Triumph doesn\u2019t get enough love.<\/p>\n
Yes, they were kind of the Great Value Rush. (Power trio? Check. Canadian? Check. Lack of internal strife and ability to update sound for the time? Um\u2026.) But there is something to be said for the pounding percussion of Gil Moore and Rik Emmett\u2019s ability to emote while singing. They were just a fun<\/i> band.<\/p>\n
Surveillance<\/i>, however, is the album where they, at least briefly, Got Serious (\u2122).<\/p>\n
There is a definite overtone to this album that perhaps we were a long way from the days of \u201cMagic Power\u201d. Taking on issues like global warming may seem odd for a metal band, but Triumph made it work, more or less. Add in the interesting choice of guitarslinger-for-hire Steve Morse on a couple of tracks (I swear, I can hear two guitar chords and I can identify Steve Morse. That \u2018duh-duh-duh-da-DUH-duh\u2019 thing of his is unmistakable) and Surveillance<\/i> is interesting, complex, and even intriguing in places.<\/p>\n
Production is acceptable, though Triumph\u2019s sound has always been a little dynamically flat for my tastes. Musicianship is competent, and even a little flashy in places (I\u2019m looking at you, the guitar break in \u201cOn And On\u201d).<\/p>\n
The bad first: there are a couple of hair-metal crapfests on this CD. \u201cLong Time Gone\u201d and \u201cRock You Down\u201d are cliche-ridden, boring, and not worth hearing a second time, much less a first. If I wanted Quiet Riot, I\u2019d listen to Quiet Riot. Now that that\u2019s out of the way\u2026.<\/p>\n
There are some damned good tracks on this CD as well. \u201cAll Over Again\u201d is a nice power ballad. \u201cNever Say Never\u201d will get your blood running and your fists pumping. \u201cHeaded For Nowhere\u201d has a couple of minutes of caffeine-fueled guitar and drum madness that shows off the band\u2019s skills as musicians. The highlight for me is \u201cAll The King\u2019s Horses\/Carry On The Flame\u201d, a surprisingly thoughtful and serious look at the environment as it stood in the late eighties (and trust me, it\u2019s just gotten worse since then).<\/p>\n
Is Surveillance <\/i>a great album? No. Not in the least. It\u2019s not even the best Triumph album. But like many a forgotten CD, it\u2019s got some gold hidden within. Worthwhile for fans of the band or the genre.<\/p>\n
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