THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Tag: music review (Page 446 of 493)

NINE INCH NAILS – Pretty Hate Machine

April 18, 2021 /

Whips would have thought a band as annoying as Depeche Mode would influence a band as awesome as this. Now, I was living England in the eighties and The Mode were regarded as somewhat of a joke and fashion wannabes. So, when I moved over the other side of the pond, it came as a shock to find out that they were such an influence on so many people. NIN are not a lot like Depeche Mode – thank god -as they are a totally different subversive beast. Equal parts electro pop, dance and industrial metal, they were a jolt to the arm of the music scene at the time.

Things start off with the awesome Head Like A Hole, a killer track of epic proportions and encapsulates everything about the band at the time. Terrible Lie is a quirky track full of electronic weirdness and a simple groove. Down In It is a full on electro pop experience. Drum machines have developed so much since this album, well, it was released in ’89. Sanctified is the last track on this Side, and is another killer track with an epic bass line.

Something I Can Never Have starts like a soundtrack and is just a piano, a synth, and a vocal until an industrial backdrop looms in the background. The one track that does remind of Depeche Mode is Kinda I Want To. The choppy synth groove is very catchy. The track that everyone should know is Sin and that is up next. This is the song that I heard first and it’s a monster tune. A full on electronic metal masterpiece. This should get the most die hard rock fan up and grooving. That’s What I Got is more sleazy electro pop with a simple synth groove. The Only Time is another song about sexual endeavors and is my least favourite on the record. The very apt Ringfinger follows, and is a full on electro dance pop experience and is one of the three great songs on the record. It starts off quite simple and just builds. A very strange cover of Queen’s Get Down And Make Love is the last track on the album and bears no resemblance to the original. The only way you would know is the vocal line.

A groundbreaking album for sure as a whole genre would grow out of this record and The Downward Spiral.

8.5/10 from The Grooveman.

ROBIN TROWER – Victims Of The Fury

April 18, 2021 /

Robin’s first album of a new decade, and probably the last, before his popularity began to wane. It’s also nice to see the true three piece back as James Dewar is back playing bass as well as supplying his amazing vocal talents. Equal parts rock, soul, and funk, Robin carved a niche all of his own and ignoring all of the stupid comparisons to Hendrix that clueless journalists pedaled around.

Opening track, Jack And Jill, opens with that trademark Trower tone we all love, with a soulful lyric laid over the top. Slowing the pace down for the soulful Roads To Freedom that follows, and a great vocal and some tasteful playing from Robin. The awesome title track is up next and what a great track it is. Again, we start with a slow soul/R&B intro before it builds into the killer chorus and middle eight. The Ring follows and is my favourite on the album. An exercise in tone and control – a masterclass from Trower. I love a guitarist who tries something a little different to keep you hooked. This track has a serious groove and a great melody, but it’s the guitar that draws you in. Side 1 close out track is another chill out soulful tune with a great vocal.

Side 2 kicks off with Into The Flame, and an old school slow blues riff – it’s the Trower and Dewar show. The Shout follows and is an old school R&B style tune given the Trower treatment. The very groovy Mad House is next, and is a great tune with a very funky riff and killer solo. Ready For The Taking has a slower pace with a cleaner tone from Trower for the main riff. Final track, Fly Low, is a beautiful song to end with and has a really laid back groove.

A great production from Geoff Emerick, he let’s the music breath and it’s crystal clear. Robin didn’t make a bad album until after this one. That’s quite a run of 7 straight great records.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

HAKEN – Vector

April 16, 2021 /

They have been somewhat unfairly tagged as the Welsh Dream Theater, but they are definitely more than that. Formed back in 2007, this is their 5th full length album and an absolute monster it is too. Loosely linked to previous album Virus, this is a concept album about a doctor who has an evil interest in a patient of his.

After the twisted keyboard intro of Clear, we go straight into the Prog metal goodness that is The Good Doctor. The verse and musical interplay is fantastic. The slap bass groove is killer, and even though occupying the same musical landscape as Dream Theater, there is a lot more to Haken. In fact, they have more in common with Periphery than DT – even the Riph’s bass player, Nolly Getgood, is the producer here. The amazing Puzzle Box is next, and it’s one of the best tunes that Haken have done. There is so much going on to keep the listener engaged for an eternity. Everything sounds huge, but it doesn’t drown out anything, and has a crystal clear production. Veil starts with a beautiful piano intro before a soft vocal harmony fits over the top, and then BOOM we are into extreme Prog metal grooviness. Another outstanding track. Nil By Mouth follows with extreme heaviness to start things off, then we get a ripping riff and groove and stop start djentyness. All this and not even a sniff of a vocal. Host is the penultimate track and is a very laid back atmospheric piece. A really great tune to separate the grooves. The last track, A Cell Divides, arrives all too quickly, and man, what an opening – before we settle into some off time grooves.

A great album by a great young band. I have noticed people who follow me on Instagram, and who I have followed back, seem to like what I call “metal and rock by numbers”. It’s seems to be more about the likes than the music. May I suggest that you step out of your little eighties time capsule and try something new and expand your horizons?! Give this a try! If all your brain is used to is 4/4 then your groove muscle will thank you for this.

9.5/10 from The Grooveman.

CHICKENFOOT – III

April 16, 2021 /

I’ll admit to not being the world’s biggest Sam The Sham fan. Hell, I’d goe as far to say I positively hate the guy. He is one of the luckiest guys around, and has made his name by leeching off the talent of others. He has a half decent voice, and his lyrics are 12 year old school boy at best. So why did you buy this I hear you ask? Well, the band musically are killer, and live they were amazing – once I got past the aerobic keep fit nonsense from the singer. If you surround yourself with quality you can’t fail right? Joe Satriani on guitar, Chad Smith on drums and Michael Anthony on bass. That’s one hell of a line up to be in front of.

Last Temptation is a good solid opening track and rocks hard. Alright Alright is an ok tune, but the endless singing of the chorus gets a bit grating. Different Devil is next and is a typical Hagar solo tune. Up Next is…well err…Up Next, and is similar to the jam style tunes that were on the first record – it has a nice groove and some nice playing from Joe. Lighten Up closes out Side 1 and starts quite interesting with the Hammond effect on Joe’s guitar, but it turns into a straight up rock tune.

Side 2 kicks off with wimp ballad city with Come Closer. Three And A Half Letters was Hagar’s attempt at writing about the social climate and the economy. Big Foot was the lead off single and gets joint best track on the album award. A great riff from Joe, and the killer groove from Chad and Mike really drives this song along. Dubai Blues is next up and is the other great track on the album. Again, it has that loose jam feel to it which is when this band is cooking. Great playing all around. The last track, Something Going Wrong, is quite a chill ending to what is a fairly rocking album.

This record is not as good as the first album, which is a shame, as that was going in the right direction.

7/10 from The Grooveman.

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