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Yowzer. I thought it was the mid-80's again for a moment after putting this CD into my stereo. Twilightning definitely play music like it is anyhow, judging by this, their 2nd effort. I can almost see them at home, walls covered with Whitesnake posters, and a singular vinyl Winger album standing proudly on the rack.

Coming on like the vile conglomeration of W.A.S.P, Motley Crue and Europe, complete with horrible 80's sounding Casio keyboard synthesisers, widdly Yngwie Malmsteen styled guitar masturbation/mastery (delete to taste as appropriate), truly terrible sounding processed drums and most disturbingly 'Jon Bon Jovi wanting to be Bruce Dickinson' vocals. It's true that they say first impressions are important, and that is definitely a fact for this band, crap band name, mediocre artwork, dire song titles ('Riot Race' anyone?). I approached it with an open mind, hoping for the album to progress into a 3 Inches of Blood-like affair, but this really isn't for me at all. The production is very tinny and hollow with hardly any lower end, hardly helping the music one jot. On the positive side, occasionally the guitar-work is reminiscent of the power metal side of Children of Bodom, and there are a few impressive and enjoyable solo spots on display but only for a few moments before disappointingly returning to 80's euro rock by numbers of the 'lost' spandex clad era of Pantera.

It was a bad sign when I felt myself reaching for the skip button when I wasn't even halfway through the album, but endure I did however, as tough as it was when the album in question is brimming with so much of all of the horrific parts of 80's metal blended into a rank, oily concoction. Reading through my scribbled notes of the album when listening to it clearly covers everything… (2nd track intro is reminiscent of the song 'Getting Stronger' from the Rocky films, mixed up with the Baywatch theme. Arggghhh!). Not particularly good sounding eh?

Throughout the album, not one iota of emotion is raised, not even a bang of the head, or even a tap of the foot. There is something highly false and forced throughout the whole thing in my opinion. In fact, the only thing that was raised was the hope that my eardrums would spontaneously implode to put me out of my misery.

Not for me thanks, keep that part of the 80's dead and buried!