REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Day: February 13, 2025

IMMACULATE MARY – Through The Eyes Of Youth

If you’ve been following me for a while, you may have noticed I do have a lot of albums from unheard of rock and metal bands from the 80’s and early 90’s. For every band that managed to breakthrough, there were squillions that didn’t. It’s not that they were all bad, they just never got the breaks.

Immaculate Mary are from Rochester in NY state, and this album creeped out in ’89. Apparently their claim to fame was that they were entered into The Guinness Book Of World Records for being the loudest band in the world in ’98.

This is pretty standard heavy rock and metal with a very sparse production, but I do like that FU attitude and naivety. Side 1 is okay with a not too shabby version of a Wild Thing, but Side 2 is where this album kicks off with the song Once Bitten. This track opens up with some heavy chugga riffing that leads into a Keel style hook and chorus, and is my favourite tune.

Main songwriter and guitarist Tommy Brunett is obviously the main man here as he writes the majority of the album by himself, as well as ripping on the axe wherever possible. You should be able to pick this up quite cheap because there was plenty of cut outs available.

7/10 from The Grooveman.

L.A. Guns – Checkered Past

Has Phil Lewis ever done anything better than the Sheer Greed album by Girl? The first two L.A. Guns albums are good, but they didn’t quite beat the delights of that Girl album.

This album is the unlucky thirteenth release for the band, that’s if you count all the different versions of the group. It’s not half bad if I’m honest. It ranges from the totally awesome Bad Luck Charm, and the just downright “meh” of If It’s Over Now.

Bad Luck Charm has a late sixties Zeppelin ascending riff that is just too cool for school and it’s defo my favourite tune on the album. The only other track that really shines my shoes is the close out tune, Physical Itch. You can’t go wrong with rehashed Sabbath riffs and this is no exception.

There are better L.A. Guns albums to spend your money on I’m afraid.

7/10 from The Grooveman.