GrumpyRocker

2011 was an amazing year for Mike Marlin, he released his debut album Nearly Man, turned 50 and was featured as HMV's 'Next Big Thing' - he also appeared in Jimbo's top albums of 2011, but that aside Mike was more than willing to answer Jimbo's questions about music, life and a little insight into his new album Man on the Ground.

For a band who named themselves after the infamous Monty Python Parrot Sketch, Ex Norwegian were never going to be a conformist band. Despite Jimbo attempting and failing to write a review of their Sketch album based on the Python scripts he has on his bookcase, you can still read the smattering of Python reference after the jump, it's just a shame or a relief he couldn't fit the now completely non PC named sketch Mrs Nigger-Baiter Explodes into the review.

There are two things that you shouldn’t talk about in polite company; politics and religion. The only problem is that in terms of the Grumpyrocker website, both Harry and Jimbo studied politics at university, Jimbo is a reformed campanologist, whilst Harry is married to a vicar, this means realistically it would be very hard not to find some political or religious references scattered around the place. So when the overtly atheist rock band Hymns debut double album Cardinal Sins / Contrary Virtues was handpicked by Jimbo for review, all politeness goes out of the window.

When Italian rockers Sunday Recovery turned up in the Grumpyrocker office, Jimbo jumped at the chance to review their debut album Coma, however, it seems that Jimbo has not only reviewed the album, but been on a little journey of self discovery too. Read the review and all Jimbo's thoughts after the jump.

Are Butterfly Fan The Inferno building up to something? After being formed back in 1999; or 2006 if you include the start that they embarked on live gigs; towards the end of 2010 saw the release of their debut double a-sided single Brassneck / Fanatic and 29 August 2011 will mark the release of their second double a-side Sunset Scavengers / i Coma. In terms of the overall history of BFTI these past couple of years have been prolific to say the least and Jimbo is more than happy to take a listen.

I remember listening to Metallica's last album, St. Anger for the first time. I was working at an ISP and the Entertainment Editor received an advanced copy from the record company.

We sat and listened to it in stunned silence. This was really the new Metallica album? But it sounds like it was recorded in a shed. And instead of Lars drumming they've let a five year-old have a go with two wooden spoons and some pots and pans. And where is Kirk?

We all know how that ended. St. Anger was therapy for a band at war and bloody torture for those of us who heard it. The record was a failure in every sense - in terms of composition, performance and production.

The new album - Death Magnetic - features some similar problems. Somehow it seems to emerge from the other side as the band's best effort since 1991's Black Album.