If you like traditional British Hard Rock and Metal then there's lots to enjoy here.
This is a great slab of authentic NWOBHM that can't help but put a smile on your face and have you reminiscing about those days when hairlines were fuller and waistlines were trimmer.
The reason it sounds so authentic is that the band's genesis actually stretches all the way back to 1982 when they were called Deep Machine. The members went onto a plethora of other Rock and Metal bands but now they're back. A couple of members are missing due to other band commitments (Tokyo Blade) and also ill health, but what they've come up with sounds like a lost NWOBHM gem.
All these songs bar one were written around 1982 for an album but failure to get signed saw the music shelved. Listening to this now, with modern production standards and the experience the band members now bring, suggests they were unlucky not to be picked up in the 1980s.
Their sound has many influences from back in the day. There's the unmistakable charge of Deep Purple in 'The Rider'. The DP comparison is further compounded by the fact that singer Tony Coldman has a touch of Ian Gillian about him, especially when he goes for those higher notes. 'Night Stalker' and the title track have a heavier NWOBHM vibe somewhere between Iron Maiden, Tank and the aforementioned TB.
The powerful 'All I Want' has a Dio authority to its delivery whilst 'Saga' is a slower, epic track about the fate of a sad old man which manages to be quite affecting. Elsewhere 'You Take My Breath Away' and 'Cold-Hearted' hint at the more Melodic Rock sound that would come into vogue later in the 1980s. There's some terrific, old-school twin guitar heroics from Paul Smith and new recruit Mick Feleppa and some splendid, upfront, "in your face" drumming from original member Steve Kingsley.
Despite being music that was originally conceived thirty years ago, it sounds fresh and if you like traditional British Hard Rock and Metal then there's lots to enjoy here.
Duncan Jamieson