THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Category: Vinyl Reviews (Page 450 of 492)

JOE BONAMASSA – Royal Tea

March 31, 2021 /

It seems as though Joe Bonamassa has single handedly been keeping the blues alive in the mainstream for a very long time. I’m aware that there is a thriving blues scene that bubbles just below the surface, away from the glare of the spotlight, and only Gary Clark has broken through to join him as of late. Joe constantly tours and records new material, whether it be by himself or with collaborators, he basically has worked his ass off to get where he is today.

Royal Tea is his latest release of all new songs. Opening track, When One Door Opens, is a blues rock tour de force – a classic Bonamassa blues rocker. The line between blues and rock is a fine one, and with the title track, Royal Tea, the line is blurred constantly. Why Does It Take So Long To Say Goodbye complete with a big solo centrepiece, is a blues ballad in the style of Gary Moore. Lookout Man is quite a heavy track, and sees Bonamassa changing things up a little. High Class Girl gives more than a nod to Green Onions, as it has the same groove and a very close riff. A Conversation With Alice seems to steal a bit of the opening riff from Paperback Writer, well he is in Abbey Road so I guess the vibes are rubbing off? I Didn’t Think She Would Do It has a huge Hendrix vibe about it, but done Bonamassa style. A great tune. A slow almost Wild West vibe is the intro to Beyond The Silence, which is a blues/country crossover. The almost swing boogie woogie of Lonely Boy follows, and takes us to the final track, Savannah, which has that southern country feel.

Joe consistently makes good records and this one is no different.

8.5/10 from The Grooveman.

AVERAGE WHITE BAND – AWB

March 30, 2021 /

If, like me, you have an appreciation and love for early seventies funk, then you will love this album. The big surprise here is the band are actually six white guys from Scotland (even though they were formed in London). One of their most famous tunes is their instrumental track, Pick Up The Pieces, which has been sampled by everybody from Public Enemy to A Tribe Called Quest.

This is their second album released on Atlantic, and they were already firing on all cylinders. When you have the Brecker Brothers rollin’ up to play on your album – you know your doing something right. This album was number 1 in the billboard charts, as was their single Pick Up The Pieces. The songs are all self penned – apart from a cover of the Isley Brothers’ Work To Do, which is a great rendition with some serious horn playing and is funked up. This is an album of two sides. Side 1 has the best funky music around, and Side 2 (apart from the slow funk of last track There’s Always Someone Waiting) is very Motown.

I really love this album and so should you.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

PANTERA – A Vulgar Display Of Power

March 30, 2021 /

This is another game changer album. Even though the sounds and tones were hinted at on the previous release, Cowboys From Hell, it was this album that changed everything. The sheer brutality and power of this album is immense. The production and mixing by Terry Date is epic, the drum sound (especially the kick drum) of Vinnie Paul was, and still is, copied by every metal drummer around, and then there was Dime. The best guitarist of his generation! All of this was achieved in a style that would not alienate old school rockers from modern day metal heads.

This is Pantera’s sixth studio album. The first four were glam metal, and the fourth, Power Metal, was the beginning of a change as Phil Anselmo replaced original vocalist Terry Glaze. There is not one second of this record that is not awesome. From the first notes of Mouth For War, till the last breath of Hollow, this album deserves your attention. This is all not flat out death metal speed, hell no, this album has groove and swing. Listen to Walk! It grooves and swings as well as being metal as hell. Fucking Hostile is a seriously groovy track that makes you want to bounce off the walls. This Love starts real slow but builds into an epic tune – possibly my favourite on the album. There is even a clue to events on the next album with By Demons Be Driven, which Anslemo said was the most extreme on the album and was where they were headed musically.

Known for their hard drinking and fast living, it would take a drastic and tragic turn, as Dime would be shot on stage by a crazed fan, Vinnie would die with his heart basically exploding, Rex would have a liver transplant, and Anslemo would become a mental wreck and his voice destroyed from screaming his way through everything he does. It’s a shame the band ended the way it did as they were one of the best metal bands ever. You don’t need me to tell you that you should own this as you should already have it.

10/10 from The Grooveman.

HEAVEN’S TRAIL – Lethal Mind

March 29, 2021 /

Melodic rock is not dead my friends – it’s alive and well and living in Germany apparently. I admit to not knowing a whole bunch of anything about Heaven’s Trail until I happened upon a track on the web. This is a 2018 release from those good people at Escape Music. They don’t release many albums on vinyl, but when they do the quality is really high. Heaven’s Gate are a relatively new band formed in Germany in 2018 by ex-Jaded Heart guitarist Barish Kepic, and they are a lot heavier than them that’s for sure. Coupled with the fiery guitar work, there is excellent vocals from unknown Rick Altzi.

The opening track alone is worth the price of the album. Holy Moly what a killer opening track! A serious fast fat riff with some killer vocal and melody! A ripping track. The quality continues with Too Late, another great melodic rock anthem. Changes slows the pace slightly until the middle eight when the groove and the riffs click in – another killer tune. Monster riff approaching! These guys can write a riff that’s for sure. Carousel kicks huge amounts of arse! Side close out track, Feed My Soul, has another huge fat riff to melt your brain and is another kick ass tune.

Side 2 kicks off with On The Rise and another face melting riff and groove to bang that head to. Killer track! The awesomeness continues with The Flame – a great vocal and groove rips it up nicely. A fantastic intro to Walking In The Shadows before the beast of a riff sets in to a double kick monster groove. Another ripping intro to Voodoo with a really awesome bouncy riff and groove. King of Pain is up next with yet another killer riff and there is no let up in the quality of the songs – it’s relentless. Last track, Simplified, is a fitting end to a fantastic album.

I love being blown away by bands that I haven’t heard before, and these guys are awesome. If you are melodic metal/hard rock fan you should love this.

9.5/10 from The Grooveman.

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