THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Tag: vinyl records (Page 152 of 491)

LITTLE CAESAR – s/t

September 9, 2023 /

There seemed to be a lot of these stripped down hard rockin’ bands around in 1990, although most of them never had the tunes, just the image. Little Caesar however, had the tunes and a high end producer in Bob Rock behind them. It definitely shows as the production on this album is top notch. Remember, that Bob was also producing The Cult at this time and the sound and groove of both bands are very similar.

Stand out tracks are the kick ass opener Down n’ Dirty with a great sing along hook and chorus that gets stuck in your head. It was however, the band’s cover of the soul classic Chain Of Fools that got them the most attention. They coupled that superb hook line with a hard rockin’ groove and it worked a treat. The old school rock n’ roll vibe Rock N Toll State Of Mind is a fun uptempo rocker and the fade out track Little Queenie with that stones guitar riff.

Little Caesar were definitely head and shoulders above all the other biker bands of the time, and if I was an A&R guy at Geffen, I would have pushed them along with Cinderella as the vibe is very similar. A great rockin’ record that would sit well in anyone’s collection.

8.5/10 from The Grooveman.

THE CONTORTIONIST – Intrinsic

September 8, 2023 /

The Contortionist are one of my favourite bands and I have followed them from the beginning as they have transitioned and evolved along the way. This is album number two for the band and was the last to feature vocalist Jonathan Carpenter, who would be replaced by the amazing Michael Lessard. The progressive metal genre is very packed and overcrowded and you have to be something special to get noticed. They can play the most crushingly heavy riffs and grooves and in a blink of an eye, the most serene and beautiful takes over.

Holomovement opens up the album and is just that, a superb beautiful noise that grooves, chugs, and chills all at the same time. Definitely my favourite song. Feedback Loop crushes instantly before a beautiful harmonic progression takes over. That riff towards the end is epic! Causality closes out the first side with lots of D-tuned goodness and some seriously low end grooves.

The time and groove changes on Sequential Vision are insane, and man is this one heavy! Geocentric Confusion starts like a death metal band on substance abuse then the progisms interject at select intervals. Totally insane! Killer intro to Dreaming Schematics which at times feels as though everything is on a different time signature. Superb tune!

Side 3 opens up with Anatomy Anomalies and for a brief moment we have a normal groove and riff, but then we are off to the great unknown. The bass sound and groove to the start of Cortical is soooo good and the mix for this vinyl release is superb. Solipsis is the shortest piece on the album and yet in such a short space they just crush your ears.

Side 4 is given up to Parallel Trance both with and without vocals. I feel as though this would have been great in Blade Runner because its ambient sounds would fit perfectly.

A great band who are a one off, and while at times it can be tough to keep your brain trained to all that is happening, they are ultimately a sonically rewarding band.

9.5/10 from The Grooveman.

CZAKAN – State Of Confusion

September 8, 2023 /

I admit to not knowing a whole bunch about these guys. I think they formed in Germany in 1989, and by ’93 they were done. Except, I do believe they had an album out in April this year titled Unreal.

This is their first album and if you like melodic rock with a hard edge, then you might be in luck. Opening track State Of Confusion is the band wrapped up in a nutshell. Great hook and chorus, and the melody is high on the list of priorities. Tears follows and it’s more of the same. Nice riff, the guitar sounds killer, and those harmonies are great. Run With The Wind follows and those double kicks confuse slightly as this is a pomp rock classic that Styx would have been proud of, and to top it off we have a touch of the Yngwie’s with the solo. King Of Temptation starts with a riff that would not be out of place on any Dokken album, and the joint solo with keys and guitar is quite cool. It’s favourite song time with Side 1 close out track High Speeder. Double kicks all the way in this fun high octane rocker, with a great riff and killer guitar sound.

So Cold opens up Side 2 with a mid-tempo rocker and again, it’s the guitar that draws your attention. Eyes Of The Gods is up next and the intro riff and groove are awesome but it feels as though the rest of the song belongs somewhere else, apart from the solo section which I really like. They have a gift in writing great intro’s and Rock Will Survive doesn’t disappoint, plus this was a close second for favourite track. Thunder And Lightning also doesn’t let you down in the intro department and reminds me of early TNT, and that instrumental section is ripping. The album closes out with Too High To Touch and they saved it until the very end…power ballad time.

This album is regarded as a lost treasure and rightly so. If it was released five years earlier things may have been different, but I say that about a lot of records.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

GARY MOORE – After Hours

September 7, 2023 /

I think it’s well documented that Gary Moore is without doubt one of the best guitarists of his generation. Though it took him quite sometime to find out just exactly what made him happy. Having been chameleon-like by changing styles almost album by album, it wasn’t until the release of Still Got The Blues in 1990 that Gary truly felt at home. This is the follow up to that album, and was released in ’92. I think it’s safe to say Joe Bonamassa has copied the blueprint of Gary for his own empire.

People forget how good Gary’s voice is and the blues fits it perfectly, it is a fine compliment to his incendiary playing. Having seen him play on the Corridors of Power tour I didn’t think just a few years later he would be rockin’ up with a horn section and female backing singers, but this is still the same Gary just in a different frame. This is my favourite rock album of his, and it’s hard to pick a favourite track as it’s all killer. But, I’m going for the opener Cold Day In Hell, and the duet with BB King Since I Met You Baby. I bet Gary was like a little kid when he got BB to guest on his record.

You are deeply missed Gary and long may your music shine on.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

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