THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Tag: music review (Page 272 of 479)

TANK – This Means War

June 8, 2022 /

This is the band’s third release, and was also the third album to be released on the fledgling UK label, Music For Nations. The band also expanded the line up to a four piece with the addition of a second guitar player, Mick Tucker. This would turn out to be a nightmare for band founder, Algy Ward, much later on with two versions of the band doing the rounds. Algy’s trademark Lemmy style vocals are still there, but this time the songs have a lot more melody present (whether this was Tucker’s influence or management, who knows?), but this was the best album the original band did.

Right from the opening track, Just Like Something From Hell, you can hear the songs are longer and more intricate. The production is more polished and Tucker’s guitar playing is a definite upgrade. His solo on Hot Lead Cold Steel is very UFO. I love the riff and groove to the title track, it’s NWOBHM at its best. This is a real catchy record, and If We Go Down Fighting will get the head a nodding and the toe tapping – the hook and chorus is a total earworm. Last track, Echoes Of A Distant Battle, is quite possibly the best thing the band have done.

If you are a fan or a collector of NWOBHM, then you should definitely have this in your collection.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

JOE BONAMASSA – Driving Towards The Daylight

June 7, 2022 /

There is one thing for sure, since Jo Bo teamed up with Kevin Shirley his career has exploded. It seems every week there is another project, or tour, or something Jo Bo related that his fan base just eat up. Well I guess he has to fund his guitar addiction someway, right kids?

Joking aside, he doesn’t make bad albums and they try to make them different in some way to keep it all fresh. This album came out in 2012, it is a very clean sounding, and uncluttered record; an almost back to basics sound. Dislocated Boy opens up the album and is trademark Jo Bo, a very groovy beat and lots of Jo. The tracks I love the most are more of the traditional sounding tracks, like I Got All You Need which is a beautiful shuffle with some killer guitar. Lonely Town Lonely Street which has a very dirty groove, and I love the swing to this track. Jimmy Barnes makes a stunning appearance on Too Much Ain’t Enough Love and steals the show for me.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

JEFF SCOTT SOTO – The Duets Collection Vol. 1

June 6, 2022 /

I’m not usually a fan of these done-to-order projects that Frontiers put together, but this one is done really well. Killer selection of songs with some amazing vocal performance from Jeff and his guests.

Things get off to a rockin’ start with Livin’ The Life, where he is joined by his bandmate in WET, Eric Martensson. Next up is a track Jeff recorded with Yngwie, Don’t Let It End, where he is joined by the amazing vocals of Dino Jelusick. Boy does this guy have a set of pipes (check out the Dirty Shirley album he did with George Lynch). Next up is the first of the Talisman songs: Mysterious, where Eric Martin shares the vocals. Tough song to do especially as the original is so good. Believe In Me has Nathan James from Inglorious as the duet, and it’s the one song that doesn’t quite live up to the rest. Coming Home, a song Jeff wrote with Neal Schon and has Deen Castronovo on vocals. What a killer voice Deen has. It has to be tough when Jeff is covering his own songs. I’ll Be Waiting is another Talisman tune which he sings with Alirio Netto, and again the original is so good that he maybe should have done it in a different style.

Calling All Girls is next up and Jeff is joined by super lungs Russell Allen, and it’s strange to hear him sing anything other than power metal epics but it works. Colour My XTC is another Talisman track and he is joined by Renan Zonata, who I do not know but this is the best cover of the Talisman tunes, with extra killer guitar from Jorge Santos – who until now I have not heard of. Always liked Johnny Gioelli when he was in Hardline and nice to see him appear on the Axel Rudi Pell track Warrior. I guess it was inevitable that a ballad would rear its ugly head and Holding On is it, with guest BJ who apparently is in Brazilian band Spektra. The album closes out with Again 2 B Found, which I think appeared on the Humanimal band project. Joined by Mats Leven, I think this my favourite of the whole album. Always loved the original and this definitely does it justice.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

INTRONAUT – Prehistoricisms

June 6, 2022 /

This is the 2nd by Intronaut, and they are one of my favourite bands in this genre. Prog metal is a very wide ranging, and broad tidy little box that reviewers put bands in when they haven’t got a clue how to categorize said band. Intronaut try to squeeze as much differing grooves and styles into one of their tunes as possible.

Their first album was a lot more hardcore. Some of those vibes spill over here, especially on Cavernous Den Of Shame which sounds very hardcore until you listen to the riffs and grooves, and the odd time signatures. This is a killer track with some superb bass and drum patterns. The intro to Prehistoricisms does indeed sound like dinosaurs tramping through your garden with the main groove of the piece being almost jazz metal. The most outstanding piece on the album is The Reptilian Brain, which takes up the whole of Side 4 and is split into five parts: Sleep, Eat, Shit, Fight, F…k – which just about sums up life today! The piece just builds from the opening Indian rhythms to the crushing deep riffs and grooves, and all points in between, epic stuff. I urge people to check the band out, they are a very rewarding listen.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

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