REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Tag: vinyl records (Page 230 of 491)

SPIRITBOX – Eternal Blue

I’m not sure how many metal bands originate in Victoria, British Columbia, but Spiritbox have certainly put it on the map. This album is a killer modern metal masterpiece. Revolving around the vocal talents of Courtney LaPlante, who with a flick of the switch possesses the deep screams that any death metal band would be proud of. A lot of modern metal bands sacrifice groove for speed, and how many millions beats you can you do in a second. But, the groove is deep and wonderful with Spiritbox.

Hurt You is just insanely awesome. A heavy D-tuned groove with epic vocal that is both growl and clean, plus the samples and electronic elements are very effective. Yellowjacket is freakin’ nuts! With a guest vocal from Sam Carter, and at times sounding deliciously evil. Silk In The Strings is so cool. There is soooo much going on! The groove is epic and the electronic guitar wizardry is awesome. Holy Roller is my favourite tune. When metal and technology collide – just supremely heavy! The beauty of Courtney’s vocals on the title track is just superb. Great band and I’m looking forward to many more tunes like this.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

TEARS FOR FEARS – The Seeds Of Love

If you want an album to test how good your hi-fi is, then I suggest you buy this. This a superb sounding album!!! Mind you, it should do as it took nearly three years to record and cost over a million to make. I also have the surround sound version, and that is mind blowing. The separation of the instruments is incredible. This is one of those records you put on to impress yourself. They opened the paintbox when they made this and made sure they used all the colours.

Amongst the hits you all know like Woman In Chains, and the epic Sowing The Seeds Of Love, which is my favourite, there are killer extended pieces like Birdmans Song, which encompass a variety of musical styles, and Swords And Knives, which is progressive rock. Great band and they are something else live, surrounding themselves with the best.

A definite 10/10 from The Grooveman for sonic S alone. 

LIZZY BORDEN – Visual Lies

If you have read some of my reviews you will know that I love guitars, and guitar players. The guitar player in question here is Joe Holmes. Joe has not had a whole lot of recorded output but he was with Ozzy for about six years, and he toured with Dave Lee Roth on the  Little Ain’t Enough tour after Jason Becker fell ill. You should check out Joe’s Facebook page as he has a new album coming out soon, and some of the samples have been killer. Anyway, this is Lizzy Borden’s fourth full studio album, released back in ’87. It’s a lot more melodic than previous efforts and I think it’s one of their best albums.

Me Against The World is a kick ass opening with a great riff and groove. Shock is a very commercial sounding tune with a great hook and chorus that repeats over. Nice snappy solo as well. Outcast is a pure hair metal anthem, especially around the chorus, with a slow build up, great sing a long section, and killer solo. Den Of Thieves is pedal to the metal old school Lizzy Borden. Great stuff! The intro to Visual Lies is pretty cool, and the harmonies are on the money with a hands in the air groove.

Eyes Of A Stranger has a Judas Priest opening, and has a very euro metal vibe with a very melodic solo. Lord Of The Flies is up next and it is my favourite track, mainly due to the guitar sound and playing, parts of this song remind me of early Iron Maiden. Great song! Voyeur has a really cool opening, but this is the weakest song on the album. The album closes out with Visons, an epic brooding builder. Nice riff and groove, and that’s your lot. Lizzy Borden never quite made it out of the second division and this album reflects that.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

FOGHAT – Stone Blue

Britain’s other great boogie band. They didn’t mean a whole bunch back in the UK, but in America they did quite well and still tour up and down the US every year. The Live album was their biggest charting album, but this was not far behind.

The title track open up the album in fine boogie style. Some epic slide playing from Rod “The Bottle” Price, and it’s one of the band’s best tracks. An absolute ripping version of Sweet Home Chicago follows. I dare you to put this on and not groove along. Easy Money cons you into thinking it’s a straight up boogie, that is until that driving beat kicks in. Midnight Madness close out Side 1 and it’s a complete change of pace and groove, it’s my favourite track. It’s almost country-rock until the power gets turned on then they give Zeppelin a run for their money. The middle section is superb.

It Hurts Me To is pure Americana before it was invented. High On Love sounds as though it should have been released as a single, as the vibe is different to the rest of the album. A cover of the classic Chevrolet follows, and they have funked it up somewhat. Great version! The album closes out with Stay With Me, and it’s the weakest track on the album. Great band!

9/10 from The Grooveman.

« Older posts Newer posts »