THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Tag: vinyl records (Page 132 of 491)

VINCE NEIL – Exposure

November 9, 2023 /

Now, I am no way a fan of Vince Neil! “So why did you buy this record?” I hear you cry. Two words…Steve Stevens.

I think Steve is an amazing guitar player and whoever he plays with, he lifts the song to another level. Would Billy Idol be as well known as he is if it wasn’t for Steve? There’s one thing for sure, he absolutely kills it on this album.

After Vince left Motley Crüe in ’92 he was looking straight away to put a band together to record what would be become this record. It finally saw the light of day in ’93 and I hate to admit it, but it’s a classic of the genre. A nice production by Ron Nevison really makes the songs pop.

It’s hard to pick a favourite track as this is one killer album, but I will go for Edge. It has some great flamenco from Steve before maximum riffing kicks in, this is probably the heaviest song in the album. Honourable mention goes to Living In Luxury with its hint of Flesh For Fantasy.

Believe me, this is Steve’s album. His influence and stamp are all over this record. Killer record.

10/10 from The Grooveman.

ACCEPT – Metal Heart

November 8, 2023 /

I remember buying this album when it first came out and feeling a tad disappointed. Following Restless & Wild and Balls To The Wall, which were both great records, this album felt as though it was just plodding along. Were they trying to be too commercial? I think so.

Tracks like Midnight Mover and Up To The Limit just come across as trying to be a Judas Priest-lite. Too High To Get It Right even sounds like AC/DC, and you’d be forgiven for thinking that the intro to Living For Tonite was the Scorpions (well, the album was produced by Dieter Dierks). There are a couple of old school speedy tracks like Wrong Is Right and my favourite Teach Us To Survive, which is at least pushing the envelope and being a little different.

It’s not that it’s a bad album, it’s just that you can tell the record company was squeezing the band for hits.

7/10 from The Grooveman.

JELUSICK – Follow The Blind Man

November 8, 2023 /

I thought this would be a definite record that Frontiers would be putting out, but no. Those nice folks at Escape Music are putting it out and that means at least the pressing will be of decent quality.

I think most people who listen to hard rock will be aware of the vocal talents of Dino Jelusick who exploded onto the scene just a few short years ago. I first came upon him after listening to the Dirty Shirley project with George Lynch and being mightily impressed with his voice. He is being hailed as the new Dio and I think he has more range and power than Ronnie. Dino could sing the phone book if you gave it to him.

I know this album took a long time to get out there as it was recorded over various sessions over a few years, but it was definitely worth the wait. I think this is a killer record that veers more down the metal path than hard rock, but it has loads of melody with the vocals and superb guitar from Ivan Keller (who I knew nothing about until hearing this).

What are my high points? Well, it’s all a freakin’ high point and if I’m pushed for a favourite track, it’s Side 1 closer What I Want. This is a high octane up tempo rocker with maximum fat and chunky riffage, and Dino just kills it on vocals.

Hard rock doesn’t get better than this boys and girls. There are many many high points on this record and it is a definite contender for album of the year.

200/10 from The Grooveman.

MUSHROOMHEAD – The Righteous And The Butterfly

November 7, 2023 /

It’s hard to believe that this album is nearly ten years old, I remember picking it up like it was yesterday. I don’t usually care for Nu-metal, but I have a man crush on Mushroomhead. Mainly due to the fact that groove is at the heart of the music they make. A lot of bands put groove at the bottom of their needs list around this time, so basically I just switched off. However, I find Mushroomhead very intriguing. Their stage imagery is quite cool, I dig that whole schlock horror thing they do and it fits really well with the tunes.

They’ve been around since ’93 and have managed to release eight albums, this is number seven. There are lots of good things on this record but the outstanding track is We Are The Truth. Joined on vocals by Jackie Laponza from Unsaid Fate, this tune goes down varying paths including funk, rap, and of course metal with hints of Rage Against The Machine. Great tune! Just to prove that they can do it old school, Out Of Mind is a close second for my favourite. It’s big, fat, d-tuned goodness all the way.

I know this won’t float everybody’s boat, but I really like it.

8.5/10 from The Grooveman.

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