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Striker's fourth album, Stand in the Fire, sees the band making some changes. First, the band's deal with Napalm Records has ended and they've opted to self-release Stand in the Fire. Second, Striker's sound continues to evolve. This time the band has gone all-in on a Power/Thrash formula. There are plenty of machine-gun riffs ("Phoenix Lights" "Outlaw") but also loads of major-chord choruses with multi-layered vocal harmonies and catchy refrains. The songwriting is good and Striker shows they aren't afraid to try new things, e.g. the saxophone on "Out for Blood." It actually works pretty well but I certainly wouldn't want to hear any more and fortunately this is the extent of that experiment on Stand in the Fire. No worries, the title track's pounding guitars and shouted chorus puts the album back on course.

Striker has been an interesting band over the past few years and Stand in the Fire continues that tradition. The fact they write entertaining songs makes each release that much more enjoyable. Fans of later 80s Thrash, speedy Traditional and even melodic stuff like TNT will all find something to like on Stand in the Fire.