THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Month: February 2023 (Page 4 of 9)

FAIR TO MIDLAND – Fables From A Mayfly

February 14, 2023 /

I came at Fair To Midland totally by accident. I had gone to a gig to watch Periphery (I think on one of their early tour)s and they opened up for these guys, who were headlining. I don’t think they are still around, as they haven’t done anything since 2013. Serge Tankian signed them to his label for this, their major label debut that came out in 2007, and this is an MOV reissue.

First track in is what hooked me into them, Dance of The Manatee. The melody and hook are so infectious it just sucks you in. Yup, it’s my favourite track. A band that are very hard to describe. They are Prog, with a hint of metal, and a huge indie vibe, if that makes sense. Kyla Cries Cologne has a big guitar riff with a killer melodic hook and vocal. Vice Versa has a very emo style riff and groove at the start, then the Prog vibes abound. If this is not a prog song title I don’t know what is: The Wife The Kids, And The White Picket Fence. I mean with an imagination as wild as these guys, they sit beautifully in the Prog landscape. This is such a beautiful piece.

April Fools And Eggmen, A Seafarers Knot, A Seafarers Knot, and A Wolf Descends Upon The Spanish Sahara – all these titles scream prog and the album is an undeniable modern Prog masterpiece, albeit with a modern twist. If you don’t know them or own this, then I suggest you rectify that at your earliest convenience.

10/10 from The Grooveman.

SCHON HAMMER – Here To Stay

February 14, 2023 /

The second and final album from this short lived partnership. This is a much more melodic album, as their first had a jazz/fusion vibe, albeit with some killer playing. This album is a lot more melodic, with Steve Perry even making an appearance.

Opening track No More Lies feels a bit like an uptempo Journey tune with Neal on vocals, who also plays a very tasty solo. The Journey vibe continues with the slowed down west coast groove of Don’t Stay Away. Next up is You Think You’re So Hot, and this is the sort of tune that I expect that they would come up with. A weird groove funk with a killer instrumental section! Next track Turnaround is old school heavy blues, and Schon gives it the beans . Last track on this side is Self Defence, where Steve Perry makes an appearance and is one of the strongest tracks on the album. A killer heavy melodic groove with a great riff, and Perry is on the bv’s on this one. This song would appear again on Journey’s Generations album, re-titled In Self Defence.

Long Time is a quirky pop/rock tune with a cool hook and melody. Time Again is a slow brooding track, and the solo is killer. Sticks And Stones is next and is my favourite tune. Love that choppy riff and roiling short solo. Piece Of Mind follows and is what I would call a filler track. It doesn’t do much or go anywhere. Covered By Night closes out the album, and it builds to a dramatic centre piece solo then just fades away.

Overall, this is not as strong as their first album. It just feels like a bits and pieces record, but it has its moments. If you’re a guitar nut like me then it’s worth getting just to hear Neal lay it down.

7.5/10 from The Grooveman.

MACHINE HEAD – Catharsis

February 13, 2023 /

An album that initially divided its fan base and the band themselves. Tagged as a return to new metal by the press, the album definitely divided opinions that’s for sure. It just sounds like Machine Head adding a few moments of weirdness to proceedings, and I think this is a great album.

Volatile is a brutal first track, pounding  double kicks all the way and a rhythm that Slipknot would be proud of and that riff is killer. The title track follows and this is where the Nu Metal tags starts, mainly due to the melodic interludes that slip in with the ferocity. That breakdown though is killer. It’s favourite track time next with Beyond The Pale. I mean that riff is undeniably freakin’ awesome, c’mon what’s not to like? You even get a hook and chorus you can sing to. California Bleeding brings an end to Side 1. A great groove to this one, with a slower tempo, and the middle eight has a classic metal vibe to it.

Back to the ferocity and angst with Triple Beam, this is the song that has the Korn comparisons both with the heavy groove and the spoken vocal. A very dark tune indeed! Kaleidoscope is old school hardcore Machine Head. A fast heavy groove with Rob spitting out the vocals. Bastards starts like a lullaby with just vocal and a guitar, and ends up sounding like the Pogues on steroids. Hope Begets Hope closes out Side 2 with a phased pounding drum and a simple chugga riff interspersed with melodic interludes.

A monstrously heavy guitar and pounding drum groove opens up Side 3 opener Screaming At The Sun. The people that said this album wasn’t as heavy as previous efforts must have been listening to a different record. Just because moments of melody appear throughout the album doesn’t mean it’s not a heavy album. Behind A Cloud is a very laid back acoustic piece, and adds some welcome dynamics to the album. Side 3 comes to a close with Heavy Lies The Crown. A slow atmospheric build up with strings adds to the atmos before the song explodes into life with a great chugga riff. An epic piece that is the showcase of the album.

Psychotic opens up Side 4, a pounding heavy beast with a ripping thrash groove half way through. Grind You Down has a low down in the sewer heavy riff, and is one of the more quirky sounding tunes and yet it’s also one of the heaviest. Great evil guitar tone! Next up is Razorblade Smile. A classic Machine Head tune, boy does this baby motor along. Killer riff and groove! Eulogy close out the album in angelic fashion with what sounds like a lone choirboy over the top of Rob’s spoken word vocal. Then the dissonance kicks in about halfway though.

As I said, I like this album, it’s not their best but it’s still a kick-ass record.

9/10  from The Grooveman.

BRIGHTON ROCK – Young Wild And Free

February 13, 2023 /

After the initial success of their first self-titled EP, Brighton Rock were signed by Warners. This is their first full length album, released back in ’86. Melodic rock/ aor was huge around this period, mainly thanks to Journey, Foreigner, and Toto, and the huge money they were generating with the softer sound.

Brighton Rock have a very commercial, radio-friendly sound and it’s easy to see why they were snapped up. There were four singles released out of the ten tracks on the album, including all of the ballads apart from the double A-side blast of Young Wild And Free, and We Came To Rock.

This is the band at their best. A kick-ass rock band and as expected, my favourite track is the close out tune Rock N’ Roll Kid where they finally put the pedal to the metal. A great track that doesn’t forsake the melody for the crunch, as the hook and chorus are huge. The production is huge thanks to Michael Wagener and it sounds loud.

Not a bad album with some excellent high points, but just a bit too many softer tunes.

7/10 from The Grooveman.

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