THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Tag: vinyl records (Page 6 of 491)

OVERKILL – W.F.O.

June 23, 2025 /

I think I’m right in saying that every Overkill studio album has now been released, remixed, or remastered on vinyl on one label or another. Which when you are 20 albums in, is no mean feat.

This album came out in ´94 and chartered at #10 on Billboard and when you consider that this was prime time grunge, the decision to drop them by Atlantic was a weird one. As with most Overkill albums, they have stuck true to the formula whereas others have faded and changed. Blitz and the boys have thrashed their way through the 20 albums giving the fans what they want. The only one that veered slightly was I Hear Black, which didn’t go down to well with fans and critics.

This is Overkill at their best. Thrash a plenty, with hints of punk and hardcore sprinkled in, its no compromise here my friends just heads down no nonsense mindless metal, as it should be. Does anyone remember the video for Fast Junkie? If not, I’m not surprised as MTV hardly played it, but what a killer tune. I always loved the fact that Overkill played with plenty of groove and this album is prime time groove central, giving the dandruff plenty of opportunity to fly free.

If you’re a lover of all things thrash then you may already own this gem, but if not… away to the store with you.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

VAN HALEN – Fair Warning MoFi Original Master Recording

June 22, 2025 /

Well, I thought I would do this review straight after Women And Children First because it arrived the same day. Maybe I should just cut and paste the first VH MoFi review for all of them as I’m just in awe of these releases. I have loved them all from the first day of each of their relative release dates, and I think I know them pretty well, but the listening experience of these releases is stunning and I have the full goosebumps treatment.

This is a lot of people’s favourite VH album (mine too) and it’s also seen as the darkest lyrically and vibe wise. Mean Street reinforces the fact even more that’s it’s my favourite VH tune because the full menacing undertones assault my ears. Hear About It Later just sounds freaking amazing and the clarity is astounding. Again, I could pick anything as a favourite tune but today I’m going for the quirky outro duo of Sunday Afternoon In The Park and One Foot Out The Door, purely for the fact that Ed’s playing is just amazing and how we miss him so much.

You know the drill by now, everyone needs this in their life.

1,000/10 from The Grooveman.

VAN HALEN – Women And Children First MoFi Original Master Recording

June 19, 2025 /

So, here we are with the third Van Halen and the third MoFi Ultardisc One Step master recording. I convinced myself that after buying the first album that my curiosity was filled and I didn’t need to get the others, but here we are.

I have always thought that of the first six records, this one was the rawest and most similar to their live sound. I was very keen to hear how this sounded with the full treatment. Well, consider me mind blown again because it’s like listening to it for the first time. So crisp and clear, and the separation is just perfect. You don’t miss anything that was slightly buried in the mix as it’s all just perfect – especially the guitar tracks where both the rhythm and lead are very clear. Today, Romeo’s Delight is my favourite track, but I love it all.

Again, if you want splash to the cash and you’re a DLR era Van Halen fan, then this is must have.

1,000/10 from The Grooveman.

DREAM THEATER – Images And Words

June 17, 2025 /

I’m glad this album has come out again because it’s the only one I missed from the Music On Vinyl reissues. It’s a bonafide classic and the album that launched a whole movement.

With the opening track Pull Me Under and the accompanying video that went with it, the band just exploded and have never looked back. Bear in mind, that the song is 8:11 minutes long, so not the usual song length to capture your attention. Also, this was released in ‘92; prime time grunge and it still took off. Not all rock fans had jumped to the land of depression and some still wanted melody and killer playing in their lives. It was also the rebirth of the epic song with song times well above the 3 and 4 minutes. Learning To Live that closes out the album is 11:30 minutes and the birth of the Metropolis saga is 9:30 minutes.

Words can’t describe what this album did for me as it opened a whole new world and appreciation for a format I had left behind. Prog was back baby, but a lot more hard, heavy, and awesome. Take The Time is my favourite song here. It starts with a very heavy opening riff and groove, and goes through so many changes, vibes,  and grooves that I remember just bursting with joy when I heard it for the first time. That would be the DT blueprint right up until the present day as I wait with anticipation for their new release.

Absolute killer record and yes every home should have one.

10/10 from The Grooveman.

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