THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Category: Vinyl Reviews (Page 2 of 473)

STRUT – Unlimited Access

March 24, 2025 / / 0 Comments

I think Strut are from somewhere in Massachusetts (?) and this is their only album that came out in ’88. They operate in the world of hard rock mainly, but there are side steps into pop and AOR.

The opening track Leaving It All Behind is head and shoulders above the rest, mainly due to the kick ass riffing and guitar tone. If you like the more softer side of rock then Stay Tonight, Makin’ My Way, and the ballad Just Say Goodbye May please you more. There is also quite a dull cover of Montrose’s Rock The Nation, which would have been better served with maybe another original.

There is no doubt that Daren Todd is not a bad guitar player, but some of the solos seem to be a tad off key and are a bit off putting. It’s not a bad effort I suppose. and if you see it cheap it may be worth acquiring for Leaving It All Behind.

6/10 from The Grooveman.

RUNNING WILD – Gates To Purgatory

March 24, 2025 / / 0 Comments

These guys are one of the big four power metal bands in Germany, and are considered heroes in their homeland. This is their first release that came out in ’84 and was heavily influenced by the satanic side of things. However, they would have a sharp change in subject matter from album 3 onwards, with pirates and historical happenings being the subject matter.

They were influenced by what was around them at the time and if you listen you can hear classic Priest riffs and NWOBHM attitude mixed with a hint if thrash. I’d be lying if I didn’t say it does sound a bit dated listening to it now, but I quite like it and tracks like Soldiers Of Hell and Diabolical Force are really quite good. As a debut it’s not bad, and it transports you back to a time when it all was new and exciting.

7/10 from The Grooveman.

THUNDER HEAD – Busted At The Border

March 24, 2025 / / 0 Comments

This is good, old fashioned, kick-ass heavy metal with a great swing and groove. To do it well, you need a killer front man and Ted Bullet is definitely that guy. I think the band released six studio albums, of which this is number 2, and it came out in 1990.

Now, this is definitely an album with two differing halves. Side 1 is loaded with absolute bangers, a superb half of kick ass music. Side 2 however, has a couple of great songs but there are also a couple of stinkers hidden away. I would buy this album for the track 42nd Street alone, as the riff and groove are huge and I love those little key changes. Yup, it’s a boogie but what a boogie it is! Hard Kind Of Woman and a very average cover of 25 or 6 to 4 loose points unfortunately.

Still, it’s still a killer record and it keeps on shaking my tree which is all that matters.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

DALTON – Injection

March 24, 2025 / / 0 Comments

If you look at Sweden’s hard rock and melodic rock bands from the mid 80’s onward, there were two bands/artists that influenced a lot of music that came after. Malmsteen was one, and Europe was the other. After the huge success of The Final Countdown, there were a bunch of bands that copied their style, including Dalton.

This is Dalton’s second album and it was high on commerciality. It had one eye on the radio because the majority of the songs have that big hook and chorus to drag the listener in. As with all things Sweden, it is done very well and the production is top drawer, I guess it’s an AOR fan’s wet dream. It can’t have sold very well because the band split up after this album, but they would return in 2014.

Anyhoo, I like it and my favourite song is Love Hurts. A mid tempo groover with a cool riff and big hook and chorus. It’s worth picking up if you see one.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

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