In bemoaning the fact this album got overlooked upon initial release, vocalist David DeFeis explains his decision to remaster and revisit this album again. A late 80s release it marked the band's fourth full length discs and in places certainly features some grand ideas that see rough edges smoothed by keyboards, orchestration and operatic backing vocals, indeed serving up a sound on occasion that could be seen as an early example of the symphonic metal genre many bands would forge later in the next decade.
The superbly overblown opener (at least in this configuration – the original album had a different running order) “The Burning of Rome (Cry For Pompeii)” therefore sets a great marker, the spoken word “Coils Of The Serpent” and it's successor “Serpent's Kiss” (added to the set on a 1997 revisiting of the album) provide a required big production epic missing on ititial release whilst the galloping “Chains Of Fire” and “Lion In Winter”, itself the centrepiece of a trilogy of linked tracks offer further impressive blasts that also serve to signpost influences. Covers of “Desert Plains” another which first emerged on the '97 reissue and then “Screaming For Vengeance” on a new seven track bonus disc underline one of the clearer influences.
There is a downside unfortunately and a definite falling off of quality can be perceived around three quarters of the way through the set as the grand concepts run dry for a while, the band seemingly confused between delivering grand themes or serving up mass appeal more generic metal. The crass “Seventeen” is the most glaring lower standard track and seems most out of place on the album, if perfectly placed perhaps on an 80s American metal release, whilst despite being a better song, the power ballad “Cry Forever” just sound like hit chasing.
Sadly the sleevenotes gloss over details about the problems suffered by the band when this was originally released, watering it's non-promotion back then down to four or so lines about a weaponless soldier sent naked onto a battefield (deep eh?). I can't help feeling that had a reissue specialist got hold of this a much more rewarding story would have been forthcoming. The explanation of how a hit and miss ten track original release became sixteen in 1997 and now a two disc, twenty three track collection wouldn't go amiss. There is after all some excellent music within, even if its not flawless.
Bill Leslie
NB Recommended…in places!
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Power Plays w/c 9 December 2024
In this sequence we play ‘The Best of 2024′ GRTR! reviewer selections
Featured Albums w/c 9 December 2024
09:00-12:00 The Best of 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2024 (Singer Songwriter)
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