REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Tag: vinyl records (Page 9 of 477)

BABYLON A.D. – Rome Wasn’t Built In A Day

It’s kinda cool that these guys are still around because they had it given to them and then had it taken away so to speak, and yet they are still plugging away. The one and only Clive Davis at Arista gave them a contract after having seen them at a showcase because he was so impressed by them.

Now, this is a brand new recording with what I think are all new songs. The first thing I noticed is the mix. It sounds flat and muffled, especially the drums, and it’s a tad off putting. The songs are well put together and a couple of them are awesome. The rasp of Derek Davis’ vocals even brings out the best in some of them.

Open with a bang they say, and that’s just what the band do here with Wrecking Machine. Killer track with a massive hook and chorus and this is what Davis’ vocals were made for. Pain and White Hot Bullet are the other two monster tunes on Side 1 both with heavy riffs that hit the spot. There are a couple of power ballads that really don’t do much for me because it’s not my thing. The other ripping track on the album is Super Beast, which closes out the record. Ironically, it is the only track that Davis didn’t write and it’s an instrumental.

It’s not a bad effort, but that mix could have been a lot better.

7/10 from The Grooveman.

WRATHCHILD AMERICA – Climbin The Walls

Not to be confused with their British counterparts with the same name, (hence the addition of America) these guys are a lot heavier and way more metal. They only released two albums and then they were done. I’m not sure what the other members are doing now, but drummer Shannon Larkin went on to drum for Ugly Kid Joe and Godsmack, and bassist Brad Divens played with Kix (I think).

Other than the instrumental track, Hernia which is just a space filler, the rest of the album is not bad and highly entertaining. I love the mix of traditional metal and thrash. Highlights for me are Climbin’ The Walls, No Deposit No Return, London After Midnight, and the epic (and my fave) Candy From A Madman. Musically, the Metallica and Maiden references are apparent throughout the album, but that’s not a bad thing, and lyrically they are quite inventive.

I’m sure the confusion with the name hurt them and maybe they should have picked another one, but what do I know. Fun album!

8/10 from The Grooveman.

SEDUCE – Too Much Ain’t Enough

This is the band’s second release which came out in ’88. I remember buying this after a recommendation from Kelv Hellraiser at Shades, and this was not the usual thing he raved about. Sure, it has that hint of glam, but this is much more dirty rock n’ roll with no lipstick or glitz to be seen.

I love the raw in your face production here, it makes this three piece sound huge. They have a cool way of keeping the songs catchy and they know how to write cool hooks. Any Time Or Place has a killer hook and chorus and is my fave track, but No Use and Two Much Ain’t Enough are great toe tappers as well. They come from Detroit, so that dirty mean rock n’ roll vibe is in their DNA.

Cool record!

8/10 from The Grooveman.

BANSHEE – Take Em By Storm

This album originally saw the light of day back in ’93, right bang in the middle of grunge central and you can guess the rest. If you look at the cover, you’d be forgiven for thinking these guys are prime time Sunset Strip glam, but this is way more metal. They have killer riffs, very reminiscent of Jake E Lee and Dime in style, epic grooves, and killer vocals… they deserved a whole lot more that’s for sure. They flew so far under the radar that they passed everyone by.

I love this record, it kicks major ass. Side 1 is one of the best sides of melodic metal anywhere. Color Me, Fight, and my personal favourite Running Wild are just epic. Massively huge riffs and killer grooves are the order of the day, and the guitar tone on Running Wild will floor you.

The band reunited in 2012 and there was an album released in 2019. If you love this type of melodic metal then this is a must have.

9.5/10 from The Grooveman.

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