THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Month: May 2024 (Page 2 of 6)

WITCHKILLER – Day Of The Saxons

May 27, 2024 /

Carrying on my love of of all things early eighties metal comes this four track EP from Ottawa’s very own Witchkiller. Released on Metal Blade in ’84 this is the only record the band put out before splitting. Influenced heavily by NWOBHM (and I would say Judas Priest), this actually isn’t that bad and is way better than some of the other offerings around at the time.

Opening track Day Of The Saxons could have been an early Maiden demo as the riffs and groove are very NWOBHM. Riders Of Doom sounds like Beyond The Realms Of Death era Priest and it’s only the guitar solo that lets this one down. Cry Wolf is pushing those Maiden influences hard and Beg For Mercy sounds as though it’s a demo and is the one track that doesn’t cut it for me. My favourite tune however is close out tune Penance For Past Sins. Starting with the patented eerie slow quiet build before exploding into life.

I can see why they called it a day, they needed help to flush out their ideas and I guess Metal Blade didn’t want to flash the cash.

7/10 from The Grooveman.

THE DARKNESS – Easter Is Cancelled

May 27, 2024 /

You have to hand it to The Darkness, in the UK when rock music was about as popular as a fart in space suit, along they came from out of nowhere to blast it back into the mainstream. Now, there seems to be a young rock band around every corner in the UK and I think The Darkness should get a bit if credit for that.

Here they are with album number six and they are as a popular as ever and it’s a cracking rock record to boot. We are off to an epic start with their (I hope) very tongue in cheek Rock N’ Roll Deserves To Die and this is everything I expect from a Darkness record. Vocal histrionics, superb melody, a chorus to shout a long to, and fat crunchy guitars. This lays the path for the rest of the album.

There are quieter moments with Live ‘Til I Die where Justin is looking back on his past and the amazing Heart Explodes which touches on his loves lost and is a pure joy. The title track is a good old fashioned rock n’ roll romp with interspersed minstrel-esque moments that is pure anything goes Darkenss.

Favourite track? Well, that’s a tough one as there are a few for that honour but on this occasion it has to be the title track. A track that sees the band stretching themselves out of their comfort zone but being uniquely The Darkness. Justin is just the ultimate showman, those vocals and notes he reaches make them totally unique in the world of rock.

Thoroughly enjoyable record.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

BLACK SABBATH – S/T

May 20, 2024 /

So, here it is! This album is ground zero for heavy metal music. Although heavy psychedelic music would have been more appropriate I guess, even though it’s taking blues chords and grooves and doing them to the max.

I was ten years old when this came out and it wasn’t until a few years later that I actually heard it. I do remember the news about them being satanists and gigs were being cancelled. It all seems a bit strange looking back with hindsight, but that cover still gives me the creeps.

Of the early albums I would say this is my favourite and the one I play the most. The track I love the most is the opening title song. That eerie bell giving way to that riff is just timeless.

It’s rightly given plaudits as a genre defining album, not only for heavy metal but also for doom and stoner bands as well.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

CULPRIT – Guilty As Charged

May 20, 2024 /

This is the debut album from Seattle’s Culprit. It was released on Shrapnel in ’83. As with a lot of these bands, they disappeared soon after in ’85. The members didn’t do a whole lot after this album either, a couple of them joined TKO for their third album, Below The Belt, but that was it. They just left us this raw early Maiden inspired effort.

Now, a 23 year-old me might have lapped this up, as I was into anything metal that came out of America at the time, especially Shrapnel bands. Ice In The Back I guess was quite ahead of its time. Lots of stop start time changes to go with the raw riffing and a groove we are all now familiar with. Steel To Blood has a big chugga riff with a great middle section jam with John DeVol ripping in a cool solo. They are obviously more inspired by NWOBHM than anything that was happening around the Bay Area, just listen to Fight Back with that very familiar riff.

Shame they only did the one as I think these guys had potential to take it further.

7.5/10 from The Grooveman.

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