REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Day: July 19, 2023

SCAR SYMMETRY – Holographic Universe

It’s great to see Nuclear Blast reissuing these early Scar Symmetry albums on vinyl. It’s also odd to see them listed as melodic death metal. I always thought they were Dream Theater on steroids, and the growl vocals does not make them death metal. Also, to be fair this is their most melodic record and the vocal melodies and harmonies are superb. I think bands like Tesserract took some huge inspiration from these guys.

This record is superb and I will just give thoughts on some of the tracks that really shake my tree. Timewave Zero is soooo good. The riffs are fat, and huge, the drumming is insane in places and the vocals are awesome. Artificial Sun Projection starts in a more traditional way with a fairly normal riff pattern, then the groove in the verses is super cool and again, the vocals are killer. The Missing Coordinates is just some freaking awesome groove metal that Slipknot would be proud.If you like your double kicks faster than a fast thing on fast train to fast town, then Prism And Gate will right up your strasse.

Love this album and the band are so awesome.

10/10 from The Grooveman.

FASTWAY – Waiting For The Roar

Album number three and the band had totally grasped the American sound and were away and running with it. It’s really hard to believe listening to this that Eddie was a part of one of the nastiest kick ass rock bands ever (Motorhead) as the this album is so slick.

The album opens up with the single The World Waits For You and you feel as though it should have been either a lead off track from a movie or part of a soundtrack. I mean the songs are well written and recorded, and the big hook and chorus are king as every song has that sing a long feeling. When the rock does come along like in Move Over, the overpowering huge snare drum sound rains on your parade.

Rock On however, has that big huge seventies sound coupled with the big Def Leppard gang choru,s and its winner winner chicken dinner and we have my favourite tune. Close call is the title track which has a killer riff and groove and you can’t fail to sing a long.

Actually, this is a very entertaining record and worth grabbing a copy. You can see why Eddie felt restricted in Motorhead if he had all these songs waiting to go.

8.5/10 from The Grooveman.