THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

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BLACK ROSE – EP

December 1, 2024 / / 0 Comments

Now it’s quite unusual for a rock band from the North East of England in the early 80’s to not release at least a single on Neat Records, but Black Rose are just that band. Although, the track Red Light Lady was recorded at Impulse studios which was Neat headquarters.

Nice and raw with no frills is what this period of music was all about and Black Rose are giving it their best shot here. Sure, it has a few bum notes here and there but I love that just go for it attitude.

We’re Gonna Rock You opens up that album and it does what it says on the tin. Used And Abused is a nice mid-tempo high energy groover. Red Light Lady is a full tilt hard rockin’ blast, almost punk in its execution, but a whole bunch of fun to boot. Stand Your Ground closes out the EP and it has hints of Thin Lizzy and early Rush, mixed with that raw NWOBHM vibe.

A great little EP.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

NITRATE – Real World

December 1, 2024 / / 0 Comments

Nitrate are from Nottingham and have released three albums to date, all on different labels. I think their last album came out through Frontiers. This is their first effort and it was released on Melodic Rock Records back in 2015 on CD. This vinyl edition came out in 2021.

I thought the wombat had bitten the dust a long time ago, but I guess not. I bought this after hearing the track Crank Up The Weekend, which is a great tune with a nice fat crunchy guitar, a great groove, and not a bad hook and chorus. The rest of this album is AOR 101, a very pleasant happy vibe with melody and harmony at the top of the agenda.

Although, they are missing that one killer tune to glue it all together.

7/10 from The Grooveman.

HOUSE OF LORDS – Full Tilt Overdrive

November 27, 2024 / / 0 Comments

Bearing little resemblance to the band that recorded their first three albums from ’88 to ’92, this incarnation of House of Lords may just have released their strongest album since the awesome Demons Down. This album sees the introduction of one Mark Mangold of Touch fame on keys and songwriting to beef up the line up.

Jimi Bell on guitar is this band’s secret weapon, however. As a killer riffmeister and soloist, he really drives the band along and it’s the songs where he features most that are my favourites. In fact, the title track is my favourite song on the whole record. A ripping opening riff and groove drive this beast of a tune along and that main hook and chorus are just superb.

Of course, with this being a Frontiers release we have the obligatory issues with the pressing. Last track on Side 1, Cry Of The Wicked, skips like a CD when knocked so we know that this pressing is from a digital source. Plus, the surface noise on Side 4 is so loud it spoils the listening experience.

Musically it’s a 9/10 but the pressing quality is 4/10 from The Grooveman.

KEEL – Lay Down The Law

November 27, 2024 / / 0 Comments

So, after Steeler went their separate ways it wasn’t long after that Keel was born. This is their debut album and was released in ’84 on Shrapnel Records. After this, they signed a major label contract with Vertigo and put out The Right To Rock which contained three songs from this release. They were Speed Demon, Tonight You’re Mine, and the Stones’ cover Let’s Spend The Night Together.

Anthems are Ron’s forte and that’s what made his name. Lay Down The Law, Born Ready, Metal Generation, and my favourite Speed Demon are this record’s anthem contributions. I do like a double guitar assault and Brian Jay and Marc Ferrari complement each other really well.

It’s not the best Keel album, it is quite raw sounding but for a debut, it rocks.

7.5/10 from The Grooveman.

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