REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Day: March 16, 2025

HITTEN – First Strike With The Devil Revisited

This is the revisited version of Hitten’s album that originally came out in 2014. It’s as though we have gone back in a Time Machine to 1980 and Iron Maiden and Tank had a love child. Seriously though, I’ve heard it all before. However, this is really good and very well executed. Old school metal with plenty of melody and hooks, it’s a treat to the ears I tell ya.

Chock full of bangers and not a dud in site. Tough to pick a favourite track but I’m going for Evil Power. The Maidenisms are on full and it’s so good. This is how I wish Maiden had carried on with this style.

I have all Hitten’s albums and they have progressed in style and moved away from this sound. They don’t make bad records and I highly recommend you dipping your toe into the Hitten universe. Great band, great record.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

HOLLAND – Little Monsters

Holland aren’t quite a “one and they’re done” band because they released two albums, albeit fourteen years apart. This album came out in ’85 and is a nice slab of rock/pop. Also, this is the first album that guitar whizz Michael Angelo Batio appeared on and it has to be said, his playing does lift the songs. The band are based around the husky tones of vocalist Tom Holland, but it’s Batio that steals the show.

Highlights are Love In On Time, Sacrifice (very Def Leppard), and my favourite Wake Up The Neighbourhood. They up the speed and groove on this one and Batio is awesome. There are also a couple of stinkers and I guess that’s why they were dropped after this album.

It’s okay and a pleasant enough listen, and it’s cool to hear Batio in a more restrained mode.

6.5/10 from The Grooveman.