THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Category: Vinyl Reviews (Page 152 of 492)

CZAKAN – State Of Confusion

September 8, 2023 /

I admit to not knowing a whole bunch about these guys. I think they formed in Germany in 1989, and by ’93 they were done. Except, I do believe they had an album out in April this year titled Unreal.

This is their first album and if you like melodic rock with a hard edge, then you might be in luck. Opening track State Of Confusion is the band wrapped up in a nutshell. Great hook and chorus, and the melody is high on the list of priorities. Tears follows and it’s more of the same. Nice riff, the guitar sounds killer, and those harmonies are great. Run With The Wind follows and those double kicks confuse slightly as this is a pomp rock classic that Styx would have been proud of, and to top it off we have a touch of the Yngwie’s with the solo. King Of Temptation starts with a riff that would not be out of place on any Dokken album, and the joint solo with keys and guitar is quite cool. It’s favourite song time with Side 1 close out track High Speeder. Double kicks all the way in this fun high octane rocker, with a great riff and killer guitar sound.

So Cold opens up Side 2 with a mid-tempo rocker and again, it’s the guitar that draws your attention. Eyes Of The Gods is up next and the intro riff and groove are awesome but it feels as though the rest of the song belongs somewhere else, apart from the solo section which I really like. They have a gift in writing great intro’s and Rock Will Survive doesn’t disappoint, plus this was a close second for favourite track. Thunder And Lightning also doesn’t let you down in the intro department and reminds me of early TNT, and that instrumental section is ripping. The album closes out with Too High To Touch and they saved it until the very end…power ballad time.

This album is regarded as a lost treasure and rightly so. If it was released five years earlier things may have been different, but I say that about a lot of records.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

GARY MOORE – After Hours

September 7, 2023 /

I think it’s well documented that Gary Moore is without doubt one of the best guitarists of his generation. Though it took him quite sometime to find out just exactly what made him happy. Having been chameleon-like by changing styles almost album by album, it wasn’t until the release of Still Got The Blues in 1990 that Gary truly felt at home. This is the follow up to that album, and was released in ’92. I think it’s safe to say Joe Bonamassa has copied the blueprint of Gary for his own empire.

People forget how good Gary’s voice is and the blues fits it perfectly, it is a fine compliment to his incendiary playing. Having seen him play on the Corridors of Power tour I didn’t think just a few years later he would be rockin’ up with a horn section and female backing singers, but this is still the same Gary just in a different frame. This is my favourite rock album of his, and it’s hard to pick a favourite track as it’s all killer. But, I’m going for the opener Cold Day In Hell, and the duet with BB King Since I Met You Baby. I bet Gary was like a little kid when he got BB to guest on his record.

You are deeply missed Gary and long may your music shine on.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

PLINI – Sunhead

September 7, 2023 /

This is the Australian guitarist’s seventh release. Of which, six have been EP’s and only one album. They seem to favour the shorter format and releasing more frequently, as those have all been released since 2011.

Now, I love instrumental albums especially where the guitar is a focus. Plini is from that modern school of playing where drop tuning is the norm to create deep rhythm tracks where the guitar has room to play over the top. Opener Kind is just that, with an excellent choppy fusion groove. Salt+Charcoal is a continuation with the deep and heavy bass groove laying a killer foundation for Plini to lay melodic beauty over the top.

A very smooth jazz piano intro, with a killer bass tone lays at the intro to Flaneur. The tune then opens up with that deep groove, carrying the whole thing along. My favourite track however is the final and title track, Sunhead. A very gentle intro before that deep crushing riff pounds the listener, before we return to melody.

I love Plini and he can do no wrong in my eyes, but I do get how this is not everyone’s taste.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

POISON – Flesh & Blood

September 6, 2023 /

Ah, Poison. The band that everyone loves to hate, and the band that were blamed for the death of melodic rock and the birth of grunge. Of course, we all know now that that the death of rock was premature and today there are some killer rock bands still releasing great music. One thing that people forget about Poison is that they sure know how to write a catchy, memorable tune. Plus, CC Deville has some serious chops.

This is album number three for them. They changed their style slightly to get away from that bubblegum rock tag and tried to write in a more “serious” way. Produced by Bruce Fairbairn, who has the touch of gold for this type of band, and the album duly went triple platinum. Ironically, the songs with the most impact were Unskinny Bop and Something To Believe In – the songs that were more bubblegum pop than the rest of the album.

There are lots of little references to old blues here, mainly due to little intros like on Ball And Chain that either are pure genius or designed deliberately to make them seem a more serious band. Either way, I think they are cool and add colour to the album. My favourite track however is opener Strange Days Of Uncle Jack, a definite step away from the norm that proves the band can rock hard with the best of them.

Let’s face it, Poison write tunes that make people happy, and what’s wrong with that?

8.5/10 from The Grooveman.

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