/10 from The Grooveman.

THE RODS – Wild Dogs

January 16, 2023 /

This is The Rods’ second album, released in ’82. I used to love the first album, although having played it to review lately is hasn’t aged very well.

The overall first impression of reacquainting myself with first track Too Hot To Stop, is that a huge Ted Nugent vibe comes over me. Mostly due to the vocal style, but also the way Rock Feinstein plays solos. I always thought that bassist, Gary Bordonaro had a better voice and the second track Waiting For Tomorrow emphasizes that point. Violation is just a simple fat sounding chord progression. I love the opening, and the main vocal melody to Burned By Love. Wild Dogs closes out Side 1, and it is just a full on rocker with a very catchy hook and chorus.

A rough sounding cover of You Keep Me Hangin’ On follows, and is a weird pick for, (a) a song choice, and (b) to open up a side, and the only redeeming feature is the fade out solo. Rockin’ N’ Rollin is a trademark Rods up tempo rocker. End Of The Line has a really cool opening but it’s the harmony vocals on the hook and chorus that stand out on this track. It’s favourite track time next with No Sweet Talk Honey. The riff, groove, and guitar are very old school Nugent, and you can’t argue with that hook and chorus. The album closes out with The Night Lives To Rock, a straight up no frills rocker.

That was a fun listen.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

ROUGH CUTT – s/t

January 16, 2023 /

Rough Cutt are another band that are more famous for the people that passed through, than the actual tunes they played. Jake E Lee, Craig Goldy, Parramore McCarty, and Jimmy Crespo to name but a few, but it was Paul Shortino’s voice that was the strong point here.

This album was released in ’85, the perfect time as rock was king in ’85. They had everything going in their favour, yet they never quite clicked. Could it be the tunes?

Well, the first track Take Her was co-written with Ronnie Dio, and is a killer opening to the record, laying down a cool heavy blues groove. Next, is a cover of Piece Of My Heart made famous by Janis Joplin, and it’s okay, but the vibe is quickly extinguished after the killer opening. Never Gonna Die sees the band diving in to aor territory with a soft melodic rocker, perfect for radio of the time. It’s power ballad time next with Dreamin’ Again and well, it’s just another ballad really, until the middle section when the twin guitars of Amir Derakh and Chris Hager let loose. Side 1 closes out with Cutt Your Heart Out, this is my favourite track. It’s a great uptempo rocker and they really are a different band when they put the pedal to the metal and just let those guitars loose.

Black Widow opens up Side 2 with a very awesome and dramatic intro that keeps going into a slow heavy groove. Ballad time again with You Keep Breaking My Heart. Kids Will Rock is a weird little track and takes a while to get into the main groove and the sing-a-long hook and chorus. Dressed To Kill is a standard LA strip glam rocker and so is the last track, She’s So Hot.

It’s a solid album, but it’s just missing that track to lift it.

7.5/10 from The Grooveman.

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