THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Tag: music review (Page 486 of 493)

BRUCE DICKINSON – Skunkworks

January 9, 2021 /

Looking back, it was a really brave decision leaving Iron Maiden to go solo when he did. Grunge was in full flow and Metal was not flavour of the month.

Trivia time folks!!! Bruce was actually going to have this as the debut album by the band Skunkworks, but the label refused to release it under anything else other than his own name.

Skunkworks actually reflects the time it was recorded very well as it is very alternative sounding in a rocky way if that makes sense. This version is a 2017 remaster on double 180g vinyl and it sounds great, clear, and loud. The band that played on this release are mainly unknowns apart from ex Gun guitarist Alex Dickson.

Things start off nicely with the Space Race and into the single Back From the Edge, which sees Dickinson showing great variation in his vocal. Faith is a more straight ahead rocker. Solar Confinement is a really cool song with a cool chorus guitar, and then into the Nirvana-esque Dreamstate which is a very weak song. Then I Will Not Accept The Truth, also Nirvana-ish but with more balls. Inside The Machine which starts Side 3, is also giving a nod in Seattle’s direction but with more melody. Next track is Headswitch which is one of album’s best tracks with more than a hint of Soundgarden about it. Meltdown follows and then into Side 4 with slow paced Octavia. Then we have the rockier Innerspace, and finally Strange Death in Paradise which builds quite well and is a strong album closer.

Unfortunately Bruce has such a strong presence as a metal vocalist it’s very difficult for that voice to be used in anything else without sounding out of place. Not a bad album but…6/10 from The Grooveman.

QUEEN – Sheer Heart Attack

January 8, 2021 /

Back in the mists of time of 1974, I was a huge Queen fan as were most of my school. They were a different beast back then pre-Bohemian Rhapsody. Less about Freddie and more about the band, in fact, they were more about Brian’s guitar and the rock. Opener Brighton Rock emphasizes this to the max as this is one of the more heavy tracks the band had released showcasing Brian’s guitar – with his trademark use of the call and reply echo effect. This would be a live staple for years.

There are also two top 10 singles off this album namely Killer Queen and Now I’m Here. Even Roger Taylor got to sing lead vocal on Tenement Funster – a track he wrote . There are two nods to the Queen of the future namely Lily Of The Valley and Bring Back Leroy Brown as these two tracks are pure Freddie.

Side 2 kicks off with the strange In The Lap Of The Gods with manipulated vocals before it became fashionable. Then for the metalheads we come to Stone Cold Crazy, which according to some, was the first thrash/speed metal song recorded Again featuring Brian to the max. (Metallica performed it at the Freddie Mercury tribute show at Wembley). John Deacon gets in on the songwriting front as his song Misfire is the 4th track in on Side 2.

I sometimes wish that Queen had stuck with this style instead of treading the path that they did as I think they are a much better rock band than a pop outfit. In my opinion this is the best Queen album, but what do I know?

8/10 from The Grooveman.

TEXTURES – Dualism

January 8, 2021 /

Killer 2012 release from these Dutch Prog groove metallers. The super sad news is that they are no longer together. They split up after the release of the follow up album to this due to apathy and knocking on the door for far too long and getting nowhere.

I managed to catch them live once in support of this album with Periphery and The Contortionist. I know killer line up or what? If I were to describe Textures to anyone I would say listen to the first track Arms of The Sea as this has everything that you would associate with the band. Namely awesome clean and growl vocal, off time drum rhythm grooves, drop D and beyond guitars, and a crushing ending.

Things carry on nicely through Black Horse Stampede and beautiful Reaching Home until we reach the epic Sanguine Draws the Oath. Another great off time groove and riff from Jochem Jacobs and Bart Hennephofs dual guitars, some killer drumming courtesy of Stef Brooks and epic vocal from Daniel De Jong. Absolute killer stuff. The riffs go really low in full djentorama!! Buy this album for this track alone!! Side 1 closes out with the epic Consonant Hemispheres.

Over to Side 2 and the instrumental Burning the Midnight Oil gets things going nicely, and then into the mighty Singularity again with weird off time groves and killer drums. Minor Earth Major Skies, Stoic Resignation, and Foreclosure fly by and we get all too quickly to the close out track Sketches From A Motionless Statue, almost Dream Theateresque in its beginning.

It’s sad to say that the music business is littered with bands like Textures who burn brightly for a short period and then they are gone. I know it wasn’t for a lack of trying as they funded almost everything themselves. If I were to recommend one Textures album to purchase for your collection then it would be this monster.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

LARKIN POE – Peach

January 7, 2021 /

I think the first review I did for this blog was Larkin Poe, well the randomizer throws them your way again.

This album from 2018 is basically just the two Lovell sisters playing everything themselves. A mixture of originals and covers, the sisters are taking us deep into Mississippi blues territory on this one. Rebecca’s vocals have such depth and feel for one so young, and on the original Cast Em Out she seriously delivers. Pink & Red has a very modern delivery with that delta backdrop not too far away.

The sister’s versions of blues and gospel classics, John The Revelator and Robert Johnson’s Come On In My Kitchen, may have some blues purists crying in there fried chicken but I love these versions as they breath new life into them.

Tracks like Wanted Woman – AC/DC have again that very modern feel with programming and loops that should appeal to younger ones among us with some great lap steel and slide from Megan.

Please do yourselves a favour and check Larkin Poe out. They are incredible and deserve your support. If we ever get back to going to gigs again I will be first in line when they call by.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

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