THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Category: Vinyl Reviews (Page 470 of 492)

AC/DC – Powerage

February 12, 2021 /

Controversial comment coming up…There are three AC/DC albums that vie for their best album, and they followed each other chronologically (and none of them are Back In Black). Let There Be Rock , Powerage, and Highway To Hell are the three, and are all perfect in their own way. I first became aware of the Aussie terrors around the Dirty Deeds period, and saw a few times in club and uni shows before they stepped up to halls with the release of this album and the singles that came from it. They appeared on Top Of The Pops and a couple of other shows at the time. When people saw their energy and raw power, they were hooked.

We blast straight in with single number one, Rock N Roll Damnation. A great choice for a single as does exactly what it says on the tin. Down Payment Blues is next and I defy anyone not to bounce around the house while doing the hoovering to this beauty. Killer tune, simple but oh so effective! Gimme A Bullet rolls on in next with the pounding bass, kick drum, and twin guitar riff – just beautiful. Another killer tune! Riff Raff is next and is a contender for best AC/DC song ever. This song just smokes!!! What a riff!!! Everything about this song is just perfect. If anyone asked me to describe what I love most about this band I would just bang this song and kaboom!!! Angus just rips the hell out of the guitar and Bon’s vocal is killer!!!

Over to Side 2 we go with single number two, Sin City. Imagine this being released as a single today. Real music played by real people – it wouldn’t have a chance! I’m glad I was born when I was to experience bands like this up close and personal. Another banging tune! What’s Next To The Moon follows, with the toms a thumping and a Paperback Writer type riff that adds a bit of variety to the album. The almost laid back Gone Shootin’ is next, pedal off the power slightly with a very Stones vibe. Last two tracks compete to melt your face off the quickest in which album closer Kicked In The Teeth Again narrowly wins over Up To My Neck In You.

Production is absolutely monster courtesy of long time collaborators Vanda and Young, ironically this would be the last album they would produce before Mutt Lange came on board and mega-stardom beckoned. If you haven’t guessed it, this is my favourite DC album and every human on the planet should own it.

10/10 from The Grooveman.

BAD COMPANY – Straight Shooter

February 11, 2021 /

Bad Company are a band that were formed from the remnants of Free and Mott The Hoople. This is the second album from ’75. They take the blues rock of Free and give it a good dose of rock and melody.

Good Lovin’ Gone Bad is a perfect example of what this band are all about – a good rockin tune with a big chorus. Second song in and it’s classic time with Feel Like Makin Love, a slow burner of a tune until that big chorus and chunky riff kick in. What a monster tune. The bar room blues shuffle of Weep No More is next, with a great vocal from Rodgers and some tasty licks from Ralphs. Shooting Star closes out the side with its laid back west coast feel.

Side 2 jumps on with Deal With The Preacher, very reminiscent of Rodgers previous outfit Free. The funky tones of Wild Fire Woman follow, and shows how well Rodgers’ voice and Ralphs’ guitar compliment each other. Penultimate track, Anna, is a primo power ballad before album closer, Call On Me, which has a slow build up with the big rock ending to what is a good album. So that’s it!

Have a good band, some good tunes, a great vocalist, and away you go. Easy isn’t it?

8/10 from The Grooveman.

UNEVEN STRUCTURE – Februus

February 11, 2021 /

The word epic, often used by myself whilst doing these reviews, does not even come close in describing this record of gargantuan awesomeness. I came across these guys by fluke whilst surfing around the tinterweb. I came across British label Basick Records website and all matter of djenty goodness was to be found. The jewel in the crown was this. Uneven Structure are from France, and are purveyors of the finest tech metal/math metal/djent or whatever you want to call it – I don’t care what it is if it’s this good.

Awaken instantly removes your brain and gives it a good kicking with its supreme heaviness, before settling into some melodic goodness, and then the middle section with major off time grooves. BOOM!!! Track two, Frost, kicks major posterior, but with lots of melody, atmos, and yes, even more djenty goodness. Vocalist Matthieu Romarin is just incredible the way he switches from the deepest growls to the most melodic of vocals. The pace does not let up with Hail – again some serious off time grooves and epic vocals. The whole band are just amazing, superb musicians all round. Emmersion announces its arrival as if I have been transported into 2001: A Space Odyssey. Normality resumes with track five, Buds, which is an atmospheric slow builder with a killer vocal and maximum djentyness. Next up is Awe, which just wants to melt your face off with its heaviness. The drumming is just off the charts with some serious beats being laid down by Christian Schreil. Awe flows into Quittance with more polyrhythmic goodness. Limbo is a spacey loop that connects into Plenitude, which is just drum rhythms played until the guitars join with the same groove for 4 minutes until the vocals arrive. Epic in it’s simplicity! Which leads us to the final track, Finale, which has a huge cinematic sound – a fitting end to the album.

This is, without a doubt, one of the best albums of its genre and a must have for anyone who like this type of metal. It comes with a Grooveman guarantee.

10/10 from The Grooveman.

IRON MAIDEN – s/t

February 10, 2021 /

If anybody asks me to describe the NWOBHM, I will always tell them listen to this album. It has the rawness and energy that I associate with that period. Just to put this out there, I prefer Maiden with Dianno and not Brucie. When Dickinson joined, they lost that edge and rawness and became polished and a money making machine – which is where Smallwood was aiming them.

Maiden were a combination of classic rock of the time, and the punk movement, which Dianno was a big fan of. Other than a couple of EPs, and the legendary Soundhouse Tapes, this is Maiden’s debut. Every band and his dog would have this as their template of their idea of metal for the next 10 years. It’s hard to describe to people that this type of music didn’t exist before this. Sure Priest were doing their brand of metal, but it wasn’t as raw and hard hitting as this.

Running Free was the first track I heard, and it blew me away with the energy. Other than Motörhead, they were the first to add speed elements to the music like in Phantom Of The Opera. It was off at a gallop and had differing sections to add the tempo changes, which also was a first, the style of which Steve Harris had borrowed from Prog rock bands. We also got the introduction of metal instrumental pieces like Transylvania, which bands like Dream Theater would expand to the max years later. This song alone encapsulates the Maiden sound musically more than any other, as they would revisit the gallop format numerous times throughout their career.

No breakdown of songs here as it speaks for itself. You can keep your Powerslaves and Number Of The Beasts, the first two albums were as good as it got for me and all metal fans should own them both. Another ground zero album.

9.5/10 from The Grooveman.

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