THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Category: Vinyl Reviews (Page 479 of 492)

PORCUPINE TREE – Nil Recurring

January 22, 2021 /

This is the 2007 release on KScope, which is the companion piece to Fear of a Blank Planet. These songs were written at the same time and were part of the concept for the album, but were deemed not to fit with the original piece and were finished after the recording of Blank Planet. That’s not to say they are bad songs, as they are not, most bands would be ecstatic to have them.

Things get moving pretty quickly with the instrumental title track, with a heavy riff that builds with some wild drumming from Gavin Harrison into an odd middle section with out-there guitar from Robert Fripp. Next up is Normal, which has the same chorus/melody as Sentimental from the Blank Planet album. If anything, Normal is a heavier piece with some fat heavy riffs. Cheating The Polygraph is next, which is my favourite track. Again we have a great heavy riff with some industrial drum grooves and odd time signatures. This is such a great song. Last but not least is the beautiful What Happens Now, with an atmospheric beginning that builds into a really cool groove and a wonderful odd time signature. This track fits with Way Out Of Here on Blank Planet, as What Happens Now is referenced in the lyrics.

So at 29 minutes in length and only 4 songs, we are in Van Halen- Diver Down territory. You may feel it could be longer, but it was only intended as an EP and the quality of the material is so good it gets.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

JOHN NORUM – Total Control

January 21, 2021 /

This was the debut solo album from Europe guitarist John Norum. He left them after The Final Countdown album and tour, but would later rejoin them. He was also a member of Dokken for a while when George Lynch left. He is joined by two of Sweden’s rock royalty namely Marcel Jacobs (ex Talisman) on bass, and Goran Edman (ex Malmsteen) on vocals. Norum is a seriously good guitar player in the Yngwie school of widdle. Recorded in ’87, right at the pinnacle of the whole hair metal thing, and it does sound like that, especially with the big chorus and sing a long melodies. All songs about girls and cars. All originals apart from two, Back On The Streets by Vinnie Vincent, and Wild One by Thin Lizzy.

Things start off ok with Let Me Love You and Love Is Meant To Last Forever, both good tunes with some tasty guitar – then the obligatory ballad Too Many Hearts. A very average Someone Else Here follows, and into up tempo Eternal Flame, you would swear this was Malmsteen. Flip the disc over into the VV cover Back On The Streets, which is very lightweight and AOR with a nice solo. Blind follows, which would be my fave track even though you feel as though you have heard this a million times before. Things slowly peter out after, with two fairly typical melodic rockers before final track Wild One, which doesn’t divert too much from the Lizzy original. Overall not a bad album with some killer guitar.

6.5/10 from The Grooveman.

TESSERACT – Altered State

January 21, 2021 /

This is the second album from British Prog metallers TESSERACT. Also the only album to feature Ash O’hara on vocals, after the departure of Dan Tompkins who would return to the band later. Weirdly all-round crazy person Chris Barretto (ex of Periphery and Monuments), appears on two tracks. This is the double grey vinyl edition, and conveniently each side is split into themes, Of Matter, Of Mind, Of Reality and Of Energy. Technically there is only four tracks on the album, but they are split into sections. All the themes deal with change.

Starting things off with Proxy, and a clean almost ethereal vocal from O’Hara that grows into a superb choppy low-end djent groove that TESSERACT are famous for. A superb opening piece that blends into Retrospect, great vocal melodies and some superb off time grooves. This theme ends with the epic Resist, such an atmospheric piece with great melody and layered vocal.

Side 2 Of Mind starts with the single Nocturne with that superb low end riff, and into a soaring vocal and then back to that riff – such a great song. This is metal but not as we know it Jim. Absolute awesome stuff. I dare you not to bounce around which ever room you are in when that groove kicks in. One of the best djent tracks written. Not finished with this side yet as the choppy groove of Exiled finishes this side out.

On to Of Reality and opening piece, Eclipse, with huge doomy chords and that almost angelic vocal and that trademark TESSERACT choppy groove. Hell we’re nearly in jazz territory here. If you are a die hard 4/4 fan there is not a lot for you here as the time signatures are all over the map – as next track Palingenesis demonstrates perfectly. The first appearance of the aforementioned Barretto appears next with Calbi- Yau, but on saxophone not vocals.

Flipping over onto the last side, Of Energy, with the other single release, Singularity, starting things off – it dawns on me that there is no one like TESSERACT that do this as good as they do. The album finishes beautifully with the killer, Embers.

They have evolved since the Periphery-esque doodlings of their first album, and they now have a groove and a sound of their own. There is some great playing on here from Acle Carney and James Monteith- Guitars , Amos Williams – Bass, and Jay Postones on Drums. If you like your music to last beyond that initial burst of the thrill of listening to something new for the first time, and you want to keep coming back to it and get that feeling of wonder then – Tesserract- Altered State could just be for you.

9.5/10 from The Grooveman.

ALANIS MORISSETTE – Live at London’s O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire

January 20, 2021 /

Now before we get started, I will own up to avoiding acoustic albums like the plague as I always viewed them as a bit of a cop out and more often than not it’s not the way the music was meant to be presented. So what made me cave you wonder? Well I am a big fan of Ms. Morrissette’s voice, and with the clarity of the recording, and the power of that voice with just a pair of acoustic guitars as backing, I could not resist.

What you get here is her amazing break up album Jagged Little Pill played in its entirety, although not in order, with 4 other tracks that fit in with the theme. There are no overdubs here its a warts-n-all recording, which makes it a superb document. There are lots of little comments that obviously make her feel more comfortable, as well as the crowd, and add some fun to the occasion. Also she makes some cool little lyric changes to make things more current.

I won’t dissect this song by song as it think it distracts from the beauty of the whole piece. Each song feels as though she is telling you individually about the trails and tribulations of her life at the time, as it sounds as though she is in the room with you. You can feel the pain and the anguish!!! I love all of this and if you can track one down, get it! This is a RSD Black Friday release and was limited to 7000 copies worldwide.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

« Older posts Newer posts »

Archives

© 2026 THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑