THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Category: Vinyl Reviews (Page 146 of 492)

DREAM THEATER – A Change Of Seasons

September 22, 2023 /

This is technically not an album, it was an EP slotted in between the albums Awake and Falling Into Infinity, but the main and title track weighs in at over twenty three minutes. The rest of the piece is put together with cover tunes recorded at Ronnie Scott’s in London, a bit of a legendary show amongst DT die hards.

A Change Of Seasons is all that was great about DT at the time, a huge song split into seven different parts encompassing a varying of styles. A very personal piece for Mike Portnoy as it’s about the cycle of life and is a reference to the death of his mother. The date on the calendar on the sleeve that is circled is November 16th, the day she died. An absolute joy to listen to. The covers are from Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Genesis, and Kansas to name a few but the best of the bunch is a ripping version of Funeral For A Friend/ Love Lies Bleeding.

This is a great look back to a band approaching the height of their powers.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

HELLANBACH – The Big H: The Hellanbach Anthology

September 21, 2023 /

Now, I have already reviewed the only two albums the band had recorded that this anthology contains. It is of worth however, if you are struggling to find the original two albums and if you missed out on the band’s first EP Out In The Wild, which I think appeared on a label called Guardian and is also included here.

The Now Hear This record sounded raw, but the EP sounds like it was recorded in someone’s garage. The drum sound is awful, but you can’t deny the energy and power from the band as Davey Patton’s guitar and Jimmy Brash’s vocals sound great. I think Kev Charlton and Davey are still playing in bands around Newcastle, but it’s these songs here that remind you that with a little bit of luck they should have and could have been huge.

8.5/10 from The Grooveman.

OZRIC TENTACLES – Pungent Effulgent

September 21, 2023 /

This is classed as the debut album by the band, even though they had released five previous efforts on cassette only. This version is the 2020 Ed Wynne remaster.

As usual with most of the early Ozric, the songs feel like extended jams and opener Dissolution is no exception. Lots of cool guitar from Mr. Wynne played over the top of some seriously spacey grooves and movie scape keyboards. They really make Hawkwind look dated. O-I follows and feels as though there is an actual structure to the piece, with lots of world music influences interspersed and some beautiful guitar from Ed. It’s a bit like early Santana on speed. Phalarn Dawn is way more chill, and you get visions of Nepal with the drums. The Domes Of G’Bal ends Side 1 and the spacey keys open up to a reggae infused trippy groove.

The centrepiece of the whole record the is the nearly 11 minutes of Ayurvedic. If you think of seventies Prog then this could be the soundtrack to the whole movement. My favourite tune is up next with Kick Muck. Awesome phased riff from Ed, with a trippy rave groove underneath. As with most early Ozric releases, you get a little taste of the weird. And last track Agog In The Ether is just that.

A cool look back into the early years of a very influential band.

7.5/10 from The Grooveman.

COLD SWEAT – Break Out

September 20, 2023 /

After Marc Ferrari left Keel he formed Cold Sweat in ’88, taking the name from the Thin Lizzy song with the same name. Due to a ton of mishaps and poaching of members, this is the band’s debut. It did not appear until ’90, a full two years after they formed, by which time the musical landscape had changed.

Produced by Kevin Beamish who has given the album a crystal clear production, but maybe could have given it a bit more balls. If this had been ’84 things may have been a whole lot different, as the songs are really good and well written. Highlights for me are Crying Shame, which is pure hair rock heaven with a huge hook and chorus; Killing Floor with its old school 70’s riff; and my favourite tune Fistful Of Money. The riff is very old school blues with a hint of funk. The hook and chorus are huge and that middle section is super cool.

The album is just missing that one big tune to set it on fire, but it’s still a very enjoyable record.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

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