It becomes apparent quickly that this isn't a really out and out heavy metal album. While some of the songs exhibit a heavier tendency, the harmony vocals that are utilised in every song show a leaning towards the 1970's AOR scene than the emerging heavier sound that was pushed by other bands of the era.
The opening song "Cheated" tingles like a Thin Lizzy or Gary Moore tune, but with harmony vocals in the chorus to keep it any closer to that comparison. It comes across as an AOR radio friendly single, which I admit I still find a little strange to open up with. It is a bit like the direction of Di'Anno's album three years later, though a lot less disappointing. This is followed up by a cover of The Kinks' "All Day and All of the Night" which is enjoyable enough, and probably highlighted by the twin guitar solo's in the middle of the song. "Running For Tomorrow" continues this momentum, though both this and "Rich City Kids" seem to miss a trick in the performance.
"Lovers to the Grave" is for all intents and purposes a soft rock ballad, and not a terribly good one either, until the guitar solo breaks out and brings the end of the song to life. A remarkable transformation. "Panic in the Streets" is a faster and heavier song, dominated by faster drum work and guitar riffs, while Tino's vocals and excellent twin guitar breaks drive it along in a way that is much more fitting of the new heavy era. "Flirting With Suicide" kicks off with a great guitar riff, and should be a terrific heavy song - and for the most part it is - but it is damaged by the chorus harmony, where the vocals are completely the wrong pitch for the depth of the song. It just doesn't make any sense to the outlay of the song at all.
As may have become apparent by this time, the major weakness for me with this album comes in the vocals. All three of Tino Troy (four songs), Chris Troy (three songs) and Steve Carroll (two songs) share the lead vocal duties, while they also all share the harmonies in the chorus lines. So not only do you have three different styles of vocals taking the lead on the album, you have those melodies in practically every song, which really don't change in pitch or tune from song to song. Not only does this tend to lighten the mood of each track, but it also begins to grate on you, as they seem to be there just to show they can do it, rather than adding to the songs. Some of the songs here would benefit from the chorus staying with Tino's tougher vocal being performed on its own, making the track harder than it ends up being because the lightweight harmony vocals come through instead.
Take "Children of the Earth" as an example, the closing song on the album. The song again starts off with a cracking riff, and the initial vocals are good. But before you know it, it seems to transform into coming across as quite moaning, especially during the shared chorus vocals. For me, the song could better than ordinary, on a par with so many other bands around that era. Unfortunately, by the middle of the track it really feels no different (and possibly somewhat less interesting) than other bands and songs. However, when it breaks into the guitar solos to close out the album, the song transforms, and it becomes something a little bit special. This is where the true potential of the band comes to life, and shows what they really had to offer. Oh, but those vocals... they really do drag this back a notch or three...
Was I over excited about this release? Did I not take under consideration what I read about the style of album that this was? I don't know. It is possible. My opinion hasn't changed over the years however, that while this is a good album, it doesn't make it an awesome album. Perhaps in the long run, the difference will again come down to those that discovered this album at its release, and those that discovered it some years later. The latecomers may not have the same love as those who have grown up with it. I'm guessing I fit into this category with this album in particular.
Rating: Man has evolved as a predator in disguise. 3/5
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