THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Month: July 2024 (Page 1 of 7)

REMEDY – Pleasure Beats The Pain

July 29, 2024 /

Escape Music, the British boutique melodic rock and AOR label have been on a roll latley, with killer albums from Jelusick and D’Luna both being at the heavier end of the scale. Remedy however, are back in what Esacpe do best with a killer melodic rock album with great songs with memorable sing along hooks.

Mixed and mastered by Eclipse and WET mainman Eric Martensson, this is a great sounding record. Everything seems to revolve around Roland Forsman who has a hand in writing all the songs as well as killing it on guitar. Quite frankly not a bad moment can be heard with a superb selection of songs.

Crying Heart opens up the record with a superb hook and melody, and a ripping riff. Moon Has The Night is more of the same. You will be humming the main harmony for days. Sin For Me is my favourite song. It’s a throwback to when songs meant something. Great main harmony and groove. Angelina could have been an ABBA song. This is how you write a pop song. Of course there are going to be ballads and Bad Blood closes out side one. Even then, the hook and chorus are superb as the power is introduced.

Scandinavian bands are just so good at everything really. No matter what genre they are just great musicians who have a great ear for melody. Caught By Death opens up Side 2 with a great riff and groove and the usual massive hook and main chorus. Hearts On Fire could have been a Toto song, it just has that feel. Great song! Poison is a more stripped back song, at least after the main opening riff and groove. Girls Got Trouble raises the tempo somewhat. That riff and groove are so cool, add that to the killer hook and chorus it’s a winner all the way. The album closes out with Something They Call Love and yup, it’s a ballad. I just don’t get closing out a record with a slow song.

It’s still a great record and worthy of your attention.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

MANDROID ECHOSTAR – Citadels

July 29, 2024 /

Metal is such a strange genre right now. With a myriad of off shoots that quite frankly don’t interest me a whole bunch, it’s hard to wade through the drops to find bands worthy of my dollars. Mandroid Echostar are one that I actually care about spending those dollars on.

I found the band just by chance in one of my down the rabbit hole searches I get lost in occasionally. Surprisingly enough, they are from Guelph Ontario which isn’t that far away from me. They actually won a Juno award for their 2017 album Coral Throne.

This album/EP was original released in 2013. They operate in the technical/progressive/metal territory with huge slabs of melody thrown into the mix. In fact, when this album kicks off you’d swear you were listening to an early Jethro Tull album because of the folky grooves. Yet, that is not what this record or this band are all about. Heavy low end grooves with some killer three part guitars and superb clean vocal and harmonies are what these guys are all about.

The Sleeper is the one track that floats above the other tunes on offer here, and it is my favourite. Heavy djentyness greets your ears immediately with some fat heavy riffage and grooves to match. The guitar solo is so cool! Stonkingly awesome tune! Ethereal was a close second with a that great funky bass line.

Time to get more musical treats from the band I think, and so should you.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

ROXY BLUE – Want Some?

July 28, 2024 /

Released in ’92, right in the middle of grungeorama, this album disappeared without a trace. In fact, Roxy Blue split up just after its release.

I say this way too often, but if this was released five years earlier things would have been a whole lot different. I appreciate that they managed to get a deal with Geffen who put this out, but what was the game plan for these guys? It doesn’t make a whole bunch of sense to me but a lot of bands got the one and you’re done deal at that time.

Roxy Blue are from Nashville and you can hear that little bit of country in the songs, but overall this is one kick ass rockin’ album. A great one two punch to open the album with Too Hot To Handle and Sister Sister, both killer made for radio rock anthems. Times Are Changin’ is very “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” but with more balls. It’s So Easy is my favourite song. It’s got a killer riff with that Guns N’ Roses swagger, and a hint of funk.

They have taken influences from all their peers of the time I guess, as Rob The Cradle has huge Van Halen vibes right from the guitar solo intro. That country vibe I mentioned comes right to the front with their cover of The Who’s Squeez Box. Talk Of The Town was a close second for favourite tune as the GnR vibes and killer groove really shakes my tree. Rock A Bye Bye is pedal to the metal full on sleaze o rama. Great tune!

Luv On Me would have made a great single if anybody would have bothered. The one true ballad on the album is Nobody Knows, and I’ll let them have that one. Back to the rock with Loves Got A Hold On Me. The title screams ballad but nope, this is a four to floor rocker with a killer busy riff and groove. The album closes out with Main Attraction, another track with heavy GnR vibes and it grooves along at a great pace.

So, there we have it, a great band with a great record that because of the time it was released and all the journos trying to be hip and following the grunge train, it just disappeared from sight.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

QUEENSRYCHE – S/T

July 27, 2024 /

Now, this is the Queensryche that I really liked. The harder metallic edge suited them perfectly, and the concept “proggy” stuff that came a little later left me cold. In the UK at least, they were called the US version of Iron Maiden and you can definitely hear the similarities, especially in the vocal style. Tate’s voice is incredible with so much power and range.

This album came out in ’83 and every band wanted to be a metal band, so your metal credentials had to be there and Queensryche had the full compliment. The pounding bass and drums with heavy riffs a plenty and soaring vocals combined make this EP a whole bunch of fun. It’s hard to pick a fave out of the four tracks, I’m torn between two. Queen Of The Reich is such a killer introduction to the band and is what you call a statement tune, but as I get older The Lady Wore Black is the one I go to first. It has a lot more going on musically and a very dramatic piece.

They sound nothing like this today so if you want to taste The Reich with metal in their veins, then this is for you.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

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