THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Tag: vinyl of the day (Page 56 of 450)

ART OF ANARCHY – Let There Be Anarchy

March 7, 2024 /

The name Art of Anarchy is very similar in name to Sons Of Apollo. I guess Mr. Soto and Mr. Bumblefoot wanted to carry on with that Prog metal groove with this new project, seeing as MP is back in DT.

We have a very heavy and pounding opening with Die Hard. Double kicks speeding away with some very tasty drop tuned riffage, courtesy of Bumblefoot and one John Votta, whose brother, Vince is providing the pound, and of course Jeff is singing his ass off. It is very reminiscent of SOP. That heavy pounding groove continues with the intro to Echo Your Madness. It has a very catchy riff, melody line, and hook from Jeff. Vilified is a power ballad and we all know how powerful Jeff is at singing these type of songs.

Bridge Of Tomorrow is all about the vocal. Starting with a cool acoustic groove and adding in the power as the song proceeds, letting the vocal sit over the top. Cool song! The Side 1 close out tune Writing In The Wall is a heavy slow brooder with Jeff adding the cherry on the top again with a superb hook and melody.

Rivals opens up Side 2 with a very eerie opening, leading into a very cool riff. If I am being honest here, this feels like a JSS solo album as every song is centred around the vocal. Sure, the band is hot and killer and the riffs fly, but it does feel like that. Blind Mans Victory is basically a very cool AOR song with huge riffs and beats at peak moments. The middle and ending is a supremely heavy addition to make it feel like a different song.

I think Dying Days is my favourite, with a very heavy low down riff and that huge hook and chorus. The Good The Bad And The Insane starts just like the western movie with a similar name, before the heavy kicks in. The album ends with Disarray and a vibe very similar to Train Of Thought era DT.

My only gripe with the album is not a fault of the music but the pressing itself is soooo quiet, I’m having to crank the amp. I hope they carry on, I like this album a lot.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

INTERVALS – In Time

March 7, 2024 /

This is one of the early EP releases from Intervals in 2012. It’s just 5 tracks of djenty Prog metal grooves from the brain of Aaron Marshall. The band’s sound has moved on massively since this release and a lot of that really low end grunt has gone. So, if you are a lover of supreme low end grooves then this release should be high on your list.

Of the five songs here I really do like them all but my favourite of the bunch is the final track Epiphany. It’s more laid back than the others (at the start anyway) but the grooves are so cool and the lead playing is just beautiful.

I love most things that Aaron Marshall puts out and this another gem.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

PRINCESS PANG – S/T

March 7, 2024 /

You don’t even have to see the cover to know what this band are all about, the name alone tells you everything you need. Yet, another one and they’re done band. They just released this one album back in ’89 and then folded. It was surprisingly released on Metal Blade, which was a slight departure for them.

Fronted but female vocalist Jenni Foster (it was very unusual to see a glam sleaze band with a female vocalist), this album is a lot better than some of the other cheesy sleaze bands of the period. There are maybe three of tracks that stand out above the rest. These are Sympathy, which closes out Side 1. It is a kick ass tune and has that dirty rock n’ roll groove that I really love, complete with a tasty solo. Also the side 2 opener Scream And Shout, with it’s cool NWOBHM vibe mixed in with the glam. And lastly, my favourite tune on the record, China Doll. This is a sure fire crowd pleaser with a four to floor groove that you will be singing along to.

A fun listen that other glam bands cannot reach.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

ROUGHHOUSE – S/T

March 7, 2024 /

Does anyone remember a band called Teeze?

They released one album and then they were gone. Well, not quite. They had an image and a name change and then reappeared as Roughhouse. Under the new name, they had a more glam look that maybe would appeal to what was happening over in the west coast. That would’ve all been great but then you open the album with an aor/melodic rock song, which was sort of what the band were doing previously as Teeze, it just seems a little odd. Now, I’m not ripping into the song. It is a banger for an aor band, but I’m just querying the name and image change here.

In fact, the whole album is a harder edged aor monster. If you look at the bands they went out on the road with: Kix, Cinderella, and White Lion, the record company were pushing them down the wrong path. Maybe they should have gone out with Foreigner or Toto who are a much better fit.

Anyway, I’m drifting away here. My favourite track is Don’t Go Away, which is definitely a lost AOR classic with killer vocal and harmonies. Occasionally the band rock it up with tracks like Love Or Lust and Teeze Me Pleeze Me, when the glam makes an appearance.

I like this album for what it is, not what it’s supposed to be.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

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