THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Month: July 2023 (Page 9 of 10)

SKYHARBOR – Guiding Lights

July 7, 2023 /

This is album number two from India’s premier progressive tech metal band. After his departure from British tech metallers Tesseract, vocalist Dan Tompkins set up camp with Skyharbor after guesting on their Blinding White Noise record. Of course, with this genre straight forward tunes are not the norm so prepared to be challenged as a listener.

With Dan being involved from the get go with this album, it feels as though there is a lot more melody present in each song. Of course, there are delightfully heavy moments as you would be expect from the dentists. Allure is so good and opens up the album. Wonderful odd time signatures, lots of groove, and great vocals by Dan. Evolution goes down that same melodic path. But the heavy and groovy bombs in around the middle and they do that so well. As with all in this genre they know how to use that low end so well, and yet it doesn’t over power.

Miracle starts very low and yet the song evolves though varying phases without losing the melody. Great tune! My favourite track on the album is the final song The Constant. The song starts super slow and eerie with ambient sounds and faint echoey guitar. When the beat and vocals kick in with that super heavy groove man, it’s heavy goosebumps. Big shout out to Anup Sastry on drums, killer fills and grooves.

They haven’t released anything since 2018 so I’m hoping they have something due.

9.5/10 from The Grooveman.

DARE – Out Of The Silence

July 6, 2023 /

This is the debut album from the ex-Thin Lizzy keys player and all round sidekick, Darren Wharton’s band Dare. Instead of Oldham, you’d think they were from the west coast USA.

Very slick and polished AOR is on the menu for this record my fellow rock n’ rollers. Although the music is clear and crisp, the tracks seem to all blend into one after a while and you wish the foot would press the pedal sometimes, and I am drawn to the tunes with a at least a bit of oomph. Under The Sun is one of those tracks where at the least the power goes up a notch and Vinnie Burns gets a chance to play a little. The other track I really like and gets my vote for favourite tune is Heartbreaker. A very familiar sounding hook and chorus, and at last we have a riff-driven tune.

I know I’m sounding like a Debbie Downer here and that’s not really fair because if you love AOR then you will lap this up.

7/10 from The Grooveman.

BONFIRE – Point Blank

July 5, 2023 /

This is album number three for these German melodic rock maestros. Well, technically it’s record number eight as the band changed their name from Cacumen to Bonfire just before the recording of Don’t Touch The Light.

This is a great album produced by Michael Wagener who gives the songs that little touch of gold that he does on most of the albums he was involved in. Other than mainland Europe, Bonfire didn’t break through as well as they should have especially with this album as it’s a melodic rock gem.

It has well crafted songs, with patented huge hooks and choruses, and snappy little solos when required. That’s all you need! I’ll pick my favourites as the album’s a bit of a stormer. Waste No Time has a superb hook, and the riff and groove are guaranteed to satisfy. Your Back is my overall favourite track as I love the fast uptempo groove and the guitar playing is so good.

If you come across this on your travels I suggest you snap it up.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

MASTODON – Once More Around The Sun

July 3, 2023 /

Album number six for Atlanta’s finest, released back in 2014. I’m a huge fan of Mastodon as there is no one else sounding the way they do. The concepts for each record that they create are on a different scale to all that’s gone before.

Although this album is more of a straight up (for them) rock record there are themes to be tackled, and the title track is (from what I can tell) about addiction and alcohol abuse and it’s a subject close to members of the band. I don’t want to dwell on that subject too much as I find the music very uplifting, and in High Road with the huge monster riffs and melody it is just joyous. How can Crimes At Midnight sound so evil and yet beautiful at the same time? A quite complicated riff leads into some huge riffing and the back and forth vocals between Troy and Brent works so well. Definitely my favourite tune. Aunt Lisa is another favourite as the groove and busy riff are so cool. That, mixed with Brent’s psychedelic vocal style is awesome.

This album wasn’t loved by the critics when it came out and some of the reviews were really bad. I just don’t get that at all. If you take this as a piece of music by a band that you’d never heard before you would be drooling as was I. Bands are free to move on in what ever direction they choose and if that doesn’t please you then fair enough, but to expect a band to stay and make the same record over and over again just to make you happy is not the basis to give a bad review.

Great record and highly recommended.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

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