THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Page 6 of 477

RAILWAY – Welcome Tonite

Railway are a hard rock/metal band from Germany. This is album number five of the six they originally released, and it came out in ’93 through SPV. According to the band’s guitarist/vocalist, they did everything themselves with virtually no help from the label.

There are a couple of stinkers on the album (Let It Be) but otherwise it is a highly enjoyable romp through the 10 songs. Steelhorse Riding is a really great song with a fast pounding groove and killer riff to match that any band of this genre would have been proud of. The one thing that did surprise me was how good the vocal harmonies were, they lift the hooks and chorus to a high level.

I know it’s not Railway’s best effort but it has its moments, and if you see it cheap then it’s worth getting just for Steelhorse Riding.

7/10 from The Grooveman.

HITTEN – First Strike With The Devil Revisited

This is the revisited version of Hitten’s album that originally came out in 2014. It’s as though we have gone back in a Time Machine to 1980 and Iron Maiden and Tank had a love child. Seriously though, I’ve heard it all before. However, this is really good and very well executed. Old school metal with plenty of melody and hooks, it’s a treat to the ears I tell ya.

Chock full of bangers and not a dud in site. Tough to pick a favourite track but I’m going for Evil Power. The Maidenisms are on full and it’s so good. This is how I wish Maiden had carried on with this style.

I have all Hitten’s albums and they have progressed in style and moved away from this sound. They don’t make bad records and I highly recommend you dipping your toe into the Hitten universe. Great band, great record.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

HOLLAND – Little Monsters

Holland aren’t quite a “one and they’re done” band because they released two albums, albeit fourteen years apart. This album came out in ’85 and is a nice slab of rock/pop. Also, this is the first album that guitar whizz Michael Angelo Batio appeared on and it has to be said, his playing does lift the songs. The band are based around the husky tones of vocalist Tom Holland, but it’s Batio that steals the show.

Highlights are Love In On Time, Sacrifice (very Def Leppard), and my favourite Wake Up The Neighbourhood. They up the speed and groove on this one and Batio is awesome. There are also a couple of stinkers and I guess that’s why they were dropped after this album.

It’s okay and a pleasant enough listen, and it’s cool to hear Batio in a more restrained mode.

6.5/10 from The Grooveman.

BABYLON A.D. – Rome Wasn’t Built In A Day

It’s kinda cool that these guys are still around because they had it given to them and then had it taken away so to speak, and yet they are still plugging away. The one and only Clive Davis at Arista gave them a contract after having seen them at a showcase because he was so impressed by them.

Now, this is a brand new recording with what I think are all new songs. The first thing I noticed is the mix. It sounds flat and muffled, especially the drums, and it’s a tad off putting. The songs are well put together and a couple of them are awesome. The rasp of Derek Davis’ vocals even brings out the best in some of them.

Open with a bang they say, and that’s just what the band do here with Wrecking Machine. Killer track with a massive hook and chorus and this is what Davis’ vocals were made for. Pain and White Hot Bullet are the other two monster tunes on Side 1 both with heavy riffs that hit the spot. There are a couple of power ballads that really don’t do much for me because it’s not my thing. The other ripping track on the album is Super Beast, which closes out the record. Ironically, it is the only track that Davis didn’t write and it’s an instrumental.

It’s not a bad effort, but that mix could have been a lot better.

7/10 from The Grooveman.

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