Allied Forces Triumph Artist

With 1981's suitably named {|Allied Forces|} -- their fourth worldwide release and fifth overall -- the three members of {|Triumph|} put aside their differences and collaborated more seamlessly than ever before, fittingly delivering what is arguably ... Read more

With 1981's suitably named {|Allied Forces|} -- their fourth worldwide release and fifth overall -- the three members of {|Triumph|} put aside their differences and collaborated more seamlessly than ever before, fittingly delivering what is arguably the best album of their long career. Like the previous year's particularly intense {|Progressions of Power|}, and with the possible exception of a rather forgettable new track, {|Ordinary Man,|} the pedestrian mid-paced rockers that had sometimes derailed previous {|Triumph|} albums were conspicuously absent here, replaced by snaggletoothed heavy metal carnivores courtesy of singing drummer {|Gil Moore|}, such as the opening {|Fool for Your Love|} and the unrelenting title track -- both of them as thrilling as they were catchy. Not to be outdone, vocalist/guitarist {|Rik Emmett|} recovered the top melodic hard rock form that had abandoned him on {|Progressions|}, and countered {|Moore|}'s best serves with several winning volleys of his own, including the instantly classic single {|Magic Power,|} the amped-up blues-rocker {|Hot Time (In This City Tonight),|} the commanding semi-progger {|Fight the Good Fight,|} and the summery acoustic strum-along {|Say Goodbye.|} Meanwhile, bassist {|Mike Levine|} enacted his usual role as producer and dependable middleman, while simultaneously experimenting with discreet keyboard backdrops that never threatened to corrupt the music's hard rock heart. Even a pair of interludes -- the special effect intro {|Air Raid|} and the mandatory {|Emmett|} solo showcase {|Petite Etude|} -- managed to aid, instead of interrupt, the album's creatively inspired flow, proving that {|Triumph|} really were at the top of their game on {|Allied Forces|}. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia Less