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In my review of Hitten's last album, Triumph & Tragedy, I noted a similarity with mid-80s US metal, and they've leaned even harder into that style on their fifth album, While Passion Lasts. Their songwriting has an accessible, hard-rocking vibe that brings me back to music that was pervading the mainstream media back in the day. Hitten have clear, catchy vocals, upbeat melodies, and plenty of acrobatic leads, be they the Satriani-esque kind ("Mr. Know it All") or twin-guitar attack ("Truthful Lies"). I hear some Dokken and W.A.S.P. circa Tooth and Nail and The Last Command in cuts like "Dark Stalker" and the album's title track as well as bluesy, near-ballads like "Unholy Games" and "Where it All Begins" that remind me of post-Mindcrime Queensrÿche and even the harder material from bands like Warrant or Slaughter. There's nothing complicated or esoteric about Hitten but they do what they do well. If you've got some room in your playlist for '80s-style catchy hard rock/heavy metal, Hitten are dialed in on that.