I remember when this album came out because it sort of sailed against the tide in the UK, as rock and metal were more on the heavy side in ’85. Although the album gained great reviews in the rock press, it disappeared quite quickly. This is the only album to feature Tony Liddell on lead vocals. If you’re from the North East of England you will be very familiar with Tony. He has been in many bands that play their trade in the working men’s clubs of the north of England. Of course, after this album Terry Brock became the singer and the band became a cult band within the aor scene. That sort of insinuates that Tony was a bad fit and his performance on the album wasn’t that great. On the contrary, this is a great record and Tony’s voice suits the songs really well.
The highlight is guitar player Ian Stewart, who can really play and he adds something great to each song. The album was produced by Kevin Elson who gave the record a huge polished sound. Now, you may be thinking that because I labelled this an aor release that there would be ballad overload, but there is not a ballad in sight. All the songs are uptempo each with killer melodies that you can’t help but sing to. My favourite track is the final track of the album which is a kick ass rockin’ tune with some epic guitar and a great hook and chorus.
If you’re looking for a dark horse record then this could be it. Great record and highly enjoyable.
8/10 from The Grooveman.
