Victory should have been a lot bigger than they were. I know they came at the tail end of of the classic period, in fact this album came out in ’92, but they had all the elements to take it further.
This album is a total banger. I mean, what better opening do you need than Rebel Ready? It has a razor sharp riff that rips from the speakers, a pounding double kick groove that you feel in the chest, and a killer hook and chorus – what more do you want! A great tune! Rock-O-Matic follows with a heavy Extreme vibe and a funk overtone. Very cool tune! As Time Goes Passing By follows and basically it’s the blues given the heavy treatment with HUGE sounding guitars. Big shout out here to vocalist Fernando Garcia who really can belt out a tune. Under The Sun blows on in with an industrial sounding drum and a riff that prime period Anthrax would be proud with an epic groove. Man On The Run closes out Side 1 and it’s balls time. How to kill the mood or what!
Normal service is resumed with Side 2 opener Shotgun Wedding, a straight up four to the floor rocker. No Way Tonight follows and we are in AC/DC sing a long territory. God Of Sound is all about the vocal and that huge hook and chorus. Cool tune! Love Is Tuff is driven along with a one note pounding bass line and a very commercial sounding vibe with matching massive hook and chorus (Extreme pop into my head again). The album closes out with Fool and yes, we are going out with a bang. This song is a superb up tempo monster with a ripping riff and a fitting end to a great record. A killer production from Tommy Newton adds to the quality tunes.
Why the ballad?
9.5/10 from The Grooveman.