THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Month: February 2025 (Page 4 of 6)

BLACKFOOT – Marauder

February 11, 2025 /

I reviewed Siogo a couple of weeks ago and I mentioned the bands’ golden period. This was the pinnacle, and at the same time, the end of their classic period.

This was probably as heavy as any other southern band ever were. At the same time, the ballad Diary Of A Working Man is one of the few ballads I can appreciate. Not sure why I connect with this song so much, maybe it’s Ricky’s delivery or the subject matter, either way it’s a great song.

Fly Away was released as a single and it did quite well, but it’s the harder groove songs that really make this baby sing. Good Morning is a full tilt opener, Too Hard To Handle has a killer latin vibe that builds and builds, Dry County is southern soaked through and through, and Rattle Snake Rock N’ Roller is a sure fire boogie delight complete with Shorty Medlocke banjo intro. My favourite track is the Skynyrd inspired Searchin’ with obligatory killer rambling solo.  

In their time they were a great band, and this album is the best of the lot.

8.5/10 from The Grooveman.

DORO – Force Majeure

February 11, 2025 /

Is this the first Doro solo album or the last Warlock album? I think the record company were hedging their bets just in case, because they added a “+ Warlock” sticker to the front cover.

One things for sure, the sound is aimed at the American market. It is a more polished hard rock sound than the Euro metal sound she is now famous for. Other than the terrible cover of Whiter Shade Of Pale (which unbelievably opens the album), this is not a bad record. It has some good songs that rock in all the right places.

World Gone Wild would stand up against any hair band anthem of the time. It has a great hook and chorus, and riffs hard. Angels With Dirty Faces is another song perfect for the American market. Hard Times opens up Side 2 and this gets my vote as favourite song. A very catchy hook and chorus, with a killer guitar sound that gets the toe a tappin’ and the head a bobbin’. The only full on metal track here is I Am What I Am, double kicks all the way that blasts away the entire 2:36 of its existence.

I like this record more than her more metal efforts, they don’t interest me too much but this is definitely worth buying.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

REPTILE SMILE – Who Makes The Rules

February 9, 2025 /

Album number two from Sweden’s answer to the Faces. Well, not really, but you get a rough idea what their inspirations are.

That barroom, whiskey-soaked, sleazy rock n’ roll sound is where Reptile Smile ply their trade. Of course, with the band being Swedish, it’s done very well indeed and this is a really enjoyable rock n’ roll romp. We are not reinventing the wheel here, just adding a little sparkle to an already dyed in the wool format.

You will need your singing shoes on when playing this one as there are some killer sing along anthems. Hey Mama, Wild Life, In My Face (where Pete Shapiro does his best Steven Tyler impression), and my favourite Get Down are all banging tunes and would make great singles. Get Down has that Aerosmith swagger with a hint of AC /DC that just swings in all the right places.

A highly enjoyable record and having not played it in a long while, I forgot how much fun it was.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

OVERKILL – Under The Influence

February 9, 2025 /

Another day, and another Overkill reissue to ponder over. This one is the band’s third album that originally saw the light of day in ’88, and it’s half speed mastered.

Do Overkill make bad records? No, is the answer if you were struggling. They just make slightly less great ones.

This album is chock full of your usual Overkill fare; fast tracks, even faster tracks, and some punk/metal crossover which they do so well. There was a point in time where Metallica, Anthrax, and Overkill seemed to be joined at the hip musically until Metallica and the Thrax went off on a tangent, but Overkill stayed true to the cause.

My favourite tune off of this beast is Hello From The Gutter. A slightly more commercial sounding tune, but it works so well. Great hook and chorus and that punk/ metal crossover riff is so cool.

8.5/10 from The Grooveman.

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