THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Tag: vinyl records (Page 113 of 491)

ANTHRAX – Spreading The Disease

January 1, 2024 /

The beginning of the 80’s was such a great time for rock and metal, it was one of the best times for music. In the UK, NWOBHM was bringing a whole bunch of new bands to public attention with a heavier and raw sound. There was a killer bunch of bands coming out of the US that were influenced by Van Halen. And, NWOBHM kids were pushing that influence further and harder to create Thrash. This is where Anthrax really took off.

Fistful Of Metal was full of youthful exuberance but lacked that something. With the addition of Joey on vocals and Frank on bass, they were the missing pieces in the Anthrax machine. I love every note on this album and I can vividly remember hearing it for the first time and head banging like a loon. I could pick any track as my favourite but today the pin has landed in Stand Or Fall. A full on thrash assault and even by Anthrax standards it’s fast.

Killer album released at such a fun time when it felt as though you were seeing a band play everyday.

10/10 from The Grooveman.

EXTREME – Six

January 1, 2024 /

I’m quite pleased that this album hasn’t come up to review before as there has been a lot of opinions posted about the record, some even saying it’s the best thing they’ve done and a lot of them regarding Nuno’s playing. Some of the things Nuno has said himself has you wondering where his head is at.

When you open an album with your best two songs, you are setting the bar very high for what comes after. Rise and Rebel are up there with the best things they have done, and that’s not even up for debate. Nuno’s playing is top drawer and frankly I wouldn’t expect anything less for someone as gifted as he is, plus they are both killer tracks. I really like Banshee, especially the beat and groove, it has that Extreme DNA for sure. Other Side Of The Rainbow is an acoustically driven pop song with a nice solo towards the end.

The Mask has a Gary Glitter drum groove with a Beautiful People Manson riff and sees Nuno and Gary sharing vocals. Thicker Than Blood has a NIN crossed with a RATM groove and vibe, it is the oddity of the album even though the solo is cool. I love the whole vibe of Save Me. It has a great groove and Nuno’s great guitar tone. An electro pop groove hits you on the opening to X Out, even though the feel is a lot darker. The rest of the tracks are either ballads or softer songs.

I would say that after the amazing opening, this album does tail off somewhat, but I do love it. There is only one Extreme and I hope they don’t leave it so long before releasing their next record.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

THE SENSATIONAL ALEX HARVEY BAND

December 19, 2023 /

This is the first album from one of Scotland’s greatest rock bands, released way back in ’72. Alex was looking to form a band and he saw one called Tear Gas play. He convinced them to join up with him, and the rest is history.

Alex had been performing a few of these songs since the early sixties in his soul band. The Willie Dixon song I Just Want To Make Love To You and Framed were from that time, but given a heavy update. Hammer Song and Midnight Moses are different versions from his solo album Roman Wall Blues, but given the Harvey treatment again. There’s No Lights On The Christmas Tree Mama was released as a single and is pure vaudeville and fit perfectly into the band’s theatrical performances. My favourite song is St. Anthony which is definitely one of the heaviest songs they recorded, with Zal riffing up a storm.

SAHB were a huge part of my adolescent years and I still listen to them often.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

CROBOT – Motherbrain

December 19, 2023 /

This is album number three for these retro sounding heavy groovers from Pottsville Pennsylvania. Fronted by the powerhouse vocals of Brandon Yeagley, these guys tick all the boxes for me. A lot of modern rock sounds as though it was created on the same computer using the same plug in, but not these guys.

Burn and Keep Med Down are standard Crobot groovers but Drown and Low Life sees the band adding to their pallets. Drown has a killer eerie vibe added to the grooviness and Low Life is my favourite tune on the album. It’s got freakin’ awesome heavy riffs and grooves with a monster hook and chorus. Alpha Dawg starts with a really heavy evil vibe and it reminds me a tad of RATM when they groove hard. The pace slows down for Side 1 closer Stoning The Devil, but there is no let up in the intensity. I’ve never thought of them as a stoner band, but this track definitely has those vibes.

Gasoline opens up Side 2 and what a killer track it is. It has a deep and dirty groove with Yeagley screaming out those vocals. Destroyer just rips from the get go. Again, it has that deep heavy riff that slays and the slow down for the main verse is so cool. Blackout starts with a slow moody intro before the riff-heavy guitar lays it down, and the instrumental section just rips. Afterlife is a close second in the favourite track stakes as that riff and groove swings just perfectly, and if I was going to release a single this would have been it. The album closes out with The Hive and we end as we came in, with a patented Crobot groover.

A great album by a great modern rock band and no, they DO NOT sound like Nickelback.

9.5/10 from The Grooveman.

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